“I’m busy every day, but I get tired more easily than before.”
“I get out of breath when I climb stairs.”
“I feel like my physical strength has dropped compared to the past.”
Do you ever feel such changes?
In October 2026, in connection with the Japan Sports Agency’s “2025 Fiscal Year Survey on Physical Fitness and Athletic Ability,” the trend of declining physical fitness among women in their 30s and 40s was featured in the news.
When we talk about people in their 30s and 40s, we are talking about an age group where daily life becomes busy with work, housework, and childcare.
However, being busy and moving your body enough are not necessarily the same thing.
In this article, we will look at the possible background behind the decline in physical fitness among women in their 30s and 40s, and introduce 5 exercise habits that are easy to incorporate even into a busy daily life.
1. Why is the decline in physical fitness among women in their 30s and 40s attracting attention?
When people think of physical fitness, many may think of muscle strength and endurance.
In reality, physical fitness consists of various elements.
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Muscle strength: The power to stand, walk, and carry things
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Muscular endurance: The ability to continue using muscles repeatedly
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Cardiorespiratory endurance: The ability to walk for a long time or climb stairs
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Flexibility: The range of motion of joints
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Agility: The ability to move the body quickly
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Balance ability: The ability to stabilize posture
These abilities change not only with age but also depending on daily exercise habits and living environment.
What is important when considering this news is not just the story that physical fitness declines as you age, but the point of how the physical fitness of people in the same age group has changed compared to before.
Note that the specific causes of the decline in physical fitness have not been identified by the survey. From here on, let’s look at the possible background from the perspective of lifestyle habits and exercise physiology.
2. Five backgrounds that make physical strength prone to decline
1. Increased time spent sitting
In modern times, there is an environment where the time spent using computers for work has increased, making it easy to spend long periods sitting.
We use trains or cars for commuting, do desk work at the office, and watch smartphones or television after returning home.
If this kind of lifestyle continues, there are fewer opportunities to use the muscles in the legs and core.
In particular, the muscles of the lower body are involved in various movements of daily life, such as walking, standing, and climbing stairs.
A lifestyle with few opportunities to move the body can lead to a decline in muscle strength and endurance.
2. No time for exercise due to work, housework, and childcare
The 30s and 40s are an age group where many people have increased roles at work and at home.
“I know I should exercise, but I don’t have the time.”
“I’m too tired after work to feel like exercising.”
There are probably quite a few people who feel this way.
Even if you know that moving your body is important, your own health management can end up being put on the back burner.
3. Daily life has become more convenient
Modern life has become more convenient compared to the past.
Escalators, elevators, online shopping, and home appliances have made it easier to live without using our bodies.
Of course, becoming more convenient is not bad in itself.
However, it is necessary to be aware that opportunities to naturally move the body in daily life are decreasing.
4. Continued lack of sleep and fatigue
There are also people who are busy with work or housework and cannot secure enough sleep time.
Continued lack of sleep can lead to increased fatigue and a decrease in concentration and motivation for exercise.
You don’t move your body because you are tired.
By not moving your body, your physical strength declines even further.
There is a possibility that such a vicious cycle may occur.
5. Dietary restrictions and interruption of exercise habits
If you reduce your food intake too much for weight management, you may lack the necessary energy and protein.
To maintain muscle, not only exercise but also proper nutritional intake is important.
Also, even if you exercised during your student days, your exercise habits may be interrupted due to employment, childbirth, or other life events.
The longer the period without exercise, the easier it is to lack the stimulation needed to maintain muscle strength and endurance.
3. What happens if you leave your physical decline as it is?
The decline in physical strength is not just a problem of becoming bad at exercise.
For example,
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climbing stairs becomes difficult
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getting tired easily when walking for a long time
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carrying heavy luggage becomes a burden
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moving your body becomes a hassle
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the amount of activity in daily life decreases further
It may lead to such changes.
Also, after menopause, women are prone to a decrease in bone mass due to changes in the hormonal environment.
Therefore, developing habits such as muscle training and walking from your 30s and 40s is also meaningful in terms of maintaining future health.
The important thing is not to wait until your physical strength has significantly declined to take action, but to build a habit of moving your body now.
4. Five exercise habits recommended for busy women
“I know exercise is important, but I don’t have time to go to the gym.”
Even for those people, there are many things you can do in your daily life.
Habit 1: Increase your walking time by 10 minutes a day
The first thing I would like to recommend is walking.
Walking is a relatively easy exercise to start as it does not require any special equipment.
For example,
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Walk one station stop during your commute
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Take a walk around the neighborhood during your lunch break
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Take a slightly longer route when shopping
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Use the stairs instead of the escalator
Try to increase opportunities to walk in your daily life.
