Fit Model After 50: Two Weeks Out: The Grind Before the Glow-Up [Ep 60]

Host Lisa DuPree shares a real and honest check-in just two weeks before stepping on stage for her first physique competition in the Fit Model category. She talks through some of the challenges of the final stretch, the mental fatigue that comes with repetition, and how small, intentional changes, like a new playlist or different seasonings, are helping her stay engaged and consistent.

She also reflects on self-talk, confidence, and choosing to do hard things to build the kind of life she wants heading into her 60s. Lisa gives a quick peek into launching her gluten- and dairy-free bakery, Divine Dough, in the middle of prep. This episode is a reminder that progress doesn’t always look exciting, but it’s built in the everyday choices that keep you moving forward.

Key Moments

[00:20] The grind is real. Small tweaks (music, spices, plating) make it sustainable 

[02:20] Self-talk and how mental fuel matters even more during tough seasons

[03:55] Confidence isn’t something you wait for—it’s something you create

[05:30] A life update: launching Divine Dough and saying yes to a new market

[07:00] Mental resilience in prep while surrounded by baked goods

[08:00] | The grind is where transformation happens—not just physically

Thanks for listening!

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Transcript

Lisa DuPree: [00:00:00] Hello. Hello. Welcome back to Midlife Mojo. I'm Lisa, and today we're officially two weeks out. Two weeks. Yep. Just 14 days till I'll step on stage for my very first physique competition in the fit model category. And so this week I'm just talking about kind of where I am physically, mentally, emotionally, because I am feeling all the feelings this week.

The grind is real. And here's something that's not super clear when setting a big goal and sticking to it for months. It's not just hard at the beginning, it's also hard in the middle, and it's really hard near the end.

When the finish line, you can see it. It is so close. Uh, but you still have to get there. And this week honestly, is just a grind. Um, my food is dialed in, my training is predictable, my energy is low.  I am just trusting the process and staying the course, doing what I can do. I'm [00:01:00] hoping that it's really just the grit before the glow up, so to speak.

Um, and yeah, the same workouts, the same meals, to keep going, I have been leaning into small tweaks, like making a new workout playlist, adding some fresh herbs and different spices to my meals, even plating things in a different way that, so it makes it feel a little different, a little more special.

These small tweaks make it more likely that I'm gonna stick with it, not just because I have to, but because it, it actually feels better. It feels sustainable. It feels like something I want to keep showing up and doing. And when it feels more like mine, more personalized, not just some rigid generic plan that I'm following, I show up more consistently with more energy and a whole lot less resistance.

And this is really [00:02:00] important. It's exactly the kind of approach I use with my clients as well. Really empowering them to find these small shifts. That make their routines and goals feel more doable, more personal, just more theirs, and aligned with you know, what they want to do and, and what their preferences are,

because when it feels like it really fits you, you are far more likely to keep going. And so this ties into something that I've also been thinking about a lot more lately, and that is how someone thinks about change and then also the downstream effect of kind of the self-talk that it creates and, and that running narrative, right?

Because when physical fuel is low, when motivation may be low, mental fuel matters even more. It's just even more critical and there have been so many moments when I've been catching things that I've been [00:03:00] thinking like, you are too tired to go to the gym today. And then, you know, that that can lead to a whole downstream effect of just like, oh, I'm too tired.

I can't do this.  I'm not going to do it. I'm just gonna give up. Uh, but I've really had to notice it and I've been able to counter that thought with, you've done hard things before. You've shown up and done things when you're tired before. Just show up, get to the gym. Do what you can.

Right. This makes so much of a difference. It's not like toxic positivity. It's really just about being honest with yourself and, and some self-leadership. I liken it to talking to yourself like you would talk to a friend. You know, I think about how I would talk to or how I would respond to my client or a [00:04:00] friend who was saying this to me.

And, and that is with respect, with clarity, and with kindness. And so the same goes with confidence, right? I don't always feel confident. Right now I'm doing things I've never done before. I'm doing things that are outside of my comfort zone. Like, so outside of my comfort zone. I'm doing new things. I signed up for it.

Like I want to do that, but I am not always confident doing it. I know that confidence isn't something that you wake up and have one day. It's not something that you wait for. Confidence is something that is created when you show up.

