This Is Life — strength, physiology & stepping into your prime

Jo Northwood
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This Is Life is a podcast about strength, physical, mental, and emotional, and what it really looks like to step into your prime in midlife. Hosted by Jo Northwood, a strength coach and sports therapy graduate, this podcast blends real-life experience with evidence-based physiology to explore training, hormones, health, identity, and rebuilding yourself after life shifts. Some episodes are practical and educational, breaking down strength training, metabolism, and how the body actually adapts as we age. Others are personal, honest conversations about motherhood, losing yourself, finding your way back, and choosing to live bigger rather than shrink. No fads. No extremes. No pressure to “bounce back.” Just smart training, grounded nutrition, and real conversations for women who want to feel capable, strong, and in control of their bodies again.

  1. JAN 26

    Stop Performing Womanhood: Why Your Body Won’t Respond in Survival Mode

    Send us a text Society rewards a version of womanhood that looks like this: tired, pleasant, self-sacrificing… and quietly coping. But when you live there long enough, your body starts pushing back. Fat loss stalls. Hunger gets louder. Cravings hit at night. Training feels harder. Your mood gets shorter. And you end up blaming yourself — like you just need more willpower. In this episode, we’re calling it out: that’s not a discipline problem. That’s depletion. We’ll talk about: how women get conditioned to stay “manageable” (and why capable women cop it the worst)what “survival mode” actually is, physiologicallywhy being stricter backfires after 40the real rebellion: stop negotiating with the basics (food, strength, sleep, daily movement)This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about building a body — and a life — that doesn’t require you to run on fumes. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    26 min

  2. JAN 19

    You Don’t Need Your Old Self Back... You Need a New Strategy

    Send us a text If you’ve been thinking, “I just want to feel like me again,” this episode is for you, and I’m going to say something slightly annoying but very freeing: you might be chasing a version of you that had a completely different life load, recovery capacity, and hormonal context. This isn’t a fluffy mindset chat. It’s a practical shift: stop using old rules on a new body. We talk about why the “push harder / be stricter / do more” approach stops paying out in your 40s (hint: total load + more sensitive recovery), how chasing “old you” keeps you stuck in a constant comparison loop, and what “building the next you” actually looks like in real life, without turning your health into a second full-time job. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why it’s not a character issue, it’s a capacity issueHow life load + sleep + stress (and for many women, perimenopause shifts) change the rulesThe difference between intensity and repeatabilityWhat builds capacity: strength, recovery that counts, fuel that matches your life, less avoidable chaos, and a bit of playWhy confidence doesn’t come from motivation — it comes from proofIf you’re ready to stop chasing the old version of you and start building a stronger, steadier next one... press play. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    21 min

  3. JAN 2

    Why Doing More Stopped Working (And What Your Body Is Actually Doing Instead)

    Send us a text For years, effort was enough, train harder, eat less, be more disciplined. And your body responded..... ...Until it didn’t. In this episode, I unpack why the strategies that once worked so reliably start to fail in your forties, not because your body is broken, but because the physiology has changed. We talk about stress, recovery, low energy availability, and why piling on cardio and restriction now often leads to fatigue, frustration, and stalled progress rather than results. I explain what’s actually happening beneath the surface, why “doing more” backfires, and what your body is really asking for instead. This isn’t about motivation or willpower. It’s about capacity, alignment, and working with your physiology rather than trying to override it. If you’ve been doing everything “right” and wondering why nothing’s shifting anymore, then this episode is for you. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    21 min

  4. 12/29/2025

    Rebuilding Strength in Midlife (And Why It Changed Everything)

    Send us a text There was a point in my life where nothing was technically wrong, and yet everything felt heavier than it used to. After children, COVID, years of broken sleep, and carrying more responsibility than my body had the resources to support, I slowly stopped feeling like myself. I wasn’t broken, and I wasn’t failing, but I was flat, reactive, tired, and quietly convinced that this was simply what my forties were meant to feel like. In this episode, I share how returning to strength training wasn’t about aesthetics or discipline, but about rebuilding capacity, self-trust, and physiological resilience. I talk about early motherhood, losing and remembering who I was underneath it all, navigating hormonal disruption, and why strength became the thing that steadied me again, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. This isn’t an episode about doing more or pushing harder. It’s about understanding what the body needs at this stage of life, and why adding strength back in can change how life feels from the inside out. If you’ve ever felt like you’re coping rather than living, managing your body rather than trusting it, this conversation is for you. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    16 min

