The Power of Protein and Strength Training for Midlife Women's Health and Weight Management

As we enter midlife, our health needs evolve, requiring us to be more intentional about nourishing our bodies and approach exercise.

Many midlife women must focus more on two critical components: consistently eating adequate protein and strength training. Adequate protein and strength training are essential for maintaining or improving your physical health and supporting weight management efforts as you age.

The Importance of Protein in Midlife

Protein is crucial in preserving muscle mass, especially as you age. Starting around age 30, women naturally begin to lose muscle mass. This muscle loss accelerates in midlife, leading to decreased strength, mobility, and metabolic rate. With adequate muscle mass, it becomes easier to maintain a healthy weight, stay active, and even have enough energy to perform daily tasks. The loss of muscle mass accelerates after age 50. This decline can lead to sarcopenia - age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function that results in poor health, risk of injuries, disability, and a diminished quality of life as we age.

While sarcopenia, or the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, is a common aspect of aging, it is not entirely inevitable. While some degree of muscle loss occurs naturally with age, the extent and impact of sarcopenia can be significantly reduced or even prevented with proactive measures. Preventing sarcopenia can have a dramatic effect on the quality of life as you age.

Eating enough protein is one of the most effective ways to combat age-related muscle loss, prevent sarcopenia, and support weight management. Protein provides the building blocks (amino acids) your muscles need to repair and grow, which helps maintain muscle mass and boost metabolism. A higher metabolism means your body burns more calories, even at rest, making it easier to manage your weight. Additionally, protein-rich foods tend to be more satiating, helping you feel fuller for longer and reducing the likelihood of overeating.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is .8 grams per kilogram (1 kg = 2.2 pounds) of body weight. This is the amount of protein healthy adults need daily to prevent deficiencies. However, experts have criticized these recommendations as not optimal for aging adults who may need additional protein to sustain muscle mass and functionality.

Expert consensus groups suggest that the current protein recommendations need to account for research showing that while older people can make as much muscle as younger individuals, they require more protein to achieve the same effect. Many experts now suggest that midlife women may benefit from even higher amounts (1.6 - 2.0 grams per kilogram body weight), especially if you are active or focused on managing your weight. 

Your precise protein goals will vary based on age, activity level, and goals. 

However, aiming for 25-30 grams of protein per meal and 10 grams of protein at each snack is a good rule of thumb and a great way to start building consistency for eating enough protein to fuel your body and age well. High-quality protein sources include lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and plant-based proteins like tofu and tempeh.

Make Eating Adequate Protein a Habit.

Tracking protein intake is an effective way to build a habit because it fosters consistency, awareness, and accountability, all of which are key to long-term success in any health or fitness goal.

1. Consistency: Tracking protein helps you consistently reach your daily intake goals, ensuring you're getting enough to support muscle maintenance, metabolism, and overall health. Over time, this consistent focus on protein helps establish a routine, making it easier to stick with healthy eating habits.

2. Awareness: By tracking your protein intake, you become more aware of the protein content in different foods and meals. This awareness naturally leads to better food choices and a more balanced eating pattern as you prioritize protein-rich options.

3. Accountability: Tracking allows you to see your progress and identify patterns in your eating habits. This accountability can be motivating, encouraging you to stay on track and make adjustments as needed to meet your protein goals.

Tracking protein intake helps you meet your nutritional needs and reinforces healthy habits, supporting your long-term well-being. Try monitoring your protein intake with the 90-Day Protein Journal.

The Role of Strength Training

While protein is vital, strength training is the most effective way to maintain and build muscle, counteract the effects of aging, and improve overall metabolic and functional health. While other forms of exercise can contribute to overall fitness, strength training is unparalleled in building and preserving muscle mass.

Strength, along with appropriate levels of protein, is the key to maximizing weight management. Healthy muscles enhance the rate of protein synthesis, which is crucial for muscle repair and growth. 

Benefits of Strength Training:

Strength training, which can include free weight lifting, resistance band exercises, machines, and bodyweight workouts, stimulates muscle growth and improves bone density, crucial for preventing osteoporosis. The benefits of strength training include:

• Increasing muscle mass helps to build and maintain muscle, which can prevent age-related muscle loss

• Improving bone density by strengthening bones reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

• Boosting metabolism. Strength training increases the calories your body burns at rest, making it a powerful tool for weight management. 

• Enhancing functional fitness makes performing everyday activities easier and reduces the risk of injury.

Critical Components of Strength Training

Strength training is versatile. You can tailor your workouts to meet your health goals, whether you want to increase strength, live independently, prevent falls and injuries, manage weight, or enhance your overall health. 

If you're new to strength training or need to be more consistent with your routine, a few principles can help. 

1. Choose activities you enjoy and can consistently do. 

Resistance Types:

Weights: lifting dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or using weight machines

Body Weight: Exercises like push-ups, squats, and leg lifts that use your body weight as resistance

Resistance Bands: Elastic bands that provide resistance when stretched

Machines: Gym equipment designed to target specific muscle groups with adjustable weights

Variety of Exercises: 

Strength training can target specific muscle groups or involve compound exercises that engage multiple groups simultaneously. Examples of exercise include:

Upper Body: Bench press, shoulder press, bicep curls, tricep extensions

Lower Body: Squats, lunges, deadlifts, calf raises, leg press, hip thrusts

Core: Planks, sit-ups, bird-dogs, bicycle crunches, medicine ball slams

2.Choose activities you enjoy and can consistently do. 

Work with a personal trainer to help you acclimate to weights and machines and determine the specific number of repetitions and sets you should perform for each exercise based on your current fitness level.

Repetition (Reps) and Sets:

• Repetitions (Reps): the number of times you perform a specific exercise without rest. For example, doing ten squats in a row would be ten reps.  

• Sets are groups of consecutive repetitions. For example, doing ten squats, resting, and then doing another ten squats would be two sets of 10 reps each.

3.  Choose a challenging weight. 

Progressive overload (this one is MOST important) is a fundamental principle of strength training that involves gradually increasing the weight, resistance, or intensity of exercise over time to continue challenging your muscles. This leads to strength gains and muscle growth. In other words, you can progress from body weight to resistance bands to lighter weights or lighter weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, machines) to heavier weights. 