And do it even when you don't feel confident and you're not ready. Right? That's how you get confidence. And this is where for me, posing practice has become such an unexpected teacher. It's not just about hitting a pose. Uh, it's about claiming space. [00:05:00] It's about that energy that you're bringing, the posture, the presence in owning.

Like for me at this point, what my body, It is looking like exactly as it is, right? There are days when I'm bloated, I am super tired. I just feel kind of meh and you know, not feeling it, and I will still get up and practice. I am standing in front of that mirror with my heels on practicing being the version of me that I'm becoming and that I wanna show up as. That practice of embodying confidence is so powerful. 

So other thing that's been coming up lately is, you know, if you've been listening for a while, you might remember that a while ago, um, I had a big transition. I moved to a different state. I retired from a job I'd had for, well, well over a decade. And I was thinking about starting a micro bakery and

[00:06:00] I'm happy to say that I did. I went all in again and did that. It's called Divine Dough and I make gluten-free and dairy-free breads and treats, often with healthier ingredients and more protein than the traditional versions, so I'm super stoked about it. I'm really excited about being able to do that, and I've been baking and selling my products for a couple of months.

Recently I said yes to adding another farmer's market to the mix for, um, the past few weeks. So yeah, I added more to my plate, figuratively and literally while being in a calorie deficit, while still training like an athlete. And was it perfect timing? No, it was not perfect timing. I really, really debated about doing it.

But sometimes when you're working towards something you care about and then you're also building something that you want to see succeed and you have an opportunity to grow. [00:07:00] Sometimes you have to say yes even when the timing isn't ideal, you know? So I went for it, and that's been a part of a big recurring theme in my life right now.

And that's doing hard things on purpose, or at least doing the things that I perceive as hard, you know? Not because I'm trying to prove anything to anyone, I'm not. I'm actively and consciously building the kind of life I want to have as I roll into my sixties. Like that is my driving force, making conscious decisions so that I am building a life that I want to have in my sixth decade, and that's something that means leaning into things that stretch me.

It doesn't mean it's easy. Um, you know, being around cupcakes, granola, and my [00:08:00] newest creation, which is cinnamon rolls. So good. Like, so good. I like cinnamon rolls that I haven't been able to have cinnamon rolls 'cause I've been dairy free and gluten free for a long time. And any you find gluten-free and dairy-free cinnamon rolls, they're really not that good.

I have nailed it. Now I am really deep into prep and eating the same clean meals on repeat. Like, let me tell you, this has been a whole new level of mental resilience. Um, but this week I've really noticed a shift, and maybe it's because I'm in the home stretch and I can see that finish line.

And it's really not about white knuckling the discipline and feeling deprived. It's about trusting that I'm capable of keeping the big picture in mind and making it to that finish line. Like I know now that I can bake and I can build my businesses plural now without abandoning my health and fitness goals.

And I do that by remembering why I'm doing these things. Coaching [00:09:00] and running a bakery might seem like two different ventures, uh, but they're both rooted in helping people feel good in their bodies. And right now adding in doing a body transformation and a competition, you know, adding in that goal just means I'm living out that mission in different ways and I'm living it out in multiple ways, which is super exciting.

It is meaningful to me and that's what keeps me going. So here's what this week has taught me. The grind isn't glamorous, but it is transformational because in the grind you get to meet parts of yourself that you don't usually get to see when things are going easy or you're just coasting along.

I have gotten intimately acquainted with the me that shows up when tired, that goes to the gym when I'm not feeling like putting in the effort. Um, you know, the me that eats the [00:10:00] meal that not everybody else is eating. They're all eating things that look delicious and are delicious. And I'm eating the same meal that I've had for the past three weeks for dinner.

Right? That is the me that honors the small steps, that honors the real progress that I'm making and who stays consistent even when it's feels hard sometimes and when no one is watching at all. Yeah. So if you're in a season that feels repetitive or is bringing up some, you know, heavy emotions, things like that.

Or you've been doing the things and you're not seeing the results fast enough, like hang in there. You just might be in your own version of the grind and like me, you are already, you're building the kind of strength that doesn't always show up in the mirror. 

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love it if you would share it with a friend or leave a quick review. It helps more [00:11:00] women over 50 find the show and helps them to be reminded that they're not alone and that it's not too late to create the results and the life that they want.

Next week is gonna be my final check-in before the competition. I'll likely keep it short and sweet, until then, get out there and keep your mojo rising.