The one type of exercise women over 40 should STOP doing
The one type of exercise women over 40 should STOP doing
Did I mention I’m training for a marathon in October? Yep. And it’s the one type of exercise I strongly urge my female clients NOT to do: distance running.
Some of you may be breathing a sigh of relief: thank GOD I don’t have to run! If you are in the other camp and love running you might not like me right now. Before you lose your mind and write me off, please keep reading because I’m going to give you tips on keeping your body in better condition if you aren’t willing to give up distance running just yet.
Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit: why am I running a marathon if I tell women not to? Because I made a deal with a friend. I (semi-jokingly) said to her that if she rode the MS Pedal to the Point bike ride with me, I’d run a marathon with her. Not one to back down from a challenge, she accepted. So, here we are.
I’m also interested to see if I can do it. I’ve never run a marathon before. I’ve pushed myself through some pretty grueling fitness events. But never a marathon. I kinda want to know if I can push myself mentally and physically to that limit. Just once.
All exercise is good exercise, right?
Exercise is a stress on the body. Small doses of exercise force the body to adapt. This is a good thing. It’s how exercise creates muscle, strengthens bones, and keeps us healthy. But there is a point of diminishing returns, and, taken further, a point of negative impact on the body.
This is why I don’t recommend women over 40 train for distance running:
It is hard on your cartilage, soft tissues, and joints. At a time in our life when estrogen is beginning to decrease and our joints and tissues are becoming even more inflamed, adding a lot of running to the mix can make things worse and lead to injury or chronic back, hip, knee, and ankle problems.
Long-distance running is catabolic. It eats your muscle. Dropping levels of testosterone and estrogen are already causing increased rates of muscle loss each year beyond 35. Distance endurance training can increase the rate of muscle loss. This also equates to an overall slower metabolic rate, a BIG problem if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight in the long term.
You’re not burning as many calories as you think you are. At first, the stimulus is novel. You might burn 400-500 calories in an hour of running the first few times you run. But the body is an adaptation machine. Fitness = efficiency. Believe it or not, if you are trying to do well at running marathons, this is what you want. You want your body to use calories more efficiently. It also means your metabolic rate and calorie burn during exercise is, eventually, lower. This is why running is a poor way to lose weight. It may help you lose weight initially. Eventually, you have to run longer and longer and longer to keep getting the same calorie burn.
Running makes you f*cking hungry. Exercising for longer than 45 minutes increases hunger hormones throughout the day, and sometimes into the next. Running does not give you a free pass to eat whatever you want. Most people (runners included) are overestimating their calorie burn and underestimating how much they eat. Throw ramped up hunger hormones from running on top of that and you have a recipe for overshooting your caloric needs.
Distance running can cause too much added stress for women over 40. Did I mention hormones? Our ovaries are beginning to fail. As that happens, our adrenals have to take over the production of sex hormones. The adrenals are also responsible for making other hormones like cortisol. This extra load can lead to adrenal burnout. This is why women over 40 often feel like they don’t handle stress as well as they used to…because they don’t. Doing too much of any type of exercise during this phase of life can cause dysregulation of thyroid, cortisol, and sex hormones.
What do I recommend for women who want to keep running marathons?
If you love running, you don’t have to stop. In fact, a moderate amount of running is okay and may be beneficial (i.e. 3 to 5 miles, two to three days per week). My plea is for women who aren’t currently runners: you don’t need to start running! You don’t need to run to lose weight. You will get a better outcome if you lift weights three times per week and walk 30 to 60 minutes per day.
And for those who love distance running, you don’t have to stop. But I think it’s important to recognize that you may need to change the way you train to keep your body in good condition as you age.
Important Suggestions for womEn wishing to continue distance running
Have an off-season. The best distance athletes have an off-season of three to five months where they allow their body to heal, and work on strength, muscle-building, and mobility.
Strength train and do mobility work. Distance cardio training causes muscle loss. Strength training is the only way to maintain muscle and keep your frame strong.
Prioritize protein intake. Endurance athletes need even more protein than weight lifters. Read that again. To keep your precious muscle tissue, you should eat protein: about 1 gram per pound of lean body weight.
Stop overtraining. You do not need to run 5 or 6 days per week. In fact, your marathon times will probably improve if you have more rest and recovery time. I’m training very limited miles for this marathon. I’m only running 2 to 3 times per week, mostly short to moderate mileage, with just one or two longer runs (16+ miles). If my triathlon training way back in the day taught me anything, it’s that I’ll run a much better marathon if I train less.
If you don’t feel well or have nagging chronic injuries, take some time off. I am astounded at the number of runners who will “run through” pain. Plantar fasciitis, shin splints, hairline fractures, tendonitis, chronic knee pain, sciatic issues, and lower back pain are all signs you are overtraining. If something doesn’t feel right, take a few days off. These minor aches and pains can become chronic nightmares very quickly.
If you are not sleeping well or have a lot of other life stress, reduce your training volume. Sleep is when you recover. Unfortunately, women in peri/meno tend to experience poor sleep. Many of us also have the stress of work, teenagers living in our homes, and life in general. Don’t be afraid to reduce running volume temporarily (this may mean running fewer times per week, and/or running shorter mileages).
Thanks for reading! If you want to follow my marathon journey, find out more about my training regimen and nutrition protocols, or get my insights on all things fitness and health for the post-40 woman, stay tuned here and check out my YouTube channel!