Women over 40 swear by a simple hack to build strength and counter aging

In pursuit of preserving strength, a slew of middle-aged women are purchasing weighted vests to optimize their health and counter age-related muscle and bone loss.

Katie Couric, former long-time Today show anchor and co-founder of Katie Couric Media, began sporting a weighted vest this summer to strengthen her muscles and bones. Her Pilates instructor assured her that she wouldn’t be the only one donning a vest on her walk, in a video the two posted to Couric’s followers.  

Dr. Mary Claire Haver— known as social media’s leading menopause doctor under the account “The Pause Life”—has been one of the most viral to show off the weighted vest to her over two million Instagram and TikTok followers. Style aside, she swears by it for the same reasons as Couric: its ability to improve strength.

“I’m just trying to stay strong as long as I can,” Haver tells Fortune, who, as a practicing OBGYN and author of the NYT best-seller The New Menopause, often recommends the vest to her patients. “This is a gift to your future self to help keep your bones and muscles strong and even make them stronger, so that you’re more resilient to the effects of aging.” 

Haver wears one of her six weighted vests when she is on Zoom calls, walking on the treadmill, and while cleaning around the house. She clocks in around an hour a day with the vest on, she tells Fortune. 

Vest costs vary widely, from about $25 online for basic models to over $250 for athlete-endorsed G Vests from the brand OMORPHO, whose share of women who use the vests at least once a week have increased by 15% since 2022, according to the company’s sales team and survey data. 

Courtesy of OMORPHO

Haver has been one of the voices leading the charge in destigmatizing aging for women. She’s joined by a growing number of celebrities, business leaders, and health experts who want to scream about menopause from the rooftops, educate viewers, and offer helpful ways to combat the realities of this normal part of life for middle-aged women.

What are the health benefits of a weighted vest?

As women approach their 40s, they begin to naturally lose muscle mass, a process referred to as sarcopenia. Menopause accelerates this muscle and bone…