Strength With Michelle | Start Strength Training, Perimenopause, Women Over 40, Build Muscle

How many years have you spent trying to make your body smaller?

And what happens when you’re ready for something different… but your brain keeps checking the scale?

Maybe you’re tired of starting over every Monday. You want to feel stronger, build muscle, and get comfortable picking up weights. But somewhere in the back of your mind, there’s still that question: “Okay, but is this helping me lose weight?”

And suddenly, a heavier dumbbell doesn’t feel quite as exciting because your jeans still fit the same. Apparently, the scale has decided it gets the final say. 🙄

For women over 40, especially during perimenopause, the conversation about strength training can feel like one more thing we’re supposed to be doing to fix our changing bodies. But bringing decades of weight-loss expectations into the weight room can make getting stronger surprisingly complicated.

In this episode of Strength with Michelle, we’re talking about that uncomfortable space between wanting to lose weight and being completely over making your whole life about it.

You’re allowed to want your clothes to fit differently. But what else are you ready to want for yourself?

If you’ve ever finished a strength workout and wondered whether it was “enough,” press play.

Ready to go from “I should lift” to “I do lift”?

You know strength training matters. But knowing what to do, feeling comfortable doing it, and fitting it into your actual week? That’s where a little support can help.

Done Thinking. Let’s Lift. is my four-week group coaching program for women over 40 who are getting started or coming back after time away. You’ll get strength workouts in the Everfit app, weekly group coaching calls with replays, and support between calls through our group chat and direct messages with me during weekday business hours.

We’ll work on choosing weights, feeling more confident with your workouts, and keeping strength training in your life, even when your week doesn’t go as planned.

I’m bringing Done Thinking. Let’s Lift. back to a one-month format for now! It's $147 total for the one-month program.

The next round starts November 15th. Click below to get started.

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Related Episodes

65 — Why Do I Keep Putting Off Strength Training—Even When I Have Time?
67 — Only One Workout This Week? You Still Strength Trained.

What if you start strength training and hurt yourself?

You want to get stronger, but you also have kids to care for, work to do, and a body you need to cooperate. Especially if you’ve been hurt before or you’re returning after a long break, staying away from the weights can feel like the sensible choice.

In this episode, I’m sharing four practical tips for starting strength training after 40 with more confidence and care. We’ll talk about some of the choices that deserve your attention as you begin, why your starting point matters, and what to do with the questions you might feel embarrassed to ask.

We’re also looking at the strength your everyday life already asks of you, from carrying groceries to getting up off the floor, and how that connects to the things you want to keep doing as you get older. If you’re a woman over 40 who wants to lift but keeps worrying about getting hurt, I hope this conversation helps you understand your concerns and find a useful next step.

Are you ready to go from “I should lift” to “I do lift”?

Join me in Done Thinking. Let’s Lift!, my eight-week group coaching program for women over 40 who are getting started with strength training or coming back after time away.

You’ll get strength workouts in the Everfit app, weekly group coaching calls with replays, and support between calls in the group and through direct messages with me during weekday business hours.

For only $147/month for the two months. That's less than $5 a day.

🔗 Pay in Full — One payment of $294.

🔗 Choose the Payment Plan — Two monthly payments of $147.

I can't wait to help you go from “I should lift” to “I do lift” by building confidence with strength training and a flexible routine you can keep coming back to!

Not ready to join yet, start here!

💌 Get my weekly newsletter for real-life stories, encouragement, and help making strength training happen:
Sign up here

💬 Join my free community where we keep the conversation going:
Join us on Facebook

Related Episodes

•

66 — What If Everyone at the Gym Knows You Don’t Know What You Are Doing?

•

62 — The “Four Feet” Rule That Might Finally Get You Strength Training

•

67 — Only One Workout This Week? You Still Strength Trained.

When you miss a strength workout, how quickly does “my week changed” turn into “I can never stick with anything”?

A sick kid, family visiting, or something unexpected can change a perfectly reasonable plan. But an interrupted week can start to feel like a verdict on your ability to be consistent.

