I was grumpy about having to do this workout. It was 3pm, my energy was dipping and it was the last thing I felt like. Strength training is slow. You have to concentrate, focus on your posture, make sure you’re feeling it in the right muscles. Towards the end of a set when it feels harder, so you have to concentrate more. And count. Just 3 more, just 2 more and I’m done. And then you notice you’ve forgotten about all the other swirling thoughts you brought in with you. Instead I’m conscious of my body, of how I move. The tiny improvements I’ve noticed since last week and I feel strong, powerful, confident. The version of me that I like. It’s worked its magic again. In my 40s I kept getting injured. I wanted to workout but my body was failing me. I didn’t understand why this was happening and was becoming too scared to lift a weight incase I pulled a muscle again. My menopause strength journey has been about learning how my body moves, discovering what’s weak or imbalanced, and strengthening it. My goals have changed too, I want to be able to do more, cycle up harder hills, run for longer, kayak confidently. By letting go of my old dieting and exercise mindset, I’ve changed my relationship with food and my body. I’ve had to learn how menopause changes the way it functions and responds to exercise, and what I need to do to support that process. I’ve had to be patient and keep learning, stay open-minded and curious. The reward is learning what being kind to myself actually means - doing the things that take care of the body I have. And with that comes many other benefits, more energy, better focus, good sleep, which adds up to feeling less stressed, and being more able to cope with stress. I get messages all the time from women who are having a terrible time with menopause. Just know that the small things you can do for yourself can make a huge difference ❤️

I’m really leaning into the control I have to make simple choices about my life. Not very long ago I was stressed, overwhelmed, my whirring brain exhausted me and I felt like I was being pulled in a million directions and stuck on a hamster wheel I couldn’t escape. I was always trying harder, to do more. Until my brain actually hurt from the pressure and I knew I needed to start letting things go. That’s not necessarily an easy process. But the first step was to accept I needed to do this. I didn’t know how, but brains are incredible machines that are programmed to solve our problems. Eventually I had little ideas of things I could do less of. Small changes that blew my mind, because I couldn’t believe how easy it was. And then it became something to play with! What else could I stop doing or say no to? The funny thing is, no one really notices that you’re doing less. (OK my daughter has a go at me about the cleaning - then does it for me 😂) But I noticed. It made a massive difference. I still have days where I’m stressed, overwhelmed and see the negative in everything. But I’m better at not giving myself a hard time for struggling. I talk about how I feel to Tim and get it out of my system. He supports me more and I’m grateful for that and it strengthens our relationship 🥰 And I find I get out of the slumps faster. Journaling has been a brilliant tool too. It’s helped me approach the stress and overwhelm with curiosity and given me better tools to manage it. Like giving myself 20 minutes to have a coffee when I’m losing concentration. And to sit in the sun, listen to the birds (and try and ignore the motorway in the background) and just do nothing. (Like and follow for more stories about my midlife journey to thrive ❤️)

It wasn’t an easy decision because I was worried about my weight. But I just couldn’t cope with the hunger, deprivation and the stress of fighting cravings. What happened next was I ate all the things I’d been trying to avoid for years. I can remember going to this incredible French patisserie near where I lived, buying the most chocolatey option and then savouring every mouthful with a cup of tea (everything tastes better with tea!). It was the first time I’d eaten something so decadent for years without feeling guilty. And that felt wonderful. But as much as I enjoyed the freedom to have what I wanted, the novelty soon wore off and I realised I didn’t want - or rather need to keep eating extravagant treats. So I just started to eat normally. Everyday meals with pasta, rice, bread, potatoes. As an ex Keto, carb phobic, this was another breakthrough. And I was surprised how good it felt and how much energy I had. When I was keto and did my workouts, my legs just felt leaden. That extra energy got put to good use as I pushed myself harder in the gym, enjoying exercise more and noticeably getting fitter and stronger. My weight continued to increase. I surprised myself by not being bothered. I had more peace of mind with this easier lifestyle and I didn’t want to go back to dieting. But my curious nature lead me to look more closely at my diet, to learn what was driving the weight gain. It was nothing to do with my meals, or the fact that I’d added carbs, cake, bread back into my diet. It was 100% to do with cravings. And that was the next part of my journey. Understanding what was driving them and how to manage them. I’ll share more abut that in another post, because I want to quickly mention this FREE 14-Day mini coaching programme. This is the programme I wish I’d found when I was struggling with perimenopausal cravings and hunger, and wanted to know how my body was changing, how to eat to support myself through the process. There are 10 places available now (10 have been taken) and if you’d like more info, just DM me the word THRIVE.

