EP 40: Your Questions Answered: Training, Nutrition & Supplements for Women Over 40

0:00Hello and welcome back to Becoming Her, Fitter, Better, and Stronger over 40. I'm your host and coach, Shauna. I am 46, a wife, a boy mom, and a fitness and nutrition coach, helping women over 40 become their best. Today, I'm so excited because this is episode number 40. If you have been here since day one or are just joining the show, either way, I'm so happy that you're here and I'm so excited to have 40 episodes. In today's episode, I have something really special. I asked you all on Instagram to send me over your questions about fat loss, nutrition, training, everything that comes with transforming your body over 40.

0:34And I got some really good questions. And so I'm going to answer those on today's episode. So it's going to be a fun one, grab a coffee, grab a notebook, and let's dive in. First question is, what supplements do I use? And which do I think are actually worth it? So one thing that I want to say, first and foremost, is that supplements are tools, they are not the replacement for healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle. So they're not a magic bullet. If your nutrition, your training, your recovery, all of those habits aren't dialed in. Supplements alone are not going to create results for you. But that said, there are a few that I personally use and recommend for women over 40.

1:13Protein powder is one of them. It's really important to hit your protein goal. And if you're having a hard time doing that, sometimes supplementing with protein can really help with that. Protein is really essential for building muscle and maintaining muscle, which is your metabolic powerhouse. Muscle keeps your metabolism efficient. It helps with fat loss and it supports strength and of course, creating that toned appearance. And sometimes if it's hard for you to hit your protein goals, having a protein supplement on hand can make it easy for you to do so. I have my protein every morning inside my protein.

1:48It's delicious. It helps me hit my goals and I love it. The next one that I take is creatine. It's something I take daily and I also suggest, I know there's a lot of myths around women using creatine, but what it does is it helps to give your muscles more energy during your workout. So you're going to be able to lift heavier, do more reps, and ultimately build more muscle. It helps with hydration in the muscles, which can improve the appearance and the fullness and the strength and recovery. There's also a lot of support around cognitive health with creatine, and it's the most widely studied supplement for effectiveness and safety.

2:25It's one that I use and absolutely love. If you are considering starting creatine, look for a creatine monohydrate. The one I take is a micronized creatine monohydrate, meaning it's just finely milled, so it digests and mix very easily. I have not had any issues with digestion or bloat or anything like that. and I only take about five grams every single day. I take it in the morning because you wanna take a lot of water when you're taking creatine. You don't have to take it any specific time of the day, just take it every single day so that you keep that reserve of creatine in the body at peak level so it can do all of the beautiful things it's meant to.

3:05The next thing that I take and love is omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil. They are amazing because they help to reduce inflammation. One thing that I noticed immediately when I got routine with this was better skin and better scalp health. So if you are not getting enough omega-3s, you can have a lot more inflammation, which can lead to things like breakouts, scalp irritation, dandruff, things like that. So all of those things improved dramatically when I got routine with my omega-3s because they help with inflammation. They also support joint health. They help to improve skin elasticity and hydration.

3:42So definitely something to add into your routine. Next thing I take is vitamin D, which is critical for bone health, immunity, energy, and proper muscle function. And then lastly, I love taking magnesium. This is such a game changer. It helps to support with recovery, muscle relaxation, sleep, and stress regulation. So that's especially helpful for us in this stage of life. So together, all of these supplements help to support performance, recovery, and overall health, but they work best when they are aligned with ideal diet training and daily habits that are already in place. Question number three is, does eating late at night affect fat loss?

4:25This is a great question, something that I hear often and something that I used to believe was true, but fat loss is not about the clock. Eating late does not automatically cause fat gain. What matters most when we're talking about losing, maintaining, or gaining weight is total calories. Late night eating only becomes a problem when it's mindless and excessive and it pushes you over your daily caloric needs. So if you're hungry at night, it's perfectly okay for you to have a snack or a meal as long as you are staying within your calorie budget. If we are going above our calorie budget and we're doing that consistently, that is when we start to have an issue with gaining body fat.

5:09The key is to maintain your caloric intake. It doesn't matter when you eat, but it matters how much you eat. So if you are sticking to your calorie target, your protein target, it doesn't matter when you have those things. Now I will say sometimes when you're eating close to bedtime. It can cause some blood sugar drops as you sleep, which is going to impact your sleep, but it's not going to necessarily cause you to automatically gain fat. Again, it's not about when you eat. It's really about how much you eat. So if you're being mindful of your calories and your protein, you can technically have meals any time of the day and not worry about gaining fat.

