Fitness

Why exercise must be a priority for women in midlife

Published

7 days ago

February 2, 2026

Why exercise must be a priority for women in midlife

For women, particularly in midlife, keeping up regular physical activity plays a huge role in countering muscle loss related to hormonal shifts during menopause and supporting long-term well-being.

Every January, ‘exercising more’ tops lists of New Year Resolutions. Gyms fill up, fitness apps spike in downloads, and motivation feels abundant. As health professionals, we genuinely welcome this moment because everyone benefits from physical activity: any movement that uses energy such as walking, cleaning, or riding a bike.

Exercise is a form of physical activity, aimed at improving health and may include brisk walk, running or structured workouts. Exercising regularly across our lives helps us stay healthy, strong, and independent for longer. But sustaining motivation is harder than starting, and this challenge isn’t experienced equally by women.

For women, particularly in midlife (their 40s and 50s), staying physically active is vital to offset muscle decline related to hormonal changes during menopause and to sustain long-term well-being. For women with disabilities, including conditions like multiple sclerosis, which disproportionately affects women and is becoming increasingly common, exercise is a critical self-management strategy. Staying active can be a game changer.

Prioritising physical activity in midlife

Women tend to drop physical activity as they enter midlife, when staying physically active becomes particularly important for their health and well-being. On average, men already report doing more regular exercise than women. Women also tend to do less moderate or vigorous physical activity and are less likely to take part in organised sports.

Many women say that family and work responsibilities make it hard to exercise. This is notably common in midlife, when ongoing work commitments often overlap with caring for children and/or ageing parents. Time shrinks, confidence and energy levels dip and not knowing where to begin can make exercise feel out of reach.

As people age, their muscles naturally get smaller and weaker, with strength peaking around 25 years of age before slowly declining. In men, this decline tends to be gradual over time. In women, research shows a different pattern. After a steady decline, many measures of muscle health drop sharply between the ages of 40 and 50. This rapid loss is linked to menopause, which is a normal stage of life when the ovaries produce much lower levels of the female sex hormones oestrogens and progesterone.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to slow this muscle loss. Resistance exercise—where muscles work against an external load, such as lifting weights or using resistance bands—is especially good for building and maintaining strength. Stronger muscles also help reduce the risk of many diseases, lower the chance of falls, support independence in older age, and are linked to living longer.

Because women lose muscle mass and strength faster than men, increasing physical activity during midlife rather than putting it off is crucial for their long-term health. And because the benefits can still apply later in life, it is never too late for women to start exercising.

Barriers to physical activity for women in midlife and with a disability

While circumstances vary, many women living with disabilities face similar barriers to staying active, which are further compounded by symptoms. Multiple sclerosis (MS), one such disability that affects mainly women during their most productive years in life, illustrates how health, gender and life-stage pressures can intersect to make staying active even harder.

MS is a neurological condition that affects women about three times more often than men. Symptoms vary, but many women diagnosed with MS experience fatigue, reduced balance, muscle weakness and changes in walking ability. Most are diagnosed in their 20s or 30s. While there is no cure, treatments have improved greatly in recent decades. There is now strong evidence that exercise can play a major role in improving health and daily function for people with MS.

Research shows that aerobic, strength, and balance training can improve fatigue, mobility and strength, and support better mental health outcomes. Yet, alongside MS‑specific barriers—such as tiredness, heat sensitivity, or difficulty accessing safe and suitable exercise spaces—many experience broader social barriers related to cost, limited transport, caring responsibilities and lack of support. For some, experiences of stigma or gender‑based violence can further restrict participation.

The good news is that exercise is safe for people with MS, and clear guidelines exist for getting started. Women who can still walk, even slowly or with a stick, can begin with short, manageable bouts of activity and gradually build to four or five weekly sessions that combine aerobic and resistance training. Balance and flexibility exercises are helpful for everyone. Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists can tailor programmes and teach strategies such as pacing, cooling and planning activity for times of higher energy.