How realising I’d got trapped in my comfort zone gave me the motivation to make bigger and more meaningful changes to my diet and exercise routine, and seeing those things not as something that would just change my body, but that had the power to change my life.

I once went on holiday and didn’t take my clothes off to sunbathe. I pretended I was anti sunbathing but really I was just deeply self-conscious about my body. Now i have truly made peace with my cellulite and the bits I used to hate, and instead am focused on my strength and fitness, what I can do now and what I need to do to look after myself and keep myself strong and pain free. After becoming a PT I created a deeper connection and understanding about how my body worked and moved. When I was younger I took all of that for granted, but there is a real joy to be had from getting out of my head and into my body. True strength comes from understanding your weaknesses, and at this age I can’t afford to neglect those. With my running for example, I’ve had to pay attention to small things, like my foot and ankle strength, a tendency for tight glutes and calves. Ignoring those would lead to injury eventually. So my training programme includes stretching, mobility work, working on my weaker muscles and also massage and rest. I’ve had a rest day today and been to the physio to get my knee checked as it swells slightly after long runs. Fortunately there doesn’t seem to be anything that will stop me training and I was told my knees were in good shape as far as strength and tendons were concerned, so the strength training is paying off! Doing small amounts of strength training will make a big difference so if you’re not doing any exercise currently but want to start, join my free 2 week Thrive plan, for the shortest most effective training plan you’ve ever seen 😂 DM the word THRIVE and I’ll send you the details.

Ten times this distance is what I need to work up to now! In September there are two consecutive days of 50/50 cycling and running totalling 100 miles and it’s going to be exposed and hilly. I went to bed for an hour when I got in. There’ll be none of that in September and I’ll be in a tent in a field in between days! Couldn’t resist taking my new bike out for its first outing after I got out of bed. Tim went for a run so I followed him round. My knee swells up a bit after a run so I’m going to have to stay on top of that which means getting to the physio and building a lot of knee strengthening work into my training. Whilst these niggles are frustrating, training forces you to get really in tune with your body and most importantly, workout what the weakest link is and make it stronger! Behind all the training is recovery too. That means time doing nothing, earlier nights, more food, hydration and massage. It’s a fact that we need more recovery time as we get older. So great excuse for lying on the sofa - which is where I am now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

At 53 I care about my health. The days of saving points to spend on wine have long gone. As have cutting out carbs and fasting at the expense of trying to function. I’ve stopped hating my cellulite, my chunky thighs and my increasingly crepey skin - because I’ve made peace with it all and can think of better things to do with my brain. But food is being pushed on us 24/7 from all directions. Food scientists and marketeers come up with all sorts of angles to get us to buy and eat more than we need. What we eat affects our health. I want to be the person who decides what goes in my body. That doesn’t mean I’m ‘good’ all the time. That’s not my goal. It simply means I accept there are compromised to be made. Compromises are different from rules. It’s not having a desert after every meal, a chocolate bar every day or takeaways all week, or overeating for the hell of it. It’s taken me a while to work out what having a healthy relationship with food is for me, and it’s this: Understanding the effect food has on my energy, cravings, hunger and basically the way it supports every cell in my body. Learning what the right amount of food is for me to stay at a healthy weight. Eating to improve my running and cycling performance. Enjoying everything and knowing all foods can fit into a healthy, balanced diet. Eating treats when I choose, without guilt. And eliminating unhealthy patterns, like emotional eating. Not because I have a problem with the eating part, because it gets in the way of me dealing with the emotional stuff properly. My goal is simply to feel at peace with food and not think about it all day, which is what dieting did to me. It’s a work in progress because we’ve been brainwashed for decades, I just keep trying and learning and helping my clients do the same. If this mindset resonates with you and you want to create a healthier relationship with food, join my free 14 day challenge starting 9th March. 
DM me the word THRIVE to find out more.