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

Michelle Hill - Strength & Wellness Coach for Women 40+
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Biweekly

You know you should be strength training. You've heard how important it is for women over 40, especially during perimenopause and menopause. You want to build muscle, feel stronger, and stay active and independent as you get older. So why aren't you doing it? Maybe you've never lifted weights and have absolutely no idea where to start. Or maybe you used to lift, but somewhere between work, kids, and everything else life threw at you, you stopped. And now you're wondering how to actually make strength training part of your life. And there's something else that's probably been on your mind lately. You're starting to see what getting older can look like. Maybe you're watching your parents struggle with things that used to be easy. And while you know you can't control everything about your future, you're realizing you want to do what you can now to stay strong, capable, and independent for as long as possible. Because you don't just want to live longer. You want to keep doing the things you love while you're living. Welcome to Strength with Michelle, the podcast for women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are tired of thinking about lifting weights and ready to actually do it. I'm Michelle, a board-certified health and wellness coach, personal trainer, and exercise science nerd with a master's degree to prove it. I'm also a mom of three who loves lifting heavy and helping women discover what they're capable of. Around here, we're talking about what's really keeping you from strength training, how to feel more confident in the gym or working out at home, and how to build a strength-training routine that works with your actual life. Because you don't need another lecture about why you should lift weights. You need help figuring out how to make it happen. And you definitely don't need to squat 250 pounds. But we might need to have a conversation about those 10-pound dumbbells you've been using for the last five years. 😂 Previously known as Weight Loss with a Side of Grace, Strength With Michelle is the same podcast with a new focus: helping women over 40 stop thinking about strength training and start making it part of their lives. So grab that emotional-support water bottle, and let's get stronger. Next Steps:  💬Join my free community: www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 💌 Get added to my Weekly Newsletter: https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter And come hang out with me here on the podcast each week as we figure out how to make strength training happen in the middle of real life.

  1. 1d ago

    66 | What If Everyone At the Gym Knows You Don't Know What You Are Doing

    Ever walk into the gym and feel like everyone else knows exactly what they’re doing, and you’re hoping nobody notices you don’t? You want to get stronger, but being seen figuring it out can make the weight room feel a whole lot harder to walk into. Friend, I’ve been going to gyms for years. I have a master’s degree in exercise science. And I can still walk into a different gym and feel uncomfortable and a little lost. Apparently, my degree did not come with a floor plan for every gym in America. In this episode, we’re talking about feeling self-conscious at the gym, whether you’re starting strength training after 40, coming back after a break, or trying something unfamiliar. We’ll get into how an awkward moment can turn into questioning whether you belong, and what can help you move forward when “just stop worrying about it” is doing absolutely nothing for you. If embarrassment has been deciding which exercises you try, or keeping you from going at all, I hope this conversation helps you take your next step. You are allowed to learn where other people can see you. Are you ready to go from “I should lift” to “I do lift”? Join me in Done Thinking. Let’s Lift!, my eight-week group coaching program for women over 40 getting started with strength training or coming back after time away. You’ll get strength workouts and weekly group coaching calls, with replays if you can’t join live. The total cost is $294, with two ways to pay: 🔗 Pay in Full — One payment of $294. 🔗 Choose the Payment Plan — Two monthly payments of $147. Not ready to join yet, start here! 💌 Get my weekly newsletter for real-life stories, encouragement, and help making strength training happen: Sign up here 💬 Join my free community where we keep the conversation going:  Join us on Facebook Related Episodes 62 — The “Four Feet” Rule That Might Finally Get You Strength Training 63 — You Don’t Have to Love Strength Training to Do It 65 — Why Do I Keep Putting Off Strength Training—Even When I Have Time?

