Push Past Your Limits: Big Goals After 50 Matter More Than Ever [Ep 52]

Host Lisa DuPree opens up about her experience training for her first Fit Model bodybuilding competition at age 59. It’s a bold goal that is pushing her to grow in unexpected ways. She reflects on the discomfort, discipline, and mindset shifts that are helping her transform not only her body but also her confidence and sense of purpose.

Lisa shares why setting big goals after 50 is more important than ever, especially for women who may be feeling stuck or uncertain about what's next. She dives into the qualities that are being built on through the experience: inner strength, consistent action, and resilience.

By the end of the episode, you’ll have five practical takeaways to help you step out of your comfort zone and start cultivating the same growth and confidence in your own life — no matter your age or goal.

Key Moments

[02:00] It’s about so much more than looks
[03:00] Rethinking aging narratives and facing limiting beliefs
[04:30] The shift from comfort to challenge
[05:45] How resilience developed through fitness spills into every area of life
[07:00] Three core values rising in midlife: inner strength, discipline, and resilience
[10:00] Five practical ways to apply these principles in your life
[13:00] A challenge to the listener — identify one big, bold goal
[14:00] In next week’s episode: Lisa’s first stage posing practice experience 😳

Want to Win Some Amazing Prizes? 🎉
To celebrate the 3-year anniversary of Midlife Mojo, Lisa is hosting a giveaway! Here’s how to enter to win a 1:1 coaching session, a personal fitness consultation or motivational book:
1️⃣ Rate & Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen). Take a screenshot and email it to Lisa@LisaDuPreeCoaching.com.
2️⃣ DM Lisa on Instagram (@LisaDuPreeCoaching) and share a big goal you’re wanting to go for.

Multiple entries allowed—winners picked at the end of the month! 🎉

Thanks for listening!

🎉 Free Resources 🎉

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

Transcript

Lisa DuPree: [00:00:00] Today we're diving into something that has completely changed the way I see myself, my body, and what's possible after 50. So if you've ever felt stuck, unmotivated, unsure of what's next, stay with me because today we're talking about the power of pushing yourself, setting a goal so big, so outside of your comfort zone, that it forces you to grow into the person that can achieve it.

I know firsthand what this experience is like and just how uncomfortable it can be.  A few months ago, I [00:01:00] made the decision that feels still a little bit surreal. I decided to train and compete in a bodybuilding competition and, um, I needed to do it before I was 60. That was my goal. I turned 59 a few weeks ago. I'm doing it in, less than two months, that's when my competition date is.

So, just to be clear, I am not a lifelong bodybuilder. I'm not a bodybuilder at all. It's not something that has been on my bucket list for years. It's not something was on my bucket list at all. And it also isn't about proving anything to anyone else, and it certainly wasn't about trying to chase some unrealistic ideal of what my body should look like.

And a couple people have asked me like, why are you doing this? I'm, you know. It's because I wanted a big challenge. I wanted to go all in on something and do some hard things or what I perceived as hard things, [00:02:00] and I wanted something that would force me to grow in ways that I hadn't before.

 I have a love of learning, um, but I just haven't pushed myself outside my comfort zone as much. And boy has this experience ever pushed me and caused me to grow in ways that I hadn't even thought about. And so I knew this experience would be about training my body. I knew it would be physical.

And I knew that there was gonna be, you know, the mental aspect, there's a mindset aspect, but it has been just as much, if not more about that mindset and training my mind than it has training my body. You know, I've had to face my own limiting beliefs. That little voice in my head saying, you cannot do this.

You're too old for this. You are gonna make a fool of yourself. Um, you know. Having to face that has been, an interesting exercise in, [00:03:00] growth. And I'm developing a whole new level of discipline, you know, showing up for myself every day, even when I don't feel like it. And that has been eyeopening and also really challenging.

I've had to rethink social narratives around aging because so much of what we've been told about what women should do and how they should act after 50 is just complete and utter nonsense. And so the biggest lesson you know, is that when you take on something big. You become something bigger, you grow into that person that can do these things.

So many women in midlife that I talk to are just going through the motions, you know, and it's not because they lack motivation or drive or any of that, it's, it's because they don't have something pulling them [00:04:00] forward. I talked a little bit about this back in episode 50 about how my life had become really comfortable, but felt a little bland, you know, pretty routine.

Not much that was exciting or challenging, you know, challenging in a good way. There was plenty of challenging things. But challenging in a good way. And you know, when you set a goal or you set your sights on something that really is exciting to you, it helps cultivate hope. 

And things start shifting. You start focusing on what you can do and you stop focusing on what you can't do because you really start seeing what's possible. Like it becomes, it becomes real. You develop another level of resilience, obstacles, come up, but they don't stop you. They don't become roadblocks. They're temporary obstacles because you figure it out, like the learning that comes from navigating around those obstacles and continuing to go [00:05:00] on, it really shapes your perspective about how to accomplish what you want.

And that helps you redefine your limits, not just in fitness. I know, at least for me, it's bled over into every area of my life. And this helps you redefine your limits, not just in fitness for me especially. It has really bled over into every area of life. And so my goal was not just about bodybuilding or it wasn't just about doing this one competition, it's was really about proving to myself that I'm capable of more.

Like I am actually capable of more than I thought I was. And it's interesting because other people believe that about me. Like maybe this is you. You know? Or you've had these similar situations where you're, you just are not confident. You are not sure. You [00:06:00] don't think you have what it takes to accomplish, whatever it is.

But there are other people around you who are a hundred percent. Convinced that you have what it takes and they, they are actually looking at you like you are not living up to your full potential. And so, you know, that is what it is about for me. 'cause I have those people in my life that I'm like, oh, you could just, you can totally do this.