In this episode, I’m sharing how a visit from my parents and a call about my sick son changed my own workout plans, and how I’m approaching what comes next. We’re talking about the meaning we give missed workouts, why “I only worked out once” deserves another look, and what it takes to return without making it a whole new project.

If you’re a woman over 40 getting started with strength training or trying to find your way back, I hope this conversation helps you handle the weeks that don’t cooperate. There’s room here for the weeks when no workouts happen, too. The goal is to give yourself a way back when your body and circumstances allow, without turning an interruption into another reason to give up.

Ready to go from “I should lift” to “I do lift”?

Join me in Done Thinking. Let’s Lift!, my eight-week group coaching program for women over 40 who are getting started with strength training or coming back after time away. You’ll get strength workouts and weekly group coaching calls, with replays if you can’t join live.

The total cost is $294, with two ways to pay:

🔗 Pay in Full — One payment of $294.

🔗 Choose the Payment Plan — Two monthly payments of $147.

I can't wait to help you go from “I should lift” to “I do lift” by building confidence with strength training and a flexible routine you can keep coming back to!

Not ready to join yet, start here!

💌 Get my weekly newsletter for real-life stories, encouragement, and help making strength training happen:
Sign up here

💬 Join my free community where we keep the conversation going:
Join us on Facebook

Related Episodes

•

63 — You Don’t Have to Love Strength Training to Do It

•

65 — Why Do I Keep Putting Off Strength Training—Even When I Have Time?

Ever walk into the gym and feel like everyone else knows exactly what they’re doing, and you’re hoping nobody notices you don’t? You want to get stronger, but being seen figuring it out can make the weight room feel a whole lot harder to walk into.

Friend, I’ve been going to gyms for years. I have a master’s degree in exercise science. And I can still walk into a different gym and feel uncomfortable and a little lost. Apparently, my degree did not come with a floor plan for every gym in America.

In this episode, we’re talking about feeling self-conscious at the gym, whether you’re starting strength training after 40, coming back after a break, or trying something unfamiliar. We’ll get into how an awkward moment can turn into questioning whether you belong, and what can help you move forward when “just stop worrying about it” is doing absolutely nothing for you.

If embarrassment has been deciding which exercises you try, or keeping you from going at all, I hope this conversation helps you take your next step. You are allowed to learn where other people can see you.

Are you ready to go from “I should lift” to “I do lift”?

Join me in Done Thinking. Let’s Lift!, my eight-week group coaching program for women over 40 getting started with strength training or coming back after time away. You’ll get strength workouts and weekly group coaching calls, with replays if you can’t join live.

The total cost is $294, with two ways to pay:

🔗 Pay in Full — One payment of $294.

🔗 Choose the Payment Plan — Two monthly payments of $147.

Not ready to join yet, start here!

💌 Get my weekly newsletter for real-life stories, encouragement, and help making strength training happen:
Sign up here

💬 Join my free community where we keep the conversation going:
Join us on Facebook

Related Episodes

62 — The “Four Feet” Rule That Might Finally Get You Strength Training

63 — You Don’t Have to Love Strength Training to Do It

65 — Why Do I Keep Putting Off Strength Training—Even When I Have Time?

Your workout was on the calendar. Then you sat down to answer one more email, and somehow it’s dinner time and you’re telling yourself you’ll lift tomorrow. Again.

What makes that especially frustrating is that you actually wanted to do it. You had a plan. You knew what workout you were going to do. So why did everything else get done first?

In this episode of Strength with Michelle, we’re talking about the gap between wanting to get stronger and actually picking up the weights. If you’re a woman over 40 who keeps putting off strength training, even when you have time, there may be more happening than “I just need to make it a priority.”

I’m sharing something I’ve noticed in my own life, including how cleaning my house has somehow managed to outrank going for a walk. Which, if you know my feelings about cleaning, raises some questions. 😂 We’ll explore what might be happening when a reasonable workout plan keeps getting pushed aside, and how to plan for the moment you usually tell yourself, “Let me just finish this first.”

