Lift for Your Brain: What Strength Training Does Beyond the Mirror

Pilates, yoga and walking all have a place in a healthy week. I recommend and enjoy every one of them. None of them replaces strength training though and the reason goes far beyond how your body looks. Muscle plays a major role in how your body handles blood sugar. Researchers are also finding it matters for the long term health of your brain.

Why muscle matters more with every decade

Muscle mass and strength decline with age. The medical term for significant loss is sarcopenia and it doesn't wait until you're elderly to begin. The good news is that muscle responds to training at any age. The part most women are never told is how much that muscle does for you behind the scenes.

Your muscles are where your blood sugar goes

Skeletal muscle is one of the main places your body sends sugar from the bloodstream. One review estimates it accounts for up to 80% of whole body glucose use (Paquin et al., 2021).

Resistance training also helps muscle respond better to insulin. A 2025 review of studies in women with metabolic syndrome found that strength training improved blood sugar control and lowered triglycerides (Afshar Naseri, 2025). More muscle, and muscle that responds well, gives your body more room to manage the sugar you eat.

What the research says about muscle and your brain

The hippocampus is the part of your brain tied to memory, and it shrinks with age. A 2021 meta analysis pooled 23 exercise interventions from 22 controlled studies and found that exercise had a positive effect on hippocampal volume (Hippocampus, 2021). The effect was significant in interventions lasting longer than 24 weeks and in adults 65 and older. That is where the six month timeline comes from. Muscle loss and Alzheimer's disease also appear to be linked. A 2024 meta analysis of studies in adults 50 and older found that people with sarcopenia had nearly three times the odds of having Alzheimer's disease (pooled odds ratio 2.97) (Amini et al., 2024). A large UK Biobank study that followed more than 480,000 adults over time found a smaller but significant increase in Alzheimer's risk with probable sarcopenia, about 32% higher (Ling et al., 2024). The hippocampus study also looked at exercise in general, not only lifting. What the research supports is a strong association, and a good reason to treat keeping your muscle as part of looking after your brain.

Lift, pull, throw and jump

Think of strength training as four kinds of movement. You lift (squats, deadlift patterns, presses), pull (rows), throw (a medicine ball or a light slam) and jump (starting with low impact versions like step-ups or small hops). You don't need a perfect plan or a gym membership. A few simple movements, done consistently, will do more than an ambitious program you drop after three weeks. Start light, learn the movements, and add weight as they get easier. Give it time. The brain research above looked at programs lasting more than six months, so think in six month blocks rather than six week fixes. If you have joint problems, osteoporosis, a heart condition or any other health concern, check with your doctor before starting.

The bottom line

Keep your yoga, your Pilates and your walks. Add strength training though because muscle supports your blood sugar and, as the research suggests, your brain.

In my 30+ years of coaching, I've seen how much easier this feels with a plan built for your real life. If you'd like help getting started, I'd love to hear from you through this website.

This article is for education only and is not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Sources

Brain and exercise

• Exercise interventions preserve hippocampal volume: A meta-analysis. Hippocampus, 2021. PubMed

• Amini N, et al. Meta-analysis on the interrelationship between sarcopenia and mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2024. DOI

• Ling Y, et al. Association between probable sarcopenia and dementia risk: a prospective cohort study with mediation analysis. Translational Psychiatry, 2024. PubMed

Muscle and blood sugar

• Paquin J, et al. Glucose Homeostasis, Exercise, and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy. Frontiers in Physiology, 2021. PubMed

• Afshar Naseri MB. Resistance Training as a Therapeutic Strategy for Managing Metabolic Syndrome in Women: A Comprehensive Review. Iranian Journal of Diabetes and Obesity, 2025. Article