You might find it surprising, but more and more women are intentionally adding extra weight to their daily routines—and not for the reasons you might think.
In an effort to maintain their strength, a wave of middle-aged women is turning to weighted vests as a strategy to enhance their health and fend off the muscle and bone loss that comes with age.
Take Katie Couric, for example. The former Today show anchor and co-founder of Katie Couric Media has started wearing a weighted vest this summer to bolster her muscles and bones. Her Pilates instructor reassured her that she wasn’t alone in this new accessory trend, as they shared in a video for Couric’s followers.
A standout advocate for the benefits of weighted vests is Dr. Mary Claire Haver, famously known across social media as "The Pause Life." To her over two million Instagram and TikTok followers, she displays the vests as more than a fashion statement but as a powerful tool for building strength.
"I’m simply focused on remaining strong for as long as possible," Haver conveys to Fortune. As both a practicing OBGYN and author of the New York Times bestseller, The New Menopause, she often suggests the vest to her patients. "This is a gift to your future self, a way to keep your bones and muscles robust and more resilient against aging," she shares.
Dr. Haver incorporates a vest into her daily activities, whether she’s on Zoom calls, walking on her treadmill, or tidying up around her home—spending about an hour each day with the vest.
These vests vary widely in price, ranging from around $25 for basic versions to more than $250 for high-end athlete-endorsed models like the G Vest from OMORPHO. Intriguingly, the proportion of women donning these vests weekly has surged by 15% since 2022, according to the company’s sales data and surveys.
Dr. Haver is leading the charge to dismantle the taboos around aging, joined by celebrities, business figures, and health experts determined to raise awareness about menopause and offer practical advice for navigating this phase of life for middle-aged women.
So, what makes a weighted vest such a great investment for health?
As women enter their 40s, they naturally start losing muscle mass, a process known as sarcopenia. Menopause speeds up this decline in muscle and bone density due to the decrease in estrogen, a hormone crucial for maintaining bone health.
By walking or even accomplishing daily chores with a weighted vest, you’re adding resistance, prompting more muscle engagement than you’d experience otherwise—akin to how carrying groceries works your arms.
While the gradual muscle loss seems inevitable with age, according to Haver, it’s possible to combat it with effort. She points out a notable lack of education regarding aging and its connection to menopause, especially in past generations.
"For many women of my generation, the expectation was to be thin, equating thinness with health. We focused on aerobics, neglecting weightlifting to keep our bones and muscles in shape," Haver reflects.
As she noticed more cases of osteoporosis, fractures, and surgeries among women, she looked for innovative solutions for herself and her patients.
“What can women start doing at any age, ideally early on, to improve bone and muscle strength?” she pondered. Osteoporosis—a disease weakening bones and increasing fracture risks—impacts one in five women over 50, compared to one in 20 men, highlights the National Institute on Aging.
Haver found a 2000 study revealing that postmenopausal women who wore a weighted vest during workouts for five years notably reduced hip bone mineral density loss.
Joanna Strober, 56, who leads MIDI Health, a menopause care organization, began her weighted vest regimen after being diagnosed with osteopenia. Thanks to the vest, weight training, and hormone therapy, her latest scan shows stabilized bone density, slowing the disease’s progression.
"It’s another tool to fortify my bones," Strober tells Fortune. Walking three to four times weekly with an 18-pound vest, she finds personal motivation in her work with MIDI Health, focusing on helping women build strength—not just alleviate menopause symptoms.
The CDC recommends regular strength training, underscoring the importance of resistance exercises for the elderly to minimize muscle loss. For those willing to experiment with a new look, consider adding a weighted vest to your fitness toolkit.
Wondering which vest to choose? Haver suggests starting with a vest that’s 5% to 10% of your body weight, gradually increasing over time. "Even simply sitting with a weighted vest offers benefits," she advises. "Resistance always prompts a bodily response."
In her Galveston, Texas neighborhood, Haver is making the weighted vest a norm and a statement among her friends, turning casual walks into group wellness activities.
Before adopting the weighted vest into your routine, particularly if you have shoulder, back, or knee issues, consult with your healthcare provider to ensure it’s a suitable option for you.
For more insights into aging gracefully:
