Women’s health can feel like a moving target. Peptides, protein, bone density, hormones, hair loss… the list of things we’re suddenly supposed to know about can feel endless. So where do you actually start?
Colleen Grady, NP, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner at Rocky Mountain Regenerative Medicine, suggests starting with the basics, then adjusting as you age. “The biggest shift in women's health is that we are becoming much more proactive,” Colleen says. Instead of waiting for something to go wrong, she encourages women to think ahead by building muscle and bone early, paying attention to changing health markers, and addressing problems before they become bigger ones.
In your 20s, that means laying the groundwork. Strength training, cardiovascular fitness, good nutrition, and sleep all matter. So does bone health. Most of the bone mass you’ll ever have is built in adolescence and the 20s, so these are important years for building that reserve.
The 30s are often less about adding new habits than hanging onto the good ones. Work, family life, and exhaustion can make exercise and self-care easy to ditch. Colleen’s advice is to keep lifting weights, eating enough protein, and moving regularly, even when life is full.
By the 40s, it’s time to pay closer attention. Perimenopause can affect sleep, mood, body composition, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, and bone health. Colleen recommends being more intentional about tracking health markers during this decade and, in her practice, suggests a baseline DEXA bone-density scan around age 45.
Hair deserves some detective work, too. Hair thinning can have many causes, from genetics and hormonal changes to iron deficiency, thyroid issues, stress, or inadequate nutrition. “The goal is to understand as much of the biology as we can, and correct the things that are correctable,” Colleen says. Depending on the cause, treatment might include nutritional changes, medication, platelet-rich plasma, or microneedling.
Then there are peptides, a wellness topic that seems to be everywhere. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that can influence biological pathways involved in things like inflammation, tissue repair, metabolism, skin, and hair. But they’re not all created equal. Some have extensive data behind them; others are still being studied. “Some of it is, and some of it is ahead of the evidence,” Colleen says.
One thing she puts ahead of the latest trend is protein. For many healthy, active women, roughly 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day is a reasonable target, depending on the individual. Pair that with resistance training, and you’re supporting the muscle that helps protect strength, metabolism, and bone health as you age.
By your 50s and beyond, the question becomes less about fixing something and more about protecting what you’ve built. And eventually, Colleen says, the goal is practical. “What do you want your body to be able to do 10 or 20 years from now?” She asks.
Maybe it’s skiing, traveling, hiking, or simply getting up from the floor without thinking twice.
Your Health, by Decade
20s — Build
Strength, nutrition, sleep, cardio, and bone health.
30s — Maintain
Keep moving and prioritize protein, strength training, and preventive care.
40s — Measure
Watch changing health markers, perimenopause, body composition, and bone density.
50s — Protect
Focus on muscle, bone, metabolic and cardiovascular health.
60s+ — Stay capable
Train for strength, balance, mobility, and the life you want to keep living.
"The goal is to understand as much of the biology as we can, and correct the things that are correctable." — Colleen Grady, NP, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner at Rocky Mountain Regenerative Medicine