IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS VIDEO:
1. Download the information sheet with all tips & information from this video: https://lauratry-shop.fourthwall.com/products/womens-fitness-nutrition-information-sheet

2. If you're a man and wondering if this video will be useful to you, I do include information about men and the differences of men's and women's needs when it comes to exercise and food. If you watch it, I hope you find it helpful.

3. At 3:56 - when I started weight training I also changed my eating habits, going from (almost) vegetarian to high-protein (from meat and fish)
This played a huge part in me changing my body composition, giving me enough protein to build muscle with the weight training.
I should have explained this in the video, apologies.

4. I understand that some of the information in this video seems quite dogmatic - that was not my intention at all!
There are plenty of women in the comments saying they enjoy running, marathon training, cardio classes, bootcamp etc, and that's great! We have to do what we enjoy doing.
My intention for making this video was to break the stigma of women doing lots of cardio and restricting calories to 'lose weight' and look a certain way - a way that marketing, society and culture have conditioned us. You know the look - thin, skinny. That's fine, but we also need to be strong and healthy. Our older selves will thank us for it.

I started weight training at 32 after watching hundreds of hours of women on youtube lifting weights and carefully watching their form. I hated weight lifting at first. No one in the weights section at the gym looked chubby like me. But I rapidly lost fat and put on muscle and had to buy smaller clothes. I love feeling strong and powerful and 7 years later I still do weight training 5ish days a week. I have noticed the weights section of the gym is very male dominant and it does take insane confidence to pull up a bench right between two dudes but you belong there just as much as they do. The gym is for everyone. Don't forget chest day ladies my boobs are so perky and look incredible at almost 40

The mental health benefits of weight training are incredible too

Walking for at least an hour a day is great for everyone and doesn’t put pressure on joints plus weight training

Reading the comments. So many women did not get the take-home message of this video and get very defensive about their one hour of cardio. I guess it can be intimidating to find where to start when it comes to weights. Start watching women on youtube who do strength training, look at their form, and go into the gym at a time when no one is there, pick up two dumb bells and just try doing basic movements like a shoulder press, and try the strength machines. I very rarely see women in the weights section of the gym and it is so unfortunate. We belong there just as much as anyone else.

A woman over 50 here…my husband begged me to weight train VS my cardio workouts and I got my back up. Until I listened….my body has completely transformed. Laura, thank you for this video. I support you wholeheartedly. ❤

I just recently turned 60 and have been lifting weights plus doing leisurely walking and swimming. It works for me as I've never felt better.  Do what makes you feel happy! Exercise should never be a 'chore'.

This video came at a great time as I'm listening to an audiobook called Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. It's not that we are trying to copy men; it's often that the data presented to us is shared as if it's for everyone, but it usually excludes 50% of the population (and we are unaware of it) because of bias. Thank you for sharing what you learned from Stacy Sims!

I wish people wouldn’t demonise cardio, it’s not a ‘one size fits all’. I’m 45, still do cardio (always have) + weight training. The cardio is what keeps my mental health good, I keep my lean muscle and look athletic. Les mills/ Body pump is great, I’ve built muscle doing it myself (I also do heavier/ slower, it’s good to do a range of exercise.
I do Les mills Grit and sprint and they both increase my V02 max which is an indicator of longevity.
Huberman and Sims are not gods, they are people with ideas, some of them questionable pseudoscience.
I do enjoy your videos Laura, I just steer away from always following the herd, do what works for you.

Hi Laura, I have to admit that I was an OG consumer of your channel with the 5km per day run video but then zoned out when you started talking about intermittent fasting because, as a doctor, I had concerns about this for women and the potential disordered eating.
I was so delighted when this popped into my feed. I love that you are now advocating for high quality food, protein, weight bearing exercise and movement for women.
This video actually really reflects my current prescriptions for low cortisol movement but I also think we need to add that all dopaminergic movement (ie purposeful movement that increases heart rate in an enjoyable and exciting way) is great. Not only for metabolism but also for mental wellbeing and cardiovascular fitness. For instance a game of pickleball or netball with friends. Additionally, where there are financial constraints some movement is better than no movement at all

I started lifting weights in 2014 so when I turned 30. Before that just cardio. Its the best! Now that Im entering 40s its more vital I increase liftin weights!

Great video. I've  started strength training 1 year ago  with a PT. I'm in my 50s. I deadlifts 140kg, squat 90kg and bench press 55kg. I weigh 67kg.

I love weight training! Makes me feel so fit and strong. I’m way stronger now than I was when I was in my twenties. And I feel amazing!
I’m almost 48 and lift really heavy weights 3- 4 times a week and people think I’m 10 years younger than I am!

I'll be 62 next week, and in the past few months I've noticed a drop in my strength and a rise in fat around my middle.  I've been intermittent fasting for about ten months and I really didn't want to believe your last video, but I cannot deny what I'm experiencing.  Thanks for this one and I'll keep these tips in mind.  The first one was not a surprise to me, as I was a follower of The Firm in the 90's and became very strong.  More muscle burns more fat.

My son has been preaching the importance of strength training for years but I'm still stuck in "cardio mode."  Years ago I moved to an extremely rural area where I couldn't go to a gym and so I stopped strength training and just walked/ran/biked.   For me, cardio doesn't require any thinking - just get up and GO.  This video has inspired me to dig out the dumb bells and resistance bands out and build a new habit (guess I need to dig out "Atomic Habits" too).  I enjoy your content and appreciate your honesty and vulnerability as you explore new things.

I started kickboxing at the age of 47 and am loving it. I added weights and I see and feel amazing results in my body but also in my mental well-being. I feel so alive and good after training, it is mind-blowing.
Thank you, Laura, for sharing your results and experiences. There are so many things scientists are finding out about the differences between men and women that have been overlooked or trivialised e.g. cardiac arrest in women vs men.

I qm 45 and I have a medical condition (AVM malformation in brain) and I can't do any of those exercises. I can only do easier cardio, yoga. But I do enjoy jogging and walking the dog. I still think it is better than nothing and my legs are toned. And it helps my mental health.

I do interval running for my mental health because it’s 20-30 minutes and you increase speed as your fitness improves. It’s very challenging. My cardiologist actually commented on how hard it was to send my heart into an arrhythmia (to test my defibrillator implant) because my heart was strong and kept correcting the arrhythmia on its own!

Hey LT, I wish I could like your video 100 times! Everything you’ve covered makes total sense. I’ve been weight training for many years, and do physio so I’m always promoting the benefits of strength work to clients. 1 in 2 post-menopausal women will sustain a fracture - that statistic alone should have women heading to the gym! I used to do frantic fitness (CrossFit) but it burnt me out physically and neurally - DOMS after every session and totally brain-drained. Now I workout at home, doing heavy compound lifts. My cardio is daily dog walking with the occasional run. I also do yoga / mobility, breathwork, sauna and sea dips. It’s great you’re making such quality content - you look great and inspire many 🙏🏻

Laura you have done a brilliant job with this - this is the first time in history that science has had any interest in older females and Dr Stacy Sims info, in this brilliant form you have created (your document) is absolutely brilliant - weight training and HIT is the only way to ensure VO2 max and muscle mass dont wither away as you age into 70s and 80s - well done Laura !!