You’ve tried. You are busy. You even think you may just give up. Yet, here we are approaching the end of another calendar year, and you still do not feel great squeezing into your jeans, your holiday dresses, or even your sweatpants.
Can you imagine that is it actually not that hard to achieve your weight goals?
I think you’ve all heard how important it is in midlife to lift weights. I think you also know how our own body can be the SOLE piece of equipment in exercise. No need for fancy and pricey pieces of equipment or machines…just you!
It’s super common for women to read on social media, learn from their friends, or watch something on TV about the best way to train. What is missing though are two ESSENTIAL ingredients: how to make the time and how to build it into your very busy life with regularity – or what we call “consistency.”
We create consistency through building new habits that are born out of two elements: time and location. When we practice whatever new habit we are aiming to build at the same time and place, our brain knows where it is and the time and can better glue that habit into our consciousness.
Many popular programs overlook a key factor that habit scientists understand: what it takes to form a new habit. New habits require three elements. The habit must be small, important, and repeatable.
Let’s answer these questions in terms of the very important exercise for women in midlife: strength training.
✔️ Is it small – YES! It can be as short as a 20-minute session.
✔️ Is it important to me? YES! Strength training is important to your health and well-being.
✔️ Is it repeatable? YES! You can carve out time three or more days a week. Don’t forget to put it on your calendar.
Ok so once we build the habit of one 20-minute strength training program, how can we make it impactful for our health, wellness, and our waistline? CONSISTENCY!
Strength training three or more times each week is what our midlife bodies need. In addition to the physical benefits of increasing our metabolism, strengthening our muscles, and improving our bone health, enhancing our balance and coordination, and alleviating joint pain, strength training also offers mental benefits. These include increasing self-confidence (yes you can put that suitcase into the overhead bin yourself!), reduced stress and anxiety, and improved sleep. Strength training has even been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease like heart disease, type two diabetes, certain types of cancer. In fact, we also know strength training prevents dementia.
I’m a proponent of functional weight training and I recommend this often to my clients. These are weight-bearing exercises that mimic movements we do in our daily lives. They could look like squats to help us get in and out of a chair, deadlifts to help us lift a box from the floor, or a renegade row to help with core stability and good posture as we reach for that container waaaay back in the cabinet.
At its core, strength training keeps us primed to handle our day-to-day living. It also gives us the strength and energy we need to show up for our families, careers, and ourselves each day. Most importantly, it can be that weekly habit we need to help us feel more grounded when we’re feeling awry and unfamiliar with all the changes we’re experiencing.
Are you wondering how to build consistency in your strength training routine? Consider joining my Concierge Small Group or 8 Weeks to Wellness programs where I help women take control of their health by building lasting habits one small change at a time.
