More and more women in their 40s, 50s and 60s are realising the importance of keeping their bodies fit and strong as they age, according to a new group of strength and conditioning experts offering online and in person classes in Ireland.
Clare Kennedy, one of the fitness instructors with strongeryouforlife.com says that older women – many of whom neglected their physical health during their childbearing years – are now becoming aware of the importance of exercise for injury prevention, pain relief and mental wellbeing.
“Your confidence gets shattered if your body isn’t in good shape. I tell my clients to write their work-outs in their diaries each week so it’s an essential part of their week,” says Clare Kennedy.
Emma Kennedy (no relation), another fitness instructor with the group says that she has felt the personal benefits of strength training even though she kept reasonably fit through running when she was younger.
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“I only started strength training in my late 30s and early 40s. If I had known what I know now when I was in my 20s, it would have helped me when I was having my children,” says Kennedy.
Prof Fiona Wilson, professor of sports medicine at Trinity College Dublin and chartered physiotherapist, explains that one of the key features of ageing in women is loss of muscle mass.
“Frailty may seem a long way off when you’re in your 40s or 50s but it’s a major cause of hospitalisation and mobility loss as well as cardiovascular disease in older women,” she explains.
Sports medicine experts are now keen to promote the so-called “window of opportunity” in mid life using the well-worn maxim, Use It or Lose it.
However, some women in midlife may not have exercise literary in that they might not be exposed to strength training in the same way that younger women are now. “It can be intimating for this age group,” says Prof Wilson.
Prof Wilson says that strength and balance exercises or resistance training are recognised ways of improving muscular fitness. “Lunges and squats are great exercises because they combine strength, range of motion and balance, but often women stop doing these exercises as they age,” she says.
Emma Kennedy believes that exercise is often the first thing women drop off when their lives become busy with work and family demands. “We’re here to assist women who are not sure where to start when it comes to exercise and strength training. We want you to fall in love with a stronger you,” says Emma Kennedy.
Brenda Mockler (45) is an example of someone who has transformed her health in the last three years or so. “I have four children and a granddaughter and I had started to suffer from terrible lower back pain in the last while. It felt like my upper body was falling into my lower body,” she explains.
Starting exercise classes also prompted Mockler to make other changes to her daily routines. “I had always associated exercise with losing weight and being skinny but now I wanted to exercise to feel better mentally and deal with pain,” she explains.
Since signing up for three early morning classes each week and going for an early morning walk the other mornings, Mockler has transformed her physical and mental wellbeing. “I’m stronger. The pain in my back has eased and if I stand up straight and stretch, the pain goes. My mental health is better too,” she explains.
Dr Sinead Meade, a busy GP found that she was neglecting her own health and realised she had to do something about it. “I was working 60-70 hours a week, not eating all day, having dinner at 8pm, going to bed and repeating the pattern the next day,” she says.
When you make resistance training available to more people, you are protecting the health of the nation,
— Prof Fiona Wilson
The imminence of her 50th birthday became the motivation to change the way she was leading her life. “Before I had children, I went to the gym six days a week. My babies were born by Caesarean sections and I more or less stopped exercising when they were young. I didn’t even go for walks,” she explains.
“Now as my children are 12 and 14, I feel like I am setting an example for them. I also promote strength training to peri-menopausal and menopausal women who come to my clinic,” says Meade. Her new routine includes eating breakfast (which she didn’t do before), going to in-person classes twice a week, walking on other days and returning to playing tennis.
“I feel great and I feel strong and I’ve taken on a partner GP at the practise to ease my workload,” she says.
The reduction in the body’s production of oestrogen during menopause contributes to the age-related decline in muscle mass, physical strength, and stability. GPs are increasing aware of the importance of encouraging women in their 40s, 50s and 60s to maintain skeletal muscle strength and balance. The loss of oestrogen also increases older women’s risk of heart attack and stroke and weight bearing exercises help to keep the cardiovascular system in good order.
One study published in Harvard Women’s Health Watch in 2025 found that older women who partook in twice-weekly guided exercises (including Tai Chi and circuit training) reduced their risk of falling.
Another study found multiple benefits from High-Intensity Interval Training and Continuous Aerobic Training among 60-85 year olds. The participants improved their cardiovascular fitness, their cognitive performance and their mental health.
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Older women with fitter, stronger bodies are also much less likely to fall or be able to prevent a fall by having a quicker reaction time. Other studies have found that women who maintain cardiorespiratory fitness have reduced rates of hospitalisation.
Emma Kennedy says that one of her aims is “to break down the fear of weight training for older women”.
According to Kennedy, many women are fearful of lifting weights yet they lift their 10 kg suitcases into the overhead lockers on aeroplanes, they pick up their three-year-old child who weighs about 20 kg or they move their sofas around when cleaning the house.
“So, we start with resistance training using your body weight and build up using five and seven kilogram (kg) weights first, moving up gradually to higher weights,” she explains.
“It’s about building up muscle mass in your legs, arms and abdomen and by gradually lifting heavier weights, you increase your bone density,” says Emma Kennedy who runs early morning outdoor classes in Tallaght as well as her one-to-one in person/online classes.
As life expectancy increases, the challenge for all older women will be to partake in regular exercise sessions to maintain their physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Such exercise regimes will also reduce the risk of long term chronic conditions such as Diabetes Type II, cardiovascular disease and dementia.
Prof Wilson suggests that women have to decide whether exercising with a group or exercising at home on online classes or using apps works best for them.
“There are more and more classes available in person and online but they can cost a lot of money,” says Wilson. She believes that there should be more free public gyms and free outdoor classes. “When you make resistance training available to more people, you are protecting the health of the nation,” says Wilson, whose research interests include the management of arthritis and low back pain using exercises and activities.
