In his book Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Strategies That Transformed 177 Average People into Self-Made Millionaires, Tom Corley found that 75% of CEOs spend time exercising each day. Yet 75% of Americans are now overweight or obese, according to a 2024 study in The Lancet, one of the world’s most respected medical journals. 

Why aren’t our exercise programs working for us?

As we age, our bodies change. We are in a hormone freefall that has a downstream effect on our metabolism, muscle tone, body fat, and bone density. What worked for exercise and nutrition in our 20s and 30s likely won’t work as we age. After 30, we lose 8% of muscle each decade, and lean muscle is crucial for longevity, delayed disease onset, and metabolic health. 

Many of my clients who are stuck in their exercise routine are hard-charging executives who tend to overwork in more than one area of their lives. This overworking type has a tough time separating their work patterns from the patterns they bring to the rest of their lives, including exercise. An example is Susan, a successful executive whose workout routine reflected the same performance-driven culture in which she thrived in the office. But in her mid-40s, she was constantly tired, her stress levels increased, and she gained weight. And though she worked out five or six days each week, she no longer enjoyed it.

When I started working with Susan, the first change I asked her to make was to reduce her training to three days a week. She could move on her non-workout days—walk, hike, bike—but nothing that caused stress on her body. At first, Susan felt guilty not working out. But after a month, she was sleeping better and felt more energy. She reconnected to bike riding, a movement practice she loved when she was younger, and rediscovered the joy of alone time outdoors on her bike.

The more lean muscle we have as we age, the healthier we will be, the more functional we will be, and the longer we can stave off disease.

Next we switched out one of Susan’s cardio-driven workouts for strength training. Cardio and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) are great for cardiovascular health and fat burning, but they are both catabolic—they can steal from our hormones, while strength training is anabolic, which increases hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and human growth hormone. These are the hormones that build lean muscle and support a healthy metabolism. For most of us over 40, the biggest independent variable we are missing in our movement program is a robust strength training practice. The research is clear: The more lean muscle we have as we age, the healthier we will be, the more functional we will be, and the longer we can stave off disease. 

The body adapts through four simple phases. First, there has to be a stimulus, like running or lifting weights. Second, that stimulus has to cause two types of fatigue: short-term fatigue (I’m out of breath and my heart is pounding) and long-term fatigue (I’m sore or tired the next day). Third, there has to be rest and recovery, which includes good nutrition and quality sleep. This third phase is what many workaholics avoid, but it’s critical: This is where hormones are released, muscle is built, and strength increases. The fourth phase is adaptation, when we see our bodies change. When Susan added strength training and rest and recovery, she saw her energy shift, and she felt creative and reinvigorated at work and in life.

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A barrier for many people new to or stuck in their fitness routine is finding the right starting place. Many people think fitness has to start in a gym, with burpees and squats. But the first principle of any good exercise program is connection. If you can find something you love and feel connected to, whether it’s dancing, walking, hiking, or swimming, you have the right starting place. Your practice can progress—which is critical as we age—if you love what you are doing. That’s what happened with Susan. The more connected she became with cycling, the better she felt about using her time at the gym to get stronger so she could continue to improve as a cyclist.

Fitness can provide a safe place to work on who we are and to identify the patterns we might want to change in life and in the office, even as we’re working on our health and wellness. It takes being open, reframing the way we approach fitness, and understanding the importance of rest and recovery.

More advice from FIT Studio owner Aaron Leventhal is in his new book, The New Fit: How to Own Your Fitness Journey in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond.