Cute Weights, Clumsy Moves!
Midlife fitness isn’t about “bouncing back” - it’s about building strength for what’s next.
These days, my version of fitness isn’t about chasing marathons or pushing myself to the limit. It’s being genuinely comfortable in a bikini (often paired with a trucker hat!!), a broken toe from sprinting to switch the laundry (yes, that really happened), and lifting weights simply because I like feeling strong. I move because it supports my life, not to prove anything to anyone.
I’ve always been a mover. There was a time my whole identity lived in the pool. I spent half my childhood smelling like chlorine. Swim team was my life. Flip turns, endless laps, and the crispy hair with that faint green tint we all pretended was totally normal.
Later, when life got heavier, I found running. It started as a little jog to clear my head. Then it became a kind of survival strategy. Running to stay sane. To feel something move forward when everything else felt stuck. Miles stacked like therapy receipts.
But here’s the thing: I skipped a whole chapter.
All that talk about strength training? Weighted vests? Hard. No. I didn’t have time for gym bros flexing in mirrors or the idea that I should “build my glutes” like some kind of late-in-life Kardashian project.
Recently, though, I’ve started easing up on the cardio and adding in what I like to call “cute, not crazy” weights - thanks to a few moves I shamelessly stole from Instagram. Squats with a dumbbell that doesn’t make me cry. Bicep curls that don’t require grunting.
Fitness that feels doable. Fitness that feels like mine.
And sometimes it looks like turning the living room into a sweaty dance floor, blasting It Takes Two (Rob Base, forever a mood) and then flipping to Get Low. My midlife version of “to the window, to the wall” usually ends somewhere between the coffee table and an ice pack. At this point, my personal disaster choreography counts more than any squat ever will.
My Aussie man? Honestly, he was relieved. The second I picked up weights, he thought I was about to go full competition mode, traveling to senior fitness expos, vying for trophies in a “Silver Strength” category (is that even real?). Sorry babe. No spray tans or flex-offs in my future. Just me staying strong enough to carry laundry (so many loads), groceries, and my own damn suitcase.
Speaking of laundry: my coordination is a joke. I can fall off a couch… and have… while sitting. A couple months ago, I broke my pinky toe rounding a corner too fast — inside the house — on my way to fold laundry. Post-menopausal athleticism is basically me sprinting into walls and injuring myself indoors.
But here’s what I’ve learned: fitness in midlife isn’t punishment. It’s not about shrinking yourself or proving you still “have it.” I still wear a bikini, not to meet anyone’s standard or to look “good for my age,” but simply because I want to. My body is mine. It’s allowed to take up space. It’s allowed to enjoy the sun.
I move for me now. For strength. For sanity. For the small joy of not feeling like a rusty hinge when I get out of bed.
The Real Girls Guide to Midlife Fitness
Do what feels good. If that’s running, run. If it’s walking, walk. If it’s dancing in your kitchen, crank the music.
Add strength, your way. Cute weights, resistance bands, or hauling Costco-sized packs of paper towels up the stairs. It counts.
Balance matters. Stretch, breathe, and give yourself the gift of recovery days.
No guilt. If you skip a workout, guess what? The world doesn’t implode.
Kindness is the new competition. Stop comparing yourself to the 25-year-old at the gym. You’re in a whole new league.
Laugh at yourself. When you stub your toe getting the laundry basket or fall off the couch, just own it. That’s part of the game.
Wear. The. Damn. Bikini. Because you like it. Period.
Midlife fitness isn’t about going harder. It’s about going smarter. It’s about building a body that carries us forward - with grit, with laughter, and yes, with a few “cute not crazy” curls along the way.
Movement is medicine. The best workout is the one that feels like you: strong enough to carry the groceries, unbothered enough to dance in the kitchen, and free enough to wear whatever you damn well please on the beach!
#RealGirlsGuide, #MidlifeFitness, #StrongNotStressed, #CuteNotCrazyWorkouts, #MovementIsMedicine, #BikiniConfidence
We’ve earned every wrinkle. Might as well make more laugh lines together.
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Amen sis!