Have you ever thought that your daily walk might not be doing enough for your health as you get older? It turns out, after reaching your 40s, just walking isn’t quite enough to keep your body in top shape. A leading cardiologist shares why adding the right kind of exercise is crucial for staying strong and healthy well into later decades.
Why walking alone falls short after 40
Walking every day is undoubtedly beneficial—it supports heart health, muscle tone, and helps manage blood pressure. In fact, walking 30 minutes daily is often recommended as a great starting point for staying active. But according to Magdalena Perelló, a cardiologist and health educator known for her viral videos on TikTok, relying on walking alone misses a critical part of staying healthy after age 40.
“Walking is a good start, but it doesn’t prevent something very important: the loss of muscle mass,” she explains. “From 40, you can lose up to 1% of your muscle mass each year.” This loss isn’t just about strength. Fewer muscles mean an elevated risk of heart attacks, diabetes, falls, and even premature death. Muscles act as our best medicine, helping us live longer and healthier lives. Her advice is strong and simple: “Move your body, whether you’re 40, 60, or 80.”
Muscle building is key to lasting health
So, if walking can’t do it alone, what’s the solution? Muscle strengthening exercise—often called resistance training or weightlifting—is the answer. And don’t worry, you don’t need to turn into a bodybuilder. Just two or three sessions a week can make a massive difference.
Alexia Cornu, a fitness coach specialized in women’s health and menopause, emphasizes the importance of muscle work. “Women start losing muscle as early as 25,” she says. “The problem is that having less muscle means a slower metabolism, so you burn less energy every day. If you keep eating like before, the pounds start creeping on.”
She highlights a common trap many women find themselves in: trying to lose weight by eating less, which actually slows the metabolism. Losing muscle leads to gaining even more weight over time. Instead, building muscle increases your metabolic rate and helps keep weight in check naturally.
How to combine walking and muscle training for optimal results
The ideal approach after 40 is simple: keep walking daily but add in regular muscle-strengthening sessions. This can easily be done at a gym or at home. Activities like Pilates are also fantastic for deep muscle conditioning.
Supporting this advice, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that just 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-building activities per week is linked with a 10 to 20% lower risk of death from all causes, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Personally, I found this shift pretty eye-opening. For years, I focused on cardio and walked almost everywhere. Eventually, I noticed my energy dipping and slight weight gain despite my activity. Once I committed to just two weekly sessions of strength training, I felt more energetic, my body felt firmer, and even my mood improved. If you’ve been relying on walking alone, maybe it’s time to try something new.
Have you added strength training to your routine? What challenges or benefits did you notice? Share your experience below, and if you found this article helpful, don’t hesitate to pass it along to friends and family who might need a nudge toward healthier habits!