I might get some disagreement for saying this, but women over 40 need to hear it.
Not everything is menopause. And not everything is your hormones.
Yes, hormones change.
Moreover, your body changes.
Moreover, recovery can take longer.
Additionally, age makes muscle training more important, and what worked in your 20s may not work now.
Somewhere along the way, people told women that once they hit 40, weight gain is inevitable.
Losing weight then becomes almost impossible.
I don’t believe that.
Sometimes the problem isn’t your age.
Sometimes you’re eating healthy foods, but still eating more than your body needs.
Sometimes you’re doing endless cardio but barely doing any strength training.
Sometimes you’re eating almost nothing Monday through Friday.
However, you’re wondering why you’re starving and overeating by the weekend.
And sometimes, you’ve simply been following a plan that was never designed for the body and lifestyle you have today.
Your body after 40 doesn’t need punishment.
It doesn’t need another 1,000-calorie diet.
It doesn’t need you skipping dinner because you ate cake at lunch.
And it definitely doesn’t need you spending two hours on a treadmill trying to “burn off” what you ate.
It needs strength. It needs nourishment. It needs recovery. And most importantly, it needs consistency.
You may have to work differently than you did at 25. That’s okay.
Lift weights. Eat enough protein. Enjoy your carbs. Walk more. Sleep when you can. Stop expecting your body to completely transform in 14 days.
And please stop thinking you’ve failed because the scale didn’t move this week.
Getting older doesn’t mean giving up on the body you want.
It means learning how to work with the body you have now instead of constantly fighting against it.
You are not finished at 40.
You’re just getting smarter about how you do it.
Agree or disagree? I’d genuinely love to hear what other women think about this.