Not long ago, people with MS were told to rest. Today, the evidence is clear: regular physical activity is one of the most important lifestyle steps women with MS can take to improve their symptoms and enhance quality of life.

Promoting physical activity locally

Recent studies highlight that women of all abilities are far more likely to stay active when they feel supported by family, peers or their broader community. When nearby community-based fitness programmes are safe, accessible and affordable, women are more likely to overcome barriers linked to confidence, motivation and depressive symptoms.

From our work among people with spinal cord injuries, some additional recommendations apply to people with disabilities more broadly.

First, to ensure that fitness staff receive proper training and mentoring to work with people with disabilities, which has been shown to improve participation and well-being dramatically.

Second, to co‑design programs so people can shape their own goals. Feeling in control and supported makes it easier to stay active.

Third, to expand policy and funding support to cover gym memberships and training the trainers, reducing these major barriers.

Together, these changes would make community fitness spaces more accessible and supportive, so women in midlife have better chances of exercising regularly.

Beatriz IR de Oliveira is a senior researcher and educator within Swinburne University of Technology, School of Health Sciences, Department of Allied Health, Discipline of Physiotherapy. She is an adjunct academic within the Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University. She currently receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

Séverine Lamon is a Professor within Deakin University’s School and Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, and the Deputy Associate Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Health. She currently receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Yvonne C Learmonth is a research physiotherapist and Associate Professor within the University of New South Wales’ School of Health Science, Discipline of Physiotherapy. She is an adjunct researcher in the School of Allied Health at Murdoch University and the Perron Institute. She currently receives funding from MS Australia.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™

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Fitness

The nine golden rules for strength training in midlife, according to experts

Published

20 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

The nine golden rules for strength training in midlife, according to experts

NHS guidelines encourage adults aged 19-64 to complete two-and-a-half hours of exercise per week, or a bit less if it’s more intense, alongside a couple of “strengthening activities”. But exercising at 19 tends to feel very different to exercising at 64.

Not only do your social, work and family commitments mount up as you advance through life, but your ability to recover from intense exercise also reduces. Yet the benefits of exercise, and strength training in particular, become more valuable the older you get for injury prevention, freedom of movement, and heart health.

Patrick James, head coach at Marchon Victoria gym, understands this better than most. Despite more than a decade of experience working as a coach, he counts persuading his mum to lift weights as one of his top achievements to date.

“She’s 67, and always felt that if she walked regularly and did the gardening, she didn’t need to do it,” he says. “But if you want to walk up the stairs and get out of a chair in 10 years’ time, you need to strengthen your legs.”

It started with a simple twice-weekly bodyweight circuit; kneeling press-ups off the sofa, squatting to a chair, rows with a weight in the garden and single-leg hip thrusts. Now she is the proud owner of three different kettlebells and completes four or more home workouts each week.

“She can feel the benefits of it now – that rush of endorphins, feeling healthier and feeling stronger,” James says.

Those aged 50 and up can experience similar results sans gym, with just a couple of weekly workouts, he adds. This approach maximises the juice-to-squeeze ratio of your exercise efforts.

Here are his tips on how to maximise your workout.

Tip 1: Consider your exercise choice

“In your younger years, you can afford to train poorly and get away with it,” James says. “As you get older, moving towards your 50s, 60s and 70s, you can’t. Whether through hormones or your body’s ability to synthesise protein, the rate at which your body can adapt and recover from exercise slows down.”

But this doesn’t mean you should stop exercising – quite the opposite. James’s solution is to box smart.

“I can’t train my 65-year-old client the same way a bodybuilder in their 20s trains,” he explains. “He might have played rugby back in the day and now he has very little cartilage in his knees, so it hurts to do a heavy back squat, so I have to find an exercise or variation that allows him to train the same muscles without it being painful.”

For example, instead of heavy barbell squats, James might prescribe goblet squats to a box, reducing the range of motion to one that is comfortable for the client.

