🧠I listened to an episode of The Peter Attia Drive this week…
- Olly Bridge
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
🧠I listened to an episode of The Peter Attia Drive this week…https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-peter-attia-drive/id1400828889?i=1000743770594 and I couldn’t stop thinking about the mothers and parents in my world 🌏
Not in a dramatic way, but more in a this-matters-and-we-don’t-talk-about-it-enough way.
Women’s health isn’t something that suddenly matters later in life. It’s something that’s quietly shaped across decades. Especially during the years when women are busy caring for everyone else.
🦴 What we build early really does matter
The evidence shows that bone strength is largely built in childhood and adolescence.
Muscle and physical capacity peak in early adulthood and slowly decline unless they’re supported.
Not because anyone is doing anything wrong…but because life gets full.
📚 Weaver et al., 2016 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26856587/
📚 Booth et al., 2012 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23798298/
💪 Muscle isn’t about fitness… it’s about future ease
Muscle strength is associated with things most parents care deeply about:
• staying independent
• avoiding injury
• having energy for daily life
• maintaining health as the years pass
For women, muscle loss can accelerate during midlife transitions if it’s not gently protected.
This isn’t about aesthetics, it’s about function and freedom.
📚 Srikanthan & Karlamangla, 2014 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24561114/
📚 Cruz-Jentoft et al., 2019 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30312372/
⏳ Perimenopause often arrives during the busiest years
This phase can bring subtle but real shifts:
• muscle quality changes
• fat distribution shifts
• metabolism becomes less flexible
What struck me most is that support during this window appears to have a bigger long-term impact than the same changes made later. But for many women, this phase overlaps with parenting, careers, and caring responsibilities.
📚 Greising et al., 2009 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19561145/
📚 Lovejoy et al., 2008 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18332882/
⚖️ Weight alone misses the point
Focusing only on the number on the scale, without protecting muscle, is associated with poorer long-term outcomes.
Strength, movement, and nourishment tell us far more than weight ever could.
📚 Wolfe, 2006 - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2006.243
🧪 Even new medical tools still need care around them
Medications like GLP-1s can be helpful for some women.
But without resistance training and adequate protein, muscle and bone loss can occur.
No judgement here, just a reminder that foundations still matter.
📚 Wilding et al., 2021 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/
⚡ One quiet capability we rarely mention: power
The ability to move quickly and confidently declines earlier than strength… and predicts falls and independence later in life.
The hopeful part is that it can be trained at any age.
📚 Reid & Fielding, 2012 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22016147/
🎯 What I keep coming back to
This isn’t about doing more, or adding pressure to already full lives. It’s about protecting future capacity… gently, consistently, and with compassion.
For ourselves…AND for the children watching what “normal” looks like.
The evidence keeps pointing to the same simple themes:
• regular strength-based movement
• enough protein
• appropriate challenge
• consistency over perfection
Healthspan isn’t built in one big moment.
It’s built in the small things we repeat, especially when no one is watching.
@Essentio Health
@Build a Bridge – Live Your Best Life
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