Strength Training for Women over 40 {Exercise Motivation}

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Are you over 40 and wondering how to strength train especially when you are lacking the motivation? Do you hate to exercise? Wondering how to get the motivation to exercise? Do you want to get more strength so your body can feel stronger? 

In this episode, I coach Leah through the process of moving from hating strength training to finding a way she can get started! 

We touch on topics:

-Building strength for women over 40

-Building muscle strength to prevent injury

-Increasing flexibility of muscles to prevent injury

-Finding the motivation to exercise when you hate it

-How often should you strength train to gain muscle?

-Importance of adding in strength training & stretching for runners

Listen here or head to Healthy Beyond 40 on your favorite podcast player!

Transcripts:

Michele Riechman: [00:00:00] Leah, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm so glad you're allowing me to coach you. So let's dig right in it today. So tell me a little bit about what you wanna talk about. I know you wanted to talk about exercise. Yes. 

Leah: Well, thanks for chatting with me. I have been a runner since I was about nine years old, and that has been my.

 Exercise of choice since then, kind of off and on, but mostly on. But I'm getting to the point that my body isn't taking the pounding all that well. Also, my mom has pretty significant osteoporosis and I'm very similar to her, so I just know in order to maintain.

The running that I'd like to do and to really care for myself for the long term. I need to be working in more stretching and more strength training. But the problem is I kind of despise both of those things. So I would [00:01:00] love to hear your recommendations on. How do I incorporate strength training if I'm not at a gym 

Michele Riechman: yeah, yeah. So you sort of have this gap, you know,I know strength training and stretching would be good for me. , but I really don't like it when I've tried it before. So what is it that you haven't liked about strength training? I 

Leah: think. , it's not aerobic and I'm so u you know, running is aerobic and I'm so used to that that it just doesn't feel as rewarding to me because I don't get that ar like runner's high at the end.

So much. And the repetition I don't love and I'm really kind of, I'm kind of a shrimp, I'm kind of a noodle , so I feel like I'm just not doing a very good. When I, especially like upper body, I'm just not strong at all, so I kind of feel disappointed in myself when 

Building strength as you age

Michele Riechman: So you get exercise that's beneficial. Yeah. Yeah. And I think you sort of know, but for people listening, you know, when we start to do strength training and we build muscle that's gonna help increase our metabolism, it helps our bone density. Mm-hmm. , it helps all these things as we age. Because once we start getting past 30, we start to lose muscle mass, especially if we are not.

Doing things to put that muscle on, and we have to strain our muscles for our muscle to break down, rebuild, and grow and get stronger. So that's where that strength training becomes important. And I'm all about strength training at home because that is what I do. So definitely. Oh good. You can use your body weight even, but you can also use things like hand weights or bands, so really?

Mm-hmm. things that aren't expensive to have at home so you can get a quick workout. . And then also, do you have any injuries or anything like that? Well, right 

Leah: now I have bursitis in my [00:03:00] hip, my left hip, which I was training for a half marathon, and I just overdid it and, hurt myself that way.

So that's a current injury, but hopefully it's heal. I've been trying to take it easy and let it. . 

Building strength to prevent injury

Michele Riechman: Yeah. So have you been running or exercising at all? No. Just a total break. Yeah, for the most part. Yeah. And so having hip bursitis that also can really help. Typically you have a muscle imbalance and overuse.

Check out this blog if you want to Increase your strength with yoga!

Increasing flexibility to prevent injury

So really making sure that you are adding strength training and flexibility training in when you get back to running, especially, will help more in that prevention of injury. Because sometimes when you're running, the big muscles can sort of take over when the little muscles get tired.

And that's where it can put a strain on that joint. And lead to that, pain that you're feeling in your hip. So have you ever done yoga before? A 

Leah: little bit. [00:04:00] Yeah. Just a little. . 

Michele Riechman: And so have you ever done any strength training before where it was like, that's okay, you didn't like hate it? 

Leah: Sometimes when I, I felt like if I did have a gym membership and I could use some of the machines, so I felt like I knew what I was doing. I didn't hate that, but I didn't, I didn't know how much good it was really doing. So it's hard to be 

Finding the motivation to exercise

Michele Riechman: consistent. Yeah. So sort of knowing what you're doing is gonna be key.

 I also think as just like a mindset shift, knowing that doing the strength training and flexibility training is going to help you keep running. , like how does that sound in your mind? That I 

Leah: think that would be enough. Like that would motivate me enough to. . 

