How I Became My Fittest Self in my 40s
I hit my tipping point - here’s what you can learn from my journey
Like many people, I needed to reach a tipping point before I turned things around and focused on my own health.
For me, strength training changed everything
Learning to lift weights has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Here’s what it gave me:
Self-knowledge, confidence, and resilience
Emotional and physical fitness
Strength and agility
Stronger bones
My interest in nutrition and health
Yes, you read that right — for me, the nutrition part came last.
Why strength training comes first
The research is clear: whether your goal is fitness, weight loss, or simply being able to handle life itself, strength training provides the best outcomes for bones, strength, and overall health — especially when paired with good nutrition.
You don’t have to only lift weights. Cardiovascular exercise is important too, but for me, strength training always comes first. I don’t think I would have gone from osteopenia to normal bone density, or from insulin resistance to better blood glucose control, without it.
Strength training also gave me confidence to get started with and to enjoy cardio exercise.
Now, when life interrupts my routine, I always return to weights first; then cardio follows.
What happens when you lift weights?
Resistance training of any kind sends strong messages to your cells that they are being used, and that they need to regenerate. That’s what leads to stronger muscles and bones, and better insulin sensitivity. Whether it’s strength, cardio fitness, or metabolic health - all your cells start to respond to the stimulus, this encourages them to work better, and you get stronger and healthier as a result.
Providing, that is, that you give your cells the tools to do the job… that’s where nutrition comes in.
Learning the hard way
Strength training sparked my interest in nutrition. The more results I saw, the more I wanted in terms of strength, fitness, and how I was feeling. But I soon learned that you hit a ceiling pretty quickly with training if you don’t know what you’re doing with nutrition.
Dr Google and my gym membership had got me so far, but pretty quickly I got stuck down some very frustrating rabbit-holes as I tried to learn more. It was a frustrating learning curve, but an invaluable one, and one that led me to study.
Consistency over perfection
At times I’ve taken a lot of flak for the groove I got into with my training and nutrition - but consistency pays off. When these things become part of your lifestyle and align with your values, you’re much more likely to give them the time they deserve even when others don’t get it.
I’ve had to adapt to all sorts of things over the years - but that’s the point: consistency doesn’t mean doing the same thing all of the time, or being perfect. Consistency means flexing and changing to adapt to whatever life throws at you.
These values skills - they stay with you.
You can do it too
If you’ve hit your tipping point, or a ceiling in your training or fitness, I know exactly how that feels. Chances are your nutrition is the leg-up you need, and that’s something I can help you with.
If you need help aligning your nutrition with your health and exercise, get in touch with me here:
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