Do you feel like you have lost yourself in Midlife?

Do you feel like you have lost yourself in Midlife?

Do you feel like you have lost yourself in Midlife?  That what you used to do no longer works? That you lost control of your body…and you don’t recognize yourself anymore?  

That was me, too!

I know that feeling so well. Four and a half years ago, I was nearly 200lbs.  My energy was non-existent (thanks, perimenopause!), I had become pre diabetic and I discovered I had mild arthritis in both knees. 

My quality of life was deteriorating.  I woke up everyday feeling depressed and hopeless.  I didn’t even want to look in the mirror anymore.

I felt like I had a MOUNTAIN to climb to get myself out of health situation that I was in. 

I turned my life around through three main actions:

  • Tracking macros in a calorie deficit to lose weight / bodyfat

  • Upping my protein significantly (a good guide is about 1g of protein per day per pound of ideal body weight…I weighed 192lbs but my ideal body weight was about 145lbs, so I ate 145g protein per day)

  • Strength training 5x per week.

Looking back, the changes I made all on the same day were a lot!  Sometimes, I’m surprised I was able to do a complete 180 degrees and then stick to it.  But, I was truly MISERABLE with how I felt and I had become RELENTLESS about changing my life.

Everyone is different and for some…making these MASSIVE changes all at once and then sticking to them is not the path.   

And, I’m here to tell you…THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO START!

Starting to reclaim your health and your physique does not have to be an all or nothing endeavor.  And, making small daily steps towards better health, can get you to your goals. 

If you want to do something RIGHT NOW but you’re not ready to jump all in…here’s what you are going to do:

We’re starting at PART ONE:

Step One:  With each meal, you’re going to simply put more protein on your plate.  Be very mindful of your protein intake, including healthy lean meats or eggs or fish or whatever it is that you like…legumes, tofu, tempeh, etc with every meal you have.  By upping your protein intake, you’ll be supporting holding onto your lean muscle and as you start to eventually incorporate weight training, this will help you build new lean muscle tissue. The vast majority of Midlife women are dramatically under eating protein.

Step Two:  Your’re going to focus on eating mainly whole, natural foods.  We’re ditching the highly processed concentration of foods for our meals.  Follow the 80 / 20 rule. Eat about 80% whole foods and the other 20% can be a bit more flexible

Step Three: Start Moving!  You’re going to get moving again. This is going to look different for everyone. If you’re sedentary…you’re going to start walking.  10-15 minutes, 2x a day.  Preferably after your meals but anytime is good.  Movement moves the needle. And, the more you move, the more you’re going to feel like you WANT to move.  Sometimes action comes before motivation.  Moving is the way!

Once you get this down and you’ve done this for awhile…we’re going to build off of this foundation. 

Next is what I’m calling PART TWO:

Step One:  We’re starting to track macros but we’re just going to track Protein for now.  Get yourself a tracking app.  I like to use MyMacros+ and download the Macros Cheat Sheet on my website Rebellion Body Use my free Macros Calculator Macro Calculator – Rebellion Body

This will give you your macros targets.  Just track your protein and calories.  Let the carbs and fats fall where they may. OR, just track protein and focus on hitting your protein goals for the day. This will allow you to get used to tracking without going “all in” just yet.  

Step Two: Build upon your walking and focus on getting at least 6,000 steps per day.  If this feels very feasible, go for 8,000 steps.  We are also going to incorporate some weight training to our movement routine. Aim for lifting weights 2x per week, maybe 30 minutes per session. If this is too much, lift for 15 minutes. This can be done at home with dumbbells.  Not sure what to do?  You can use my fitness app RebellionBody App or look at youtube for short, at home workouts. 

Do this for awhile until it feels comfortable and you have built some HABITS around your routine. Then when you’re ready…it’s PART THREE:

Step One:  We’re tracking macros fully now…Proteins, Carbs and Fats!  Use the tips in my Macros Cheat Sheet on my site with how to keep things simple in the beginning.  You CAN do this!  Pre plan in your app. Success comes down to your ability to plan. 

Step Two:  Now that we’ve started liting and we’ve gotten more comfortable with it, we’re upping our game. Aim for weight training 3-5x per week (start with 3 and either stay there or work your way up to 4 or 5 days based on what works for you).  Sessions will be about 45 minutes in length. Again, my App RebellionBody App has an easy, no guesswork plan for you or just follow whatever plan you choose. 

How long will it take you to get to PART THREE?  It depends.  You want to be able to build some confidence and consistency around your new routines and then add to them over time. 

We’re not in a race…this is a marathon.  We’re going for LIFETIME, SUSTAINABLE CHANGE here.  

If you’re not ready to climb the mountain all at once, you can take smaller steps, and this THREE PART STARTING PLAN will get you there. 

It’s our time, my Midlife Sisters. The only way to make the most of all of our years is to make RADICAL changes and put in the work to GET STRONG. 

Is it easy? No, but you can do this. I PROMISE YOU, you can!

Is it worth it?  A thousand times YES!

Always In Your Corner, Denise

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