Break Free from the ‘Too Late’ Mindset: Midlife Fitness and Vitality after Menopause [Ep 38]

In this empowering episode, host Lisa DuPree breaks down the myth that it’s “too late” to prioritize fitness and wellness after menopause. Lisa shares personal stories and actionable tips to help women in midlife break free from this mindset. Whether you’ve been inactive or feel past your prime, Lisa encourages listeners to challenge the “too old” mindset and refocus on achievable health goals.

She also highlights a free “Jumpstart Checklist for Energy, Strength, and Confidence,” a resource specifically designed for women over 50 looking to take simple, effective steps to lose weight, build strength and confidence. 

Episode Highlights
00:00 Introduction: Breaking the 'Too Late' Mindset
00:34 Reflecting on Timing and Life Changes
02:33 Understanding the 'Too Old' Mindset
04:02 Empowering Fitness Story
09:35 Practical Tips for Achieving Goals
14:09 Conclusion: It's Never Too Late

Thanks for listening!

🎉 Free Resources 🎉

Jumpstart Checklist - Download the checklist and jumpstart your journey to a fitter, stronger, more confident and happier you. Get it here!

To help you set positive, motivating goals you are excited about, get this free Goal Setting for Success Worksheet.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to Midlife Mojo, the podcast all about how to be fit and flourish in your fifties. With me, your host with over 25 years of experience in the health, fitness, and wellness industry, Lisa DuPree. We'll be talking about all the things that support living life to the fullest. 

[00:00:26] Hello Hello. I'm so excited you're here today because we're diving into mindset and the idea that it's too late to make a change. Have you ever thought I'm in my fifties, it's too late to start working out. Or I've been out of a shape for so long that there's just no point in trying now. I've heard this from several women and guess what? 

[00:00:53] It's just not true. So today we're going to break free from this too late mindset. 

[00:01:00] First, let's talk about timing. Can you believe that we are already in the last quarter of this year, fall is here and it is such a great time just to pause and look back at how the year's been going for you. What's been going well. What has been challenging? 

[00:01:22] Maybe there are some goals that you said earlier in the beginning of the year that you haven't fully committed to yet, or maybe you haven't gotten as much traction on them as you'd hoped you'd have by this time of the year. Or, maybe just life got in the way, whatever it is. It's okay. For me fall has always been a really busy season. For the last 14 years, it was all about this huge general health education course that I taught in a program. I directed that course took over my life every fall. And it had about 1500 students to manage. So it was, yeah, it was everything for the fall. 

[00:02:02] But now since I've retired from my academic position and I'm spending more time in Florida fall has really taken on a new meaning. And guess what? Hurricanes have been a big part of that. I'm from Atlanta and hurricanes were never on my radar. But in the past two months, I've been through two in Southwest Florida. 

[00:02:24] And after this most recent one, my partner and I have been spending really long days, we've spent like three or four days over at my in-law's house, cleaning up after their house flooded. They got about 18 inches to two feet of seawater in their house. And honestly, it's mind blowing. 

[00:02:44] But I really found myself thinking. I'm too old for this, and my partner agreed. So we were able to just bond over like how hard it was and it's like, whew, That this is hard and I just feel too old for this. And it's funny because that moment got me thinking there are two types of too old mindsets. One is like I felt with the hurricane cleanup, just not wanting to deal with the situation or a specific scenario anymore. But the other kind., the kind I want to talk more about today is the mindset that says I'm too old and because of that, I'm not capable of doing “this “anymore. I'm not capable of doing X, Y, and Z. That's the mindset we need to tackle today. 

[00:03:37] So let's dive in. Let's start with why we even have this mindset in the first place. There is so much societal pressure, especially on women, that says after a certain time in life, after a certain age, it's time to slow down. You can't keep up. It's time to stop focusing on yourself or for women, especially that our value is lesser because of our age. And that physical decline is just part of the deal. I know you've heard things like you're past your prime. Or at your age, you should just be taking it easy. I've heard that recently with pivoting my life. But here's the thing. 

[00:04:23] That's not our narrative. And that's not how it has to be either. In fact, starting a fitness routine or starting to work on a new health goal in your fifties, or even beyond your fifties can be one of the most empowering things that you will ever do in your life. And it's not about being perfect. It's about progress and it's about showing up for yourself. Just last week. I was doing an upper body workout, trying to do a pull up. In my head I heard myself say. I'm too old to do this. 

[00:04:57] And then I thought about it and I was like, wait a minute. I am not too old to do a pull up. I just can't do one yet. So. I got my behind up on the assistant pull-up machine and knocked out three sets of 10. With help. And that's a really good start. So I had to battle that initial gut reaction of, oh, I'm too old, with a more empowering thought of I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it. 

[00:05:27] I'm going to figure it out and I'm going to go for it. And that is the key. Whether it's fitness, whether it's weight, loss managing stress, or really any other goal, it's never too late. You just haven't gotten there yet. And think about this - the next three months are your chance to refocus, recommit and make some real progress before this year ends. Whether that is building more strength, whether it is losing weight or just feeling more energized and confident, there is still plenty of time to make it happen. And this is the perfect opportunity. To set fresh new goals or refocus and show yourself what's possible by the end of the year. So before we dive deeper into today's topic, I wanted to share something really exciting with you. 

[00:06:20] If you're ready to break free from the too late mindset and start taking steps toward feeling stronger, leaner and more energized, I've created a free resource just for you. It's called the jumpstart checklist for energy, strength and confidence. And it is designed, especially for women, just like you to get started with simple, actionable steps. I'll tell you more about that at the end of today's episode, but trust me, you don't want to miss it. 

