The midlife strength solution: staying upright, active, and independent

At the same time, many people develop more body fat, and in the pursuit of staying fit and well, often turn to restrictive diets in an attempt to lose it. But here’s the problem: research has shown time and again that crash dieting doesn’t work. Once we stop dieting, we often regain the fat — but more importantly for women in midlife, we lose muscle during dieting and don’t regain it afterwards. That loss of muscle has long-term consequences.

Why Is This So Important?

We need strong, healthy muscles and bones to keep us upright, active, and independent. This becomes even more critical as we age. One in three women over the age of 50 will suffer a hip fracture — a rate far higher than that seen in men. Poor bone health plays a significant role here.

The outcomes can be serious:

40% of women never walk unaided again after a hip fracture

Women are five times more likely to fracture the other hip within two years¹

What can we do?

There is so much we can do to support healthy aging:

• Weight-bearing and resistance exercise to strengthen muscles and bones
• A healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet
• Ensuring you’re not deficient in vitamin D, calcium, or iron
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing alcohol intake
• Considering Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) to replace hormones lost during menopause.

How much protein do we actually need?

According to evidence presented at the International Menopause Society Conference in Melbourne (October 2024), women going through the menopause transition require 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

Example:

A woman weighing 70 kg would need 84 to 105 grams of protein per day.

This is significantly more than general guidelines, and many women simply aren’t getting enough — especially if they’re eating smaller meals or skipping them entirely.

Tips to boost protein intake

• Include protein with every meal (think: eggs, Greek yoghurt, legumes, lean meats, tofu, tempeh, fish)
• Add protein-rich snacks like nuts, hummus, or boiled eggs
• If needed, consider a protein supplement.

Community-recommended protein supplements

Based on feedback from our Embrace Change private Facebook community, some popular protein supplements include:

• True Protein
• At Health
• Mirrabooka Protein

These have been tried and tested by women in our group who are prioritising their midlife health.