Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

Have you noticed that your shoulder suddenly hurts when you reach overhead? Or your hip aches when you sleep on your side? Maybe your feet hurt with those first few steps in the morning, and you’re left wondering… “Is this just what happens after 40?” The answer might surprise you. In this episode, Joan explains why so many women begin experiencing aches, pains, and injuries during perimenopause a...

You got your workout in this morning… so you’re good for the day, right? Not necessarily. In this episode, Joan explores why prolonged sitting may be quietly undoing some of the hard work you’re putting into your health. She explains why movement throughout the day matters just as much as your scheduled workout and shares a few simple ways to make it happen without overhauling your routine. If you...

Sleep isn’t a luxury - it’s one of the most powerful foundations of health, especially during midlife. In this episode, Joan shares her personal experience with severe night sweats during perimenopause and how they became the catalyst for prioritizing her sleep. She explains what happens inside the body during sleep, why getting enough quality sleep is essential for women over 40, and the simple s...

"Sweetie, that's just part of being a woman and getting older." A doctor actually said that to Joan - and it lit a fire in her that motivated her to seek a different path, and to help other women advocate for themselves too. If you're doing everything right and your body still isn't cooperating, here's what you need to know: there is nothing wrong with you. It's...

Most women focus on the external parts of health: the workouts, the meal plans, the habits, and the goals. But lasting change is about more than what you do. It’s also about what you believe about yourself, how you talk to yourself, and whether you trust yourself to follow through when motivation fades. In this episode, Joan explores the deeper internal work that supports lasting transformation. D...

Summer isn't a free pass and it's not a guilt trip either. It's a strategic window. In this episode, Joan shares the fitness and nutrition strategies that help women over 40 use this season as a real launchpad for lasting change - starting with the story of Dorry, a teacher who used one summer to transform not just her body, but her entire relationship with her health. Whether your...

Most women don’t have a nutrition problem. They have a mindset problem. They know what to eat. They’ve read the articles, downloaded the meal plans, saved the recipes, and followed the experts. Yet they still find themselves starting over every Monday, grabbing whatever is easiest when life gets busy, and wondering why healthy eating never seems to stick. In this episode, Joan explores the hidden...

If healthy eating feels like a second job… if breakfast gets skipped, lunch happens standing over the kitchen sink, and by 3 p.m. you’re grabbing whatever is easiest… this episode is for you. In this episode, Joan Dandeneau introduces her simple yet powerful PREP Method - a realistic food prep framework designed specifically for busy women in midlife who want to stop relying on willpower and start...

The Story Behind Joan’s Food Prep System (and Why She’s Teaching It Now) What if the secret to eating healthier in midlife had less to do with willpower… and more to do with preparation? In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast , Joan shares the personal story behind one of the most powerful systems she teaches women today: food prep. From her early twenties as a personal trainer working lon...

What if food prep wasn’t just about having healthy food in the fridge… What if it had the power to change how you move through your day, how you make decisions, and how consistent you feel with your health? In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast , Joan shares why food prep is about so much more than cooking chicken, chopping vegetables, or getting organized for the week. It’s about creatin...

If you feel like you know what to eat but can’t stay consistent… you’re not alone. In this episode, Joan breaks down why you want to eat healthy, but life keeps getting in the way - and why it’s not about needing more discipline or willpower. The real issue? You don’t have a system. She shares a simple shift that makes healthy eating easier, more realistic, and something you can actually stick wit...

In this episode of The Midlife Glow-Up Podcast , Joan wraps up her three-part fitness series by diving into the one principle that makes strength training actually work: progressive overload. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been lifting for years, this episode will help you understand why results can stall—and what to do about it. Joan breaks down how the body adapts to exercise, why...

What if the thing standing between you and a body that moves freely, confidently, and without pain in your 60s, 70s, and 80s… isn't how hard you're working, but what you're leaving out? Most fitness programs for women focus almost entirely on strength and cardio. And while strength training is absolutely non-negotiable (we covered that in Episode 28), there are five other fitness co...