Tip 2: Lift lighter weights for more repetitions

Lowering the weight you’re lifting and the number of repetitions you’re lifting it for can reduce pressure on certain joints and minimise discomfort during strength training workouts.

“Heavier strength training – lifting a heavy weight for five repetitions or less – will put a bit more pressure through the joints,” James says. “You can get a similar stimulus for building muscle and maintaining strength from lifting lighter weights for 10-20 reps.”

For example, you might substitute the five sets of five heavy barbell squats mentioned above for three sets of 10-20 goblet squats to a box.

“The intensity will be a little bit lower, but you’ll still get a great stimulus to develop muscle and build a stronger body,” says James. “And for most people, the joints will feel better through doing some strength training, if they build it up gradually.”

The key is to start with lighter weights and exercises with smaller ranges of motion, then progress over time.

A gym isn’t a prerequisite for making impressive fitness progress (Getty/iStock)

Tip 3: Challenge yourself

There does have to be an element of challenge in a strength training exercise to ensure it’s effective for building strength and muscle, James says.

“We don’t need to be training to failure [the point where your muscles are too tired to complete another repetition] on every set, as someone in our 50s or 60s,” he explains. “We just want to make sure the sets we do are somewhat challenging so we can create a good stimulus for muscle growth. If we can do that consistently, then, over time, we are going to get stronger.”

Take a “little and often” approach and aim to hit major muscle groups in the legs, glutes, back, chest and shoulders twice a week.

Swap high-load, low-rep exercises for lighter weights lifted for more repetitions to reduce stress on your joints while still building strength and muscle (Getty/iStock)

Tip 4: Embrace the full-body workout to maximise efficiency

Rather than focusing on a single muscle each session, James recommends doing full-body workouts two or three times per week.

“For building muscle, we know that one set done three times per week is better than three sets done once per week,” he explains, adding that the more you work a certain muscle and movement pattern on any given day, the more it will take out of you. The quality of the exercise will also decrease as you tire, leading to diminishing returns.

By spreading each muscle’s workload through the week, you can keep your body feeling fairly fresh and ready for the rigours of daily life – as well as your next workout.

Tip 5: Get your priorities straight

Six to 10 sets per week for each major muscle group should be sufficient to build muscle for most people, James says. If you want to focus on developing a certain area, you might add a couple of extra weekly sets or exercises that target those muscles.

“You want to prioritise the big muscles in your sessions – these are usually working in the compound or multi-muscle exercises you can lift more weight with,” he says. “In the lower body, aim to hit the quads, glutes and hamstrings. In the upper body, there are the pecs in the chest, the lats in the back and the delts of the shoulder.”

Prioritise multi-muscle compound exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, rows and presses to ensure bang for your buck from your workouts (Getty/iStock)

Tip 6: Progressive overload is essential for continued results

The body adapts to get better at the things we consistently ask it to do, so strength training can be seen as a conversation with our muscles.

Every time we lift weights, we are telling our body that we want to become stronger. If we make a strong enough case, doing sufficiently challenging exercises, then over time it will adapt by bolstering our bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles.

This is why we have to apply progressive overload: the process of gradually increasing the difficulty of our workouts over time, in line with our increasing strength and fitness levels. You need to increase the weight, up the number of sets and repetitions, or switch to a more challenging exercise variation, relative to your rising strength level, to send the body a clear message that you want to continue to grow stronger, rather than just maintain what you have or lose muscle.

Tip 7: Find low-impact ways to raise your heart rate

If you are new to exercise, James advises opting for a lower-impact form of cardio – for example, using exercise machines such as exercise bikes, rowing machines and ellipticals, which make it easy to get your heart rate up with a low risk of injury.

Using these machines once or twice a week to get a bit out of breath can deliver plenty of health benefits, including improved heart health and reduced risk of several major illnesses.

