Interview with Gabby Reece, Athlete and Wellness Advocate on What Every Woman Should Know About Aging

Healthy aging has gotten packaged into a lot of nonsense. We are told to chase thinness, fear wrinkles, dread birthdays, and somehow believe that getting older means becoming less powerful, less visible, and less ourselves. I do not buy that, and neither does Gabby Reece, who joins Dr. Thais Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney to discuss this vital topic.

In this conversation, we get into what aging well actually looks like when we strip away the noise. We talk about strength, recovery, muscle, food, sunlight, mindset, and the emotional shift that has to happen if we want to feel good in our bodies for decades, not just for a season.

Table of Contents

• Strength, not smallness, changes everything
• The athlete mindset that works outside of sports
• How to get stronger without blowing up your life
• What Gabby’s training looks like now
• Why recovery deserves equal respect
• Cold exposure, sauna, and sunlight
• Nutrition that supports longevity, not confusion
• Aging changes the body, but it does not erase power
• The myth of becoming invisible after 50
• Parenting, technology, and staying a student
• What healthy aging really asks of us
• FAQ

Strength, not smallness, changes everything

Why has strength become such a central part of the conversation around healthy aging?

Because at a certain point, reality wins. In our teens and twenties, many of us are trained to think about being smaller. We worry about taking up too much space, building too much muscle, having strong legs, or looking too athletic. Then life keeps moving, hormones shift, recovery changes, bone density matters more, and suddenly the conversation gets honest. Strength is not cosmetic. It is functional. It is protective. It is freedom.

Gabby’s perspective on this is refreshingly direct. She grew up tall, really tall, and early. Being small was never going to be her story. She was six feet by age twelve and 6’3″ by fifteen, so the fantasy of disappearing into a tiny frame was never available. What she discovered instead was that strength solved real problems. In sports, being strong mattered. It gave her a place to direct her size and power. It turned what the world might have framed as “too much” into an actual advantage.

That lesson still matters for women now, especially in midlife. Strength helps with balance, metabolism, resilience, mobility, confidence, and long term independence. It also shifts the goal from decoration to capability. That is a much healthier way to live.

If this is a priority right now, it also helps to understand the long term physical stakes. Bone loss and muscle loss become more relevant with age, especially around and after menopause. For a deeper look at bone health, osteopenia, and osteoporosis prevention, see this guide on osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Did being in both sports and fashion create conflict around body image?

Absolutely. Sports rewarded size and strength. Fashion often rewarded sample size conformity. Those are not the same values.

Gabby explained that she did plenty of editorial work, but very few runway shows because she did not fit the standard sample size. Clothes were clipped, cut, pinned, and adjusted behind the scenes. In Europe, stylists would comment on how big she was, simply because they were not used to dressing women built like athletes.

What kept her grounded was that sport gave her a standard she trusted. Athletic performance could not be faked. Makeup, lighting, and tailoring can create a polished image, but when it is time to compete, none of that matters. You either have the strength, conditioning, and skill or you do not. That clarity anchored her.

There is a powerful lesson in that for all of us. If our only standard is appearance, the target keeps moving. If our standard includes what our body can do, how we recover, how we feel, and how we show up in life, we have something sturdier to stand on.

The athlete mindset that works outside of sports

What does an “athlete mindset” actually mean if we are not professional athletes?

It means we stop giving lip service to what we say we want.

That was one of the sharpest points in this conversation. Plenty of people say they want to get in shape, get stronger, sleep better, or feel healthier. But saying it is not the same as building a strategy for it. The athlete mindset starts with clarity. What do we want? Why do we want it? How are we going to make it real in our actual life?

This mindset is practical, not glamorous. It includes:

• Getting honest about what matters most
• Creating a realistic plan
• Accepting accountability
• Taking constructive feedback
• Not collapsing into victim thinking
• Adjusting when things do not go our way

It does not mean pretending hard things are easy. It means refusing to stay stuck there.

Gabby made an important distinction here. We can acknowledge that something feels unfair, painful, or disappointing. We can tell the truth about it. But then we have to ask the next question: how do we move from here toward something better? That is the athlete part. We do not sit forever in the story. We get back to business.

What is the first thing we need before any habit change sticks?

A real why.

Not a flimsy one. Not a passing mood. Not just “I should.” A real why that can hold up on the days we do not feel like doing the thing.

Gabby’s point was simple. About half the time, we are not going to want to train, prep the better meal, go to bed on time, or skip the habit that is dragging us down. If our motivation is shallow, it evaporates. If our why is deep, it tethers us.