Michele Riechman: Yeah. So first getting that mindset shift.

, because a lot of times when we don't enjoy something, it's hard to hit play and do it. So keeping that mindset shift in mind [00:05:00] as you're starting, and then hopefully we can find a couple things that you link a little bit. And I think especially with you. Doing compound strength exercises.

So once you know how to do a squat, once you know how to do a bicep curl and you get these basics, you can put 'em together. So you're doing a squat okay. And a bicep curl at the same time, and it's a little harder. It gets your heart rate up. So I think that will help make it feel like this is more of a workout.

It's more of a challenge, especially if you're coming from that sort of runner's mindset. Mm-hmm. . . How does that sound? . That sounds, that act. That sounds fun. Yeah. So with you, I would suggest still starting. as you're getting into strength training. You know, with my clients I always teach them how to exercise properly.

So I'm teaching them how to do a squat properly. , how to do an overhead press properly. . So you really wanna make sure that you're learning how to do each exercise correctly. Mm-hmm. before you put 'em together. and that may happen pretty quickly for you, but definitely sort of getting those movements [00:06:00] down, right.

So you're training your muscles correctly. And I also think specific training. muscle strengthening for your hips and adding flexibility exercises for your legs. So that we're really tuning into when you're running that we are strengthening and stretching the right muscles to help prevent injuries.

Have you ever had any other injuries from running? Not really. Okay. Yeah. So that will be a good spot to start at.

If you aren’t sure how to get started check out this blog: How to Get Started Exercising

How often should you strength train?

And then how often do you think you could commit to doing. Strength training a week. Mm-hmm. three or four times a week. Week. Okay. Yeah, I think that's perfect to start at. So especially trying to stick to at least three times a week because usually with 48 hours you're gonna start to lose muscle mass that you're building. So it's important to sort of, That few times a week. So you're taking a rest day, then you're working on that strengthening again and especially , once you get [00:07:00] back to running, you can sort of alternate those days, or you can even run and have a quick strength training exercise.

And so if you're doing strength training three to four times a week, how long would you want each session to last? That sounds doable. 15 minutes. 15. Yeah. And you can totally start there. Okay. And I mean, I sometimes start people at 10 minutes so you can get. a good workout in in 15 minutes especially.

Okay. As you progress and you're learning how to do these exercises quickly, and you can combine them, like I was saying arms and legs together, you're gonna be able to do a 15 minute workout. It's gonna be a little bit higher intensity. but you can get it done quickly. Okay. And then you might need a little more time to stretch after.

Sure. So how does that sound? Good. Do. , do you think there's anything that would come up that would prevent you from doing that? I mean, 

Leah: time is [00:08:00] always tricky, so making sure that I actually. Reserve enough time, especially if we're adding it onto a run. So need to have time for the run, need to have time for strength training, need to have time to stretch.

It just all adds up. So making sure that I can manage my time well. Yeah, but I think I, I think I can. It's just a matter of 

Michele Riechman: prioritizing, and then these next couple weeks as you're still resting your hip and you're not running, when do you see yourself Strength training? Like the morning, evening, evenings.

Okay. 

Leah: Yeah, that's my favorite time to work 

Michele Riechman: out. Yeah. And so do you have a time set aside that that's pretty easy for you to do? That 

Leah: it, varies based on what's going on that day, but usually it's right around five or six. in the evening. Okay. 

Michele Riechman: Typically, yeah. And especially while you are still letting your hip rest mm-hmm.

you know, as putting that into your [00:09:00] calendar mm-hmm. , and then you can sort of build a little bit of momentum before you start adding your runs in there. Yeah. That makes me, and when you do run, how many days a week do you run? Five. Okay. 

Leah: So it's realistically pro, 

Michele Riechman: probably more like four or five.

Yeah. So you could even see as you start running mm-hmm. , do I want to add that strength training to the end or do I want to do that on a different day? So you can play with that too. Okay. Is there any, 

Leah: while my hip is healing, is there any specific exercise that I need to avoid? 

Exercises to avoid when you have pain

Michele Riechman: Yeah. So just as a general thing, since I don't quite know exactly what's going on with you, would be anything that aggravates it. So I know it sounds ok. It hurts so simple. Yeah. you can also perceive your pain a little bit differently. So when you're in pain, you're more likely to feel more pain, you're more likely to be cautious.