These more intense activities should also be underlined by a healthy dose of daily movement – “Aerobic activities such as longer walks.”

Tip 9: Put enjoyment first

Enjoyment is the most important, and most overlooked, tenet of a successful exercise plan. You could have a scientifically-optimised training plan for building muscle, but if you don’t follow it because you don’t enjoy it, it’s going to be redundant, James says.

“It’s about finding a plan that someone can adhere to, enjoy and be consistent with,” he says. “And if you’re consistent, you’ll most likely see results.”

Enjoyment can ensure you stick to an exercise plan – and consistency is the key to success (Getty/iStock)

The four-move workout

This is a beginner workout with minimal equipment, which works the main muscle groups of your upper and lower body and should take no more than 30 minutes. Do three sets of 10-20 repetitions of each exercise, and repeat two to four times per week.

The aim is to perform at least 10 repetitions in every set, while using a weight challenging enough that you cannot easily lift it for 20 repetitions.

“As you start to adapt to the training and become familiar with the movements, try to either increase the weight or number of reps.”

If you don’t own any weights, a filled water bottle or rucksack can be used instead, but James recommends investing in a couple of dumbbells or kettlebells to broaden your exercise horizons if you’re training at home.

“You can get a set of kettlebells for around 20 quid,” he says. “Start with a 5kg and 10kg weight, and as you get stronger, you can buy heavier options.”

Exercise 1: Squat to chair or sofa

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-20 Rest: 90 seconds

Coach’s notes:

If you are not using a weight, hold your arms out straight in front of you
If you are using a weight, hold it against your chest in the goblet position
Place your feet just outside hip-width apart with your toes turned out slightly
Take a big breath in and hold it as if someone were going to punch you in the belly
Take two seconds to lower your bum to the chair in a smooth, controlled motion
When it touches the chair, stand back upright, breathing out as you do so
Keep your eyes looking straight ahead with your chest upright throughout the movement
Over time, you can make this exercise more challenging by increasing the depth of the squat or by increasing the weight or reps

Exercise 2: Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-20 Rest: 90 seconds

Coach’s notes:

Hold the weight in front of your thighs in both hands with your arms straight and relaxed
Place your feet hip-width apart with your toes pointing straight ahead
Take a big breath in at the start of the rep
Bend your knees slightly, then keep them in this position throughout the exercise – this is important for preventing you from using your lower back rather than your lower body muscles
Lower the weight in a straight line toward the ground by hinging at your hips, keeping it close to the front of your legs throughout
As you do this, think about pushing your hips back horizontally as if you are closing the fridge door with your bum
At the same time, let your shoulders come forward like you are looking over a cliff
Stop when the weight reaches the middle of your shin, then stand back up
Your back should remain in a relatively straight position the whole time

Exercise 3: Press-up to chair or sofa

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-20 Rest: 90 seconds

Coach’s notes:

Find a chair, sofa or another sturdy raised surface to press up from. This makes the exercise slightly less challenging than a standard press-up – the higher the surface, the easier the exercise will feel, so you can progress to lower surfaces over time to make the exercise more difficult
Place your hands on the surface, just outside shoulder-width apart
Keep your bum squeezed and hips forward so that your torso and hips stay in one line
Bend at the elbows to lower your torso until your chest touches the chair or sofa, then press through your hands to return to the starting position
Start on your knees, and over time, you can progress to your feet as you get stronger

Exercise 4: Single-arm row

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-20 Rest: 90 seconds

Coach’s notes:

Support yourself on the back of a chair or sofa with one arm while you hold the weight in the other hand
Keep your back flat and your torso roughly parallel to the ground
As you row, think about pulling your elbow towards your trouser pocket rather than pulling the weight straight up to your chest
Finish the rep with the weight at the bottom of your ribcage, then slowly lower it back toward the ground until your arm is straight

Fitness

13 best fitness watches for 2026, tried and tested

Published

1 day ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

13 best fitness watches for 2026, tried and tested

What is the difference between a fitness watch and a smartwatch?

