EP 49: The Smart Holiday Strategy for Women Over 40: Build Strength Now, Burn More Fat in the New Year

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 and today we are talking about something very relevant because it's that time of year again the holidays are starting to roll in the treats the travel the parties the family gatherings and if you're anything like most women that I coach and like I used to be you might already be feeling that little voice inside your head start to say I just need to stay on track so I don't undo all of my progress.

0:34But I want to flip that thinking for you today because what if the holidays did not have to be something that you just quote unquote get through? What if this season could actually become the most strategic thing that you do all year for your body, your metabolism, and your long-term goal? That's exactly what we're going to talk about today. How to use the next two months, not for dieting or fat loss, but actually for maintenance and to even help your body get a little bit stronger, build a little bit more muscle and prime your body for future, better, successful fat loss. And I know that might sound counterintuitive.

1:11You might be thinking to yourself, wait a minute, you want me to actually eat more during these next couple of months? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, especially if you have been in that place where you are just chronically chasing fat loss, chronically under eating. But when you add more calories in in a strategic and intentional way, it can actually work to your benefit, especially with fat loss. So grab a coffee or your pre-workout if you're headed to the gym. And let's talk about why shifting into maintenance during this holiday season might be the smartest thing that you could ever do for your end of year goals and then your new year goals.

1:45So first, let's talk about why a maintenance phase is so powerful. Here's the truth. Your body was not designed to live in a constant calorie deficit year round. Dieting itself is a stressor. It's effective when you use it at the right time, but it still creates stress. And when we layer that on top of holiday stress, family stress, work stress, and hormonal changes after 40, it's no wonder that so many of us end up burnt out by January. But moving into a maintenance phase allows your body to have some breathing room. It's where hormones get into a better place. It's where your metabolism starts to rev up again.

2:23And it's where your muscles can actually grow from that hard work you are putting in in the gym. I want you to think about it this way. Fat loss is where you reveal the muscle, but maintenance is the beautiful place where you build it. And you can't reveal anything that's not there. If you are just chasing fat loss, when you do lose that fat, you're going to be underwhelmed by the lack of muscle that's underneath. A lot of times in past when I have done this, I've lost weight only to really more or less look the same. But when I have been strategic about putting on muscle, taking breaks from being in a diet and focused on fat loss, that's when I actually was able to change my body composition so that when I did lose fat, I did look toned because there was muscle underneath.

3:09And the best part is, is that when you fuel your body adequately, your workouts feel amazing. You're not going to be dragging yourself to the gym, low on energy, suffering with poor recovery. You're going to start lifting heavier. You're going to start to see your shape changing. You're going to feel stronger. And maybe that scale isn't changing at all, but your clothes are going to fit better. Your waist is going to shrink. And you are going to start to notice those changes in your body and your strength. And you're going to feel on fire. This is happening for a few of my one-on-one clients right now as we are focused on building up their body, their metabolism, and their muscle.

3:45And not a lot of changes are happening in the scale, but when I tell you these women feel so empowered with how much stronger they feel, how they can start to see definition in their body because they actually are growing muscle, it's unlike anything else. So that's what I want to do with you is to invite you into that phase. And that's what I mean by saying that this phase sets you up for better fat loss. Because come January, instead of feeling depleted or feeling like you just gave up on your goals altogether, you are going to be well fed. Your hormones are going to be in a good place. You're going to be stronger and you're going to be metabolically more resilient.

4:22And that's the version of you that's going to respond beautifully to a fat loss phase. Now, let's be real. The holidays come with extra food, drinks, travel, and less routine. So trying to diet through that season is like swimming upstream. Maybe you can do it, but it's going to be unnecessarily hard. And it often leads to that all or nothing mindset. It's just the whole I'll start in January when things are quieter cycle. Instead of fighting it, you can actually use it to your advantage. There's going to be more calories around. So instead of just trying to restrict them or abandon your goals altogether, why not have a plan?

5:05Indulge mindfully and use them intentionally, which means lifting heavier with your workouts, getting stronger, building more muscle that's going to help you burn more fat later, and enjoying the holiday meals without guilt. and honestly how much better does that sound versus you just trying to either white knuckle your way through and avoid everything or abandoning your goals and eating everything only to feel guilty and like you're starting over in the new year. You can stay consistent, you can keep your routine, you can feel good but you don't have to be obsessive or restrict. You can live in a nice balanced place and that's what maintenance phases are all about.

5:48practicing being in a maintenance phase is critical for you to sustain long-term success because the truth is you can't live in a diet forever and you eventually have to reverse into maintenance phase so that you can give your body all the fuel that it needs, the nourishment that it needs, and be in a place where you can actually put on muscle. But that also takes some practice of knowing what that looks like, indulging but with moderation and having boundaries around things. A lot of times we're either all in or all out, and that's where we get in trouble. But practicing staying in a maintenance phase where you're more or less maintaining your weight, but trying to get stronger and grow more muscle will allow you to see what that looks like played out in real life.