4.  Begin by prioritizing strength training exercises two to three times per week. Remember that rest and recovery are important to achieving your desired gains.

Muscles need time to recover after strength training. Rest days, adequate sleep, and protein intake are essential for muscle repair and growth. It is recommended that a muscle group be rested for 48 hours before being worked on again. 

Combining Protein and Strength Training for Optimal Health and Weight Management

The synergy between adequate protein intake and regular strength training cannot be overstated. Protein intake and strength training create a powerful combination that supports muscle maintenance, enhances physical performance, and aids in weight management as you age. By prioritizing both, you're investing in your future health, ensuring you can continue enjoying the activities you love while maintaining a healthy weight.

Conclusion

It's essential to be proactive about your health as you age. Incorporating adequate protein and strength training into your daily routine is a practical and effective way to stay strong, healthy, and vibrant while managing weight. 

Remember, there is always time to start. Whether you're just beginning your fitness journey or looking to enhance your current routine, focusing on these two areas will help you age gracefully, manage your weight, and live life to the fullest.

Embrace the Power of Movement and Healthy Eating in Midlife

Do you struggle with exercise, physical activity, and healthy eating?

You’re not alone. Society has fed you narratives, and you’ve sometimes unknowingly taken on these stories as if they were your own, shaping your perceptions of movement and food. For midlife women, these narratives can be particularly limiting. It's time to rewrite these stories and embrace the joy and benefits of moving our bodies.

Challenging Old Movement Narratives

The number one reason women our age say they don’t like exercise is that they don’t want to sweat. But sweat is a sign of effort, strength, and vitality. You should embrace it, especially as you age. Being strong and fit is an identity worth portraying, and fit people show up sweaty and in their workout clothes!

Think back to a time before Title IX and what society told us about women exercising and being ‘healthy’ - which was all about being attractive and appealing:

- They’d build bulky muscles.

- It was terrible for their constitution.

- Women shouldn't exercise during pregnancy.

- Women are the ‘weaker sex.’

- Sweating is unattractive

- Women should eat like a bird

Even some recent media narratives about female athletes continue to perpetuate these outdated stories about women and fitness, and thankfully, that outdated and biased mentality is starting to change. For years, women were told not to lift weights and to focus exclusively on looking cute in leotards while doing cardio. Pioneers like Jack LaLanne emphasized muscle fitness for women. Still, many early fitness programs  - while terrific at getting women moving - focused solely on cardio and light exercises rather than strength training.

Challenging Old Food Narratives

At the same time, women often encounter outdated or restrictive narratives about healthy eating that can hinder their progress toward achieving their goals. Some of these narratives include:

• "Carbs are bad": The misconception that all carbohydrates are unhealthy can lead women to avoid nutrient-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

• "Fat makes you fat": This outdated belief discourages the consumption of healthy fats, such as those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil, which are essential for overall health.

• "Eat less to lose weight": The idea that drastically reducing calorie intake is the key to weight loss can lead to malnutrition and a slowed metabolism, ultimately making weight management more difficult.

• "Healthy eating is expensive": The perception that nutritious foods are always costly can prevent women from making healthier choices, even though many affordable options are available.

• "It's too late to change": The belief that changing what you eat in midlife won't significantly impact health can discourage women from adopting healthier eating habits.

• "Healthy eating is about deprivation": Associating healthy eating with restrictive diets can make it seem unappealing and unsustainable, leading to cycles of dieting and bingeing.

• "You need to detox": The idea that the body needs special detox diets or cleanses to be healthy can lead to extreme and unnecessary dietary practices.

Challenging these narratives with evidence-based information and promoting a balanced, enjoyable approach to healthy eating can help you make positive changes without feeling restricted or discouraged.

Redefining Your Narratives

Instead of dreading exercise and feeling overwhelmed about establishing a high-quality, nutrient-rich eating pattern to supply the fuel your body needs to move more, reset your mindset to prioritize the joy of movement. 

Your body has been through a lot and has taken you far. Movement is not something to dread; it’s something to embrace with excitement and anticipation! It’s powerful—being strong boosts confidence at any age. In middle age, it helps us become visible and vibrant. Healthful eating does not have to be overwhelming if you focus on the basics and block out the noise that villainizes certain foods or food groups.

You can age with strength instead of frailty, health instead of disease, and independence instead of dependence. You can do everything you envision with just a little effort. 

Remember, you are in training to live a strong and healthy life full of vitality, using your body to help you create a life where you flourish.

Healthy Eating & Moving are Best Friends

Alongside movement, healthy eating plays a crucial role in our well-being. Many women underestimate the amount of calories they consume and overestimate the amount of exercise they do. 

Moving your body more and building healthful eating patterns are essential for maintaining or losing weight while supporting your energy level and fitness as you age. Together, these two habits form a synergistic foundation that promotes vitality and longevity during this pivotal stage of life.  This knowledge empowers you to take control of your health and well-being.

Consider these questions:

• Are you eating enough food to sustain more physical activity and exercise? If you’re tired and lack energy to fuel your workouts, you might not be eating enough. 

• Are you consuming enough protein?

• Is your plate balanced?

• How is your food mindset? 

• Are you incorporating the 'Macros of Movement' throughout the week? Find a balanced mix of physical activity, stability/functional training, strength training, and cardio (moderate and vigorous). Avoid limiting your routine to just cardio or daily walks. Instead, add strength training and functional exercises to your regimen.

• Is your current movement pattern an intense cardio session 3-4 days a week for 30-45 minutes, followed by passive activities like working in front of a screen or reading? 

Making minor adjustments to your routine, like increasing physical activity and ensuring sufficient protein intake, can prevent gradual weight gain and help you stay physically strong and fit as you age and into your later years.

Practical Steps to Get Started

• Find Joy in Movement: Choose activities that you enjoy. Whether dancing, hiking, swimming, or yoga, find what makes you happy and keep moving.

• Strength Training: Incorporate strength training into your routine. It boosts metabolism, strengthens bones, and enhances muscle mass. It's particularly beneficial for midlife women as it can help counteract the natural loss of muscle mass that occurs with age, improving overall strength and mobility.