Fitness watches are designed primarily for tracking health and activity, with features like workout modes, heart rate monitoring, GPS and sleep insights, often paired with longer battery life. They’re a good choice if you train regularly or are looking to build healthier habits.

Smartwatches, on the other hand, focus more on lifestyle features like notifications, calls, apps and contactless payments, with fitness tracking as an extra. If you want something that fits seamlessly into everyday life as well as workouts, a smartwatch may be the better option. Some devices sit in the middle, offering a balance of both.

Our round-up includes a mix of dedicated fitness trackers and lifestyle watches, so you’re bound to find one that suits your needs.

What is the best fitness tracker for sleep?

Sleep tracking capabilities vary between devices. Some just total up the number of hours you’re getting, while others break this down into heavy, light and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Some also provide a score for the quality of your sleep and offer tips on how to improve it.

All of the watches featured in this round-up offer a solid level of sleep tracking, but if sleep is your main focus, it’s worth considering a dedicated device such as the Oura Ring 4 smart ring or the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor, a lightweight armband designed to be worn overnight – both of which we’ve tested and rated by the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Are fitness trackers waterproof?

All fitness trackers are sweat-proof and many are also waterproof, meaning they can be worn when you’re in the shower or when swimming. If you swim several regularly, look out for a fitness tracker that will monitor your pool sessions, including the number of lengths you swim, as well as the time you’re active and the calories you burn.

Can fitness trackers measure blood pressure?

No, most fitness trackers can’t measure blood pressure directly. However, the Huawei Watch D2, which we’ve tested, does offer on-wrist blood pressure monitoring using an inflatable cuff built into the strap.

If monitoring your blood pressure is a priority, it’s worth investing in a dedicated, clinically validated blood pressure monitor. See our best blood pressure monitors round-up for more information.

Fitness

This Guy First Lost 100 Pounds in 11 Months. He Never Stepped Foot in a Gym.

Published

2 days ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

This Guy First Lost 100 Pounds in 11 Months. He Never Stepped Foot in a Gym.

Ray Bertka, 35, of Hartville, Ohio, knows what it means to put in the work. He’s a self-made success in business, along with his other big roles: being a husband and dad. Ray has led a busy life taking care of everyone but himself. So after years of neglect, Ray got the wake-up call of his life when he saw how much weight he put on. It also gave Ray the push he needed to find discipline in his diet and exercise habits. Once weighing over 300 pounds, Ray is now prepping for his first physique show. Here’s how he did it.

FOR MOST OF my life, I’ve been the big guy. But as an adult, my weight got really out of hand.

The weight gain started gradually in my mid-20s and early 30s. I founded an insurtech (insurance combined with technology) software company called Helixco. At 28, I started serving as both president and CEO. I was 240 pounds. As the business grew, my focus shifted almost entirely to work. Long hours, constant travel, entertaining, and a lot of time behind a desk became the norm. My health simply wasn’t a priority. Adding to my never-ending list of responsibilities was figuring out how to support my family while building the company from the ground up.

I didn’t realize my weight crept up when I ate whatever was available. I didn’t pay attention to how my physical activity was very inconsistent. I didn’t focus on managing my stress. I was miserable, even though I didn’t fully admit it at the time. And soon enough, it all caught up with me.

Courtesy of Ray Bertka

Ray with his family

For two to three years I hovered around 285 pounds. During that period, I dealt with frequent panic attacks, anxiety, and heart palpitations. At the time, I was also dealing with major life changes. I had just lost my mother, and I had a newborn daughter. My emotions were all over the place. I was grieving, exhausted, but still trying to show up as a husband, a father, and a leader at work. I had really convinced myself I could handle it all.

Day-to-day activities became uncomfortable in ways I tried hard to normalize. Traveling was getting more difficult. Airplane seats felt tight and restrictive. My clothes stopped fitting. I was buying new clothes all the time and telling myself they had shrunk in the dryer. I wasn’t willing to admit that I was getting bigger.