That why might be:

• We want to stay strong for ourselves
• We want to be present for our family
• We want energy and mobility as we age
• We want to protect our health because it is a gift

Yes, on some days wanting to look better can get us moving. Fine. Use it. But if that is all we have, it usually will not carry us very far.

How to get stronger without blowing up your life

What are the best first steps for someone who feels overwhelmed and wants to start now?

Start by taking things away, not piling more on.

This was one of my favorite parts of the conversation because it cuts through the all or nothing trap. Most people already feel overloaded. If we treat wellness like one more impossible assignment, it becomes a burden instead of support.

So the first move is not to overhaul everything. It is to strip away what is clearly not serving us.

That can look like:

• Replacing a sugar loaded coffee drink with a cleaner version
• Removing one habit that drains energy or time
• Reducing the worst food choices before trying to perfect everything
• Cutting back on the negative self-talk and doom conversations

Then we build from there.

If walking is what fits, start walking. If strength training feels intimidating, get help. Hire a trainer for a few sessions. Ask a knowledgeable friend to teach us how to lift properly. Learn the movement patterns before chasing heavy numbers. The goal is not to get crushed. The goal is to create something sustainable.

This idea mirrors what we often recommend for women building long term fitness, especially later in life. For practical movement ideas, balance work, and strength routines, this article on getting in shape after 60 is a useful companion.

How much do our relationships affect our health habits?

More than we admit.

If the people around us are constantly rehearsing decline, obsessing over how old they feel, and narrating every ache as proof that life is basically over, that energy wears on us. We can be exhausted before we even get to the workout.

Gabby was clear that this does not mean every friend needs to become a training partner. It means we need a few people in our lives who are aligned with the direction we want to go. People who show up. People who hold us accountable. People who are down to meet for the sunrise walk and actually arrive.

That matters. So does how we talk to ourselves. If our internal voice is always punishing, mocking, or catastrophizing, it is very hard to build a healthy life on top of that. Reframing aging from “look what I am losing” to “look what I still get to do” is not fluff. It is fuel.

What Gabby’s training looks like now

What does your current workout routine look like?

Structured, hard, and realistic for this phase of life.

Gabby no longer plays volleyball because to play at a level that would feel fun for her would take too much time. So she trains in a way that matches who she is now.

Her weekly rhythm looks like this:

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday: high intensity circuit training with heavy lifting for about an hour
• Tuesday, Thursday, and sometimes Saturday: underwater pool training with dumbbells

The underwater work is especially interesting because it lets her move explosively without beating up her joints. That is a perfect example of training hard while thinking long term.

She also builds accountability into the system by inviting people to train with her. She sets the time and says, show up. That alone keeps her on course.

What are the non-negotiables in your daily routine?

The workout is non-negotiable. Even when the kids were tiny. Even if the workout only lasted eight minutes.

That consistency matters because training is not just about the body. For Gabby, it is a grounding practice. Life is always moving. Family, work, relationships, responsibilities, all of it shifts. The workout creates a center point.

Another non-negotiable is family dinner, or at least a real commitment to it. Not because it is always convenient or magical, but because it matters. She also regularly checks in with herself, scanning the different areas of life to see what needs attention before things pile up too high.

I loved that idea. Rather than waiting until something is on fire, we keep clearing the decks. It is a much saner way to live.

Why recovery deserves equal respect

Why do so many people undervalue recovery?

Because recovery does not always feel productive in the way a brutal workout does.

We tend to respect the grind. Sweating, pushing, crushing ourselves, checking the box. Recovery can feel too quiet to count. But if we are stressed, under-slept, hormonally taxed, raising kids, traveling, or simply running hot all the time, recovery may be the thing that helps us most.

Gabby put it bluntly. Fifteen minutes of deep breathing or meditation may benefit us more than another all out workout when our system is already overloaded.

That matters even more in perimenopause and menopause, when sleep can shift and nervous system regulation gets more precious. If sleep has become harder in this phase of life, this resource on menopausal sleep disorders offers more context and support.

What kinds of recovery tools do you actually use?

She uses a mix of simple and more advanced tools, but the core idea is the same: help the body downshift.

• Breathing practices
• Meditation
• Cold plunges
• Cold showers
• Sauna
• Red light therapy
• Sunlight exposure first thing in the morning

The big concept underneath all of this is nervous system regulation. Most of us live in a sympathetic state, chest breathing, wound up, reactive, rushing. Recovery practices help move us toward parasympathetic mode, where the body can repair, digest, restore, and sleep.