• Intentional Eating: Pay attention to what you eat. Opt for nutrient-dense foods that nourish your body and support your fitness goals. This balanced approach to eating will provide you with the necessary nutrients and support your fitness journey, reassuring you that you're on the right path.

• Stay Consistent: Move a regular part of your life. Consistency is critical to reaping the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

• Build a Support System: Surround yourself with supportive friends and family who encourage your fitness journey.

Rewriting your relationship with exercise and healthy eating is essential for thriving in midlife. Embrace the power of movement and the benefits of a balanced eating pattern. You have the strength to age with vitality, confidence, and independence. Celebrate your body and the incredible things it can do. Normalize being strong at any size, and don’t shy away from sweating—even if it means showing up to appointments or lunch meetups in exercise gear. 

Rumblings Media has tools and resources to help guide you wherever you are on your health and wellness journey so you can thrive! 

Don’t know where to begin or wonder where you need to focus on adjusting your patterns? Join us in an upcoming online or in-person class to jump-start your plan!

We’re here to help—and to remind you that it is never too late to begin or review where you’re at. 

Start today, step into the identity of a strong, fit, and balanced-eating midlife woman, and flourish!

Embrace the Journey: Rediscover Purpose in Midlife

"What are you doing with your life?" It echoes through the corridors of our minds, haunting us like a persistent shadow. We remember asking ourselves this in college, maybe even later in our twenties. But life happened—kids, careers, responsibilities—and that question got buried beneath the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Fast-forward to today, and here we are, a community of midlife women, each navigating a unique maze of caregiving duties, changing relationships, and evolving roles. The question resurfaces, taunting us with its insistent presence.

"What are you doing with your life?"

Reinvent Midlife

But this time, instead of feeling a surge of possibility, doubt creeps in. Is it too late to chase your dreams? Can you reinvent your life, find new purposes, and acquire new skills?

The answer is a resounding YES!

Yes, even if you're unsure. Yes, even if you don't have all the answers. Yes, even if the path ahead seems daunting. Why? Because you are wiser now than you've ever been. You've weathered storms, faced challenges, and emerged stronger and more resilient on the other side.

Rewrite Your Story

It's still possible to rewrite your story. This is just the beginning of a new chapter filled with endless and untapped possibilities. And the best part? You're not alone on this journey. 

As a community of midlife women, we are here to support and uplift each other.

Let's embrace uncertainty, fear, and the unknown together. Let's forge ahead with courage, curiosity, and a willingness to explore. Ultimately, what matters most is not where we've been but where we're going—and the incredible adventures that await us along the way.

Embrace Change

Midlife is a time of transition. It's a period marked by profound shifts in our lives, both internally and externally. As we navigate the complexities of aging parents, grown children, and changing careers, it's natural to question our place in the world and our purpose in life.

But amid the uncertainty, there lies an opportunity—to reinvent yourself, rediscover your passions, and pursue your dreams with renewed vigor. This is your chance to embrace change, lean into the discomfort, and emerge on the other side stronger, wiser, and more fulfilled than ever before. The potential for growth and fulfillment in this new chapter of life is immense and within your reach. It’s a time to reset your mindset and renew your vision to live vibrantly and purposely. 

Seek Fulfillment

Finding fulfillment in midlife is not about achieving some elusive ideal of success or happiness. It's about embracing the messy, imperfect journey of self-discovery and growth. It's about learning to appreciate the beauty of the present moment, even as you strive for a better tomorrow.

So, lean into the unknown with an open heart and mind. Trust in your ability to navigate life's twists and turns with grace and resilience. And remember that no matter where this journey takes you, you're never alone. 

Together, we can face whatever challenges come our way and emerge more robust and resilient than ever.

Now is the Time

Midlife is not the end of the road – it's a new beginning. It's a chance to reinvent yourself, pursue your passions, and live on your terms. So, embrace this opportunity with courage, curiosity, and a sense of adventure. Write the next chapter of your life with boldness and determination. 

Start creating your vision for this next chapter. Check out the following resources for support:

1. Overcoming Resistance to Achieve Your Vision: A Midlife Women’s Guide

2. Midlife Transitions and Challenges: A Call for a Renewed Vision

3. 90-Day Vision Journal: Create and Live the Life of Your Dreams

4. 52-Week Email Vision Course 

5. Check out our in-person midlife transformation classes.

Remember, the best you is about to bloom and flourish!

Embracing Technology: Redefining Aging for Midlife Women

As midlife women, we stand at the intersection of two worlds: one shaped by the experiences of our parent's generation and the other by the rapid technological advancements that have characterized our lives. In this pivotal moment, as we witness the challenges of aging through the lens of caregiving for our parents, we are compelled to reflect on technology's role in reimagining what it means to grow older.

The saying "You don't know what you've got until it's gone" resonates deeply as we witness the physical and cognitive changes that come with aging in our loved ones. Yet, unlike previous generations, we are fortunate to have access to an array of technological innovations that have the potential to transform the aging experience.

From wearable devices that monitor health metrics to smart home systems that enhance safety and independence, technology offers practical solutions to the challenges associated with aging. But beyond mere convenience, it also opens doors to new possibilities for how we conceive of aging and what it means to live a fulfilling life in later years.

Consider for a moment how technology can empower us to lead more vibrant, connected lives as we age. With the click of a button, we can access virtual communities that transcend geographic boundaries, fostering friendships and support networks that enrich our social lives. Through online learning platforms, we can pursue new interests and acquire new skills, challenging the notion that learning diminishes with age. And with telemedicine services, we can access quality healthcare from the comfort of our homes, promoting proactive wellness and early intervention.

However, the most profound shift technology enables is the opportunity to reinvent our lives and how we live them as we age. No longer bound by traditional notions of retirement or societal expectations, we can chart our course and pursue our passions with renewed vigor. Whether starting a new career, traveling the world, or embarking on creative endeavors, technology equips us with the tools to embrace life's possibilities at any age.

Indeed, the prospect of turning 80 or 90 seems more manageable when viewed through technology-enabled possibilities. Rather than simply accepting the limitations imposed by aging, you can aspire to be more youthful, adventurous, and engaged than ever before. 