You’ll leave with a more useful way to look at a missed workout and a practical experiment to try with your next one. I hope this helps you understand your own patterns a little better and start giving strength training a place in the life you’re already living.

Let’s keep the conversation going!

💌 Get my weekly newsletter for real-life stories, encouragement, and help making strength training happen:
Sign up here

💬 What keeps getting your workout’s spot in your day? Come tell me in my free community:
Join us on Facebook

Related Episodes

59 — I Know I Need to Lose Weight and Get Stronger…So Why Am I Not Doing It?

60 — Why Your Strength Training Routine Needs More Than One Setting

63 — You Don’t Have to Love Strength Training to Do It

What if the thing you've been focusing on for weight loss isn't actually what your body needs most right now?

If you're a woman over 40 who's spent years exercising to burn calories, lose weight, and make your body smaller, it might be time to rethink your approach. Especially if you're navigating perimenopause and wondering why the things that used to work don't seem to work the same way anymore.

In this episode of Strength with Michelle, we're talking about the connection between strength training and weight loss for women over 40. Does lifting weights actually help with weight loss? Should you be focusing on burning calories or building muscle? And what happens when you stop measuring the success of your workouts by how many calories you've burned?

We'll explore why strength training during perimenopause matters and why getting stronger might be one of the best things you can do for yourself in your 40s, 50s, and beyond.

If you've been stuck in the cycle of trying to lose weight through more cardio and fewer calories, this episode will give you a different way to think about exercise, your body, and what you're really working toward.

Because maybe it's time to stop asking how exercise can make you smaller and start asking what getting stronger could make possible.

Next Steps:

🍎 Leave a review. Open Apple podcast, search for Strength With Michelle, scroll down to Ratings & Reviews, tap Write a Review, choose your stars, write a few words, and hit Send. Please and Thank You!!

💬 Join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

📰 Let's keep the conversation going! Sign up for my newsletter: https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter

Do you know you should be strength training, but you just don't like doing it?

Maybe you've tried lifting weights before and couldn't stick with it. Or maybe you keep putting it off because, well, you'd rather do just about anything else. 😂

In this episode, we're talking about:

- why you don't have to love strength training to make it part of your life

- what might actually be behind your resistance to lifting

- how to stop waiting until you feel like it to get started

Because you don't have to love every workout to love what being stronger allows you to do.

Next Steps:

🍎 Leave a review. Open Apple podcast, search for Strength With Michelle, scroll down to Ratings & Reviews, tap Write a Review, choose your stars, write a few words, and hit Send. Please and Thank You!!

💬 Join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

📰 Let's keep the conversation going! Sign up for my newsletter: https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter

You know strength training is important, especially for women over 40.

But knowing you should lift and actually getting started are two very different things.

If strength training feels overwhelming, you’re unsure where to begin, or you keep thinking you need more time, confidence, or a better plan before you start, this episode is for you.

I’m sharing one surprisingly simple piece of advice that had nothing to do with exercise, but completely changed the way I think about getting started.

It might be exactly what you need to finally stop thinking about strength training and start doing it.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

📰 Join my newsletter: https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter

For a lot of us, exercise in our 20s and 30s had one main goal: get smaller.

Burn more calories. Lose more weight. Fit into the smaller size.

But somewhere in our 40s, the goal starts to change.

We're a little less worried about what everyone else thinks of our bodies, and a little more interested in whether we'll still be able to get ourselves up off the floor when we're 70.

In this episode of Weight Loss with a Side of Grace, we're talking about what happens when strength starts to matter more than the number on the scale, and why knowing you should strength train and actually doing it are two very different things.

If you're a woman over 40 who knows strength training matters but still hasn't quite made it part of your life, I want you to listen to this one.

Because your 40s doesn't need to be another decade spent chasing smaller.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

You want to strength train consistently, but then life gets busy, and somehow your workouts are the first thing to disappear. Before you know it, a missed workout turns into a missed week, and you’re telling yourself you’ll start again Monday.

