When it comes to aging well, few topics are as misunderstood—and as important—as muscle.
Zora Benhamou, gerontologist, biohacker, and host of the Hack My Age podcast, offers her insights on why muscle is one of the most powerful tools for navigating menopause, protecting long-term health, and supporting longevity.
Meet Zora Benhamou
“We can biohack menopause for longevity.”
Born in 1970, Zora is a gerontologist, nomad, and podcast host of the Hack My Age podcast, focusing on biohacking menopause.
As a gerontologist, Zora has a comprehensive understanding of aging from biological, sociological, and psychological perspectives. As she herself approaches menopause, she has harnessed her expertise as a biohacker to empower women in peri and post menopause, transforming their physiology and menopause experience.
Zora combines cutting-edge scientific advancements and technological innovations with the wisdom of ancient practices, providing women with evidence-based solutions that encompass the best of both worlds.
Her passion for women’s health, coupled with her unwavering commitment to integrating science and ancient wisdom, sets her apart as a true trailblazer in the field. With Zora as their guide, women can embrace this phase of life with confidence, vitality, and an empowered sense of self.
Why is muscle still so underestimated?
You often say that muscle is one of the most underappreciated tools for healthy aging. Why do we still underestimate its importance?
For the women in my community and in our generation, I think we underestimate muscle because for decades it’s been something we chased for aesthetic, not essential. While I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, the conversation has been about getting smaller, thinner, losing weight, doing more cardio… not building strength. The weightlifting corner of the gym was for the guys, and the aerobics room was for the girls.
But muscle is our metabolic spanx. Its our longevity organ. It's geroprotective. It helps metabolic control blood sugar, protects our bones, stabilizes joints, and even influences brain health. When estrogen declines during the menopause transition, we lose one of our natural protectors of muscle mass, and if we’re not actively building it, we’re losing it faster than we think.
I see it all the time with the women in our community who are doing “all the right things” but skipping the one thing that actually moves the needle long term. Muscle is not vanity, it’s vitality. It’s our insurance policy for aging well, staying independent, and having the energy to live your life fully. Heck, I plan on being an active grandparent, so that means I need to actively build muscle and keep it if I want to be lifting babies and keeping up with toddlers.
The good news is, it’s never too late to build it, your body is incredibly responsive when you give it the right stimulus.
Muscle, bones, and staying on your feet
How does maintaining muscle impact bone density, balance, and fall risk later in life?
Muscle and bone are in constant conversation, they don’t work in isolation. Too often we think of bones building in our youth and then they're static. This couldnt be further from the truth. Healthy bone fluctuates between bone breakdown and bone build up.
When you build and maintain muscle, you’re literally pulling on bone, and that mechanical load is what tells your body to keep bone strong. No load, no signal. This is why walking alone isn’t enough, we need resistance, impact, and strength work to actually stimulate bone density. And in menopause, when bone loss accelerates, muscle becomes even more critical, it’s one of the most powerful tools we have to protect our skeleton.
Then there’s balance and fall risk. Strong muscles improve coordination, reaction time, agility and stability, especially in the hips and core, which are key for preventing falls. Most fractures don’t happen because bones are weak alone, they happen because we fall on osteoporotic bones that are low in density and strength. Muscle helps you catch yourself, stay upright, and move with confidence. So when we talk about aging well, this isn’t about looking toned (although that's a nice side benefit), it’s about staying on your feet, staying independent, and staying in control of your body.
Why menopause accelerates muscle loss
How do hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause accelerate muscle loss?
Sadly, in menopause things really shift for women, and not in our favor. As estrogen starts to decline in perimenopause and drops further in menopause, which is absolutely a natural part of life, we lose one of the key hormones that helps preserve muscle mass and support recovery. Estrogen plays a role in muscle protein synthesis, insulin sensitivity, and even how well we repair after exercise. So when it goes down, we become more resistant to building muscle and more prone to breaking it down… especially if we’re under-eating, overtraining, or just doing endless cardio. Not an uncommon scenario with the women I see in our community.
At the same time, we’re often dealing with rising cortisol, poorer sleep (hello night sweats), and sometimes shifts in testosterone, all of which stack the deck against us. This creates that frustrating feeling of “I’m doing what I’ve always done, but it’s not working anymore.” And it’s true, our bodies have changed. But the solution isn’t to do less, it’s to train and eat smarter. Prioritize strength, eat enough protein, recover properly, and in most cases, consider optimizing hormones. Because in this phase, muscle isn’t just harder to build, it’s easier to lose… unless you give your body a reason to hold onto it.
Building muscle without hurting your joints
Many women worry about joint pain or injury as they age. How do you recommend building muscle in a joint-friendly, sustainable way?
I get this concern a lot, especially from women dealing with MSM (Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause). This is a newly recognized, frequently overlooked, and common condition, which affects over 70% of women. It is caused by declining estrogen during the menopause transition and causes joint pain, decreased muscle mass, bone loss, and even frozen shoulder.
Many women in this phase of life are also dealing with joint issues, like osteoarthritis, and I’ve been there myself with my hips. The key is to stop thinking that building muscle has to mean lifting heavy and pounding your joints. It doesn’t. Muscle responds to tension, not just load. So we can use slower tempos, controlled movements, resistance bands, machines, and my favorite, blood flow restriction (BFR), to stimulate muscle with much lighter weights. That’s a game changer when your joints are sensitive or even recovering from injury or surgery.
I always say, meet your body where it's at, but still challenge it. Prioritize good form, pain-free ranges of motion, and consistency over intensity. Get a personal trainer, even if for a session or two to learn good form. Strengthen the muscles around the joint, especially hips, glutes, and core, because they act like your support system. And don’t skip recovery, this is where things like sleep, protein, and even tools like BFR compression or light movement come in. You’re not fragile, you just need a smarter approach.
Muscle is no longer just about aesthetics—it’s about longevity, independence, and quality of life.
As Zora puts it, muscle is not vanity—it’s vitality.
And for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, building and maintaining muscle may be one of the most important investments they can make in their long-term health.
Follow Zora on instagram: @HackMyAge