It was hard being in denial. I saw the big guy staring back in the mirror. I heard the comments from friends or family. Still, somehow I kept telling myself it wasn’t that bad. Then came my New Year’s Day reality check.

I Couldn’t Believe the Number on the Scale

The real turning point came on New Year’s Eve 2023. We had friends and business partners over, which meant a full night of food, drinks, and staying up late. I woke up the next morning feeling awful: Hungover with a pounding headache. When I went into the bathroom, I impulsively stepped on the scale. I told myself I was maintaining my weight at around 285 to 290 pounds. For some reason those numbers felt acceptable to me. Except that’s not what I saw. The scale read 303 pounds.

I remember the moment. I looked down at the number, then up at myself in the mirror, then back down at the scale. I felt embarrassed and disappointed, and for the first time the thought hit me very clearly. I was slowly killing myself. That thought had never crossed my mind before, but it was loud and it was undeniable.

Courtesy of Ray Bertka

Photo of Ray Bertka before his weight loss transformation

I thought about my daughter, my wife, my business, and the people who depended on me. I asked myself how I was supposed to take care of them if I couldn’t take care of myself. It was the moment I knew something had to change.

I went downstairs and told my wife that I was ready to do something about my health and my weight. She has loved me at my worst and my heaviest. She never pressured me or judged me, She gave me the support I needed with seven simple words. “Okay, where do you want to start?” And that’s when things finally shifted.

I Focused on Macros, Not Portion Size

I wanted a plan sustainable to my lifestyle and one that would help me truly understand how my body responded to food.

Now I honestly didn’t know where to begin. As a registered and licensed dietitian, my wife recommended Whole30. Whole30 is a 30-day nutrition reset that focuses on eating real, whole foods while temporarily removing things like added sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, and heavily processed foods.

The goal wasn’t weight loss at first. It was about learning how food actually affects your body. That said, weight loss is a common side effect of Whole30 since you’re eating nutrient-dense meals. It’s genuinely hard to overeat when those meals are built around protein, vegetables, and other whole foods.

I learned about macros, or the three main macronutrients your body needs to function and perform. Protein supports muscle repair, recovery, and satiety. Carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source and fuel both workouts and daily activity. Fats support hormones, brain function, and overall health. The understanding helped me to balance my meals better.

As I progressed with Whole30, my approach became much more macro-focused rather than portion size focused. Instead of thinking in terms of how big my plate was, I focused on making sure I was hitting my macros and spreading them out evenly throughout the day. I usually ate between 1,850 and 2,100 calories a day.

The results paid off. In 11 months, I lost 100 pounds—all without ever stepping foot in a gym! I maintained that weight loss for about six to seven months.

I Dealt With Another Health Challenge

Despite the weight loss, I continued to feel off. I still dealt with what I thought were anxiety and panic episodes, and continued to write them off as stress. So I went to get bloodwork done at my next doctor visit.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition which affects the thyroid and blood sugar levels. My doctor walked me through my options, explaining that even though my thyroid antibodies were elevated, I didn’t necessarily need medication immediately. Instead, I could first try to improve my health through exercise, probiotics, and targeted vitamins and minerals. The diagnosis was a big motivator to start exercising.

I Eventually Forced Myself to Go Into a Gym

I started off simple. I focused on walking and being more active throughout the day. I also played a lot of golf and made a point to walk the course whenever I could. This gave me steady movement without it feeling like formal exercise.

Eventually, I forced myself to show up at the gym. I used a fitness app to structure my workouts and track my progress. I started with light cardio and basic weight training for four days a week. As I became more consistent, I applied progressive overload over time.

I wanted to go through a body recomposition and rebuild the muscle I likely lost during the 100-pound weight loss journey. Most importantly, I wanted to support my thyroid health and feel confident in my body. I wanted to look fit for my wife and set a strong example for my daughter. It felt like taking everything I had already accomplished and applying it to a new goal.