  5. 12/22/2025

    Your 40s Aren’t Decline, they’re Precision: Why midlife demands a smarter approach

    Send us a text In this episode of This Is Life, Jo explores why your 40s can feel less forgiving, and why that doesn’t mean your body is declining. As we move through midlife, the margin for chaos gets smaller. Poor sleep, under-eating, high stress, and inconsistent training stop being absorbed and start being reflected back to us. Not as punishment, but as feedback. This episode breaks down the physiology behind that shift, explaining why recovery, muscle, and nervous system support become more important with age, and why midlife is less about doing more and more about doing things with intention. Your 40s aren’t decline. They’re precision. And when you understand that, everything changes. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    14 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    This Is Life: Why I’m Starting Here (and Why Strength Means More Than Ever)

    Send us a text In this first episode of This Is Life, Jo shares why this podcast has evolved from Nourish, Move, Thrive into something broader, deeper, and more honest. This episode is a reflection on strength, not just as a physical practice, but as a way of living through midlife changes, motherhood, identity shifts, and the quiet moments where you realise your body and life are asking for something different. Jo talks openly about her journey through strength training, living overseas, becoming a mother, and what it really means to rebuild yourself in your forties without chasing extremes or trying to become who you used to be. This episode sets the tone for the podcast going forward: grounded conversations about strength, physiology, and life as it really is, for women who want to feel capable, connected, and at home in their bodies again. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    8 min

  7. 03/31/2025

    7 Common Fitness Mistakes Women over 40 Make (And How to Fix Them for Lasting Results)

    Send us a text In this episode, I’m diving into 7 common fitness mistakes I’ve seen women make time and time again, and how to avoid them.  These aren’t just theories—I’m sharing real, practical insights from my experience working with women who want to get stronger, healthier, and more confident.  From not implementing progressive overload to treating gym visits as optional, we’ll break down the mistakes that could be holding you back and give you actionable steps to fix them. Whether you’re new to fitness or have been at it for a while, this episode will help you create a more sustainable, effective fitness routine that leads to real, lasting results.  Tune in and start making small, consistent changes that add up to big progress! Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    14 min

  8. 03/17/2025

    Why Cutting Calories After 40 Won’t Work—The Truth About Muscle Loss & Metabolism

    Send us a text If you’ve hit 40 (or beyond) and feel like nothing works the way it used to, you're not imagining it. That old "just eat less and move more" advice is keeping you stuck. The real reason weight loss feels harder in midlife isn’t just hormones or aging—it’s muscle loss (sarcopenia). And if you’re not actively maintaining muscle, your metabolism is slowing down more than you realise. Cutting calories too low? You’re making it worse.  Doing more cardio? You’re accelerating muscle loss.  Trying another crash diet? That’s why the weight keeps piling back on. In this episode, I’m breaking down: What sarcopenia is and why it’s sabotaging fat loss after 40How losing muscle slows your metabolism (with real calorie math)Why fad diets that worked in your 20s don’t work anymoreThe exact formula for rebuilding muscle and boosting metabolism without extreme dietingIf you’re tired of working harder just to see worse results, this episode will change how you approach fat loss forever. Listen now and learn how to get your metabolism working for you again. Thank you for listening to This Is Life. This podcast is an extension of my work with women navigating midlife strength, health, and identity, blending real-life experience with evidence-based physiology, without extremes or quick fixes. If you’d like to stay connected and continue the conversation, you can find me here: Instagram: @thisislifebyjo This is where I share life lately reflections, strength training insights, and the thinking behind this podcast. If you want the written version of this: plus my weekly training/nutrition notes, subscribe to my Substack here: https://thisislifebyjo.substack.com/

    23 min
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About

This Is Life is a podcast about strength, physical, mental, and emotional, and what it really looks like to step into your prime in midlife. Hosted by Jo Northwood, a strength coach and sports therapy graduate, this podcast blends real-life experience with evidence-based physiology to explore training, hormones, health, identity, and rebuilding yourself after life shifts. Some episodes are practical and educational, breaking down strength training, metabolism, and how the body actually adapts as we age. Others are personal, honest conversations about motherhood, losing yourself, finding your way back, and choosing to live bigger rather than shrink. No fads. No extremes. No pressure to “bounce back.” Just smart training, grounded nutrition, and real conversations for women who want to feel capable, strong, and in control of their bodies again.

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