In this episode, Joan shares why common go-to workouts like walking, yoga, Pilates, and even cardio, while beneficial, may be leaving a critical gap in your fitness routine - and what that means for your long-term health.  Drawing from both personal experience and client stories, Joan explains what your body is actually asking for in this season of life and why it matters more than most women real...

In this episode, Joan breaks down one of the most overlooked nutrients in midlife nutrition - fiber - and why it might be the missing piece if you’re struggling with low energy, bloating, or inconsistent digestion. Many women believe they’re eating “pretty healthy,” but still aren’t seeing or feeling the results they expect. Joan explains why fiber plays a critical role in how your body functions...

Setting goals is easy. Following through is where most women get stuck. In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast , Joan explains why motivation and discipline are not the real problem when it comes to fitness and nutrition goals. The real issue is that most women are trying to rely on goals without a system to support them.  Joan breaks down a simple but powerful four-part framework that hel...

If you feel exhausted, crave sugar at night, and can’t lose belly fat… your breakfast might be part of the problem. Maybe it’s coffee and a couple of eggs. Maybe it’s oatmeal. Maybe it’s yogurt on the way out the door. And in midlife, those attempts at your morning meal may be actually working against you. In this episode, Joan breaks down why breakfast matters more after 40 and how small changes...

In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast , Joan explores a topic that many women struggle with: the belief that they need more motivation to stay consistent with fitness and nutrition. Joan explains why motivation and willpower are unreliable strategies for long-term health habits , especially in midlife when life is busy and energy can fluctuate. Instead, she introduces a more sustainable a...

In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast , Joan challenges something many women over 40 don’t even realize they’re doing - waiting for permission. Permission to invest in themselves. Permission to want more. Permission to take up space. Permission to start imperfectly. If you’ve spent years putting everyone else first and telling yourself “I’ll start when things slow down,” this conversation...

If you’ve ever quit after missing one workout… Started over on Monday (again)… Or decided that 7,000 steps “didn’t count” because it wasn’t 10,000… This episode is for you. In this episode, Joan tackles one of the biggest mindset traps midlife women fall into: the all-or-nothing mentality . She explains how perfectionism disguised as “high standards” is actually the thing keeping you stuck in a cy...

If you’ve been listening to this podcast thinking, “I know I need help… I just don’t know where to start,” this episode is for you. In today’s episode, Joan pulls back the curtain on her signature 8-week group coaching program, The Midlife Glow Up - and walks you through: Why she created it Who it’s designed for (and who it’s not) How the Fitness, Nutrition, and Hybrid tracks work What kind of sup...

Many women believe they eat “pretty well” - and in most cases, they are. They’re making an effort, being mindful, and trying to make healthier choices. In this episode, Joan explains why those efforts often stop working in midlife and how habits that once felt effective can backfire after 40. Joan discusses the most common nutrition patterns she sees among midlife women and why eating “pretty well...

What are you really training for? Not how many workouts you’re doing. Not how many calories you burned. Not what your watch says. In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast , Joan challenges a question most women in midlife have never been asked - and explains why answering it changes everything. For years, many of us were taught to “work out” for weight loss, calorie burn, or aesthetics. But...

Starting is sexy, but staying when it gets boring, hard, or uncomfortable is the real skill we need to practice. So many women believe they struggle with consistency in their health and fitness because they lack discipline or willpower. In reality, most of us have just never learned how to stay committed when things don’t go as planned . In today’s episode, Joan talks about why starting is the eas...

Most people assume that if fitness comes easily to you now, it always has. That you’ve always had it figured out. That you’re just “a fitness person.” That motivation must come naturally. But that’s rarely the truth. In this deeply personal episode, Joan pulls back the curtain on her 30-year fitness journey and shares the lessons she’s learned across every season - from childhood asthma and sittin...