Menopause Strength Training & Fitness | 40+ Fitness for Women

Every time I go to the gym, I see it: women who are showing up, putting in the time, and quietly sabotaging their own results without knowing it. Today I wanted to share five things I see over and over again that are stopping women from getting the results they could be getting from the time they're putting in. If you're already lifting and you want more results, you want to get even str...

If I could go back and have a chat with my 40-year-old self, oh boy, would I have a lot to say. There are three big things I really wish I'd done differently. Mistakes that cost me real time and real progress.  In this episode, I'm telling you what they were - and what I'd do differently if I could go back. Take a listen & learn from my mistakes! Enjoy the show! Resources mentio...

Have you noticed that one side of your body is stronger than the other? Maybe your right arm pushes the dumbbell up a little easier than your left. It's more common than you think. In this episode I share two strategies for evening things out, including the clever one I'm using right now on my own legs, because yes, the gap got bigger than I'd like to admit. I'll tell you how I...

You know you should be strength training. You've maybe even started. And then life happens, and three weeks later, you realize you haven't picked up a dumbbell since. I get it.  This came up again in my group program just last week, and it's the thing I hear more than almost anything else. So in this episode, I'm sharing the exact tips I gave one of my own members who was strug...

Last week, I had a conversation in the locker room that I've had with so many women over the years. I wonder... If I ran into you in the locker room, would I have the same conversation with you, too? She's noticed her body changing. And she knows exactly what she should do about it (start strength training). She just keeps putting it off. In this episode, I share exactly what I said to h...

If the idea of strength training makes you nervous, bad knees, old injuries, being told you need to lift heavy, this episode is going to change how you think about it. I'm sharing some stories in this one. Mine, my dad's, and a few others that might surprise you. And I'm getting into the one thing about strength training that makes it fundamentally different from every other kind of...

Can you actually build muscle after menopause? Or have you missed your window? This is one of the most common questions I get. And I think it comes from a myth a lot of women still believe: that strength training is for younger people, and maybe even dangerous once you're in midlife. After helping hundreds of women get started lifting, this is a myth I really want to talk about. In this episo...

What if dieting was actually easier than you thought? When the women in my Summer Shape Up coaching group started tracking what they ate, every one of them spotted something they hadn't noticed before. One was already doing keto AND intermittent fasting, was already losing weight, and tracking STILL revealed something important about her diet she was missing. In this short episode I share the...

Are the workouts that used to work not working anymore? I've been there. At 49, my body changed. I didn't recognize myself anymore. My toned, lean, athletic physique suddenly turned blobby. And it was horrifying.  I was not ready to give up though. I figured out how to turn things around.  In this episode I'll explain how I changed my workouts and changed my body! Enjoy the show! Re...

Spring is here, which means a lot of midlife women are thinking about losing a few pounds before bikini season. In this Q&A I answer four of the most common weight loss questions I get from midlife women:  I've started eating more protein and lifting weights, but my weight is going UP. What's going on? I'm eating clean. Why am I not losing weight? How do I track meals like stews...

You've probably heard the term 'cortisol belly' thrown around on social media. And more than likely, they are trying to sell you a tea or a supplement to fix it. Here's the thing: cortisol belly is real. But no supplement or new ab exercise is going to fix it. In this episode I explain what cortisol belly is, and why this kind of belly fat is worth paying attention to - because...

Someone commented on my latest reel: "Show me your legs. I want to know if your program is going to get my legs in shape too." That one comment opened up something I've been wanting to talk about for a long time. Because fitness influencers everywhere are using their bodies as "proof" that their programs work. The implied promise is: 'Do this workout, look like me.&ap...

I got my body composition measured this week for the first time in way too long. Honestly? I walked in bracing for bad news. The scale is up, I've been eating out way more than I should, and I haven't been sleeping great. I figured I knew what I was going to hear. I was wrong. In this episode, I share my full body recomposition journey, from where I started to where I am now, including m...

As summer approaches, it's tempting to focus purely on the number on the scale. But losing weight and losing fat are not the same thing, and the difference matters. Whether you're using a GLP-1 or counting calories, if you're not paying attention to your muscles, you could be setting yourself up for serious problems down the road. In this episode, I share 5 reasons why muscle matter...

Three years ago I got my body back. And that changed everything. It was the spark that started this podcast in the first place.  In this episode, I share the story of what drove me to transform my own body after menopause, and what I have learned about building a body that not only look and feel great now but will allow you to thrive in the decades ahead. Because here is the thing: we cannot stop...

There are a lot of programs out there calling themselves strength training. If you're confused about what real strength training actually is, I'm not surprised - I was too. Sometimes the best way to truly understand something is to experience it. That's why I created Lift-IT! a 10-day introduction to proper strength training, and in honor of my 55th birthday, I'm giving it away...

If you're a woman in midlife and you’ve wondered whether you actually need a strength training program designed specifically for women in menopause this episode is for you. There’s a big debate online right now about this. Some people say that programs for midlife women are just marketing and that women in menopause should simply train the same way as everyone else. And after helping hundreds...

How long does it actually take to see results when you start strength training after 40? In this episode, I walk through what I’ve seen happen over and over again after helping hundreds of women start lifting weights through my one-to-one coaching, group coaching, and my Learn to Lift program. We look at what the first 90 days of strength training typically look like for women who are just getting...

If you’ve noticed your waistline changing in midlife and wondered whether this is “just menopause,” you’re not alone. Belly fat is one of the most common and frustrating changes women experience in perimenopause and menopause. In this episode, I break down some of the key factors contributing to this and what you can realistically do about it. We talk about: How changing estrogen levels affect fat...

If you’ve started strength training, you’ve probably seen terms like RPE, RIR, volume, frequency, training to failure, unilateral vs bilateral, lengthened position training, drop sets… and wondered: Do I actually need to care about this? In this episode, I walk you through the most common strength training terms you’ll see online and explain them in plain English.  More importantly, I tell you whi...

If you’re working out but feeling softer and looking less toned than you used to, this might be why. In this episode, I unpack five widely held fitness beliefs that are keeping midlife women stuck. These are beliefs most women over 40 still live by. And it’s not your fault. It’s what the fitness industry has taught us. Up until a few years ago, I believed them too. The problem is this: When you be...

Have you ever heard that menopause is like a second puberty? I think that idea goes beyond the hormonal changes and into something deeper: our identity. We’re no longer considered “young,” but identifying as “old” doesn’t sit right either. As women in midlife, many of us are coming into our power. After decades of raising kids, taking care of family, navigating marriage and career, we finally have...

There are a lot of follow-along exercise programs out there that claim to be "strength training". And while they are better than doing nothing (ie, sitting on the couch or doing cardio-only), they will never be as efficient or effective at building strength and muscle as proper strength training.  You'll build strength & muscle more slowly and no matter how many hours you put in...

"You need to lift heavy weights." "Put down the pink dumbbells." "Three reps of three exercises, three times per week." Social media is filled with these messages for midlife women eager to keep their bodies strong and age well.  But what does 'lifting heavy' mean? And is it right for you? In this episode, I break down the two meanings of the term 'lift...

So, you want to start strength training because you want to stop getting weaker, build muscle, be healthier, and age well, but there's no way you're going to do it four days a week.  But can training less frequently really be effective? YES!  I believe that whether you like lifting or hate it, you need to be doing it. Like brushing your teeth.  In this episode, I share the minimum you ca...