Stop Training on Empty. Your Muscle Is Paying the Price.

By Kim Fisher · Feb 2025 · 5 min read

We talked about this on our coaching call this week, and I want to put it in writing because it's that important.

The research has been saying this for years, and the science backs it up: for women over 50, timing your food around your workouts is not optional. It's not a nice-to-have. It's the difference between building your body up and quietly tearing it down.

Here's what's actually happening when you skip food before you train: when you stay in a breakdown state too long, your brain reads it as a low-energy emergency. And the first thing your body sacrifices? Lean muscle. Not fat. Muscle. And we already have a harder time building it than men do... so we literally cannot afford to lose it.

What to Eat and When

Protein targets aren't one-size-fits-all. A woman who weighs 115 pounds does not need the same amount of protein as a woman who weighs 150 pounds. The science-backed target for active perimenopausal and postmenopausal women is 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

Before Strength Training... 60 to 90 Minutes Prior

Get about 15 grams of protein in before you lift. You're not eating a full meal, you're giving your body enough to protect the muscle you're working so hard to build.

Quick options: half a cup of Greek yogurt with a hard-boiled egg, 2 hard-boiled eggs, a small protein shake (15g), or a quarter cup of cottage cheese.

Before Cardio... 60 to 90 Minutes Prior

Add 30 grams of carbohydrate to that protein. This small snack lifts blood sugar and signals to your hypothalamus that fuel is on the way. Your body stops the panic. It stops breaking down muscle. It works with you instead of against you.

After Your Workout... Within 45 Minutes

Women's metabolisms return to baseline faster than men's. That means you have a tighter window to flip from breakdown to repair, and that window gets even tighter as we get older. Get a full meal within 45 minutes after training.

The Bottom Line

Your protein targets are personal. They're based on your body, your weight, your life. What works for your friend or the woman next to you in the gym may not be your number.

Find your number. Eat before you train. Eat after you train. Hit your protein every single day.

This is how we protect our muscle, support our metabolism, and actually keep the results we're earning. That's what Ageless looks like.

With love, Kim

Kim Fisher

Certified life coach, relationship coach, spiritual counselor, and personal trainer with 43 years of experience. Founder of Diva Over Fifty and Ageless by Kim.