Strong at every age: Supporting women and girls to fuel well, move and build strength

What would you like your body to be able to do throughout your life?

For a girl, it might mean having energy to learn, grow and play. For an adult woman, it might mean enjoying life fully while meeting the demands of work, family and daily life. Later, it may mean hiking with friends or playing actively with grandchildren.

Conversations about women’s health often centre on weight. But weight alone tells us little about how well-nourished, capable or strong someone is.

What if we also asked how our bodies can feel supported and function well at every age?

Our nutrition and movement needs evolve through adolescence, adulthood, perimenopause and beyond. No single approach suits everyone, but adequate fuelling, movement and strength provide valuable foundations throughout life.

Three principles remain useful: nourish your body for the life you want, build strength for capability and independence, and begin with a realistic step that can grow with you.

WOMEN ARE NOT SMALL MEN, AND GIRLS ARE STILL GROWING

Exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr Stacy Sims is known for the message that “women are not small men”. Nutrition and exercise guidance has not always adequately considered female physiology or changing life stages.

Girls are not simply smaller women. During adolescence, they need enough energy and nourishing foods to support growth, learning, menstruation, bones and activity.

For girls involved in sport or dance, under-fuelling or not fuelling adequately for their level of activity can be easy to miss. Persistent tiredness, poor recovery, recurring injuries, changes to menstruation or declining performance should not simply be accepted. Sport New Zealand’s Balanced Female Health Handbook offers guidance for those supporting active young people.

This is an important time to shape how girls think about food and movement. Exercise need not compensate for eating or focus on changing appearance. Movement can offer enjoyment, confidence and capability. Food is not something girls need to earn; it provides nourishment and also carries pleasure, culture, family and connection.

STRENGTH SUPPORTS PARTICIPATION IN LIFE

Adult women often balance work, caregiving and competing responsibilities. Meals become rushed and personal health can feel like one more task.

An all-or-nothing approach can become a barrier. Movement does not only count in a gym, and a meal need not be perfect to be nourishing.

Walking, swimming, dancing, cycling, gardening and active time with whānau all contribute. Strength work might include weights, resistance bands, Pilates, body-weight exercise or demanding everyday tasks.

Strength supports participation in life: carrying groceries, lifting children, climbing stairs, enjoying recreation and remaining independent. It can also build confidence in what our bodies can do.

Health New Zealand recommends muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days each week, alongside regular moderate activity. Useful movement is safe, accessible and realistic enough to continue.

BUILDING STRENGTH MEANS ALLOWING THE CHALLENGE TO EVOLVE

Starting matters, but so does progressing.

A beginner may become stronger through sit-to-stands, body-weight movements or resistance bands. Someone already active may need greater challenge to continue building strength.

The body adapts to repeated demands. As exercise becomes comfortable, progress might involve more resistance, repetitions, range or a harder variation. This is called progressive overload.

It means allowing challenge to develop as confidence, technique and capacity grow, not exercising through pain.

The relevant question is not, “Am I doing what somebody else is doing, or trying to follow what I have seen on social media?” It is, “Is this safe, appropriate and sufficiently challenging for me now?”

Women training regularly may benefit from a structured programme or qualified guidance suited to their goals and life stage.

FUELLING AND PROTEIN: SUPPORTING THE BODY TO RESPOND

Movement and nutrition work together. Strength exercise encourages adaptation; food supplies energy and nutrients for activity, recovery and health.

Hydration matters too. Regular water intake supports concentration, activity, temperature regulation and recovery, and water is preferable to sugary or energy drinks.

Protein provides amino acids that the body uses to maintain and repair muscle. Protein-rich foods include eggs, yoghurt, milk, fish, chicken, lean meat, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Appropriate choices depend on culture, preferences, access, budget and health needs.

Protein needs vary with age, body size, activity, health and goals, so one number cannot suit everyone. Research supports adequate protein alongside resistance exercise for lean body mass and strength.

Rather than becoming overwhelmed by calculations, consider:

• Can you identify a meaningful protein-rich food in each main meal?

• Are you eating enough overall to support your daily life and activity?

• Do your meals leave you feeling supported or regularly depleted?

• If you train frequently or have specific health or performance goals, would individual advice from a registered dietitian be helpful?

Protein is important, but it is not the whole story. A varied eating pattern also provides carbohydrates, fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Adequate fuelling means nourishing the whole person, not simply reaching a protein target.

Supporting health also means noticing when something does not feel right. Persistent exhaustion, pain, poor recovery, recurring injuries or menstrual changes may be dismissed as part of being busy, active or female. Common does not mean something must be endured. Know your patterns and seek advice when concerns persist.

ADAPTING THROUGH PERIMENOPAUSE AND BEYOND

During perimenopause and beyond, women may notice changes in strength, body composition, recovery or bone health. The body is not failing; earlier strategies may simply need to evolve.

Research indicates that resistance training can improve strength and physical function in postmenopausal women. Exercise programmes that include resistance and weight-bearing activity can also support bone mineral density.

The response need not be eating less and exercising more. It may involve purposeful training, supportive eating, adequate recovery and appropriate guidance.

Strength at this stage is an investment in balance, mobility, independence and the freedom to continue participating in life.

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT REALISTIC STEP?

There is no universal starting line.

Health is not only about food and exercise. Rest, sleep, connection and mindful practices such as meditation or slow breathing can support wellbeing and help women and girls notice what they need. Sometimes the next step is not more, but space to pause and recover.

For a girl, the next step may be eating enough for growth or finding movement she enjoys. A woman beginning might learn safe strength movements and practise consistently.

Someone active might ask whether her strength work has progressed and whether she is fuelling and recovering adequately. An experienced woman might ensure her programme supports changing goals and life stage.

As a Health Coach, I am less interested in the “perfect” programme than in helping someone identify the next realistic step. Small actions matter, but as capacity grows, the challenge can grow too.

Supporting women and girls to become strong is not about pursuing one body shape or definition of health. It is about providing enough nourishment, creating opportunities to move and building the capacity to participate fully in life.

Instead of asking only, “How can I make my body smaller?”, perhaps we can ask, “What would I like my body to help me do, and what is one realistic step I can take to support it?”

If you have a medical condition, an injury, specific nutritional needs, concerns about menstruation or a history of disordered eating, seek individual advice from an appropriately qualified health professional such as your GP, registered dietitian or exercise professional.

CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHY

Kimberley Hall is a Health Coach at Tend Pakuranga Medical Centre. She works alongside patients to turn health information into practical, sustainable change, with support tailored to each person’s goals, circumstances and stage of readiness. Kimberley is particularly interested in women’s health, nutrition, movement and building strength for long-term wellbeing. Her approach focuses on meeting people where they are, working through barriers and identifying the next realistic step towards better health.

SOURCES FOR EDITORIAL REVIEW

1. Sims ST. About Dr Stacy Sims. Dr Stacy Sims.
   https://www.drstacysims.com/about_stacy
2. Sport New Zealand. Balanced Female Health Handbook.
   https://sportnz.org.nz/media/vuojkuq2/balanced-female-health-handbook.pdf
3. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. Being physically active.
   https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-topics/keeping-healthy/being-physically-active/physical-activity
4. Nunes EA, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of protein intake to support muscle mass and function in healthy adults. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. 2022;13(2):795–810.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35187864/
5. Sá KMM, et al. Resistance training for postmenopausal women: systematic review and meta-analysis. Menopause. 2023;30(1):108–116.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36283059/
6. Mohebbi R, et al. Exercise training and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies with emphasis on potential moderators. Osteoporosis International. 2023;34:1145–1178.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36749350/

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