Sound familiar?

In this episode, we’re talking about why staying consistent with strength training can feel so difficult when your schedule changes
and why the problem may not be your motivation or discipline.

If you’re a woman over 40 trying to build muscle, get stronger, and make strength training part of your actual life, this episode will help you rethink what consistency really needs to look like.

Because the women who strength train for years aren’t necessarily the ones whose schedules cooperate.

They’ve learned what to do when they don’t.

And that might be the piece your strength training routine has been missing. 💪

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

You know you should strength train. You know you want to lose weight. You know taking care of your health matters, especially as you get older.

So why isn't knowing that enough to actually make you do it?

If you're a woman over 35 trying to lose weight, navigate perimenopause, or finally make strength training part of your routine, you probably don't need someone else telling you what you should be doing.

In this episode, we're digging underneath the goal itself. Because saying “I want to lose weight,” “I want to get stronger,” or “I want to be healthier for my kids” may only be the beginning of the answer.

I'll walk you through a simple exercise to uncover what's really behind your goals, and why that answer might matter more than another diet, workout plan, or motivational speech.

Because maybe the question isn't “What should I be doing?”

Maybe there's a better question to ask.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

Why are you not losing weight when you’re eating healthy, exercising, getting enough protein, drinking water, and doing everything you’re supposed to do?

If you’re trying to lose weight but the scale has been stuck for months, it’s easy to blame your metabolism, hormones, or perimenopause, and wonder if your body simply refuses to lose weight.

I know that feeling because I used to be completely convinced it was true for me.

In this episode, I’m sharing what finally changed the way I looked at my own weight loss plateau and what I want you to consider before deciding that your body, metabolism, or perimenopause hormones are the reason you can’t lose weight.

If you’re a woman over 35 who feels like you’re doing all the things to lose weight but still stuck, this episode will help you stop trying harder at everything and start asking a much more useful question.

Because sometimes you don’t need another diet, stricter food rules, or more exercise.

You need to see what you haven’t been seeing.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

Do you feel like you can “do good” all week...until that one meal?

Maybe it’s Sunday lunch at your mom’s house, Friday night pizza, eating out with friends, or another situation where you already expect yourself to overeat. And afterward? The guilt kicks in and you wonder why you keep doing the exact same thing every time.

In this episode, we’re talking about why certain meals can feel so hard to navigate and how the thoughts you bring into that meal may be keeping the pattern going.

If you’re a woman over 40 trying to lose weight during perimenopause without dieting, food guilt, or constantly starting over, this episode will help you approach those tricky meals differently so you can enjoy the food, feel confident in your choices, and move on with your day.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

Struggling to get enough protein without feeling like protein is all you eat?

If you know that you need more protein but you just don't know how to get anymore into your day, this is for you.

In this episode, I’m sharing simple ways to sneak more protein into the meals you’re already eating, without overhauling your diet or turning protein into another food rule.

If you’re a woman over 40 trying to support muscle, weight loss, and your health during perimenopause, this one’s for you.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

What does it really mean to invest in your health, and when is paying for support actually worth it?

In this episode, we’re talking about something that can feel uncomfortable: spending money on your health.

Because the truth is, most women already have access to plenty of information about weight loss, nutrition, strength training, and healthy habits. You can Google a workout. You can find a high-protein meal plan. You can listen to podcasts about how to stop overeating at night.

So why would you ever pay for coaching?

Especially for women in their 40s and 50s who are juggling kids, work, changing bodies, perimenopause, and about a million other responsibilities, the answer may have less to do with what you know, and more to do with what actually happens when you try to apply it to your real life.

We’re digging into the difference between paying for information and investing in support, accountability, feedback, and personalized coaching, and one question that may help you decide whether you actually need more information…or something completely different.

If you’ve ever thought, “I know what I need to do. I just can’t seem to make myself do it,” this episode is for you.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

Weight gain and body changes can bring a constant stream of negative thoughts: I hate how I look. I need to lose this weight. I can’t believe I let myself get here.

