5 Habits You *MUST* Master to Become Lean for Women Over 40

Most women over 40 want to feel tight and lean, right? If you have ever wondered what it really takes to get lean and stay that way, this episode is for you. I walk you through 5 habits and body composition strategies that will help you shift the way you see your body and body fat. You will learn what to focus on instead of weight loss, the kind of nutrition that supports a lean body, the most important upgrade in your workouts, and my favorite anchor meal.I share the story of my friend who has incredible DEXA scans, great body composition, and crushes it at the gym. She looks like the picture of health, but even she found it tough to lose a bit more fat. It is not just about effort. It is about mindset. We have been taught to see body fat as a problem, and that can mess with how we approach fitness.At the end of the day, we are all chasing a feeling. That feeling is usually feeling good. And let me tell you, it feels amazing to feel good in your own body.Here’s the thing: focusing on fat loss alone doesn’t work. When you only focus on losing weight, you often end up using strategies that break down your muscles. That is not what we want. Instead, shift your focus to performance. Start to think like an athlete. You will see that as your muscle grows, fat comes off more easily. Get into the habit of tracking your workouts and increasing the intensity. When your fitness goes up, fat tends to come off naturally.Now let’s get into nutrition advice for women. Did you know it’s really easy to eat more calories than your body needs, and that exercise does not burn nearly as many calories as people think? Fitness trackers often exaggerate calories burned for women over 40, so take those with a grain of salt. Remember, your workouts are not meant to cancel out last night’s dinner. They are meant to improve your body so you naturally burn more throughout the day.And finally, the most important training habit for women over 40 is progression. If you want to change your body, you need to increase the weight you lift. For women over forty, this is especially important. Increasing your strength month by month builds the kind of muscle that sticks around and gives your metabolism a serious lift.If all of this feels confusing, it’s probably because you are getting too many mixed messages from the internet. The truth is actually simple. Build muscle with strength training, and get your nutrition right.If you're interested in womens health, this is the podcast for you. Topics covered(02:55) Stop approaching health from a “loss” perspective(13:47) Don’t focus on losing fat, but becoming an athlete, and watch the fat melt off(15:55) Learn to not let other people’s opinions impact your health journey and watch your leanest self ever emerge(31:49) Eat a 50/25/25 split at breakfast and watch your energy levels and workouts TRANSFORM(34:19) Focus on progressive weight loads in your strength training to maximize your workoutsResources MentionedResearch about the International Society of Sports’ stance on nutritionTranscripts can be found at hollyperkins.com/blogFollow Me:Find me on Instagram: @hollyperkinsLearn more on my website: hollyperkins.comConnect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/HollyPerkinsFitness Disclaimer: Content and information as part of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast is for general interest, education, and entertainment purposes only. The use of information on this podcast or materials or products linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.