Exercising for Energy and Confidence: How Fitness Transforms Your Midlife [Ep 42]

Explore how exercise can be a powerful tool for boosting energy and confidence during midlife. Lisa shares why movement is one of the most effective ways to combat fatigue, sharpen mental clarity, and enhance mood. She also discusses the connection between fitness and self-confidence, explaining how building strength and achieving exercise goals can positively impact how you feel about yourself.

Lisa wraps up with practical tips to make exercise enjoyable and sustainable, along with an invitation to her free five-day mini-course, Midlife Mojo Jumpstart. Designed for women over 50, this program focuses on simple strategies to feel stronger, leaner, and more energized. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for new inspiration, this episode offers actionable advice to help you flourish.

Thanks for listening!

🎉 Free Resources 🎉 

Weight Loss Archetype Quiz - A short quiz to discover your Weight Loss Archetype and get personalized insights to help you break free from patterns keeping you stuck.

Jumpstart Checklist - Download the checklist and jumpstart your journey to a fitter, stronger, more confident and happier you. Get it here!

Midlife Mojo Jumpstart mini-course to create a health and fitness plan that fits your lifestyle. Over five days, you’ll receive actionable tips to improve your nutrition, exercise, and recovery—all tailored to the unique needs of midlife.

To help you set positive, motivating goals you are excited about, get this free Goal Setting for Success Worksheet.

Transcript

[00:00:00]  Hello, hello, everyone. And welcome back to another episode of Midlife Mojo. I'm your host, Lisa DuPree. I've been traveling a little bit. It's a holiday week here. So I'm not in my usual setup. I'm excited to be able to do this on the go I've been talking a good bit in the past few episodes about strength training and the importance of maintaining or building muscle . Today we're going to focus on the mental and emotional benefits as well as a little bit of the physical as we dive into exercising for energy and confidence.

[00:00:35] Sometimes life, especially after 50, feels like a roller coaster, our energy levels fluctuate a good bit, our bodies are changing and the confidence that we've had in the past may feel like there's a good bit of ebb and flow. And here's the deal. Fitness can be a game changer for feeling energized and confident in your fifties and beyond.

[00:00:58] Before we dive in to todays topic, I want to just take a moment to reflect on something I've been thinking about this week. And that's gratitude because we've just celebrated Thanksgiving here in the U S and I'm feeling especially thankful for the incredible Midlife Mojo community. I'm also so grateful for the way our bodies are capable of moving and adapting and growing stronger.

[00:01:23] And it's this gratitude that really fuels my passion for helping you feel your best. So let's start with energy. We've all experienced a midday slump, right? You know, for me, it's around 3 p. m. my brain starts just being really foggy. It's hard to think or concentrate. And there's a strong temptation to reach for a sugary snack or caffeinated beverage.

[00:01:51] And one of the things I want to really focus on is that exercise is actually one of the most effective ways to increase your energy levels. Now, I know that sounds counterintuitive to put more effort out when you're already feeling drained or tired. But when you are moving your body is going to respond.

[00:02:16] It responds in a couple of different ways. So one way is Your body actually produces more mitochondria, mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells and the powerhouses of energy production. So both endurance and resistance training stimulate this process. And it increases the number and the efficiency of mitochondria in the muscle cells, which overall enhances energy production and overall vitality.

[00:02:45] Also exercise has some powerful cognitive benefits. Research shows that even short bouts of physical activity can improve focus, mental clarity, and your brain's ability to process and consolidate information, which really helps with overall kind of that mid afternoon brain fogginess. 

[00:03:06] Physical activity does this by increasing blood flow to the brain. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to help improve cognitive performance and reduces mental fatigue. So not only will you feel more physically energized after a quick movement break, but you'll also find it easier to focus, think more clearly, and then tackle tasks.

[00:03:28] With a renewed kind of mental sharpness. And so the result of all this is a more natural, sustainable energy boost that fuels your body and your mind. You don't need to do hours in the gym to see these benefits, like a quick brisk 20 minute walk or a yoga flow that you can do without equipment or a 15 minute strength training session, all these work.

[00:03:54] And for me, when that 3 p.m. energy dip hits I've found that stepping outside for a few minutes, walking around, doing a few like jumping jacks, sipping a glass of cold water afterwards. That's my routine to help reset my focus and re energize myself in the short term.

[00:04:17] Whereas working out more consistently helps boost energy and maintain that vitality and energy in the long run. So these intentional acts of physical activity can make a big difference. Now let's talk about confidence. One of the biggest benefits of regular exercise is how it transforms your mindset, how you think about things.

[00:04:41] Because when you commit to exercising, physical activity, just moving your body, you start to feel stronger. You actually get stronger. But it's not just physically, it's mentally as well.

