(and what actually works instead)

If you’re already feeling behind on your 2026 goals, I want you to take a deep breath. You’re not failing. You’re not broken. And you’re definitely not alone.

Here’s the truth that nobody talks about: New Year resolutions weren’t designed for women navigating perimenopause and menopause. They weren’t created for bodies dealing with hormonal chaos, winter slumps, energy crashes, and the very real changes happening in our 40s, 50s, and beyond.

As we enter 2026, I’m even clearer on this: it’s not about crazy self-optimization. It’s about building the simple habits that really support us and make the difference. All the noise around us is too much. It is simple and clear and doing it makes the difference.

Let me explain why the traditional January approach keeps you stuck, and what actually works instead.

Why Resolutions Fail Women in Perimenopause and Menopause

Think about it. Every January, the message is the same:

• New year, new you
• Start fresh
• Go hard or go home
• This is YOUR year

And for a few days, maybe even a few weeks, you feel motivated. You sign up for the gym. You commit to cutting sugar. You promise yourself this time will be different.

Then reality hits.

You’re exhausted even after 8 hours of sleep. The afternoon energy crash is brutal. Your body doesn’t respond the way it used to. The winter carb cravings are relentless. And suddenly, you’re right back where you started, feeling like a failure.

But here’s what I need you to understand: it’s not you. It’s the approach.

Traditional resolutions ignore what women over 40 actually need. They ignore:

• Your hormones: Estrogen and progesterone are fluctuating wildly in perimenopause, or declining in menopause. These hormones affect your metabolism, energy, mood, sleep, and how your body stores fat. You can’t willpower your way through a hormonal shift.
• Your metabolism: After 35, we start losing 3-8% of our muscle mass per decade. Less muscle = slower metabolism. That “eat less, move more” advice? It sabotages you further.
• Your nervous system: You’re already stressed. You’re juggling aging parents, growing kids, demanding careers, relationships. Adding restrictive diets and punishing workouts? That’s more stress, and chronic stress wrecks your hormones even more.
• Your reality: You’re navigating winter. Seasonal patterns affect mood, energy, and yes… carb cravings. That’s biology, not weakness.

So when you set aggressive January goals that ignore all of this? You’re setting yourself up to fail.

What Actually Works: The Awareness-First Approach

Here’s the radical truth: you can’t transform what you don’t acknowledge.

Most women skip straight to solutions without understanding the problem. They jump into new diets, new workout plans, new supplements, hoping something will stick.

But transformation doesn’t start with action. It starts with awareness.

When you pause to honestly reflect on:

• Where you are right now
• What’s working (and what’s not)
• What your body actually needs
• What your life can realistically support

Everything changes.

This is why I created my 2026 Reflection & Vision Worksheet—a simple, powerful tool to help you get clear before you take action. And it’s why I’m hosting my Your 2026 Thrive Blueprint Workshop on January 26th.

Because clarity creates momentum. And momentum creates transformation.

3 Essential Pillars for Women 40+: Movement, Nutrition, Self-Care

Once you have awareness, you need the right strategy. And for women over 40, that strategy comes down to three foundational pillars:

1. Strength Training for Women Over 40: Why It’s Non-Negotiable

One of my clients recently said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“I finally understand now that strength training is like brushing my teeth! I don’t need to debate it or make excuses anymore – it just gets done. And with your course, it’s simple and easy to integrate.”

This is the mindset shift that changes everything.

Strength training isn’t optional for women over 40. It’s non-negotiable. Here’s why:

• Muscle is metabolic medicine. It regulates blood sugar, boosts metabolism, and protects against insulin resistance (which doubles after menopause).
• Muscle protects your bones. We can lose 20% of bone density in the first 5-7 years after menopause. Strength training is the most effective prevention.
• Muscle supports your brain. It reduces dementia risk and improves mood, focus, and energy.
• Muscle is anti-aging from the inside out. Active muscles release myokines, hormone-like messengers that protect your heart, brain, and overall health.