Like, I know you can do this, you can grow, you can become that person who does the hard things. I'm a hundred percent confident in them, but I wasn't necessarily that way with myself, especially in this context. And so it was really about proving to myself and only myself that I'm capable and I'm capable of more.

 Health and wellbeing at this stage of life is, about more than how we look. It's about how we feel, how we think, how we show up in the world. It's about the strength to trust ourselves, the courage to speak our truth, and the presence to fully engage [00:07:00] in our lives with joy and with purpose.

 At this point, we've lived through enough to know that, character really deepens when we get older and when we invest in our inner growth, we begin to move through the world in a different way with greater clarity, a calm and confidence. And for me, this path has made one thing incredibly clear in that.

 Wellbeing isn't one size fits all, but in my own life and in lives of so many of the women that I work with, I see three things that continue to rise to the surface again and again. And I wanted to highlight these inner strength. This is the strength to rewrite the stories you've believed about your worth, your potential about aging.

You know that inner strength, it's a quiet, steady belief that you are capable of more than you've been told. It's standing tall in your truth, whatever that is, [00:08:00] even when things are uncomfortable. The second thing is discipline, and whether it's setting boundaries, prioritizing rest, saying yes to something that stretches you and no to something that doesn't really bring value into your life.

Discipline is really that bridge between that intention and the desire and the transformation, at this time in our lives, like we have become the sum total of the habits that we've built. And so I look at it now, and this has been a big mind shift for me, um, is that choosing discipline now is an act of self-respect.

Choosing discipline is an act of exercising that inner strength, and that helps build resilience. Our lives are, are incredibly rich and complex. There are transitions, there's [00:09:00] unexpected turns and twists and losses and gains. And when we nurture resilience, we meet all of those challenges with grace and grit.

We need both, you know, and the inner work that we do it. That could be through reflection, practicing self-compassion, focusing on growth. It makes us stronger. And it makes us softer. But what it it does overall is it makes us more powerful than ever. 

There's a great Brene Brown quote that says You can't get courage without walking through vulnerability. And that is exactly what the season in life invites us to is, is really that courage, the quiet kind of courage that shows up when you're committing to yourself, when you decide that your growth, your peace, and your power are worth the effort.

I. And so I wanted to give you some practical takeaways in how you can apply these things in your own life. [00:10:00] You know, you don't have to be training for a bodybuilding competition to experience this kind of transformation. I'm gonna go through about five different things to help you apply these principles in your life.

And the first one is choose a challenge. Choose something to do. That scares you just a little bit. Pick something that excites you, but also feels a little bit outta reach. Now that could be in the form of a physical goal. Like I tend to work with women a lot who want to lose weight. So it could be losing weight in a way that actually feels good and not overly restrictive.

Um, it could be strength training for the first time running a 5K, signing up for a dance class, a yoga retreat, or something like that. Um, but it doesn't have to be in. Overall fitness or the physical realm, because again, you know, when you start taking action and you start practicing these things, it does go over into other areas of life.

All right? Second is gonna shift your, shift your [00:11:00] focus from results to growth. So don't focus solely on the outcome, focus on who you are becoming in the process. And then I'll use weight as an example. If you have a goal of I wanna lose 10 pounds, that's the outcome that focusing on that growth is I want to become the person who takes care of her body with intention.

And then three, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Like there's no way around it. Growth does not happen inside your comfort zone. And when you are doing something new, expect to feel unsure, expect to feel awkward, even frustrated at times. This is normal. Expect these to happen 'cause you're learning, you're outside of your comfort zone.

So expect it to happen and keep going anyway. Number four is surround yourself with support. Find people who are gonna encourage you. Whether that is an online community, a [00:12:00] coach, a workout buddy, a, you don't have to do this alone. And for me, this is something that I have really embraced. I have a coach and.

, I am part of an online community. I don't have a workout buddy. Um, but I do go to group exercise classes. And so these things help me stay focused and they help me feel accountable. And it also, I learn from them. I learn from everybody's different experience. And number five is celebrate every small win.

Like notice those small wins every time you show up for yourself every time you are doing the work. You are building that confidence. And so take the time to acknowledge it and really honor that and uplift it. And so here's my challenge for you. What's one goal that you've been avoiding? 'cause it feels a little too big, a little too scary, or just too like not, [00:13:00] not you yet.

What's that one goal? And then what's one step you can take this week to move toward it? And. If this episode has resonated with you, I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget this month, you can enter the midlife Mojo giveaway and win some amazing prizes. And here's how. There's two different ways. Rate and review the podcast by heading over to Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast app.

Leave a rating and a review. Screenshot that, email it to me at lisa@lisadupreecoaching.com. And it's kind of a two fer, two birds, one stone. It helps more women find the podcast and it gets you entered it into the giveaway or answer a question on Instagram. You can DM me at Lisa Dupree coaching and tell me what is the big goal that you're wanting to go for.

I'd love to cheer you on. Let's go after these big goals together. And don't miss next week's episode. I am sharing a real life moment from my own experience, my own [00:14:00] goal that happened recently and it's my first posing practice session on a stage for my fit model competition. And, and if you could just picture this, um, a tiny two piece bathing suit, five inch platform heels, and a stage in the middle of an open gym right after work. It pushed every comfort zone button that I have, but it also reminded me why I'm doing this and how much growth happens when we show up anyway, you'll hear why I hired a coach, how I pulled from past strength and how it became a moment that really hit home and then I'll never forget.

It's short, it's sweet. It's packed with motivation. Look for that next week. Until next time, get out there and keep your mojo rising!