Take the following actions to embrace technology and redefine the aging experience:

• Stay Informed: Regularly explore new technologies and advancements in aging care to stay abreast of options and possibilities.

• Engage in Lifelong Learning: Enroll in online courses or attend workshops to expand your skills and knowledge, embracing learning as a lifelong journey.

• Adopt Health Monitoring Technologies: Use wearable devices or apps to track your health metrics, empowering you to take proactive steps towards better health.

• Create a Connected Community: Foster relationships with other midlife women to share experiences, advice, and support, both online and offline.

• Experiment with Telehealth Services: Utilize telemedicine options to access healthcare conveniently and maintain regular check-ups and screenings.

• Explore Smart Home Solutions: Implement smart home devices to enhance safety, comfort, and independence as you age in place.

• Embrace New Adventures: Leverage technology to open up a world of new adventures and experiences, enriching your life and redefining how you approach aging. Use social media to curate a list of interesting new challenges and travel experiences to keep life exciting and fulfilling.

So, harness the power of technology to redefine aging on your terms. Embrace innovation as a means to cultivate resilience, foster connection, and unlock the full potential of your later years. Inspire future generations to reimagine what it means to grow older so that they may approach the journey of aging with hope, curiosity, and boundless possibility.

As you progress to the following decades, don’t be afraid to try new things or switch things up and live differently. The fabric of your life and your health age are not predetermined; they don’t need to be your destiny. You can make choices today that will impact how your life will play out as you age. 

The Profound Dual Purpose of Travel: Lost and Found

Rumblings trip to Vietnam: Phot is Dong Xuan market in Hanoi

Traveling goes far beyond exploring new landscapes and experiencing different cultures; it’s a journey of self-discovery and transformation. In the words of George Santayana, travel is both a means to lose and find ourselves. Beyond the familiar narrative presented in newspapers and media, travel offers a unique perspective that sharpens our awareness, challenges our assumptions, and enriches our understanding of the world. 

Travel offers the opportunity, joy, and deep, heartfelt interactions that create a connection between people that isn’t bound by politics, culture, or language barriers. It deepens our understanding of the world around us by creating an awareness that our most profound humanity is linked to the humanity of others. It allows us to see the friendliness, hospitality, generosity, gentleness, caring, and compassion in others and ourselves. Travel creates a powerful understanding of our interconnectedness with one another. It enables us to see past differences intended to separate and alienate us and develops an understanding of belonging. We can acknowledge that we differ precisely because of our need for one another. 

The profound impact of travel can open our hearts and minds and help us understand its role in fostering empathy and cultural exchange. As travelers, we bridge the gap between our identity and the world’s diverse cultures, offering a fresh perspective in an increasingly interconnected world society. 

These are the reasons why we look forward to traveling with other women, to share these experiences, and deepen our connection to other women across the globe as well as create lasting friendships with each other. Especially during midlife, it’s an integral part of the journey of self-discovery that leaves an indelible mark on our lives when many women are searching for their vision, purpose, and identity for the re-igniting of this next critical phase of their lives. 

Travel serves a dual purpose: it allows us to lose and find ourselves. It opens our hearts and minds to the world beyond what our newspapers convey. We travel to discover and share the riches of different cultures, to become young fools again, and to embrace the moral holiday of taking risks. Travel compels us to work desperately for a moment, to confront hardships, and to sharpen the edge of life, as George Santayana suggested in "The Philosophy of Travel."

Travel not only shows us different realities but also reveals our complexities. It encourages us to reexamine our beliefs and certainties, to see the world with new eyes, and to challenge our assumptions. Even familiar things, like a fast-food restaurant or a movie theater in a foreign land, can be a source of novelty and revelation.

Travelers understand that the world is full of wonder and hardship, and they embrace both. They bear witness to the moral and political urgencies of the places they visit, ensuring that these locations are not reduced to abstract ideas or ideologies. Travel becomes a way to rescue the humanity of places from abstraction and to save them from being mere curiosities.

Moreover, travelers are like human bridges, transporting values, beliefs, and news to the places they visit. In some parts of the world, they serve as the only contact with the outside world, offering a glimpse into other cultures and societies. Travel is about fostering understanding and empathy, importing and exporting dreams with tenderness.

As the world becomes more interconnected, people are increasingly transnational and multicultural. Travelers find themselves at the intersection of different cultures, languages, and customs, and they adapt quickly to new environments. This adaptability allows them to see the world with a fresh perspective.

Travel is also a journey into one's imagination, a quest to uncover the unknown, and a way to be carried out of one's comfort zone. It challenges our notions of home and identity and gives us a unique opportunity to bring new eyes to the places we visit and learn about ourselves.

Ultimately, travel is a heightened state of awareness, a wakefulness that keeps our minds nimble prejudices at bay and fosters humor. Like love, the best trips are never truly over because they leave a lasting impact on our minds and hearts, forever transforming our perception of the world. 

You can read more about some of our travel experiences in our blogs about our trip to Vietnam and how to navigate multigenerational travel. To learn more about traveling with a group of women, join our list to get notified of upcoming trips.  We also keep a journal documenting our travel experiences, and you can find one we created here. 

Unlocking the Secrets to Aging Gracefully

Aging is an inevitable part of life, but it doesn't mean we must surrender to its effects without a fight. We have a choice in how we age; one powerful way to make that choice is through functional training. 

In this blog post, we'll define functional training and review its importance in mitigating the physiological effects of aging and how it can help you maintain the energy and vitality of someone years younger. Whether you're new to the concept of muscle fitness or looking to enhance your existing routine, this guide will provide valuable insights into aging gracefully.

What is functional training?

As we journey through the inevitable aging process, we face a crucial decision: 

1) accept it and let nature take its course, or 

2) fight it. 

The right exercise program can be a formidable ally in the battle against aging. It can deliver numerous benefits that minimize the physical toll of aging, allowing us to maintain the vigor and vitality of our younger selves. And functional training plays a role. Functional training is a type of exercise designed to train the body for activities of daily living. 