5:51Question number four is how do I stay motivated? This is a question I get often. And the truth is I'm not motivated all the time, but I'm going to tell you exactly how I stay consistent with the things that I do. Because motivation is fleeting, right? Sometimes we can feel motivated when it's the first of the year or we start a new program. We start with a new coach. We feel really excited and our motivation is really up. But then all of a sudden that starts, that excitement starts to dwindle and then we start to fall off. But let's break this down. And I'm going to show you or talk to you rather about how I've changed all that because I used to be that start-stop person, but I'm not that anymore.

6:34So if we break down the word, the first part of motivation is motive, which really means why, what is the motive? What is the deep reason that you want this change? Connecting with that why is so powerful because it becomes your North Star, the thing that's going to drive you forward when you have those tough moments, when motivation isn't there. I was 39 turning 40 when I had my son and my why was him, right? I wanted to be as healthy as I could for as long as I could so that I'm around for hopefully his babies. Once I had that deep why of why I wanted to be my healthiest, my strongest inside and out, that became my North Star.

7:20And then I had to think about, okay, who is that person? What does she look like? What does her days look like? How does she show up for herself and in her life? And I started to align myself with that best version of me. So once you find your why, you want to align yourself with that higher version of yourself. Think about the standards that she has for her life. What are her non-negotiables? You don't have to tackle them all at once, but little by little, you should start to craft your days to show up and reflect her habits. The most important part to understand is that these actions, showing up for your workouts, meal prepping, moving your body, these are not acts of punishment.

8:02These are acts of self-love and self-care because every choice that aligns with that best self brings you closer to the body and the life that you want. And this is something I was talking to a client about this week, but the first 40 years of my life went by so fast. And I don't want the next 40 years to go by without me being deliberate about my goals and how I live. I spent the first part of my life feeling trapped in a body I didn't like. And I don't want that for the next chapter. I don't want that for me. I don't want that for you. If you're tired, if you feel stuck, if you feel like you're saying no to the things that you truly want in life, let that be the drive for your change.

8:49Use that as your why, as your fuel, and really focus on creating systems and habits that support the life and the woman that you want to become. That is how you're going to stay aligned and keep going on those hard days. It's not going to come from motivation. It's going to come from you getting centered with that best person, that best version of yourself, and then creating standards for yourself and then committing to those no matter what. I know I got a little deep there, but it's something that I'm really passionate about because I truly did live my life kind of muted for the first half, like for that first 40 years.

9:30And I said no to a lot of things. And I was stuck in a body I didn't love. And to be on the other side of that or to be evolving into someone that I do love now and am saying yes to more things, it's so fulfilling and it's so rewarding and I feel so free. And that's the best way to put it is that I just feel free and I never want to feel trapped in that mindset or in a body that isn't healthy again. And so just take that with you. Take that with you is that like, if you're stuck, if you're feeling like you are not living out your life fully, then go for it. Like give it all you got. Like, because this second half can be a beautiful, beautiful version for you, but we have to be intentional about it.

10:19Yes, we have time, but we also want to be deliberate with that time that we do have. All right, so now on to question number five. I'm in a calorie deficit, but I'm not losing fat. And this is a common question that I get as well. And the answer is going to be a little tricky and might be hard to hear. But if you're in a calorie deficit, you will be losing. If you're not losing, you're not in a calorie deficit. And there's a couple of reasons this could be going on. Most commonly, it's a miscalculation, either with your tracking or you just don't have the right calorie target for your calorie deficit.

10:56So it's very common to underestimate your portions. Maybe you're using measuring cups and measuring spoons versus a scale because that can dramatically be very different when it comes to giving you accurate portions of the food that you're eating. So if you're using measuring cups and measuring spoons, swap that out for a scale. It's going to be much more accurate for you. And sometimes we aren't tracking every little thing. So if you're not tracking your drinks, not tracking the little snacks that you have between your meals, not tracking on the weekends, not tracking the licks, bites, and tastes.

11:31I've been there. I've finished sometimes my son's food off of his plate. If I'm not tracking those things, that can add up over the days, over the weeks, and start to impact whether or not I'm in a deficit or not. The other thing is that you may not have the right target for your deficit. So if you have been tracking meticulously and you're still not losing body fat, then that calorie target might not be a deficit for you. So you may need to make some adjustments. But the caveat here is that if you've been dieting chronically or have some thyroid issues or hormonal issues, your metabolism might be at a really low level, it might be really hard for you to be in a deficit because that deficit would need to be so low.

