Latest / Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40 / 4: Strength Training After 40 - How to Stay Strong, Energized & Injury-Free

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4: Strength Training After 40 - How to Stay Strong, Energized & Injury-Free · Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Up Podcast, where we simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits for women in midlife.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Joan Dandano, your midlife health and wellness coach.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I help women simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to find clarity, build confidence, stay consistent in midlife and beyond.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Together, we'll build habits that serve you today and create the future version of you that you know you're meant to be.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: After three decades of lifting weights, prioritizing protein, and coaching hundreds of women just like you, I've learned that success isn't about the scale or the size of your genes.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's about how fully you live your life.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Here you'll find strategies that actually work, systems that simplify, and a roadmap to help you turn intention into lasting change.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're ready to feel strong, capable, and confident in this season, then you're in the right place.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: This is the Midlife Glow Up Podcast.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever thought the secret to getting fit was logging endless hours on the treadmill or counting every calorie, I have really good news for you.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Fitness in this season after 40 is not about punishment or calorie burn.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's truly about building strength, protecting your body, and boosting your energy so that you have energy for the things that you love.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Most women want to lift weights, but there's something standing in the way.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Either they're unsure where to start, they walk into the gym, do a few random machines here and there, get overwhelmed, and then head back to the treadmill because that feels comfortable or safe.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Or they live in this land of shoulding all over themselves.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: I really should start lifting.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: But it stays in that someday category because life already feels so full.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: But here is the truth: strength training does not have to be complicated or extreme.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Once you understand the basics, you can make it simple, and that simplicity changes everything.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: So the goal of fitness in midlife is to build strength, protect your mobility, and preserve your independence.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: We want to stay active and confident and capable today and for decades to come.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: So think of fitness as support for your body.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: We get this one precious vessel to carry us through life, and our vessel needs regular care and maintenance, just like your car.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: When we focus on fitness coming from that mindset, every time we move, we're not just exercising, we're actually investing in our future self.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Fitness is so much more than the physical, too.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: When we get into a regular pattern of exercise, we will find that we have less stress, we actually have more focus, we become more confident, we stand up straighter.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: It reminds us of what we're capable of.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's like practicing resilience built into your day.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Strength training protects our muscles and our bones and our metabolism so that you can live a full life.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to travel and hike and pick up grandkids and dance and play without hesitation or fear of your body holding you back, you've got to get in a consistent strength training routine.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: So the research backs this up.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: The CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and American College of Sports Medicine all agree that the minimum effective dose is two or more strength training sessions per week, targeting all your major muscle groups.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: They also say around 150 minutes total of movement during your week.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: That would be like brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then throw in some balance and some flexibility work a few times a week.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need hours a day, you just need consistency.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: So where most women are getting stuck is thinking that cardio equals weight loss.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so they're spending hours walking or on the treadmill or on the elliptical or doing spin classes.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: And we do need cardio.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like that is important.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Our hearts benefit from that.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: However, in this stage of life, strength training is a non-negotiable.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that they get stuck with is that all or nothing thinking.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: So they might do like five days this week and they're feeling so strong, and then next week, nothing.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're still feeling guilty that exercise is taking away from other areas of your life.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: You just don't have possibly have any time to do anything extra.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And instead of thinking about this, like you're actually building the body that is going to last a long time for the other people that you care for so that you can be around to take care of them for a lot longer.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're still stuck waiting to feel motivated.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're feeling like bored with your current routine.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're comparing your progress to somebody else's and feeling like, well, it's just too late for me.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, overcomplication is typically where a lot of people just feel stuck because they're like, I can't do six days a week, an hour a day, doing all these different things that you see people like influencers doing.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so therefore I just throw out my hands and it feels impossible, right?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I have the solution for you, and that is simplifying this and just making strength training a commitment, make it a non-negotiable part of your week.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so why is it so important?