And no! You won’t get “bulky”!! You’ll get strong, toned, and vibrant.

My Power&Balance course makes strength training simple, effective, and sustainable. Just 3×30 minutes per week, from your living room, with live Zoom support starting January 21st.

2. Menopause Nutrition: Blood Sugar, Inflammation, and Gut Health

Forget restrictive diets. Your body needs fuel, not deprivation.

For women over 40, nutrition needs to focus on three key areas:

• Blood sugar regulation (prevent insulin resistance, stabilize energy, reduce cravings)
• Inflammation control (chronic inflammation drives joint pain, brain fog, heart disease, and accelerated aging)
• Gut health (your gut is your second brain. It affects mood, immunity, skin, and hormone balance)

When you eat to support these three areas, everything else – energy, body composition, mood – starts to fall into place.

3. Self-Care for Women 40+: Managing Stress, Sleep, and Boundaries

Self-care isn’t bubble baths and spa days (though those are nice). Self-care is:

• Managing chronic stress (because high cortisol wrecks your hormones, adds belly fat, and disrupts sleep)
• Prioritizing sleep (because without it, nothing else works)
• Setting boundaries (because you can’t pour from an empty cup)

This doesn’t mean being selfish. It means being sustainable.

Menopause: The Golden Window of Opportunity You Can’t Afford to Miss

Here’s something most women don’t realize: menopause is the point in time where our health risks explode and we have this beautiful opportunity to pause, reflect, and reset our habits.

In the years during and after menopause:

• Cardiovascular disease risk doubles
• Type 2 diabetes risk skyrockets (insulin resistance increases dramatically)
• Bone density can drop 20% in just 5-7 years
• Cognitive decline and dementia risk increases
• Muscle loss accelerates

But here’s the flip side: what you do NOW determines how you feel for the next 30-40 years.

This is your golden window. This is your wake-up call. This is your chance to build the foundation for healthy longevity.

And it’s not about perfection. It’s about prevention.

As I often say: This doesn’t mean that symptoms that come are our fault! We build healthy foundations, we give our body capacity to deal better – and when things happen, it is not because we didn’t do it right.

Take my frozen shoulder, for example. It’s been challenging. But the muscle I had built beforehand helped my recovery. And I’m so grateful I can train again now, it definitely makes me a more balanced person.

We can’t control everything. But we can build capacity. And that makes all the difference.

Your 2026 Game Plan: Start Here

So what do you do now?

Step 1: Pause and Reflect

Before you dive into action, get honest with yourself. Download my free 2026 Reflection & Vision Worksheet and spend some time answering:

• What worked for me in 2025?
• What didn’t work—and why?
• How do I want to feel in my body this year?
• What am I willing to commit to?

Step 2: Get Clear on Your Strategy

Join me for my Your 2026 Thrive Blueprint Workshop on January 26th. We’ll spend 90 minutes together:

• Reflecting honestly on where you are
• Releasing what’s not working
• Designing YOUR personalized plan across movement, nutrition, and self-care

It’s just $26 and it could shift your entire year.

Step 3: Build Your Non-Negotiable Foundation

Make strength training as automatic as brushing your teeth. Power & Balance starts again with live Zoom calls on January 21st. Join hundreds of women training in their living rooms—simple, effective, sustainable.

Making 2026 Your Year: Next Steps for Women 40+

You’re not behind. You’re not failing. You’re not broken.

You’re a woman navigating one of the biggest transitions of your life. And the traditional “New Year, New You” approach wasn’t designed for you.

What works instead?

• Awareness first
• Strategic habit building
• Simple clarity over optimization overwhelm
• Support, structure, and sustainability

This can be your year. Not because you grind harder, but because you get clearer and more strategic.

I’m here to support you every step of the way.

Ready to start?

• Download: 2026 Reflection & Vision Worksheet
• Enroll: Power & Balance – Strength Training for Women 40+

Let’s make 2026 YOUR year. Together.