What you need as a Active Woman, and What you need when starting out

I tend to have two types of conversations.

With women who are already active:“I’m still training… but it feels harder.”“I feel like I’m losing fitness and/or gaining weight.”

And with women trying to get started again:“I feel tired all the time… I just can’t get going.”

Different starting points—but often the same reason.

In your 40s and 50s, your body is changing, and that affects both how you exercise and how you feel.

You might notice:

• Less energy

• Slower progress

• More aches and niggles

• Poor sleep

• Feeling flat or unmotivated

This isn’t because you’re doing something wrong.

It’s because your body is more sensitive now—to stress, under-eating, sugar, and the way you train.

As hormones shift (with estrogen fluctuating and progesterone declining), this can lead to:

• Blood sugar highs and crashes

• Increased stress and poor sleep

• More fat storage around the middle

So what do most active women do?

They try to fix it by:

• Doing more cardio

• Eating less

• Pushing harder

Which often makes things worse.

Instead, here is a simple starting plan.

For active women, a good structure looks like:

• 2 rest days (or active recovery like walking, yoga, or mobility)

• 1–2 interval or higher-intensity sessions

• 1–2 longer or steady sessions

• 1–2 strength sessions

If you’re just getting started, focus on building a base first:

• 2–3 low-intensity sessions (walking or light movement)

• 1–2 strength sessions

• 1–2 rest days

Just as important—adjust based on how you feel. Your sleep and stress levels need to support your recovery for progress to happen.

Some weeks you’ll need less. Some weeks you can do more.

Whether you’re active or just getting started, the focus is the same:

• Build strength

• Support your body with wholefood

• Manage stress and sleep

• Stay consistent

Not by doing more…

But by doing what your body actually needs.