Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

Joan Dandeneau - Midlife Health & Wellness Coach
  • 5.0 (7)
  • FITNESS

Are you ready to glow up in midlife? You’ve spent years putting everyone else first, but now it’s your turn - and you deserve to feel strong, energized, and confident in this next chapter. I’m Joan Dandeneau, your Midlife Health & Wellness Coach. I help women over 40 simplify fitness and nutrition so you can build habits that actually stick - without the guilt, confusion, or overwhelm. If you’ve ever asked yourself questions like: How do I lose weight in my 40s or 50s without dieting?What workouts are best for women over 40?How can I eat healthy without spending hours in the kitchen?How do I stay consistent when life gets busy?How do I bounce back after “falling off the wagon”?What habits will help me age strong, healthy, and confident? Then this show is for you. Each Thursday, tune in for simple, practical, and encouraging episodes that help you feel good now while building the foundation for your future strong self.

  1. 5D AGO

    20. Why Eating "Pretty Well" Isn't Enough in Midlife

    Many women believe they eat “pretty well” - and in most cases, they are. They’re making an effort, being mindful, and trying to make healthier choices. In this episode, Joan explains why those efforts often stop working in midlife and how habits that once felt effective can backfire after 40. Joan discusses the most common nutrition patterns she sees among midlife women and why eating “pretty well” can still leave them feeling tired, frustrated, and stuck - even when they’re doing their best. Rather than promoting dieting or restriction, Joan reframes midlife nutrition as a season that requires more intention, strategy, and support. In this episode, Joan covers: Why midlife changes the rules around nutritionThe hidden patterns that keep women spinning their wheels after 40Why effort alone isn’t enough without a clear strategyWhat needs to shift to feel stronger, more energized, and more consistentThis episode is for women who feel like they’re doing most things right - but know something is still missing. Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    27 min

  2. FEB 5

    19. What Are You Training For? Why Midlife Women Need Strength Training with Purpose

    What are you really training for? Not how many workouts you’re doing. Not how many calories you burned. Not what your watch says. In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast, Joan challenges a question most women in midlife have never been asked - and explains why answering it changes everything. For years, many of us were taught to “work out” for weight loss, calorie burn, or aesthetics. But after 40, random movement is no longer enough. This season of life calls for intentional training - training that supports independence, strength, confidence, and longevity. In this episode, you’ll learn: The critical difference between working out and trainingWhy midlife fitness must shift from shrinking your body to supporting your future selfThe most common training goals women have - and why they fall short after 40What it really means to train for independence, strength, bone density, and trust in your bodyHow intentional training builds not just physical strength, but mental resilience and confidenceA powerful question to help you define your own “why” for training in this season of lifeThis episode is an invitation to stop drifting, stop checking boxes, and start training for the life you want access to now - and for decades to come. You don’t need more random workouts. You need a plan, support, and a why that fits this stage of life. If this episode resonated and you’re ready to train with intention, Joan's upcoming group coaching program, The Midlife Glow Up, was made for YOU! 👉 DM Joan the words “Glow Up” on Instagram @joansfitzone You’ll get more details about the Midlife Glow Up 8-Week Group Coaching Program and $100 off registration during our pre-sale window if you choose to jump in! Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    24 min

  3. JAN 29

    18. How to Stay Committed to Your Health When Life Doesn't Go As Planned

    Starting is sexy, but staying when it gets boring, hard, or uncomfortable is the real skill we need to practice. So many women believe they struggle with consistency in their health and fitness because they lack discipline or willpower. In reality, most of us have just never learned how to stay committed when things don’t go as planned. In today’s episode, Joan talks about why starting is the easy part - and why staying, especially in midlife, requires a different skill set altogether. We explore: Why falling off doesn’t mean you’re failingHow perfectionism quietly sabotages consistencyWhat to focus on when motivation fadesWhy learning how to come back matters more than never slippingThis episode is especially for you if you’ve been stuck in the start-stop cycle for years, and you're finally ready to feel in control. This episode will help you reframe what consistency really is and remind you that you’re not broken - you just need a longer runway and better systems to create real lasting sustainable change. Come say "hi" on Instagram 👉 @joansfitzone Send me a DM and tell me what part of this episode landed for you. And if you know another woman in midlife who’s tired of starting over, please share this episode with her. Sometimes hearing “you’re not failing - you’re learning” is exactly what someone needs. Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    25 min

  4. JAN 22

    17. The Most Important Lessons I Have Learned on my Fitness Journey Over the Past 30 Years

    Most people assume that if fitness comes easily to you now, it always has. That you’ve always had it figured out. That you’re just “a fitness person.” That motivation must come naturally. But that’s rarely the truth. In this deeply personal episode, Joan pulls back the curtain on her 30-year fitness journey and shares the lessons she’s learned across every season - from childhood asthma and sitting out in PE class, to endurance races, bodybuilding, motherhood, imposter syndrome, and ultimately redefining what it means to “train for life.” This isn’t a highlight reel or a how-to episode. It’s an honest look at how movement, identity, mindset, and self-trust evolve over time, and why fitness doesn’t have to look one way to last a lifetime. In this episode, Joan shares: Why fitness has never been a straight path - and why that mattersHow community changed everything at multiple points in her journeyWhat imposter syndrome taught her about self-trust and resilienceWhy strength isn’t about being the best - it’s about staying in the processHow motherhood, aging, and changing seasons reshaped her definition of healthWhat it really means to train for life instead of for a specific outcome like a goal, a race, or a stageIf fitness has ever felt complicated, intimidating, or frustrating… this episode will remind you that you’re not behind and that your fitness story is still unfolding. Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    34 min