And that can sort of increase your pain. So that's one thing to keep in mind. And notice if that's, [00:10:00] Okay. But if you feel like it is healing and your pain is going down, just notice if you do something, does it irritate it? if you worked out and the next day it seems aggravated and know the difference between what muscle soreness feels like and aggravation.

Really paying attention to that. Yeah. So really using your body as a guide. And you probably wouldn't wanna do anything with super high. Like, you don't wanna do over 20 reps. Okay. Because having bursitis, it's almost like overuse injury. So yes, keeping the reps a little bit lower, keeping it pain free, so.

That means if you are maybe doing a leg lift and you're lifting your leg up, if you notice aggravation at the top, next time, lift your leg before that aggravation starts. Mm-hmm. and finding that range of motion. Okay. That feels good to you. Okay. That makes a lot of sense. Okay. Yeah, it was super vague, general information.

It's really super helpful and I think we, yeah, get used to the no [00:11:00] pain, no gain. We sort of can push through pain, we can push through some stuff. Mm-hmm. , but we really need to take a step back and listen to our bodies and notice how things are feeling in our body. That makes a lot of sense.

Perfect. That's helpful. Yeah. So do you have any other questions or anything else that could get in the.

I don't think so. Well, good. Perfect. Well, I'm excited. 

Leah: Well, I was gonna say, this is good timing because I've been able to run so long without any major injuries and to have this one take me out has it made, it's given me a lot of motivation to figure out how can I set myself up to be able to run?

for the long haul. So this is really helpful. 

Importance of adding in strength training & stretching if you are a runner

Michele Riechman: It's great timing. Yeah. And a lot of runners tend not to add in the strength training. I mean, cuz sort of like you said, I mean your time's limited. And if you go out and run and enjoy it, like that's good. You're doing something you love and enjoy. But really building up those muscles, [00:12:00] building up that strength, having that flexibility in there and looking at your body as a whole in what it needs too.

 Yeah. 

Leah: Perfect. 

Michele Riechman: Well, thank you so much for letting me coach you today and being on the show. And before we leave, I just wanted to give Leah a shout out. She is a career and college coach and she coached my daughter Ava, who just turned 16 this weekend because she was all over the place about what she wanted to go to college for and what she wants to study, and started picking out her classes for the next couple years.

And she talked with Leah and Leah helped her narrow down onto what her interests are. She took into account her personality and really gave her some good guidance. And Ava is so much more narrowed down on what she wants to do. It is so helpful, and I didn't even know this was a thing until I met Leah.

So, If anybody out there has any kids or friends or grandkids that are looking into college or not sure what to do in their career [00:13:00] is to reach out to Leah and set up a chat with her because she's truly amazing and it can just really change the trajectory of someone's life and give them so much more focus.

And I know you have a discount to share with us today. Yes, 

Leah: If you go to the website you can sign up for a free 15 minute consultation with me. But a lot of families find. The I do a Myers Briggs and Strong interest inventory package, which is basically career and college major counseling in a two session package.

They find that really helpful. It's a great place to start, so I will do a, a $50 discount on that. If you mentioned that you heard about me from Michelle's show. 

Michele Riechman: Awesome. Yeah, so definitely take advantage of that. Or if you guys know anybody that's going into college or they're in college and they're still not sure about career, yes, definitely reach out and this will give them so much clarity.

Links Mentioned

👉Save 20% on Organifi with the code HEALTHY20 and 35% when you set up a subscription.  My favorites are the green juice, gold, and red juice!
https://www.kbxdj3trk.com/healthy20/

👉Get a  free private health coaching call and let’s figure out how to to get you exercising in a way that feels good! https://forms.gle/L4hvjcMm1Aw4uBUa6

👉 Discover how to work with me {personal training, health coaching, exercise & fitness programs}: https://www.micheleriechman.com/

👉 Get started working out with my 5-Day Exercise Challenge and commit to just 15 minutes a day. Beginner friendly!

https://programs.micheleriechman.com/courses/5-day-exercise-challenge

👉 Get connected with other women and encouraged on your health journey.  Join my private FREE facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/micheleleefitness

👉 Connect with Leah for college and career coaching! Mention Michele Riechman to save $50!

https://www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com/

You got this,

Coach Michele

Disclaimer: This podcast and website represent the opinions of Michele Riechman and her guests. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for informational purposes only.  Please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions or advice.

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