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: I know you've heard this, but as we age, our lean muscle mass declines.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's called sarcopenia, where our muscle mass actually begins to degrade.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, therefore, the best way to combat that is two ways strength training and eating protein.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I sound like a broken record, but it's true.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing is our bone density.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So as we age, the risk of actually fracturing our bones when we fall goes up exponentially, especially after menopause.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: So, therefore, the ways to protect our bone density, same thing.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Eat protein and lift weights, right?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that strength training does for us is it helps improve our balance and our posture.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: So it actually prevents the fall from happening.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: It also boosts our energy, it makes us feel more confident, it makes us feel more resilient.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like when you practice doing something hard every single day and you push yourself through that, and I'm not saying it has to be like some crazy intense workout, but even just getting through a workout, showing up, getting out of bed, that's hard.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Putting your clothes on, that's not easy.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Getting through the workout, it's not easy.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: So when you finish that, you're like, dang, I just did that.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: That is amazing.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care what else my day throws at me, I'm ready because I am a resilient person.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: It starts to really feed into your identity.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And the last thing, of course, with strength training is it extends your independence so that you can keep doing the things you love for over and over and over and for years and decades to come.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: And like I mentioned before, there are mental benefits as well to strength training.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's building self-trust.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Every time you say, I'm going to work out, you set that commitment, you show up, you do it, you are proving to yourself that you are the type of woman who does what she says she's going to do.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times we stay stuck in that should, those that shoulding all over yourself phase, right?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: S-H-O-U-L-D, I-N-G, where you're like, I should do this, I should do that.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: But then you don't actually have a plan or a process or a system or a strategy, and therefore it just stays in this la la land.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so every time you don't follow through with what you should do, then you're like, oh, I'm the kind of person who doesn't do that, right?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's what strength training does.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: When you get it on your calendar, you show up, then you start building self-trust.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: It also gives you this deeper sense of capability.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if I could do that, I can do anything in my day.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: So you might be thinking, okay, I get it.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Strength training matters, but how do I start?
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: Where do I start?
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's usually where a lot of women get stuck.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I have really good news for you.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need hundreds of different exercises, you don't need lots of fancy equipment, you do not need to spend hours at the gym.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: It all comes down to five simple movement patterns that will help you get stronger, stay capable, and prevent injuries in the gym, but also just in everyday life.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna list out the five movement patterns for you.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm just not just going to tell you about them from the exercise perspective.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to give you a real life scenario that you could imagine why this is important.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like there are real life applications to fitness.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: The idea behind really fitness is to help us be good at the things we want to do, right?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So a push-up.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of the five movement patterns.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if you think of a push-up, so you're you're in a plank position, you're pushing the floor away, right?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: So when you are on the floor and you need to get up off the floor, you need to push yourself up.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: That is an example of a real life application to this.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Another one would be pushing, like lifting a suitcase into the overhead bin, right?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: So you're pushing overhead.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're pushing a heavy door closed.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: A pull motion, that's number two.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Think of this as like rows or lap pull downs.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: And a real life scenario here would be picking up your grandbaby or pulling something towards you, right?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like maybe you're pulling a heavy box or you're pulling a heavy suitcase.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: A squat is the next one.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: So this could be a bodyweight squat, this could be a goblet squat, this could be a plie squat.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the real life scenario here is so easy.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: We do this all day long.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Getting up and down from a chair or getting up and down off the floor.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: That is the squat motion.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: You're pushing the floor away, right?
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: The hinge is the next one.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: And this is like deadlifts or hip hinges or glute bridges.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: And the real life scenario here would be like lifting up groceries or a heavy laundry basket or maybe a big old bag of dog food, right?
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there are real life applications here.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Number five is core.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and as you can imagine, this is related to every single thing we do in real life, rolling out of bed or like maintaining your balance.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: That has a lot to do with your core as well.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: So when we train these patterns, we're building total body strength, but also functionality.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: And just as importantly, it's also strengthening your mind.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: So every rep becomes proof that you can do hard things and strength carries into every single area of life.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so now you have the what.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Those are the five movement patterns.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about the how.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: How do you actually fit those into your week in a way that is realistic, consistent, and actually sustainable?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: So that's where my two by five strong method comes in.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: It is a simple system that I use when I plan my classes.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's a simple system that I teach to my clients.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the way that in midlife you can build strength without overcomplicating the process.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: So here it is: two, so that is two strength training sessions per week minimum.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then the five is those five movement patterns.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then how we get strong is we consistently do two by five week after week after week.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: You can do this however it fits into your schedule.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Choosing a rhythm that actually fits your life might not be obvious right away, but over time you'll find what actually sticks to your schedule and allows you to create this pattern that sticks in your life.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Even as little as 10 minutes a day can create a huge amount of change over time.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're in a season where you're caregiving or your schedule is very full with work or travel, you could commit to 10 minutes a day.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you need to start with body weight, go for it.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: A push-up, a squat, those are body weight.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Holding a plank, that is a body weight exercise.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you can do that twice a week, getting in those five movement patterns in whatever structure works for you.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a two-day split where one day is upper body and the next day is lower body.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you do total body several days a week, but you're combining those shorter sessions with maybe squats and push-ups on one day and a hinge and a pull on another day.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: You're choosing that rhythm that's realistic for you to stick to.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: And you might actually surprise yourself that this actually can be fun.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Once you get those two sessions consistent, then you can start to add in supportive movement like yoga for flexibility and recovery, mobility movements, like um, you know, taking a dowel around your head.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: I can show you what I'm talking about if you check out my Instagram, um, Pilates for more core, walking for cardio and stress relief and maybe girl time, adding a weighted vest for bone density.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: There's all kinds of things you can add on once you establish that baseline of the two by five strong.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: My last thing that I want to say here is our life is always going to be lifing.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: There will never be the perfect week where everything just maps out perfectly and everything falls into place without any issue, right?