You don’t need to walk for a long time from the start.
First, try to set a goal of walking 10 minutes more than you do now.
Habit 2: Do simple muscle training twice a week
To maintain muscle strength, it is important to put a moderate load on your muscles.
Lower body muscle training is especially recommended.
For example, squats.
Place your hands on a wall or the back of a chair, slowly bend your knees while pulling your hips back, and then stand up.
Start with a set of 10 repetitions, within a range that feels comfortable for you.
In addition, there are
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hip lifts: to strengthen glute muscles
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wall push-ups: to strengthen chest and arm muscles
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heel raises: to strengthen calf muscles
and other exercises you can do at home.
Strength training is not just for shaping your body.
Maintaining the muscle strength needed to go about your daily life with ease is also an important goal.
Habit 3: Frequently interrupt long periods of sitting
If you do a lot of desk work, try to be mindful of not sitting for long periods of time.
For example, try standing up every 30 to 60 minutes to walk around a little or move your body lightly.
Roll your shoulders, stretch your back, or march in place.
Even small movements like these can be a way to reduce the time you spend sitting.
For those who cannot secure time for special exercise, it is especially important to move your body frequently throughout your daily life.
Habit 4: Stretch for 5 minutes a day
Stretching is also recommended as a habit for moving your body.
Especially if you do a lot of desk work, try moving your chest, shoulder area, and hip joints without straining.
For example,
chest stretch
Lightly clasp your hands behind your back, straighten your elbows, and stretch to open up your chest.
Stretching the front of the thighs
Place your hand on a wall or similar support, bend your opposite knee to hold your ankle, and pull it backward.
If balancing is difficult, it is fine to do this while lying on your side.
Calf stretching
Place your hands on a wall, step one foot back, and stretch it while keeping your heel on the floor.
Perform each stretch for about 15 to 30 seconds within a range that does not cause pain.
While it is difficult to improve muscle strength or cardiovascular function through stretching alone, it is useful for maintaining flexibility and making it easier to move your body.
Habit 5: Do not make exercise a “special event”
The most important thing in developing an exercise habit is consistency.
If you try too hard from the beginning, such as exercising for 30 minutes or an hour every day, you may find it impossible to continue on busy days.
Instead, try this:
“Stretch when you wake up in the morning”
“Walk for 5 minutes during your lunch break”
“Do squats before brushing your teeth”
Try linking exercise to your daily life in ways like these.
Even if it is for a short time, you can build an exercise habit by being consistent.
5. Building physical strength with “10 minutes a day” starting today
Finally, here is a simple exercise menu that is easy to do at home.
Exercise and Purpose
・Marching in place (1–2 minutes) to warm up the body
・Squats to maintain lower body muscle strength
・Wall push-ups: Maintaining upper body strength
・Hip lifts: Maintaining strength around the buttocks and hip joints
・Stretching: Chest, front of thighs, calves –
maintaining flexibility
Perform 5 to 10 repetitions of each strength training exercise for 1 to 3 sets, and hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, for a total of about 10 minutes.
Do not rush the movements during strength training, and take breaks in between. If you feel pain, please stop.
Starting with about 2 to 3 times a week is fine.
Once you get used to it, try increasing your walking time or gradually increasing the number of repetitions and the intensity of your strength training.
6. Building physical strength is an investment in your future self
Your 30s and 40s are a busy time for work and family.
Because of this, you may sometimes put your own health management on the back burner.
However, physical strength is an important foundation that supports your daily life.
Things you can do without problems now may gradually start to feel like a burden if a sedentary lifestyle continues for a long time.
Conversely, by developing an exercise habit, you can expect to improve your muscle strength and endurance even from your 30s and 40s.
The important thing is not to push yourself too hard to regain the physical strength you had when you were younger.
It is about building a body that will allow you to live your life energetically for the next 10 or 20 years.
To that end, why not start with small exercises you can do today?
Summary | Today’s 5 minutes will lead to future physical strength
The decline in physical strength among women in their 30s and 40s may be related to various factors, including not only a lack of exercise but also a lack of time due to work and housework, a sedentary lifestyle, and sleep and dietary habits.
However, getting older does not necessarily mean a decline in physical strength.
By incorporating walking, strength training, and stretching into your daily life, you can aim to maintain and improve your physical strength.
There is no need to aim for perfection from the start.
Start by moving your body for just 5 minutes.
Using 5 minutes today for yourself will lead to your future health.
Thank you very much for reading this far.
References
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Japan Sports Agency: Physical Fitness and Athletic Ability Survey
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Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Physical Activity and Exercise Guide for Health Promotion 2023