It is not about doing nothing. It is about creating conditions where the hard work can actually pay off.

Cold exposure, sauna, and sunlight

What is your take on cold plunges for women?

Gabby’s take is sensible. There is always going to be some study floating around to support one side or the other. Rather than turning it into dogma, she focuses on the practical benefits and the reality that even brief exposure can help.

If thirty seconds in cold water is all we can do, that can still be enough to create a meaningful response. Even a cold shower counts. The point is not toughness theater. The point is using a manageable stressor to help the body adapt.

She also loves cold because it teaches regulation. When we want to jump out, can we breathe? Can we calm ourselves? Can we create space in the middle of discomfort? That practice translates directly to real life.

Do you pair cold and heat together?

Usually, yes. It is easier to get into the cold after getting very hot in the sauna. That combination feels more approachable and can make the cold more tolerable.

Again, the point is not punishment. It is support. Positive stress, done intelligently.

Why are you so big on sunlight?

Because sunlight is foundational.

This may have been the most surprising priority shift in the conversation. A few years ago, Gabby would have ranked sleep, recovery, food, and movement at the top. Now she puts sunlight right up there, followed by clean air, clean water, and then the rest.

Her morning ritual is simple. She gets outside as soon as possible, puts her feet on the ground, and faces the morning light without immediately grabbing her phone. This is about circadian rhythm, melatonin signaling, and giving the brain the right environmental cues early in the day.

She also made an important point about being smart, not reckless. If we have been indoors all winter and suddenly land on a tropical beach, we do not go roast ourselves at noon. We build exposure gradually, just as we would build strength gradually in the gym.

Nutrition that supports longevity, not confusion

How did Laird Superfood get started?

In the kitchen, the way a lot of good ideas do.

Laird Hamilton was making his own drinks at home and sharing them with friends before surf sessions. The concept was straightforward: use healthy fats in coffee to create smoother, more sustained energy. Since fat slows the release of caffeine, the effect is steadier and longer lasting.

From there, the idea evolved into a larger company built around functional foods and clean ingredients. Products later included adaptogens and mineral support, all designed to fit into habits people already had, especially coffee.

That is part of why the business took off. It did not ask people to become different people overnight. It met them inside an existing ritual and made it better.

How has your approach to food changed with age?

It has become more refined, not more extreme.

When Gabby was younger, sports nutrition still included a lot of old school carb loading ideas. Over time, she got more precise about quality, healthy fats, protein, and when carbohydrates are useful.

Now she eats less overall than she did as a professional athlete, which makes sense. She is not burning energy the same way. But the food she does eat is high quality, and she listens to her body.

That means she is not rigid for the sake of rigidity. If she goes somewhere and there is incredible homemade pasta, she will eat it. But her baseline is solid enough that one meal is just one meal.

What nutrition advice matters most in midlife?

Two things stood out.

• Prioritize protein in the first and last meal of the day
• Do not be afraid of carbohydrates, especially if sleep is suffering

That first point is useful because protein targets can feel overwhelming. Starting with breakfast and dinner creates structure. The second point is equally important because a lot of women in midlife start under-eating carbs and then wonder why sleep, mood, and recovery get worse.

Hydration also matters, but Gabby emphasized quality, not just volume. Good water, real minerals, actual hydration. Not just carrying a giant bottle around and calling it a day.

Her larger point was that we should not get lost in the weeds. There is a tendency now to major in the minors. We obsess over trendy supplements while skipping the basics. She would rather lock in the big buckets first.

Aging changes the body, but it does not erase power

How has aging changed your training and recovery?

Recovery takes more respect. Comparison needs to go.

Gabby said something that will hit home for a lot of women. She is not especially prone to comparing herself to other people, but she does sometimes compare herself to her younger self. And that, she said, is a path to pain.

That is true for so many of us. We remember how quickly we used to recover, how easily muscle seemed to pop, how little sleep we needed, how our skin looked, how our body responded. Then we use that version of ourselves as the standard. It is not fair, and it is not useful.

The better question is not “What could I do at 25?” It is “What can I do really well, really hard, right now?”

That shift is everything.

Has perimenopause changed anything in a noticeable way?

Yes. Muscles do not respond exactly the same. Recovery is slower. The body can feel as though it is subtly changing shape and texture in ways we did not invite.

But instead of spiraling, Gabby’s approach is to notice it, acknowledge it, and then ask what remains within her control. She cannot stop time. None of us can. So the only productive move is to focus on the levers we still have: training, sleep, food, hydration, stress management, and mindset.