Staying motivated came down to the same principles that helped me lose the weight in the first place: consistency, structure, and tracking. I avoided obsessing over the mirror or the scale. Instead, I focused on getting regular blood tests where I could see in real time how my training, nutrition, supplements, and recovery were improving my health.

To manage my Hashimoto’s, I made dietary tweaks. I started to follow a reverse diet—the process of slowly increasing calories over time after being in a deficit. The goal was to restore metabolism, improve hormone balance, and find true maintenance without rapid fat gain. For me, it allowed me to fuel workouts properly, support muscle growth, stabilize blood sugar, and align my nutrition with my new goals. Over time, my thyroid markers improved significantly. I was able to put my Hashimoto’s into a state of remission, and I gained better control over hypoglycemic episodes.

As a result of training consistently and applying a reverse diet, I lost another additional 21 pounds in roughly over about six months. As an added benefit, I saw improvements in my energy and performance.

How I Look Now

I went from 303 pounds to 181.8, which is a loss of 121.2 pounds. I feel fundamentally different.

a man posing in a living room environment wearing black boxer shorts

Courtesy of Ray Bertka

After photo of Ray Bertka

Physically, I’m stronger and have more energy than ever before. My body fat dropped and my Hashimoto’s went into a state of remission. It completely changed how my body functions day to day.

Mentally, I’m stable and clear-headed. The anxiety and panic symptoms I once dealt with eased as my health improved. I no longer felt like my body was constantly in a stressed state. Overall, I felt more resilient and far more in control of my body than I ever was before.

I still eat very much in line with Whole30 principles. I prioritize whole foods and minimize processed ones. Though I still allow for flexibility. A typical meal now is built intentionally around protein, carbohydrates, and then fats. Breakfast might be egg whites with fruit and potatoes, or Greek yogurt with a banana and peanut butter. Lunch and dinner are usually lean protein like chicken, steak, or fish paired with a carb source such as rice, potatoes, and vegetables. I aim to spread my protein and carbs evenly across meals so my energy stays stable, and my recovery stays consistent.

I track everything with MyFitnessPal, and weigh my food so there’s no guesswork involved. I know how much my body needs, and that allows me to eat enough to perform and recover without feeling overly full or deprived. That structure has been key for sustainability and long term success.

My Next Challenge: Become the Best Version of Me

I’ve genuinely fallen in love with the gym and now I’m curious to see how far I can push myself to become the best version of me. I recently hired a trainer and physique coach, Calysta Fulcher, and I’m working with her to prepare for my first physique show.

My first physique show is planned for May 2026. I know I have a long way to go to get ready, but I’m excited for the challenge. Stepping on stage won’t be about perfection– it will be about showing how far I’ve come and seeing what’s possible.

My Advice to Other Guys

Through my weight loss transformation, I learned that real change doesn’t come from extremes or quick fixes. It comes from consistency and patience. This was a journey with different phases, and each phase taught me something new. My needs at the beginning weren’t the same as what I needed later. Being willing to adapt was critical.

Most importantly, I learned that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. It’s foundational. When my health improved, everything else improved too. My mental clarity, leadership, relationships, and ability to show up for the people who depend on me all got better once I fully committed to that process.

In the beginning, it may feel like nothing is happening, but those small, boring efforts compound in ways you can’t see yet. Patience is part of the work.

Expect uncomfortable moments. Cravings, low-energy days, plateaus, and dips in motivation are normal. They don’t mean you’re failing. Most of the time, they mean your body is adapting. Learning to stay the course during those phases is what separates short-term change from results that actually last.

Lisa is an internationally established health writer whose credits include Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Men’s Health, Oprah Daily, Woman’s Day, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Glamour, The Washington Post, WebMD, Medscape, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Health, Self, Family Circle and Seventeen. She is the author of eight best-selling books, including The Essentials of Theater.