The functional training approach

Functional training is evolving, and exercising as we age can empower us with the strength and energy needed to fully enjoy life's activities and prepare for a healthier future. Instead of obsessing over the mirror and the scale, it's time to prioritize overall physical fitness. Every workout can be a magic pill that extends your life's length and quality.

To help make it easier for you to get started with functional training, we’ve included links to some of our favorite tools and equipment. 

1. Mobility and Flexibility Training - Mobility and flexibility training focus on coordinating body movements through space. This helps prevent common musculoskeletal injuries associated with aging, such as sore knees, aching backs, and general discomfort. By incorporating mobility training, you'll keep your muscles and joints healthy and mobile, paving the way for an active lifestyle as you age.

2. Strength and Power Training - Aging often leads to muscle mass loss and decreased functional muscle capacity. Strength training is the key to combating this age-related muscle atrophy. Additionally, power training enhances your muscle's ability to generate force quickly, which is essential for daily activities and preventing falls. Both strength and power are crucial for healthy aging.

Foundational Movement Patterns 

There are six foundational patterns of movement for mobility training and strength/power training. Whether doing mobility training or strength/power training, focus on these principal movement types:

• Hip Hinge – Hinge at the hip with both feet planted. The movement begins from the hip and has little involvement from the knees. Think of picking up a large empty box from the floor and bending from the hip instead of at the knees.

• Squat – both feet planted, movement begins at the hips but includes bending and straightening the knees. Think of lifting a box up off the floor with your legs.

• Single Leg patterns – It could mean exercises balancing on one leg at a time or having one foot in front of the other but still shoulder distance apart. Many lower body exercises can be done from this stance.

• Push – Pushing an object away from your body – either forward or overhead. Think of a plank, bench press, or pushup.

• Pull – Pulling an object towards you – either forward or overhead. Think of a pull-up or tug-of-war.

• Rotation – Rotation movements combine pulling and pushing motions involving both upper and lower body segments, where the pelvis rotates. Think of the action of chopping wood or an overhand serve in tennis, where your arms or upper body cross the plane of the front of the body.

Start Your Journey with Mobility Training

Incorporating these movement patterns into your training regimen is essential for achieving a well-rounded and functional capacity as you age.

Begin your fitness journey by prioritizing mobility training. This foundational step ensures you develop balanced physical abilities and functional capacity, setting the stage for a healthier and more active life as you age.

Mobility training should be a fundamental part of your routine, encompassing activities like stretching and connective tissue work with tools such as foam rollers, therapy balls, stability balls, and therapy bands. Three effective approaches to integrating mobility training into your regimen are bedtime stretches, Pilates, gentle yoga, and incorporating the use of props. These practices enhance mobility and provide a dual benefit by simultaneously strengthening your body. Whether you're new to exercise or an experienced enthusiast, these methods suit everyone.

Consistency matters. Even when a full workout seems daunting, allocating some time to mobility work, especially through stretching, is crucial. This effort contributes to preserving your muscles' and joints' health and flexibility. You'll be surprised at how spending as little as 15 minutes each day or incorporating brief stretch breaks into your daily routine can significantly affect your movement patterns and overall physical skills. Journaling your activity and scheduling it into your calendar is an excellent way to help you kickstart a new behavior. 

Once you've established a solid foundation in mobility, it's time to incorporate strength and power training.

Level up with Strength and Power Training

After establishing a solid foundation in mobility, it's time to take your fitness journey to the next level by introducing strength and power training into your routine.

Unleash the Benefits of Strength Training: Strength training offers many advantages, especially for midlife women. Notably, the results become apparent relatively quickly, with nearly any exercise involving weights or just your body weight leading to noticeable improvements in strength. The beauty of strength training lies in its versatility, providing you with a diverse range of workout options to keep your routine fresh and engaging.

Crafting Your Strength Routine: Begin your strength journey by incorporating strengthening exercises into your routine at least twice a week. Gradually, as your strength improves, consider increasing your training frequency to three or four sessions per week. You can kickstart your journey with bodyweight exercises. Still, as you progress, you may want to use various equipment like dumbbells, resistance bands, gym machines, or even barbells and heavier weights.

Dive into Specific Strength Patterns: For midlife women, it's crucial to include specific strength patterns in your training regimen. You can either integrate some of these patterns into each workout session or dedicate specific days to focus on each pattern individually. This adaptability ensures that you can maintain high motivation levels and continually challenge yourself as you become a healthier and stronger version of yourself.

• Unilateral Training: Unilateral training involves using only one arm or leg during an exercise. This type of training enhances the strength of the specific limb being worked and has an interesting side effect: research indicates that it can boost the strength of the opposite limb. Additionally, unilateral training contributes to core strength, stabilizing the spine and pelvis. This helps prevent muscle imbalances and enhances overall stability, vital for maintaining a healthy body as we age. The rationale behind this approach is rooted in the fact that many of our daily movements primarily engage one arm or leg at a time. Unilateral training exercises are often performed using dumbbells or kettlebells.

• Resistance Training: While all the discussed exercises contribute to strength improvement, resistance training takes a more intense approach. It focuses on using heavier weights and simultaneously engages the entire body or both limbs. For example, exercises like squatting with a weighted bar or performing bench presses fall under this category. The primary objective of resistance training is to develop the capability to lift heavier objects, thereby increasing overall strength. To achieve this goal, working with heavier weights is essential.

• Power Training: Power training is an often overlooked aspect of fitness, particularly for midlife women. Our bodies contain different muscle fibers, including slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch fibers are responsible for explosive movements and are critical in enhancing the resilience of elastic tissues and ligaments. These areas are commonly associated with injuries and muscle strains. Unfortunately, age-related muscle loss often leads to a decline in fast-twitch fibers. These fibers are essential for preventing falls or reacting quickly, such as jumping out of obstacles or even leaping over small obstacles like puddles. Incorporating explosive movements into your routine can stimulate the development of these fast-twitch muscle fibers. Starting with small activities like brief bouts of skipping, hopping from one foot to the other, or even hopscotch can be an excellent starting point. Gradually progress to more challenging activities, such as jumping onto a box or platform or engaging in medicine ball slams or throws, possibly with a workout partner. Incorporating power training can enhance your ability to react swiftly and effectively, which is especially valuable as you age.