  2. 4d ago

    65 | Why Do I Keep Putting Off Strength Training - Even When I Have Time

    Your workout was on the calendar. Then you sat down to answer one more email, and somehow it’s dinner time and you’re telling yourself you’ll lift tomorrow. Again. What makes that especially frustrating is that you actually wanted to do it. You had a plan. You knew what workout you were going to do. So why did everything else get done first? In this episode of Strength with Michelle, we’re talking about the gap between wanting to get stronger and actually picking up the weights. If you’re a woman over 40 who keeps putting off strength training, even when you have time, there may be more happening than “I just need to make it a priority.” I’m sharing something I’ve noticed in my own life, including how cleaning my house has somehow managed to outrank going for a walk. Which, if you know my feelings about cleaning, raises some questions. 😂 We’ll explore what might be happening when a reasonable workout plan keeps getting pushed aside, and how to plan for the moment you usually tell yourself, “Let me just finish this first.” You’ll leave with a more useful way to look at a missed workout and a practical experiment to try with your next one. I hope this helps you understand your own patterns a little better and start giving strength training a place in the life you’re already living. Let’s keep the conversation going! 💌 Get my weekly newsletter for real-life stories, encouragement, and help making strength training happen: Sign up here 💬 What keeps getting your workout’s spot in your day? Come tell me in my free community: Join us on Facebook Related Episodes 59 — I Know I Need to Lose Weight and Get Stronger…So Why Am I Not Doing It? 60 — Why Your Strength Training Routine Needs More Than One Setting 63 — You Don’t Have to Love Strength Training to Do It

  3. Oct 15

    64 | Why Strength Training Should Be Part of Your Weight Loss Plan

    What if the thing you've been focusing on for weight loss isn't actually what your body needs most right now? If you're a woman over 40 who's spent years exercising to burn calories, lose weight, and make your body smaller, it might be time to rethink your approach. Especially if you're navigating perimenopause and wondering why the things that used to work don't seem to work the same way anymore. In this episode of Strength with Michelle, we're talking about the connection between strength training and weight loss for women over 40. Does lifting weights actually help with weight loss? Should you be focusing on burning calories or building muscle? And what happens when you stop measuring the success of your workouts by how many calories you've burned? We'll explore why strength training during perimenopause matters and why getting stronger might be one of the best things you can do for yourself in your 40s, 50s, and beyond. If you've been stuck in the cycle of trying to lose weight through more cardio and fewer calories, this episode will give you a different way to think about exercise, your body, and what you're really working toward. Because maybe it's time to stop asking how exercise can make you smaller and start asking what getting stronger could make possible. Next Steps:  🍎 Leave a review. Open Apple podcast, search for Strength With Michelle, scroll down to Ratings & Reviews, tap Write a Review, choose your stars, write a few words, and hit Send. Please and Thank You!! 💬 Join my free community:  www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 📰 Let's keep the conversation going! Sign up for my newsletter:  https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter

  4. Oct 12

    63 | You Don't Have to Love Strength Training to Do It

    Do you know you should be strength training, but you just don't like doing it? Maybe you've tried lifting weights before and couldn't stick with it. Or maybe you keep putting it off because, well, you'd rather do just about anything else. 😂 In this episode, we're talking about: - why you don't have to love strength training to make it part of your life - what might actually be behind your resistance to lifting - how to stop waiting until you feel like it to get started Because you don't have to love every workout to love what being stronger allows you to do. Next Steps:  🍎 Leave a review. Open Apple podcast, search for Strength With Michelle, scroll down to Ratings & Reviews, tap Write a Review, choose your stars, write a few words, and hit Send. Please and Thank You!! 💬 Join my free community:  www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 📰 Let's keep the conversation going! Sign up for my newsletter:  https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter

  5. Oct 8

    62 | The Four Feet Rule That Might Finally Get You Strength Training In Perimenopause

    You know strength training is important, especially for women over 40. But knowing you should lift and actually getting started are two very different things. If strength training feels overwhelming, you’re unsure where to begin, or you keep thinking you need more time, confidence, or a better plan before you start, this episode is for you. I’m sharing one surprisingly simple piece of advice that had nothing to do with exercise, but completely changed the way I think about getting started. It might be exactly what you need to finally stop thinking about strength training and start doing it. Next Steps:  💬 Come join my free community:  www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 📰 Join my newsletter: https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter

