The Shift: A Real Talk on Women’s Health After 40
When it comes to women's health, the conversation is finally shifting. We’re no longer pretending that one-size-fits-all advice applies across every age. But what actually happens to a woman’s body as she moves through her peri-menopause and menopause in her 40s, 50s, and beyond and how should she train to feel strong, capable, and balanced along the way?
While recently in Sydney, our Head Coach & Founder, Ash Carucci, sat down with Alexa Towersey, a high-performance coach, internationally published celebrity personal trainer, 3 x sports cover model, motivational speaker, and mental health facilitator with over two decades of experience in the health and fitness industry. Now in her 40’s, Alexa brings a rare blend of lived experience and academic depth, holding a Bachelor of Science (Double Majoring in Biology and Psychology) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management and Kinesiology. She’s seen firsthand how women’s bodies change with age, how training must evolve, and how to adapt without giving up the things you love.
What Actually Changes?
“I can’t speak to being in my 50s or 60s yet,” she laughs, “but the changes started in my late 30s, and it was eye-opening.”
The first shift? Sleep. “I’d always been a great sleeper-then suddenly my sleep was not so great.”
Another red flag? Her cycle. “It went from clockwork to chaos. Suddenly, I was getting periods every three weeks, then not at all. If you’re not tracking your cycle, these changes can sneak up on you.”
And then, the hair loss. “Post-Naked and Afraid [a brutal survival-based show], I came home and started losing hair in clumps. At first, I thought it was stress. Then my period didn’t come, my sleep got worse, and I was like-oh, this is something bigger.”
But perhaps the most confronting changes were emotional.
“I’ve never been an anxious person. But in my 40s, I started getting anxiety attacks-like full-on panic in the car, unable to see clients. And rage-whoa. I’d snap without warning. It was like all the negative emotions were turned up to 11, and I didn’t have my usual coping reserves.”
She shares this not to scare women, but to empower them: “If you don’t know what’s going on, it’s terrifying. You think you’re losing it. But if you do know, you can catch it early, support your body, and realise: this isn’t permanent.”
How She’s Changed Her Training-and Why It Matters
“If I don’t warm up properly now, I’m done. I’ll get injured. My warm-ups are often longer than my workouts!”
Her new routine includes:
Mobility
Activation
Balance work
Heavy lifting
Minimal cardio (just enough for heart health and recovery)
High-impact, high-volume training just doesn’t land the same anymore. “In my 20s and 30s, I could smash myself and feel great. Now? That kind of training adds stress-and my body shows it. Inflammation, injury, fatigue. It’s not worth it.”
Instead, her focus is on training smart-with movement that supports hormonal health, joint integrity, and long-term energy.
She’s also a massive advocate for walking.
“Walking is underrated. It’s low impact, supports recovery, and helps manage stress. If I could prescribe one thing to every woman over 40, it’d be walking and lifting weights.”
Supplements That Changed the Game
Not into meal prep? Struggling to hit your macros? “Outsource it, have nourishing pre-made meals delivered,” she says. “If food’s a stressor, don’t white-knuckle it.”
Top supplements she swears by:
Creatine (for strength, recovery, cognition)
Beef liver or spleen (for iron and overall vitality)
Magnesium (for sleep and mood)
Fish oil (if not getting enough healthy fats from food)
Recovery Isn’t Optional Anymore
“You don't have the capacity that you did when you were younger to recover as well as you did, like, unfortunately, from a physiological and hormonal sense, we just don't have the capacity to recover as you get older. Why? Because your estrogen drops, your ability to make collagen drops, all the things that help your body build muscle, repair your joints, your tissues, is no longer as good as it used to be”
Her go-to recovery strategy:
Balance training sessions with ‘deposits’ into the recovery bank (walks, mobility, stretching)
Infrared saunas (especially helpful for women due to hormonal response to heat)
Pilates or restorative yoga (to offset the ‘yang’ energy of strength sessions)
Sleep hygiene (non-negotiable)
“Look at your body like a bank balance analogy. If you’re always withdrawing and never depositing, you’ll end up with nothing left, and then you’ll get injured or burnt out.”
Undoing Decades of Diet Culture
There’s another layer to all of this. For many women entering their 40s, 50s, and 60s, it’s not just menopause that’s wreaking havoc-it’s the conditioning they’ve built and carried through from the 1980s and 1990s.
“Low-fat everything. Cardio to death. Eat less, train more. It’s ingrained in us. But that approach fails us as we age. Now it’s about eating more-especially protein-and training in a way that protects your bones, hormones, and muscle mass.”
She sees two camps:
Women who’ve shifted mindset and embraced strength
Women stuck in the past, who feel like it’s too late or too intimidating to change
“We have to meet women where they are. A lot of them were never welcomed into the weight room. If we can create environments where they feel supported and safe, they will try it. And when they do, they realise: this isn’t about aesthetics anymore. It’s about function. About feeling strong. About living longer-and living better.”
The Bottom Line
Every woman is different. There’s no universal hormone formula, no magic plan. But the sooner you start listening to your body, the better. This isn’t a time to give up-it’s a time to double down on what you need.
Her final advice?
Commit to just one session. Don’t wait until you’re injured or diagnosed with osteoporosis. Don’t wait until you feel like you “deserve” to be in the gym. The work you do now - in your 30s, 40s, and 50s - sets the tone for your 60s, 70s, and beyond. All the things that catch up with us later in life - broken bones, falls, instability, cognitive decline - often start decades earlier.
So start now. Lift weights. Go for a walk. Eat more protein. If that’s all you do to start, it’s already a win. Stack one habit at a time. Find a community of like-minded women.
Because this isn’t about chasing skinny. It’s about chasing strength. Chasing energy. Chasing your grandkids, your adventures, your independence.
A huge thank you to Alexa for generously sharing her time, insights, wisdom, and personal journey with us. Her honesty and experience remind us that strength at every age is not only possible-it’s powerful.
To learn more from Alexa or get in touch, check out her socials and contact details via the link below. She’s currently in the process of writing a book, so stay tuned for its release!
Instagram: @actionalexa
Website: www.alexatowersey.com