The Importance of Muscle Fitness

Just as aerobic exercise enhances heart health, muscle fitness exercises strengthen and improve skeletal muscles, enhancing your ability to move. Studies show that adults who engage in twice-weekly strength training reduce their mortality risk. Beyond health benefits, functional training adds quality to your years, ensuring you can enjoy your favorite activities for longer.

Aging may be inevitable, but how we age is within our control. Embrace functional training as a powerful tool to age gracefully, maintain vitality, and enjoy life fully. Incorporating mobility, strength, and power training into your routine will unlock the secrets to healthy aging. 

For more information and sample exercises, check out "Ageless Intensity" by Pete McCall, a valuable resource on this transformative journey. Embrace the 'silver bullet' of movement and enhance your cognitive function while adding quality to your years.

Lasting Change Unleashed: Discover Essential Techniques to Overcome Challenges and Create a Supportive Environment

Are you ready to shake things up and live midlife to the fullest but feel stuck and confused about where to start? 

We understand that feeling. It can be frustrating, especially when you may not recognize your midlife body, feel your career needs an overhaul, desire to live more vibrantly than your current friend group or feel like you’re living day-to-day without a plan. 

But here’s the good news: you’re different from many other women because you’re ready to make lasting changes.                     

And guess what? It’s possible to change your behaviors and sustain those changes. 

Renewed Vision: Setting the Foundation for Behavior Change

Let’s talk about the key to long-term change—shifting your identity. In case you missed it, we’ve shared the importance of creating a renewed vision for yourself in midlife. Now, that might sound daunting, but before you jump into action—new diets, exercise programs, wellness routines, or sleep protocols—only to slip back into old patterns again, here’s the secret: you need to see yourself as the person who eats well, moves daily, makes healthier choices, and prioritizes sleep BEFORE you take any action. Establishing a renewed vision for yourself is crucial because that’s where many women fail to sustain their desired behaviors for the long term. 

Reduce Friction: Assess and Modify Your Surroundings

Next, you must alleviate the friction to change before you take action. This involves assessing your work, home, school, social, and community environments and asking yourself if they support the desired changes. 

The goal is to make healthier choices easier choices. Too often, we face obstacles like tempting television programs, social media distractions, processed foods that are readily available, and a lack of time that hinders us from making choices that make us feel better, boost our energy, and help us flourish. 

To assess your surroundings, focus on the following:

1. People you spend the most time with

2. The places you frequent, such as work, home, school, church, and community

3. Your systems, like your routines and time management

4. The policies at work or in other organizations you’re involved with

Now, take a moment to reflect: do these people, places, systems, and policies support your values and goals? Do they create friction or resistance when you try to change? For example, does your workspace encourage standing instead of sitting all day? Do your workplace policies allow walking meetings and working out during lunch? Are your friends cheering you on or scoffing at the changes you want to make? Do your routines and habits align with your renewed vision?

Our environment often doesn’t naturally support how we want to live as we age. To ensure success, we must address the potential friction and resistance before taking action toward our goals. 

Observing Successful Example: Prioritizing Health and Well-being

By observing our surroundings, we can get a glimpse of what’s prioritized. Take our recent trip to Vietnam, for instance. During our visit, we noticed that health and well-being were community priorities: 

1. Parks were equipped with adult exercise equipment.

2. People were doing tai chi and stretching in green space.

3. Fruit was served after every meal instead of dessert. 

4. Restaurants served fresh, local food in a family-style manner. 

We found it easier to make healthier choices while traveling in Vietnam than it can be when traveling in the United States.

Modifying Your Surroundings: Making Healthier Choices Easier

Now consider some questions to help you modify your surroundings and better support your goals: 

1. What are one or two things you change in your environment that will help make healthier choices more available and easier to access? For example, can you keep healthier food choices more accessible at home so you can grab them on the go? 

2. What adjustments can you make to your routines to align them with your goals? For example, can you keep sneakers in the car so that you can walk while waiting during pick-up times or in between errands?

3. Can you spend more time with people who support your desire to change rather than resist it? For example, instead of connecting with friends over drinks and a meal, can you meet them for a walk or a yoga class?

4. Can you advocate for changes in work, school, or church policies to make healthier choices easier for you and those around you? For example, can you advocate ending meetings a few minutes early to allow for time to take a walking break or grab a healthy snack?

Embracing Sustainable Behavior Change: The Journey to Midlife Transformation

Starting a new behavior is often easier than sustaining it over time. Why? Our surroundings create resistance that pulls us back into old habits. Before taking action toward your goals, start by assessing your environment.

It’s time to get off the roller coaster and finally live your midlife vision! Creating a supportive environment will make your goals easier to achieve and sustain! 

Looking for more ways to build skills to help you successfully change behaviors? Read our suggestions for building resiliency in midlife.

How to Build Resiliency in Midlife

On Monday, February 13, at 7:31 pm, I (Rebecca) got the text no parent ever wants to receive. “MSU police report shots fired. An incident occurring on or near the East Lansing campus. Secure-in-place immediately. Run. Hide. Fight.” 

At that point, I wasn’t too concerned but worried enough that I texted my Michigan State University sophomore son to check-in. Fortunately, he was safe off campus. I called a few minutes later, and to my surprise, he had walked back to his dorm right into the chaos of the mass shooting situation. He made it safely to his room and, with his roommate, moved two dressers against the door and listened to the police dispatch radio as they watched hundreds of police descend on campus outside their window. And they prayed for a friend who had gone to work and was in the Memorial Union, one of the shooting scenes.

Our family was glued to the television for hours, feeling helpless over 600 miles away. Three students were tragically killed that evening, five were seriously injured, and more than 50,000 students, faculty, friends, and family members were impacted. Sadly, my son’s good friend in the Memorial Union was one of the victims killed.

Our family is not alone in suddenly experiencing the unexpected. Over the last year, I have been working with a University of Minnesota research team. We analyzed data from families participating in a seven-month obesity prevention intervention. The team was surprised by how many families experienced a significant life event during the program. The families described these life events as interfering with their ability to follow through on their healthy lifestyle goals. They were derailed and didn’t have the personal skills to get back on track quickly. In other words, many people don’t have the resiliency skills to help them reset after a setback, life event, or trauma. 