[00:06:49] Now I want to share another story with you. Lynda is 54. And she really just felt like her best days were behind her. She was dealing with weight gain, especially around her midsection, low energy and just an overwhelming feeling of What's the point. But something inside her decided to push forward. And so Linda started walking around the block in her neighborhood every day for about 10 minutes. She walks slowly. And then those walks became longer. The she decided to add some light strength training. This is where she started from. Fast forward six months and not only has Linda lost weight, but she's also built muscle. And she feels more energized and more confident than she has in years. So Linda's story is proof that it's not necessarily about age. It really has to do with attitude and consistency. So Linda, if you're listening, you've done an amazing job. 

[00:07:59] You are a true example of how fitness isn't bounded by any age. It's bound by mindset. So now I'm going to hear from you all. What's one thing that you've always wanted to do for your health or fitness, but you thought it just might be too late to start. Or if you've already made a change after 50 what's helped you most. I'd love for you to send me a message and share your thoughts, and you can easily do that by clicking the Send Lisa a Text link in the show notes. 

[00:08:28] So how do we move past the belief that it's too late or that we're too old? First, I want to encourage you to stop comparing yourself to others. And also stop comparing your now with the younger version of yourself. You know, when it comes to other people, we are all in different seasons of life and we've all walked a different path. And then when it comes to comparing yourself now to a younger version of self, I like to think each season is different for us. Each season as we age is different and each season has its own benefits. 

[00:09:10] There's a beauty in each of those seasons. And just because you're in your fifties, doesn't mean you can't make progress and achieve your goals. 

[00:09:20] And here's something powerful. There've been studies showing that starting or continuing strength training in midlife can actually reverse age related muscle loss. That means that you can get stronger, you can build muscle, you can feel and function better at any age. To just imagine walking into the last couple of months of this year, feeling empowered and confident, knowing that you've really committed to improving your health and your fitness and your overall wellness. 

[00:09:55] And y'all know, I'm all about practical steps to help you get into action and make these things happen. 

[00:10:02] So let's talk about how you can restart a goal, start a new goal or refocus or recommit. And make these next few months really count. I have five tips for you. And the examples I'm going to use for these tips are mostly exercise-related, but these tips can apply to any goal. First one. Start small. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all at once. Or trying to make up for lost time. and then not being able to build that consistency and not being able to continue on by trying to do it too much, too soon. If it's been a while since you've worked out, start with something simple. 

[00:10:44] Start with walking, start with doing body weight exercises for the major muscle groups. And then add in some stretching. So you want to start small something that is achievable. And that brings me to tip number two, which is set realistic goals. So be honest with yourself about where you are and also where you want to go. Aim for result that you can make progress on in the next four weeks to get started. 

[00:11:16] So that could mean just moving your body more three days a week, or it could be drinking three more cups of water a day so that you're really well hydrated. Or it could be getting seven hours of sleep a night. If seven hours of sleep, seven nights a week, doesn't seem realistic for you. Start with three or four days a week, and then celebrate those small wins from setting those realistic achievable goals. 

[00:11:46] The third tip is find a routine or activities that you enjoy. This is key. If you hate what you're doing, you're not going to stick with it. So find something related to what you're working toward, that outcome that you want a step toward it. Find something within that process that really lights you up and makes you look forward to doing the work. Because it's all about getting in there and doing the work. For exercising, maybe you love dancing or hiking. This time of year is great for it. 

[00:12:26] Or maybe you like swimming and you dislike walking. And you don't like biking. So don't include biking. Go out into nature and hike or, find a dance class, something like that. Find something that you enjoy doing so that you'll stick with it. The fourth tip is prioritize recovery. As we age recovery becomes even more important. For exercise goal specifically, make sure that you are warming up properly, that you are stretching to allow for muscle flexibility, but also mobility around the joints. And then allowing your body time to rest and recover between workouts for other goals, just make sure you have some downtime to rejuvenate and incorporate some self-care into that. 

[00:13:19] Number five is getting support. Surround yourself with like-minded women who are on a similar path who have similar goals. Or who have already walked down that path. Maybe they've accomplished some of the things that you're looking to accomplish. That support, that connection in that community can make all the difference. And you don't have to go it alone. 

[00:13:48] Speaking of support, I've got something that can help you get started off on the right foot. And that is my jumpstart checklist for energy, strength and confidence. It is completely free. This checklist is designed specifically for women over 50, who want to get stronger leaner and more energized. 

[00:14:08] It's filled with practical tips and easy to follow strategies to help you build muscle, lose fat and boost your confidence all while fitting it into your busy schedule. You can grab it right now by heading over to the link in the show notes or by visiting my website at lisadupreecoaching.com/checklist. This is a great first step toward breaking free from that too late mindset. And showing yourself what is possible. It's never too late to start to set a new goal or to refocus and recommit to taking action. To see real results. You are not too old. 

[00:14:50] It is not too late. Midlife is not the end. It's the beginning, a beginning of a whole new chapter that you had the ability to author. And that chapter is about showing up, showing up for yourself every single day. 

[00:15:10] All right. If you found this episode, helpful, make sure to follow the show so you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes. And if you know someone who needs to hear this message, share it with them. Let's spread the word that midlife is the time for being fit and flourishing. Thank you so much for listening until next time. Get out there and keep your mojo rising.