But hating your body isn’t a requirement for changing it.

In this episode, we’re talking about how you can want to lose weight, get stronger, improve your health, or feel better in your clothes without making your current body the enemy.

We’ll talk about the difference between caring for your body and criticizing it, why shame rarely creates sustainable change, and how approaching weight loss from a place of respect can completely change the way you take care of yourself.

If you’re navigating perimenopause weight gain, body image struggles, yo-yo dieting, or all-or-nothing thinking, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to wait until you love every part of your body, and you definitely don’t have to hate it, to start taking care of it.

You can want change and still give yourself grace along the way.

Next Steps:

📋Can't stop eating at night, and always going to bed feeling guilty for it? Join my 4-Week Evening Eating Reset: Click here

💬 Come join my free community:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

Heading to a Labor Day cookout while trying to lose weight?

You don’t need to skip meals all day, wear uncomfortable clothes, avoid your favorite foods, or spend the drive home judging everything you ate.

In this episode of Weight Loss With a Side of Grace, I’m sharing 4 practical tips for enjoying holiday meals, cookouts, and family gatherings without overeating, food guilt, or the “I’ll start over tomorrow” mindset.

We’re talking about what to do before you arrive, how to approach the food without another set of diet rules, and what to remember when family or friends make comments about your body or what’s on your plate.

If you’re working toward sustainable weight loss in perimenopause but still want to enjoy holidays and real life, this episode will help you rethink what a “successful” cookout actually looks like.

Next Steps:

📋Can't stop eating at night, and always going to bed feeling guilty for it? Join my 4-Week Evening Eating Reset: Click here

💬 Come join and share in my free community what part of strength training feels the most intimidating to you:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

Are you making weight loss harder than it needs to be?

In this episode, I’m sharing what happened when I finally tackled my 7-year-old’s very overwhelming bedroom, and the surprising way it changed her behavior almost immediately.

We’re talking about why motivation and willpower aren’t always the problem, how your environment can make healthy habits easier or harder, and why a little organization can help with meal planning, exercise consistency, healthy eating, and sustainable weight loss.

If you’re a busy woman who knows what to do but struggles to consistently do it, you may not need more discipline. You might just need to make the next healthy choice easier.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join and share in my free community what part of strength training feels the most intimidating to you:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

📋Can't stop eating at night, and always going to bed feeling guilty for it? Get on the waitlist for my 4-Week Evening Eating Reset: https://forms.gle/9zPbmkDj8qfCLidA7

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:
https://forms.gle/FotP2wiQn6iF16o5A

🌐 Visit Website:
transformedhealthcoaching.com

What if the thing making weight loss feel harder is that you’re simply saying yes to too much?

In this episode, we’re talking about how stress, overwhelm, busy schedules, poor sleep, emotional eating, and nighttime snacking can all be connected to the way we spend our time and energy throughout the day.

If you’re a busy woman trying to lose weight in perimenopause, build healthier habits, stop overeating at night, or finally make sustainable weight loss fit into real life, this episode will help you look at your choices differently.

Because saying yes to something means your saying no to something else. And often that something else is your health.

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community: http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website for more on 1:1 coaching: transformedhealthcoaching.com

Have years of dieting left you believing there are certain foods you simply can’t trust yourself around?

In this episode, I’m sharing a simple banana bread moment that made me realize I was still holding onto an old diet belief I hadn’t questioned in years.

If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t keep sweets in the house,” “If I start eating it, I won’t stop,” or “I just can’t control myself around certain foods,” this episode is for you.

We’re talking about how old diet rules can continue shaping your choices long after the diet itself is gone.

Because sometimes the next step in your weight loss journey isn’t another rule to follow.

It might be figuring out which old beliefs about food are still running your life, and asking whether they’re even true anymore.

Get on the Evening Eating Reset Waitlist here: Evening Eating Reset Waitlist

Next Steps:

💬 Come join my free community: http://www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/

🌐 Visit Website: transformedhealthcoaching.com