What is resiliency?

Not surprisingly, I have been contemplating the concept of resilience.

• What is it?

• How do we build it?

• How do we activate it during trauma or significant life events?

• How do we live with grit, tenacity, and mental strength and use our healthy lifestyles to support us during challenging times?

• How do we teach and model resiliency for others, like our children?

Last week, Michigan State University offered a virtual event for parents with Dr. James Henry, co-founder and project director for the Western Michigan University Children’s Trauma Assessment Center. He defined resiliency as the ability to overcome adversity and trauma and build the capacity to heal.

Whether you’re facing significant trauma or minor life events—things can get in the way of following through on healthy behaviors. As a result, you may feel like cocooning, escaping, or reaching for things that give your comfort (e.g., food and alcohol). These feelings are normal.

We all experience the unexpected—sometimes, we get thrown off track for a few weeks, and sometimes we get knocked down for longer (e.g., COVID). The ultimate goal is to develop and deploy resiliency skills to overcome uncertainty, helplessness, stress, and trauma. I am not a psychologist or a trauma expert. I recommend seeking help when you feel stuck and are experiencing physical symptoms.

However, I can share tips that helped me the last few weeks and tips that assisted other women Karyn and I have worked with during their midlife behavior change journeys.

How do you build resiliency skills?

• Start thinking about your healthy lifestyle—eating well, exercising, getting adequate sleep, and managing stress— as keys to helping you build resiliency when life is going smoothly. Suppose you believe your healthy lifestyle enables you to feel better and have more energy. In that case, you’re more likely to believe in your ability to engage in healthy behaviors during challenging times. You’re also more likely to view those behaviors as tools to help you versus seeing them as another thing to do when you don’t feel your best.

• Set up your environment to support you during good times and unexpected challenges. Stock your pantry with healthy foods. Fill your refrigerator with fruits and vegetables. Bookmark gentle movement videos to pull out when you need to relax and unwind. Set your bedroom up to be a sanctuary for sleep and comfort. Your surroundings can make it easier to maintain healthy practices during challenging times. 

• Recall past experiences. Think back to previous challenges in your life. How did you overcome those? What coping strategies did you use? Write down how you dealt with hardships in the past. Reflect on these past experiences when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

• Remember, getting off track with your lifestyle goals is ok. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself time to move through the challenges. Being resilient means getting back on track slowly, one day at a time when you feel ready. When you’ve prepared for the unexpected, it will be easier to get back on track.

• Move your body in healing ways. Your movement choices may look different—a walk versus a run, a stretch instead of heavy-strength training, or deep breathing or meditation instead of a strenuous workout. Do what feels right. Moving will help you feel better both physically and mentally.

• Reach for nourishing foods to support you as you move through your challenges. Doing this will give you the energy and focus on facing uncertainty.

• Seek connection. When you’re ready, talk about your feelings and what you’ve been through with others. Strength is in togetherness.

• Be hopeful. Challenges require moving through the unexpected and feeling what you’re experiencing. However, feeling confident you’ll be ok will help you adapt as needed.

• Model resiliency skills. Engage in healthy behaviors during difficult times as you’re able. Talk about modifications you made to your routine to support yourself. Share your actions and feelings with others around you. Share the what, why, and how you’re using your resiliency skills to help you through a difficult time. 

• See yourself as a resilient person. Anytime you associate a behavior as part of your identity (e.g., I am a voter versus I vote), you will be more likely to act that way when the time arises. 

We all face life events and unexpected challenges that impact our daily routines. The hope is that we can overcome the setbacks and realize our healthy lifestyle can support us through challenging times and help us handle hard situations with more energy and focus. These are skills that we can help others, like our children, build too, and during challenging times we can model resilient behaviors. These skills give us faith that we can walk through even the most challenging aspects of life. Living well requires resiliency, and as we get older, we may need to rely on these skills more often than we have in the past. 

Let’s Rumble with resilience!

Midlife Transitions and Challenges: A Call for a Renewed Vision

You feel a “rumbling” inside yourself that your life should be different from what it is right now. 

You’re not alone. 

One thing many midlife women have in common is the experience of an internal rumbling—a feeling something should be different or something needs to change. It may be hard to pinpoint where the discomfort comes from, but you feel an unsettling rising internally. 

This feeling could be the need for a change in your career, where you’re spending your time, how you’re taking care of yourself, who you socialize alongside, or how you experience fun. 

Whatever the cause…it is time to listen. 

Midlife is a time of transitions—kids are leaving home, friendships are evolving, careers are changing, parents are aging and need help, disease risks are rising, and bodies are aging. You’re not alone in feeling like you’re going through the motions, taking care of others, and postponing self-care during this time. As a result, you may feel tired, distracted, sleep-deprived, and lacking energy. 

The excellent news is…you’ve got this! You can reignite and flourish with a little focus, intention, and consistency. 

Here’s the thing, your old identity may be holding you back and sabotaging the future YOU. You may be stuck in old behaviors that are not aligned with who you are in midlife or who you want to be. You may be comparing your 20-, 30 -or 40-year-old self to your current self and unintentionally holding yourself back from living well now. 

“True behavior change is identity change.” – James Clear, author of Atomic Habits.

To create change, you must change your underlying beliefs about yourself and how you want to live. 

Your current beliefs and actions are a reflection of your current identity. Internal stories and limiting beliefs may be holding you back from living the life you envision. The rumbling you’re experiencing is most likely a reflection of an inner identity conflict—you want one thing, but your actions aren’t aligned. 

The best way to start feeling differently is to start living differently is to stop and reflect on your current beliefs, worldview, self-image, how you see others, and your biases. This is often referred to as your identity. 

Next, it’s time to reimagine a vision for your future self. 

You can do this by moving through the following steps: 

1. Close your eyes

2. Take a few deep breaths

3. Ask yourself:

• What is your vision for your life five years from now?

• What do you want to be doing and experiencing?

• Who do you want to be experiencing your life with?

