Honestly, Carly

If I followed you around for a week, what would I notice about your workouts? 👀 One of the things I see most often is workouts all being done at the same intensity - not easy, but not hard - and often too many of them. This is costing you in midlife: both in terms of your results and your energy. In this episode: You'll discover the concepts of intelligent intensity and the minimum effective dose...

DISCLAIMER - this episode is not intended as medical advice, it is for information and entertainment purposes only. If your Instagram feed has suddenly become one long advert for electrolyte powders, you're not alone and this has happened to me when I was researching this episode! With the UK in the middle of another heatwave, my DMs have been flooded with questions from women asking whether elect...

For years, I was the personal trainer with a secret. I could run. I could lift weights. I could coach other women through their fitness journeys. But my own body wasn't functioning the way I wanted it to. After two pregnancies, I was left with a significant abdominal separation, recurring back pain, debilitating sciatica and a core that simply wasn't doing its job. I tried all the things I thought...

Ever found yourself saying: "I'll get back on track after the holidays..." "Once work settles down..." "When the kids have finished exams..." You're not alone. In this episode, I'm exploring one of the biggest mindset traps I see in midlife women: waiting for the perfect time to prioritise their health and fitness so we can unlock that next level. Because the reality is that life rarely calms down...

Are you actually getting old... or have you simply stopped asking your body to do interesting things? In this week's episode, I'm challenging one of the most common assumptions women make in midlife: that feeling stiff, creaky, slow or less capable is simply an inevitable part of getting older. But what if we've been misreading the signs? Drawing on client conversations, real-life examples (includ...

This week’s Honestly, Carly is a bite-size episode tackling one of the most common fitness questions I get asked: Should you actually be sore after every workout… and does soreness mean your training is working? We’re talking DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), what’s really happening inside the muscles after exercise, why some workouts leave you walking downstairs sideways… and why being comple...

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing something a bit more personal. Because for a long time, I was “the fit one”. Running was my identity. Exercise felt easy. Handled. Certain. And then my 40s arrived with a very pointed memo: injuries, exhaustion, body changes, niggles, self-doubt… and a growing feeling that the things that had always worked for me suddenly weren’t working anymore. In this episo...

This week’s episode is a bit of a rant… but a necessary one. Because despite everything we know about strength training, I’m still hearing the same thing from many women in their 40s and 50s: “I just don’t want to get bulky” So today, we’re unpacking where that belief actually comes from, why it’s so hard to shake (even when you know better)… and what it might be quietly costing you. We’re talking...

You already know what to do. So why isn’t anything changing? If you’re a midlife woman who’s read the articles, saved the workouts, listened to the podcasts (including this one 👀)… but still feels stuck when it comes to your fitness, strength or body composition - this episode is for you. Because here’s the truth (and this might sound odd coming from the host of a podcast who wants to educate and...

This week I'm joined by yoga teacher and mindset and self-care specialist, Karen Wilson, for a conversation that challenges one of the most persistent myths in midlife fitness: that more is always better. If you've ever felt guilty on a rest day, pushed through a workout when your body was begging you to stop, or wondered why doing all the things still isn't producing the results you want, this ep...

You’re doing all the workouts… ticking all the boxes… and still not seeing the results you used to - this episode is for you. Because more often than not, it’s not about how much you’re training. It’s about how hard you’re actually working . In this episode, I’m breaking down why intensity matters (especially in midlife), the difference between movement and training , and why living in that comfor...

We've just had the Easter break here in the UK (and have the May bank holidays to look forward to next month!) so I wanted to give you a bitesize nugget of an episode on something that's been coming up with my clients. Ever noticed how you feel better on holiday… even when you’re moving less, drinking more wine (!), and completely out of your usual routine? In this short, punchy episode, I’m unpac...

I nearly ticked "sedentary" on a medical form. And I'm a personal trainer. I had to tick a box describing my activity level - you know the ones. Sedentary. Lightly active. Moderately active. Highly active. And for years, I’ve ticked the top one without thinking. This time… I actually read it. And realised I couldn’t. Despite being a personal trainer. Despite training regularly. Despite doing all t...