12:20So you might need to be starting off with a priming phase so you can get metabolism working optimally before you start to go into a fat loss phase. But the key takeaway is this, is that if you're not losing, you are not in a deficit. And the solution isn't eating less blindly. It's recalculating, tracking accurately, making sure you are hitting those numbers specifically so that you can make adjustments or maybe you'll start to see progress because you are just being more accurate with everything and or potentially addressing any hormonal issues, especially thyroid. Thyroid is a big one. Strength training, hitting your protein targets, and supporting your metabolism are all critical if we want to lose body fat in the right way.

13:08So just remember, if you're not losing, it means you're not in a calorie deficit. So check your accuracy with your food intake. Make sure you're tracking everything with a food scale. Maybe you make some adjustments to your calories. And if nothing else is happening, get your thyroid or your hormone levels checked and potentially maybe focus on building more muscle, helping your metabolism first before you go into a fat loss phase. Question number six is, do I need to cut carbs to see results? This is another common question that I get. And I think it's kind of comes off of the heels of the narrative that we heard in diet culture of carbs being the bad guy.

13:48At first it was fats and then it was carbs, but cutting carbs is not a magic bullet for fat loss. One reason that you see a dramatic scale drop if you eliminate carbs is because carbs help your body hold onto water. It's actually in the word carbo hydrate. So it helps to hydrate your body. So when you reduce carbs, the body will release water and the scale drops. But that's water weight and it's not fat. When you reintroduce carbs, then that's when you can see the scale go up. And that makes you think, oh my gosh, carbs just make me gain weight overnight. When reality is that it's just water that's returning.

14:26Carbs are actually very important for performance and recovery in the gym, especially when we're talking about building lean muscle. They help to fuel your workouts. They support building more lean muscle tissue and they help you recover. So unless you have a metabolic issue like diabetes, insulin resistance, or PCOS, a balanced diet with protein, carbs, and fats is really critical for overall health and performance. So the priority for fat loss overall is energy balance, not necessarily cutting out a full macronutrient. So when we're talking about energy balance, that means we are taking in less calories than we burn.

15:03So we just need to be in a calorie deficit, prioritizing protein and prioritizing strength training. That's what's effective for losing body fat. All right, now on to number seven, how do I know if I'm lifting heavy enough? And this is a great question too, because obviously when we're talking about building muscle, we need to be using weights that's challenging enough for us and getting close to failure, giving that signal to our bodies that we need more muscle tissue to grow. So the best way to know that is if the last couple reps of your set feels challenging but doable, you're in the right place.

15:38Progressive overload is key. That just means we are gradually increasing weights, reps, or improving form over time. And that's how we build and preserve muscle. After 40, muscle is essential, not just for aesthetics, but for metabolism, strength, and overall function. Without muscle, fat loss is slower and our body compositions can change for the worse. So strength is your secret weapon for creating that long lasting result with aesthetics as well as health. So make sure that your last couple of reps in your set feel challenging but doable. The best way to know that is that they naturally slow down a little bit.

16:16So the tempo just gets a little bit slower because the weights feel a little bit heavier. That's the best way to know that you are in that right place. Question number eight is, can I lose fat without doing tons of cardio? And the answer is absolutely yes. So the main driver when it comes to fat loss is a calorie deficit. That is going to be the key determining factor if we are losing, gaining, or maintaining. So you need a calorie deficit for fat loss. Now, cardio is a tool. It can definitely help increase overall energy expenditure and support just overall heart health, but it's not necessary to lose fat.

16:53Walking or low intensity movement is excellent to include if you're in a deficit because it doesn't interfere with recovery from your strength training and it's very easy to maintain. The most important factor though, again, is nutrition. So during a deficit, adding activity can help create a deeper caloric deficit without cutting calories further, which is often easier to manage for most people. The type and timing of cardio, though, does matter because you don't want to spike hunger or interfere with your recovery in the gym when you're in a deficit. That's why I love walking because it helps you to burn more calories without impacting your hunger, which is really key when you're in a fat loss phase.

17:36The main reason people fail during a deficit is because of hunger, even though maybe adding in a HIIT class or a running session could burn more calories, it's going to create more chance that you are going to be hungrier. So walking, again, is just going to pair really well in a deficit phase. But you can absolutely just lose body fat with a calorie deficit alone. But if you hit a sticking point, adding a little bit more walking or a little bit of cardio can help. Now onto a question. Number nine, is it possible to lose fat during perimenopause or menopause? Yes, absolutely. So during this time, yes, we're having changes with our hormones.