  6. Oct 5

    61 | Your 40s Are About Getting Stronger

    For a lot of us, exercise in our 20s and 30s had one main goal: get smaller. Burn more calories. Lose more weight. Fit into the smaller size. But somewhere in our 40s, the goal starts to change. We're a little less worried about what everyone else thinks of our bodies, and a little more interested in whether we'll still be able to get ourselves up off the floor when we're 70. In this episode of Weight Loss with a Side of Grace, we're talking about what happens when strength starts to matter more than the number on the scale, and why knowing you should strength train and actually doing it are two very different things. If you're a woman over 40 who knows strength training matters but still hasn't quite made it part of your life, I want you to listen to this one. Because your 40s doesn't need to be another decade spent chasing smaller. Next Steps:  💬 Come join my free community:  www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching: transformedhealthcoaching.com

  7. Oct 1

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

    You want to strength train consistently, but then life gets busy, and somehow your workouts are the first thing to disappear. Before you know it, a missed workout turns into a missed week, and you’re telling yourself you’ll start again Monday. Sound familiar? In this episode, we’re talking about why staying consistent with strength training can feel so difficult when your schedule changes and why the problem may not be your motivation or discipline. If you’re a woman over 40 trying to build muscle, get stronger, and make strength training part of your actual life, this episode will help you rethink what consistency really needs to look like. Because the women who strength train for years aren’t necessarily the ones whose schedules cooperate. They’ve learned what to do when they don’t. And that might be the piece your strength training routine has been missing. 💪 Next Steps:  💬 Come join my free community:  www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching: transformedhealthcoaching.com

  8. Sep 28

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

    You know you should strength train. You know you want to lose weight. You know taking care of your health matters, especially as you get older. So why isn't knowing that enough to actually make you do it? If you're a woman over 35 trying to lose weight, navigate perimenopause, or finally make strength training part of your routine, you probably don't need someone else telling you what you should be doing. In this episode, we're digging underneath the goal itself. Because saying “I want to lose weight,” “I want to get stronger,” or “I want to be healthier for my kids” may only be the beginning of the answer. I'll walk you through a simple exercise to uncover what's really behind your goals, and why that answer might matter more than another diet, workout plan, or motivational speech. Because maybe the question isn't “What should I be doing?” Maybe there's a better question to ask.  Next Steps:  💬 Come join my free community:  www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 🌐 Visit Website to learn more about 1-1 coaching: transformedhealthcoaching.com

See All (66)

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

You know you should be strength training. You've heard how important it is for women over 40, especially during perimenopause and menopause. You want to build muscle, feel stronger, and stay active and independent as you get older. So why aren't you doing it? Maybe you've never lifted weights and have absolutely no idea where to start. Or maybe you used to lift, but somewhere between work, kids, and everything else life threw at you, you stopped. And now you're wondering how to actually make strength training part of your life. And there's something else that's probably been on your mind lately. You're starting to see what getting older can look like. Maybe you're watching your parents struggle with things that used to be easy. And while you know you can't control everything about your future, you're realizing you want to do what you can now to stay strong, capable, and independent for as long as possible. Because you don't just want to live longer. You want to keep doing the things you love while you're living. Welcome to Strength with Michelle, the podcast for women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are tired of thinking about lifting weights and ready to actually do it. I'm Michelle, a board-certified health and wellness coach, personal trainer, and exercise science nerd with a master's degree to prove it. I'm also a mom of three who loves lifting heavy and helping women discover what they're capable of. Around here, we're talking about what's really keeping you from strength training, how to feel more confident in the gym or working out at home, and how to build a strength-training routine that works with your actual life. Because you don't need another lecture about why you should lift weights. You need help figuring out how to make it happen. And you definitely don't need to squat 250 pounds. But we might need to have a conversation about those 10-pound dumbbells you've been using for the last five years. 😂 Previously known as Weight Loss with a Side of Grace, Strength With Michelle is the same podcast with a new focus: helping women over 40 stop thinking about strength training and start making it part of their lives. So grab that emotional-support water bottle, and let's get stronger. Next Steps:  💬Join my free community: www.facebook.com/groups/michelle.transformed/ 💌 Get added to my Weekly Newsletter: https://transformedhealthcoaching.myflodesk.com/newsletter And come hang out with me here on the podcast each week as we figure out how to make strength training happen in the middle of real life.

Information

You Might Also Like