• What brings you joy?

• What memories do you want to be making?

• How do you want your loved ones to remember you?

• How do you want your body to feel? Don’t focus on your appearance, but how do you want your body to FEEL?

• What energy do you want to be radiating? What energy and vitality do you want to put into the world?

• How do you want people to feel when they’re around you?

• How will you show up for yourself and your loved ones?

• Now think about ten, twenty, and thirty years from now. Does your vision change?

• What do you want your life to look like, and how do you want your body to feel and be capable of doing?

4. When you’re ready, write your thoughts, feelings, and vision down.

5. Repeat this exercise several times over the next few weeks to help you reframe and revise your midlife vision.

You are the architect of your life. To live your new vision, you must first let go of your old behaviors that are out of alignment. 

It’s time to start living your vision. 

1. Every day review your vision. Envision yourself living your dream. Immerse yourself in how you feel when your daily life aligns with your vision. Your brain will respond when you regularly visualize how you want to live. 

2. Next, take actions that are aligned with your vision. When making a choice ask yourself, “Is this decision or action aligned with my envisioned identity?”

Repeat every day, and soon you will reignite! If you need more help setting and living your vision, you may enjoy our 90-Day Vision Journal.

If you need help addressing your inner rumbling(s), check out our FREE downloadable worksheet to get started.

As you reflect on a midlife vision, you may enjoy reading two popular blog posts—Take Steps to Reignite Yourself After 50 and Five Ways to Reinvent Your Career— to get you thinking about the changes you want to make.

Our Tip to Banish the Midlife Blues

I (Rebecca) am writing this post while sitting in the emergency room at our local hospital. Sometimes it feels like the fog of the COVID pandemic is lifting, and life is slowly getting back to normal. Then there are times, like today, I am reminded that suffering and pandemic challenges continue for many people.  

Karyn and I often speak about the heaviness we sense when we spend too much time watching the news, scrolling through social media, or focusing on the lost moments of the last two years. It can all feel too divisive, overwhelming, and confrontational versus conversational. 

The world has changed in ways that we haven’t experienced before and will likely never return to the same ‘normal’ we lived before March 2020. We’ve changed too. And all of the uncertainty and change has left many of us languishing (living in a state of decreased vitality or blah) or feeling blue. 

Getting out of feeling this way will not happen by flipping a switch or willing ourselves to be joyful, happy, hopeful, and vibrant. There isn’t a perfect timeline for resilience. None of our experiences are the same. Some of us will need to sit with our feelings and emotions and process them longer than others. 

What has helped us feel better when we’re feeling this way—is turning off the news, filtering our social media accounts, assessing who we’re spending time with, and connecting with other midlife women to have honest conversations about what we’re feeling. 

Looking back over the last two years and creating a list of things that have changed our lives for the better has also helped us see the beauty in the season we’ve been through. The process has helped us see we’ve created changes in our lives that we’re proud of and bring us joy and are ones we will continue. It is a list we reflect on when we feel ourselves languishing. 

Here’s part of our list:

We edited our homes to support our health and well-being. Our family added an infra-red sauna in an unused section of our furnace room. Initially, we were worried it would be another household fad; however, we’ve found that the entire family is still reaping the benefits two years later. Karyn outfitted a fantastic outdoor space into an oasis to soak up the sun, relax, and entertain. 

We reconfirmed our need and enjoyment of daily gentle movement outdoors. We looked for quick ways to exercise due to our busy schedules during our intense executive careers. The pandemic helped us slow down, get outdoors on long walks, and appreciate the benefits of nature again. 

We reviewed how we want to live our lives. Yes, we launched Rumblings during the pandemic. It wasn’t easy, but the ‘extra’ time helped us dig deep into our personal ‘why,’ our talents, and who we wanted to serve as we age. We want to help midlife women feel valued, seen, heard, and vibrant. 

We reconnected with friends and family on a deeper level. We had deep, meaningful, and sometimes challenging conversations with those we care about without the chaos of sports schedules, work engagements, and life events. We relaxed. We listened. We grew.

We realized that facing adversity and missing out on meaningful moments such as graduations, weddings, and funerals, made us refocus, reflect, and reframe how we celebrate. We uncovered creativity we hadn’t used in a while and celebrated loved ones in new ways that created new memories. 

We rediscovered our love for growing and nurturing plants! My 16-year-old son recently asked me how many plants I had pre-pandemic (2) and how many I have now (28). I’ve realized that growing (and eating) plants bring me joy. Both Karyn and I also started growing veggies in pots and raised garden beds, a hobby that we put aside while we were both busy working and raising kids. Each year we’ve expanded our harvest! 

We learned. Karyn and I both are learners. We feel inspired, more energetic, and excited when we’re learning, whether through online webinars, events, conversations, or classes (most recently, Pickleball!). Learning doesn’t have to stop at a certain age. As our kids have grown, we have more time to learn new things and experience life in different ways! 

We’ve also learned we want to continue to support this fantastic community through tips, tools, and techniques that can help ourselves and others in midlife. One of these tools is resetting our mindsets to focus on gratitude, as we did with this list. Although some people can reset their mindset and take action to change how they feel quickly, for others, it takes more time. There is no ‘right’ timeline. We are each on our own journey. 

As organizational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant, Ph.D., wrote recently— “Strength is not the speed of your recovery. It’s the intensity of your resolve.”

Creating this list and reflecting on the last two years helped us feel grateful, content, and ok. Our inventory is not meant to be a comparison list for your evolution over the previous few years. It is intended to serve as an example to show and remind ourselves we have experienced joy, fulfillment, and positive change in our lives to carry into the future. Making this list, reflecting on it, celebrating change, and being grateful, helped us feel better. It served as a reminder that even when things happening in the world around us seems bleak, it’s possible to experience the full range of human emotion. 

The process has helped me feel better as I process the many medical challenges my family has faced over the last couple of months. 

We encourage you to make your own list, find joy and feel gratitude for the experiences, growth, and changes you have been through.

If you’re looking for more inspiration to reset your mindset in midlife check out earlier blog posts on finding a mindset reset and cultivating a reset mindset. 

Together we RUMBLE!