18:17So you can see dips in estrogen, progesterone, and a lot of times over 40, there's many women who experience low thyroid. So if that is the case, if thyroid is playing a part in your overall health, that is something that will absolutely impact your metabolism. So it's a good idea after 40 to just have your hormone levels looked at, see where things are. And if thyroid is an issue, get that worked out because that will impact how you're able to lose body fat. As far as the other hormone fluctuations, it's not that they're going to prevent body fat loss, but when you're having dips of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, it's going to impact your energy, your mood, your sleep, And all of those things are going to impact how you're able to show up and be consistent with your training.

19:06So again, if you are really suffering with some of those issues like energy, mood, sleep, et cetera, have your hormones checked. But even if you optimize your hormones, you're still going to have to have those foundational habits to make sure that you are building a healthy body over 40 and losing body fat. So things like getting in the gym and lifting, prioritizing protein, prioritizing whole foods and fiber, walking daily, all of those things need to be there. Even if you do optimize your hormones, you're still going to have to have those habits dialed in. And things are changing at this stage in age, but the best thing, the most empowering thing that you can do is focus on the things that you have control of.

19:48Hormonal changes will definitely make things a little bit more of an uphill battle. and with those shifts, your body starts to change where it's storing your body fat. So instead of distributing it throughout, it's going to store it more in your midsection, which makes it just more uncomfortable. But the most empowering thing that you can do is put your focus on the things that you do have control on. So focus on those habits, focus on daily movement, getting enough protein, getting enough sleep, lifting in the gym, prioritizing protein, prioritizing whole foods, drinking enough water, maybe less alcohol or no alcohol, really take care of your body.

20:29And with the right approach, whether you're in perimenopause or menopause, you absolutely can make amazing progress. I am 46. I'm definitely in perimenopause. I have days where I'm feeling a little crazy, have days where I don't really sleep my best, but I'm still able to make progress because I'm really focused on the things that I do have control on. I'm not taking hormone replacement therapy yet. It's something that I'm considering, but please know that you can make progress if you're focused on the right things. That said, everyone is different and everyone's experience is going to be a little different in both peri and menopause.

21:05So if you are really struggling with symptoms, definitely go seek a provider, get your hormone levels checked, get them optimized. But again, you want to make sure you're leaning on those healthy habits and that's going to make all the difference. And the last question here is how do I avoid getting bulky from lifting weights? This is a common concern, but one thing I want to say here is that women just do not have the hormonal profile to build copious amounts of muscle. If you see a woman who is really bulky with actual muscle tissue, odds are she has used something to enhance her hormones. But in general, lifting weights cannot get you bulky.

21:45What happens a lot of the times is that when we start to lift weights, we start to grow muscle tissue, but we still have a layer of fat over top of it. So it's not the muscle that's creating that bulkiness. It's actually the layer of fat that's over it. The key is to reduce body fat as we're building muscle so that we can reveal that lean muscle that's going to create that toned, sculpted look. It's also important to note that while muscle and fat, like a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same, but a pound of fat takes up more space. Muscle is dense. It's compact. So the less fat that you have and the more muscle that you have, the tighter and more toned you are going to look.

22:24If you want to start strength training and you don't want to look bulky, the key is to reduce that layer of body fat. Some good general tips on that is to take your current body weight and multiply that by 12. and that will be your calorie target. Take your goal weight, multiply that by one. That will be your protein target and focus on those two numbers. Get in the gym, start getting stronger. You can add a step goal if you want to. When you do that, when you focus on progressive overload, good form, proper nutrition, you will eventually have less body fat and more muscle. And that's when you're gonna see the definition, the strength and the improved body composition that you want.

23:01And before we wrap up today's episode, I just wanna say a big thank you. Thank you for being a part of my world, for sending in your questions, for supporting me on my Instagram page, and of course for tuning in on this show. You have no idea how much it truly does mean to me. So thank you so much for being here. I also want to remind you and invite you into my eight-week challenge that's starting September 8th. This is where you can take everything we just talked about and put it into action. So inside, you're going to get an eight-week workout program, either a home or gym-based version. You're also going to get a high protein recipe guide with sample meal plans and a guide on how to set up your calories and protein depending on the target and goals that you have.

23:41You'll also get access to a community of amazing like-minded women on the same journey, helping to keep you motivated and accountable. Many women from my summer challenge are now continuing into this round, which makes it so much fun because they're getting to know each other and it just creates such a powerful and positive space. And while a full transformation takes longer than eight weeks, this challenge is a perfect way for you to kickstart progress, lay down those habits that will last and start moving you towards that long-term goal. I will leave all the details in the show notes and I would love to see you there.

24:18Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. If it was helpful, if you enjoyed it, I'd be so thankful if you left a rating or a review. Remember, consistency wins over perfection every single time. So keep showing up, keep trusting the process and keep becoming her. Until next week, keep getting stronger and I will see you in the next episode.