That is not denial. It is discipline.

The myth of becoming invisible after 50

Why do so many women say they feel invisible as they age?

Because the kind of attention they once received changes, and they mistake that shift for a loss of value.

Gabby offered one of the most useful reframes I have heard on this. Younger women are often signaling biologically in a way that draws attention. That is not a moral statement. It is just part of life. Heads turn. Energy moves toward them. It is not because they are more worthy. It is because they are in a different hormonal and biological season.

Later in life, that signaling changes. But that does not mean we disappear. It means our role evolves.

Instead of being the one commanding that kind of reflexive attention, we may become the mentor, the leader, the business owner, the one holding space, the one offering perspective, the one with authority. That kind of value is quieter, but it is deeper.

So how should we reframe aging in a culture obsessed with youth?

We need to stop confusing the vessel with the worth.

Gabby has spent her life in industries that heavily emphasize appearance. Athletics and fashion both put the body front and center. Yet her conclusion is that health is a gift, the body is an avatar, and our deepest value is not our surface.

That does not mean we stop caring for ourselves. We absolutely should take care of the vessel. Train it. Feed it. Rest it. Support it. But we should build from the inside out and develop actual skills, meaningful relationships, and a life with depth.

As she put it, shiny hair and a perfect butt do not empower us the way real skill does.

That line should be framed.

Parenting, technology, and staying a student

How do you think about raising kids in such a different world?

With humility.

Gabby was very clear that the world her daughters are growing up in is fundamentally different because of technology. Instead of pretending the old playbook still works, she tries to be a student of their experience. That means asking questions, paying attention, and resisting the urge to lead with “when I was your age.”

There are still universal truths. Work is hard. Rejection happens. Character matters. But the environment surrounding those truths is different now, and good parenting has to account for that.

What about boys and masculinity?

Her view was strong here too. She believes young men have their own real struggles right now, and that we do them no favors by flattening masculinity into something inherently suspect.

The goal is not to erase masculine traits. It is to shape them well. Be capable. Be protective. Be useful. Learn to do hard things. Have manners. Build things. Help people. The strongest men she knows, she said, are often the most gracious and helpful.

That is a model worth keeping.

What healthy aging really asks of us

If you had to sum up healthy aging in one idea, what would it be?

Healthy aging asks us to become more rooted, not more afraid.

It asks us to trade perfection for consistency. To care less about fitting the narrowest ideal and more about building a life we can actually inhabit well. To stop chasing our younger self and start investing in the self we are now.

It asks us to:

• Build muscle
• Protect recovery
• Eat real food
• Hydrate intelligently
• Get sunlight
• Manage stress
• Choose strong self-talk
• Keep a few good people close
• Remember that our worth expands, it does not expire

That is a much better framework than trying to out-negotiate time.

FAQs

Is strength training more important than being thin as we get older?

For long term health, strength becomes far more meaningful. Muscle supports metabolism, mobility, balance, bone health, and independence. Thinness by itself does not guarantee any of that.

What is the best first step if we want to get stronger but feel intimidated?

Start with what is realistic. Walk regularly, remove one habit that is hurting you, and get a trainer or knowledgeable friend to teach you basic strength movements safely. Do not try to do everything at once.

How important is recovery in a fitness routine?

It is essential. Training breaks the body down. Recovery is where adaptation happens. Breathing, sleep, meditation, cold exposure, sauna, and simply knowing when to back off can all support better results.

Can cold plunges still help if we can only tolerate them briefly?

Yes. Even short cold exposure, or a cold shower, may provide benefits. The goal is not to prove toughness. It is to create a manageable positive stressor and practice staying calm under discomfort.

Why is morning sunlight such a big deal?

Morning light helps regulate circadian rhythm and can support better sleep later in the day. Getting outside early, before diving into screens, also creates a simple grounding ritual that supports overall wellbeing.

Do women really become invisible after 50?

No. What changes is the kind of attention we receive and the role we play. That is not invisibility. It is evolution. Authority, wisdom, leadership, and depth often grow as the surface level spotlight fades.

What nutrition habits matter most in midlife?

Prioritizing protein, staying hydrated, eating high quality foods, and not under-eating carbohydrates can all matter. Protein at the first and last meal of the day is a simple, practical place to begin.

Healthy aging is not about becoming less. It is about getting more honest, more capable, more grounded, and more selective about what deserves our energy. That is the version worth pursuing.

This article was created from the video What Every Woman Should Know About Aging ft. Gabby Reece | SHE MD for Dr. Thais Aliabadi’s website.