HIIT has got a bad reputation in the midlife fitness world. And honestly? I think it needs new PR. In this episode, I’m digging into why high intensity interval training has been painted as the villain for women in their 40s and beyond, and why I think that’s a massive oversimplification. Because the problem isn’t HIIT itself. The problem is poor programming, too much of it, no progression, and ex...

Do you keep searching for the perfect training plan… but never quite stick to one? You’re not alone. In this episode, I’m unpacking a conversation I’ve been having on repeat with so many women lately: “Do you write training programmes?” “What should my plan look like?” And here’s the truth… In midlife, chasing the “perfect” plan might actually be the thing holding you back. Because your body isn’t...

Last week I did something I’ve never done before. I went for a DEXA scan. And it didn't just tell me about how my bones are doing - it made me think about the whole conversation around getting fitter and stronger in midlife. In this bitesize episode I’m sharing: • What a DEXA scan actually is and what it measures • Why bone density declines during perimenopause and menopause • What your results mi...

In this episode of the Honestly, Carly Podcast , I’m joined by an incredible guest, Dr Katie Armstrong , GP of 20+ years and founder of Clinic51 , a private GP-led women’s health and menopause clinic. This is not “just an HRT chat”. We talk about the real-life overlap between medicine and lifestyle , why perimenopause can feel like you’ve got 20 tabs open in your brain , and how to think about sym...

After last week’s complete guide to strength training in midlife, my inbox lit up. Grip strength. Starting weights. Body Pump. Pilates. Rest periods. Pull-ups. Protein. “Do women really need different training to men?” So this week, I’m answering your most asked questions - giving you the honest truth about what actually matters when you want to get stronger in midlife. If you haven’t listened to...

Strength training is having a moment… but loads of women are still confused about what to actually do . In this episode, Carly breaks down why strength training matters more in midlife, what it’s doing inside your body (muscle, bones, joints, metabolism), and how to train in a way that genuinely works (no-flinging-weights-around nonsense!). In This Episode: Why not strength training is basically a...

In this episode, I share my biggest training mistake of last year and what it taught me (again!) about midlife fitness, perimenopause, training intensity, cortisol and recovery for women in their 40s... Last summer I trained for an event I was really excited about. I had the plan. I had the experience. I had the knowledge. What I didn’t have… was the right intensity balance. We’re talking about: W...

Midlife weight gain can feel confusing and frustrating - where did that little bit of extra padding come from? And why is it so hard to shift? In this episode, Carly breaks down what’s really happening in your body where your weight's concerned during perimenopause and menopause, and shares her practical, no-nonsense roadmap for losing weight in a healthy, sustainable way. But we might not start w...

This week I’m chatting solo about why goal setting can feel a bit icky in midlife… and why, despite that, I’m still a big fan of having one! We’re diving into: Why goals can feel harder after 40 The pressure hangover from corporate-style goal setting What happens when you don’t have a goal at all Why “health” on its own is often too vague to motivate The scattergun trap of copying everyone else’s...

January can feel like an aggressive group chat you never asked to be added to: fasting rules, at-home tests, supplement stacks, blood sugar panic, and a general sense that you’re Doing Nutrition Wrong. In this episode, I’m joined by BANT registered nutritionist Amie Parry-Jones to cut through the noise and bring things back to what’s evidence-led, realistic, and actually helpful for midlife women....

Cardio has become the pariah of the fitness world for midlife women. Everyone’s got strong opinions about it, half of them outdated, and most of them wildly confusing. In this solo episode, I'm demystifying cardio once and for all. What it actually is, what it isn’t, and how it fits into a realistic midlife training week, you'll be pleased to hear without obsessing over zones, fearing cortisol, or...

Pelvic floor issues in midlife are common - but they’re not something you have to “just put up with”. In this episode, I chat with women’s health osteopath and pelvic health specialist Katie Doran (Pelvic Rebel) about leaking, prolapse fears, urgency, and why the usual “just do your kegels” advice often doesn’t work. You’ll learn why pelvic floor problems aren’t always about weakness, how breathin...