The 80% Rule I Kept Breaking 🥴

Why I Gained Weight this Year

🎉 It’s my birthday week! 🥳

And every time I’m blessed with another trip around the sun, I like to take a moment (or two) to reflect and project.

👉 Reflect on any health and fitness accomplishments from the past year

👉 Project what I’d like to prioritize or improve upon in the coming year

The truth is…

Perimenopause hit me like a ton of bricks this past year.

I knew it was brewing, but I had to make some unplanned shifts along the way.

It is my sincere hope that sharing my personal journey in this newsletter, the struggles AND the victories will be helpful for you too!

‍

Why This Matters

It’s easy to put coaches on a health pedestal and assume it’s easier for them—but we’re midlife women too, navigating changing bodies, hormones, busy lives, and motivation dips just like you. When you stop comparing and realize we’re all figuring this out imperfectly together, it becomes much easier to pursue your own goals with confidence.

‍

FITNESS SIMPLIFIED

Ready to see what my bingo card showed for the past 12 months?

Joint pain, random tendinitis, energy lows, motivation loss and even some weight gain defined much of my fitness experience. 🥴

‍
Fitness Tip to Help YOU Stay the Course

Make Muscle Mass & Joint Mobility Your North Star

So often, when random aches, weight creep, low energy, and nagging pains rear their ugly heads, it can all feel unrelated.

But most often, they point back to the same solution: build muscle & protect your mobility.

💡 More muscle mass boosts metabolism, increases energy, and lowers injury risk.

💡 Better mobility helps you move with ease, reduces pain and bolsters motivation.

The good news is that I stayed consistent with strength training & mobility this past year.

And I’m very proud of that.

But my left rotator cuff and hip flexor muscles are reminding me that they could use more than just consistency. They need some targeted attention.

So, what are my next steps?

Do what’s necessary to resolve these pain points.

Then push myself to keep lifting and do some kind of mobility work every day.

This move below is my favorite mobility move—I do it almost every day because it truly targets everything!

‍

The 4-Step Lunge

Step One—Deep lunge with elbow to ankle (or as close as you can get it)
Step Two—Rotate & reach up to the sky
Step Three—Plant your hands and straighten out the front leg
Step Four—Sit up tall for the hip flexor stretch at the end
Do 3-4 reps per side

Extra Tip: Use a prop—like a yoga block, chair or even a foam roller—to help boost you up if you feel extremely tight.

Did You Know...

In all my years of training, I have yet to work with someone who has a “perfect body” without any pain or issues somewhere. If you’re frustrated that you always seem to have something going on, there is nothing wrong with you.

Your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders are the joints that lose the most mobility as you age. Doing an active stretch every day for each of these body parts can save you decades of poor function and misery.

More muscle mass directly translates to faster metabolism, better body fat composition, less risk of injury, better glucose tolerance, improved digestion, fluid circulation, healthier joints, denser bones and greater confidence 🤩. Who doesn’t want all that!?!

‍

NUTRITION SIMPLIFIED

Upon reflection of my nutrition, I feel confident that I made healthy choices—primarily PROtein & PROduce—at 80-90% of my meals.

But, there’s another 80% target that I ignored way too often…

And likely is what lead to the few extra pounds.

‍

Nutrition Tip to Help YOU Stay the Course

Stop Eating at 80% Full

When you slow down and truly pay attention while you eat, there’s a moment when your hunger fades and you feel comfortably satisfied — not stuffed.

That’s about 80% full.

And that’s your sweet spot.

I’ll be honest — I often blow right past it.

Usually because I’m eating too fast and not tuning in.

Even healthy foods can lead to overeating when we rush.

One simple shift?

Choose meals that naturally slow you down.

🌻 Vitamin E - sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, spinach, broccoli

One of my favorites is served piping hot — it forces me to pause, breathe, and notice when I’ve had enough.

Sometimes the most powerful nutrition strategy isn’t what you eat… it’s how you eat.

‍

Michelle’s Beef Chili

More ideas to slow down your meals:

Make meals that require assembly: tacos, fajitas and lettuce wraps are great hands-on options
Choose bone-in meats for your PROtein as they require more work to eat around the bone
Opt for shellfish that requires a little work, such as cracked crab, lobster tail or shell on shrimp

MINDSET SIMPLIFIED

The one thing I’ve had to learn over and over this year was to give myself grace when I felt like my body was failing me.

Grace upon grace some days.

As a former athlete, I can push myself HARD.

Being forced to slow down to deal with injuries, while experiencing changes in my body composition and energy has been extremely frustrating.

But it has been important to heed the advice I frequently give clients, friends and family members:

Be patient, give grace, just keep going.

‍

Mindset Tip to Help YOU Stay the Course

Give Yourself GRACE and Just Keep Going

‍

THE TAKEAWAY

This issue has felt a little vulnerable for me, but it helps to know that we’re all facing our own ups and downs with our bodies. And I hope it helps you too. Going back to the basics as we progress through perimenopause and onward through menopause will serve us in the long run. My goal is to be as active, healthy and able for many decades to come.

Make Muscle Mass & Joint Mobility Your North Star
Stop Eating at 80% Full
Give Yourself GRACE and Just Keep Going

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Self Care Simplified podcast

SELF CARE SIMPLIFIED PODCAST EP 199. Burnout and Overtraining - Warning Signs, Symptoms, and Strategies for How to Avoid It

‍SELF CARE SIMPLIFIED PODCAST EP 328. STOP Feeling Old! Reverse Mobility Loss & Improve Joint Health to Feel Younger!

SELF CARE SIMPLIFIED PODCAST EP 208. How to Stop Panicking When You Get Off Track

SPECIAL RESOURCE

If you’re ready to incorporate more mobility moves into your routine, this video includes some of my absolute favorites. This is one feel-good stretching routine you don’t want to miss!

20 MIN BEGINNER FLEXIBILITY ROUTINE // Follow Along

Until next week... Be strong‍

Past newsletters

Browse All