For far too long, women’s fitness has been filtered through the lens of aesthetics and ease. Yoga for flexibility, Pilates for poise, cardio to ‘stay slim’. And while all movement is good movement, this narrative has become more than just outdated. It's holding women back.
Image credit: Katie Huber-Rhoades on Dupe Photos
We’ve all seen the rise of the "matcha girl" aesthetic: a curated image of wellness featuring a green juice in one hand, a yoga mat in the other, and a vague promise of balance.
While calming rituals and mindfulness practices have their place, the deeper problem lies in the way this version of wellness is often marketed. It subtly reinforces the idea that if it’s gentle, it’s feminine! And that women shouldn’t be doing anything that looks too intense or too powerful.
However, here's the truth: if women want to live longer, feel better, and perform at their absolute best physically, mentally, and emotionally, then we need to take strength training seriously.
Strength is not just a trend. It’s a lifeline
We are entering a new era of women’s wellness where the science is clear. Lifting weights and building muscle are essential for maintaining optimal health, including factors such as metabolism, hormonal balance, bone density, and mental resilience.
A recent F45 article breaks it down: muscle mass is one of the most powerful tools women have to combat the effects of ageing.
After the age of 30, we begin to lose muscle at a steady rate unless we actively work to preserve it. This loss isn’t just about how we look. It impacts our strength, balance, energy levels, and metabolic health.
Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more of it you have, the more calories your body burns at rest.
Strength training also improves insulin sensitivity, supports hormonal balance, and boosts mood by releasing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Most critically, it reduces the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that disproportionately affects women.
So why, then, are so many women still hesitant to pick up a heavy dumbbell?
Debunking the myth of ‘bulky’
One of the most pervasive myths in women’s fitness is the fear of becoming ‘too muscular’.
Let me be clear. You can not build muscle by mistake!
Building muscle takes intention, consistency, and often a surplus of calories. You don’t ‘accidentally’ get bulky from lifting weights any more than you accidentally become a marathon runner from jogging once a week.
What women do get from strength training is confidence, energy, and resilience.
The harmful stereotype that strength training is “aggressive” or “masculine” plays into a deeper cultural issue. One that treats women’s physical power as something to be managed rather than celebrated.
And the problem with the "matcha and mat Pilates" wellness narrative isn’t Pilates or matcha.
It’s the implication that women should only pursue the kind of fitness that’s soft, elegant, and non-threatening. That fitness is about being smaller, calmer, or more palatable.
In reality, fitness should be about being capable.
Lifting women, literally and figuratively
Functional strength training is about building bodies that can carry kids, run businesses, lift grocery bags, and bounce back from burnout. It’s about preparing women for life, not just bikini season.
The shift we need isn’t just physical. It’s cultural. We need to change the conversation around fitness so that it focuses on what women can do, not just how they look.
We need to raise girls who are proud of their power, not afraid of taking up space.
In a world that constantly tries to shrink women by limiting our bodies, ambitions, and voices, strength training empowers us to grow.
So this Women’s Month, let’s challenge the outdated idea that feminine fitness must be soft, slow, or silent.
Let’s celebrate the women who show up, who lift heavy, who lead with strength, and who know that wellness isn’t about looking delicate.
It’s about feeling and looking strong.