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: So this is why it's always important to have a plan B.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: So for example, let's go back to that two by five.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: So say you're gonna do upper body on Monday, 20 minutes.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: You're focusing on the push and the pull and maybe some core.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then on Wednesday, you're gonna do lower body, and that's where you're getting your squats and your hinges and maybe a little bit more core, right?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: So that's your plan.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: You've got it mapped out, you've got it in your calendar, two 20-minute sessions, five movement patterns between the two sessions, and you're getting into a consistent rhythm, right?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, then along comes travel or sickness in the family, or you've got company visiting.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: And like for me, my company stays in my basement, which is where my exercise studio is, right?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: So in those moments, we gotta have a plan B.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Do we shorten the movements to only 10 minutes?
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's all we can fit in today, better than nothing, right?
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: Do we shift it?
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do we move it to another day?
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Do we swap to a different location?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Do we, you know, we're super sore one day?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we swap a strength training session for a stretch session instead.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: So we're still showing up for ourselves, right?
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: We're still honoring our body, we're caring for our body, we're protecting it, but maybe it looks a little bit different this week.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you just need to simplify it?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of using equipment this week, you're traveling, you're gonna be in a hotel room, so you're just gonna use body weight instead.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is consistency, not perfection.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Two strength training sessions per week, using those five movement patterns and then having a flexible mindset.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is what's going to allow you to create results that actually last.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I want to share a quick story of my client Aline.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: So she came to me after struggling, I would say she would probably admit, for her whole life, trying to create consistency with fitness.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: She's already in a great routine of walking her dog and she loved that.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: But lifting weights always stayed in that someday or that I know I should do this.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: She had all the equipment.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: She just didn't have a structured routine in her day and therefore always was feeling like guilty for not having a plan already.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: So she came to me.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: She was a one-on-one coaching client and she joined FitZone, which is my online virtual live fitness classes, and she made a promise to herself.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: She made a commitment to come to two classes per week, no matter what.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: She started with the 30-minute classes because that seemed doable for her at the beginning.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: And she made that commitment.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: We had a tracker, we had built-in accountability, and what happened was she started to actually follow through.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: She the first week was like, okay, wow, that was hard.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sore, but I'm committed to coming back next week.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'll modify if I need to, I'll drop down to body weight if I need to, but I'm committed to showing up because I'm worth it.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: So she started to give herself those messages.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: And over time, she started to really surprise herself and be like, oh my gosh, I'm waking up actually looking forward to the workout class.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And over time, she started to feel her muscles, they felt stronger.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: She felt herself more confident and more capable.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it was starting to spill over into other areas of her life, not just the physical body, but into her life in work and in family and just in relationships in general, just holding her head up a little bit higher.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: So that is what happens when fitness becomes simple, it becomes sustainable, it stops being a chore and it starts feeling like self-care.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: It starts feeling like your new identity.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to take this away from today's episode.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Every rep that you do is a vote for your future self.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can, in 10 minutes per day, a couple times a week, build strength, mobility, and confidence that you will rely on later.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Your future self will look back and thank you for starting right now.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: Strength training is going to keep you capable and energized and independent through every chapter of life.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Think of it as a gift that you're giving your future self.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're ready to get started, but you don't want to have to figure it all out on your own, I'd love to invite you to come try a free FitZone class.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: In FitZone, we have six live classes each week, plus a full library of on-demand workouts that are all laid out for you.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be part of an inspiring community of women who show up week after week to challenge their muscles and their minds and to make themselves proud.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll have me as your instructor.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: I care deeply about your health, and my goal is to make lifting weights a fun, simple, and empowering part of your life.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can show up, follow along, and start feeling stronger one workout at a time.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: Click the link in the show notes to grab your flip free class, and I can't wait to see you inside.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, my friend.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, progress over perfection and consistency over intensity.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Follow or subscribe so that you don't miss next week's episode.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: And share this one with a friend who's glowing up right alongside you.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing, and bye for now.