  5. JAN 15

    16. Rewriting the Story We Were Told About Midlife

    Somewhere along the way, many women were fed the story that midlife is the beginning of decline. But what if that story is wrong? In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast, Joan challenges the outdated narrative around midlife as a crisis, and reframes it as a powerful crossroads instead. Drawing inspiration from cultural shifts, her own life, and her work with women across decades of life, Joan explores why midlife may actually be one of the most meaningful and intentional seasons. Joan reflects on how shows like The Golden Girls shaped our perception of aging, why mindset matters more than age, and what changes when women stop living on autopilot and start choosing intentionally. And she shares five reasons midlife can be a season of clarity, strength, growth and empowerment.  This conversation is especially for the woman who knows taking care of herself matters - but struggles to actually prioritize it. 👉 Press play to reframe the way you see midlife - and what’s possible next.  And be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes. Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    25 min

  6. JAN 8

    15. The Missing Piece of the Puzzle to Reaching Your Goals in Midlife

    If you’ve been doing “all the right things” for your health - but consistency still feels hard - this episode speaks directly to you. In Episode 15 of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast, Joan explores the real reason so many midlife women struggle to sustain healthy habits, even when they know exactly what to do. Spoiler: it’s not discipline, motivation, or more information. This episode pulls back the curtain on the missing piece that makes habits stick in midlife - and why trying to do everything alone may be the very thing keeping you stuck. In this episode, you’ll hear about: The difference between “trying harder” and being truly supportedHow community, accountability, and environment shape consistencyWhy habits feel easier when they’re normalized instead of isolatedThe role support plays in reducing shame - and keeping you in the gameJoan also shares personal stories from her own life, her coaching communities, and the women she works with every day - illustrating why support isn’t optional in this season of life, it’s strategic. This episode leads directly into Your Midlife Reset, a 21-Day Habit Challenge designed to help women 40+ build simple, sustainable habits with structure, accountability, and community. 🎯 Ready to establish healthy habits you can sustain longterm? Join the 21 challenge (beginning Monday, January 12), and doors close soon. $21 for 21 days. What are you waiting for? 👉 Learn more and join here: https://www.joandandeneau.com/midlife-reset Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    19 min

  7. 12/31/2025

    14. Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work in Midlife - and What to Do Instead

    Most New Year’s resolutions fade - not because women lack motivation, but because the approach itself doesn’t support real life, especially in midlife. In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast, Joan invites listeners to pause and rethink how they begin a new year. Instead of chasing rigid resolutions or vague goals, she introduces a more intentional, identity-based approach that focuses on who you are becoming and how you want your life to feel. Listeners will explore why traditional goal-setting often backfires, what it means to lead with intention instead of pressure, and how clarity - not willpower - creates lasting change. Joan shares how choosing a word of the year and pairing that with a vision board (physical or digital) can create clarity - but lasting change comes from the habits you build in real life. If you’re ready to move beyond resolutions and create routines that actually stick, Joan invites you to join Your Midlife Reset: the 21-Day Habit Challenge - designed specifically for women 40+ who want better energy, stronger routines, and simple habits that fit real life. Inside the challenge, you’ll focus on one habit at a time, learn how to make it work even on busy or imperfect days, and build momentum with the support of a like-minded community and coaching guidance every step of the way. ✨ The challenge begins January 12. 👉 Here are all the details and registration link: https://www.joandandeneau.com/midlife-reset And if you choose a Word of the Year or create a vision board after listening, Joan would love to see it. Send her a message on Instagram at @joansfitzone and share what you’re stepping into this year. Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    15 min

  8. 12/25/2025

    13. How to Build Habits That Stick in Midlife (Even When Life Gets Busy)

    In this episode of The Midlife Glow Up Podcast, Joan continues her two-part habit series by answering the question so many midlife women ask: “Okay, I get why habits matter - but how do I actually make them stick?” Joan breaks down why most habits don’t fail because of a lack of motivation or discipline, but because they aren’t designed to fit real life in midlife. She introduces a simple, practical framework for building habits that feel doable - even during busy, imperfect seasons. Inside this episode, Joan touches on: Why clarity matters more than willpowerHow starting smaller than you think leads to long-term consistencyThe power of habit stacking and environment designWhy planning for imperfection is essential in midlifeThis episode is about removing guilt, simplifying the process, and helping women move habits from the “should” list into everyday life. Joan also shares how listeners can take these ideas further inside Your Midlife Reset: The 21-Day Habit Challenge designed specifically for women 40+ who want habits that finally stick. Join Today - $21 for 21 days! Make 2026 the year it finally sticks!  Here's how we can stay connected: Follow @joansfitzone on Instagram → for simple, sustainable fitness and nutrition tips for women in midlife to create lasting change. Join the The Midlife Glow Up Collective FREE Facebook community → a supportive space for women 40+ who want accountability, encouragement, and realistic ways to stay consistent with health and self-care. Apply for 1:1 coaching with Joan → Ready to take your fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to the next level with a customized plan and one-on-one support + accountability? Apply here!

    19 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Are you ready to glow up in midlife? You’ve spent years putting everyone else first, but now it’s your turn - and you deserve to feel strong, energized, and confident in this next chapter. I’m Joan Dandeneau, your Midlife Health & Wellness Coach. I help women over 40 simplify fitness and nutrition so you can build habits that actually stick - without the guilt, confusion, or overwhelm. If you’ve ever asked yourself questions like: How do I lose weight in my 40s or 50s without dieting?What workouts are best for women over 40?How can I eat healthy without spending hours in the kitchen?How do I stay consistent when life gets busy?How do I bounce back after “falling off the wagon”?What habits will help me age strong, healthy, and confident? Then this show is for you. Each Thursday, tune in for simple, practical, and encouraging episodes that help you feel good now while building the foundation for your future strong self.

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