[00:04:54] Midlife often brings changes in weight, like with weight gain, where we store our weight, more so around our midsection, storing extra fat there losing muscle if we're continuing to be sedentary and we're not working to offset that natural And I'm going to talk about aging process and also feeling less agile.

[00:05:19] These shifts can really shake our confidence, but exercise helps you get that back. As you build strength and endurance, you'll notice changes in how you feel. You're going to feel stronger, you're going to feel more capable and more empowered to tackle any challenges life is going to throw your way. There's a study on the effects of exercise on self perception and self esteem that was published in the handbook of sports psychology. And it explained that exercise positively impacts your self perception, like how you see yourself, your self esteem and your body image, particularly.

[00:05:58] Particularly when individuals noticed improvements in their strength, in their endurance or their body composition. Bandura's theory of self efficacy suggests that accomplishing challenging tasks like a workout.

[00:06:13] builds confidence in your ability. Exercise often involves setting and achieving goals, reinforcing that sense of mastery, and that mastery and accomplishment carries over into every other area of your life. And when you pair this sense of mastery and accomplishment with gratitude, and that's being thankful for what your body can do and not focusing on what it can't do. It's a powerful foundation for lasting confidence. All right. So let's talk about mood a little bit. I know that you probably heard of the runner's high, right?

[00:06:54] It is real and it's because of those endorphins, those feel good hormones that are released during exercise, but you don't need to run to experience it. Any type of movement can boost your mood and leave you feeling happier, less stressed, and more positive. The key, it really is to find exercises that you enjoy.

[00:07:14] If it feels like a punishment or if it feels like penance for say eating something that maybe You know, feel is not like a good food. You're not gonna stick with it, and It's just not gonna feel rewarding, right?

[00:07:32] So thinking about what can you do choosing some sort of exercise or movement that is really lights you up. Something that you enjoy, something that's rewarding in and of itself and keeps you coming back for more. That can be anything. There's so many different ways to move. My go to's really are dancing, dancing while I'm cooking for Thanksgiving. It's going to happen. , everybody knows if I'm in the kitchen and I'm cooking, chances are there is going to be some red hot chili peppers playing and I'm going to be dancing around doing all the things, and so that helps boost my mood, boost my energy. Things like. Cycling, swimming, hiking, being outdoors, walking, just even walking outdoors, walking through the woods any of those type of things they have rewards in and of themselves and they make you feel good in the moment, but then there's that payoff long term because you can be more consistent with it because you enjoy doing it, thinking of, again, going back to what your body can do, being thankful for what it can do.

[00:08:41] Think of movement, the ability to move our bodies in however we can move them, is, it's a gift. It's something that we can be thankful for every single day., So I want to invite you to take a moment and think about one thing that you've been able to do that your body has been able to do this week that you're thankful for.

[00:09:06] Maybe it's just going out and walking your dog and playing fetch in the yard, or it could be, having a lot of family around, keeping up with their grandkids. Like for me this week, I am really, really thankful for my body. To just be able to do a bunch of stuff around the house.

[00:09:24] Cleaning. Cleaning, not fun, but I can do it and not worry about getting hurt. Not worry about being sore. Rearranging furniture. Did some of that. And then spatchcocking a 15 pound turkey. That takes a little bit of of effort. Yeah, those are the simple things I'm thankful that I'm able to do this week.

[00:09:43] So when you approach fitness with gratitude and what your body can do, it really shifts your mindset and it can make the process of exercising, being consistent, and being productive.

[00:09:55] And speaking of rewarding, I've got an exciting opportunity to help you kickstart your fitness and health goals. If you are ready to feel leaner, stronger, more energized, as we head into the new year, I am running a free five day mini course called Midlife Mojo Jumpstart. It is designed specifically for women over 50 who want to lose fat, build strength, and boost their confidence. Each day, we're going to focus on a simple doable strategy to help you eat more effectively, move purposefully, sleep better and up level your mindset.

[00:10:30] You'll also get access to daily accountability. As well as live virtual office hours with me every week for extra support and to get your questions answered

[00:10:41] You can grab your spot now by heading to lisadupreecoaching.com/jumpstart or clicking the link in the show notes and it's totally free. So invite a friend to join. Let's kick off the new year together feeling our absolute best. To recap, fitness is an incredible tool for boosting energy, lifting mood, helping you feel strong and confident, especially over 50.

[00:11:06] Regular exercise, not only energizes your body by that physical adaptation that happens, but it also sharpens your mind, enhances focus, mental clarity, and mental health. As well as the ability to process information and consolidate information. So it's cognitive benefits. Plus those feel good hormones that are released during movement can help you handle stress and feel more positive.

[00:11:31] Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I'm so grateful for you and for the opportunity to share these insights with you. Remember being fit and flourishing is about showing up for yourself, finding what works for you. And then taking small consistent steps. So get out there and keep your mojo rising.