6:32It means that you can have more flexibility with calories because your calorie level is higher than it would be if you were in a fat loss phase. So this puts you in a great position to practice the art of balance with your food and with your training. Now that you understand the why behind this powerful shift into maintenance for the holiday seasons, let's talk about the how. If you have been in a deficit, you've been dieting, here is how you can move into a healthy maintenance or priming phase so that you can set yourself up for future fat loss after the holidays are done. Step number one is you are going to find your maintenance calories.

7:11A simple formula for this is to take your current body weight and multiply that by 13 to 14. So for example, if you're about 150 pounds, that's going to put you at a range between 1900 calories and 2100 calories. Depending on your muscle tissue, your activity, etc., you might fall within that number or a little bit below, a little bit above. And that's not a lot. I don't want you to freak out. It's actually what your body needs to function optimally. So to reverse out of your deficit, what you'll do is you're not going to jump immediately from, let's say you've been eating 1500 calories you're not going to jump straight to 2100 calories overnight you're going to slowly add calories every week you're going to add about 100 calories mostly from carbs and fats so you're going to take the same meals that you eat now and just increase the portion sizes of the fat or carb sources that you're having until you hit your target and how you know that you reach your true maintenance is you're going to be weighing in daily and tracking the weekly trends you're going to see some fluctuations naturally with the scale.

8:14That's because you're having more food volume. But once you start to see that the scale is trending upward only, that's when you're going to cap off with your calories. For your protein, you're going to keep that at about one gram per pound of your current weight. That's really going to optimize your ability to grow muscle in this maintenance phase. Again, the scale is going to fluctuate, but that's normal. You just want to watch for the trend over time. So track your daily weight, and then look at the weekly averages. And I really want you to stay committed here. This is not a quick thing. Your body needs time to have its metabolism upregulated again, get your hormones in a better place, and actually grow muscle.

8:53So stick with it for these eight weeks. That doesn't mean you're continually increasing calories, but spend a few weeks getting your calories up to your maintenance level and then stay there. And remember, even if you gain a little bit of weight at maintenance, that's not all fat gain. That's mostly glycogen and water from fueling your body more. And that's going to help you gain more muscle tissue, which is only going to help fat loss in the future. Okay, now let's talk about what to focus on in these next eight weeks. And let's start with nutrition. I always like to encourage my clients to live by that 80-20 % rule.

9:28So 80 % of the time, your foods should be coming from whole nutrient-dense sources. So think of anything that's either walked or grown on the land, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats. And then the other 20%, enjoy it. Have your treats, have the cookies that you might've baked with your littles, enjoy a dinner out with your hubby, but do it mindfully. Make sure that you are just practicing that art of balance. Have something to where you're enjoying it, but not overdoing it. If you have a holiday party, don't save all your calories and show up to the party starving to where you are going to overdo it.

10:07Instead, eat very high protein, low calorie meals prior to the party so that your protein goal is almost met and you still have tons of calories to enjoy. And when you're there, use the one plate rule, fill your plate with whatever you want, but make sure you're just having that one plate. Enjoy the foods and make the night special, but practice the art of moderation and self-control. Moderation is a skill, and this is the perfect season for you to practice it and honor yourself and honor your goals. Another tip is after those big meals, if you can go for a walk, it does help digestion. It will help regulate your blood sugar.

10:46And it's probably just going to help your mindset. And if you do have a day that you overdo it, I don't want you to spiral. I don't want you to go to the gym the next day thinking you'll have to burn it off. Instead, I want you to see how much stronger you feel. So if you have a gym session that next day, choose one of your lifts and try to see if you can put on a little extra weight because you have more fuel in the tank or do a couple of extra reps. One meal is not going to break your progress. And I want you to start to shift to see how food can actually fuel more muscle growth instead of you feeling like every time you overdo it with food, you have to burn it off and you're a failure, I want you to start to make a mindful shift that food can fuel you getting stronger.

11:32Getting stronger means more muscle. More muscle means better metabolism. Better metabolism means easier fat loss. And that leads us right into talking about the most fun part, which is training. So when you're eating at maintenance, your body has the fuel that it needs to build. And this is where you can push for progressive overload, meaning every week you're going to either try to be lifting a little bit heavier, doing an extra rep, or maybe even improving your form. I want you to pick one program for the next eight weeks and commit to it. No hopping around, no random workouts, just consistency and practicing that progressive overload.

12:11Focus on compound lifts like leg press, squat, hip thrusts, RDLs, shoulder press, chest press, lat pull downs, rows. I want you to train with intensity. I want you to make sure that you're using weight that brings you close to failure. When you hit those last few reps, you should feel like it is almost impossible for you to perform them. That's how you know you're pushing close enough to failure to stimulate that muscle growth. And because you're eating more, your recovery is going to improve. Your joints are going to feel better. Your sleep is going to get better. You're going to actually sleep deeper and you're going to feel more powerful and more strong.

12:49So use that energy And think of this as your investing season for easier fat loss later, because muscle is your metabolic powerhouse. The more you build, the more calories your body burns all day long. And I want to zoom out for a second, because when we hit 40 and beyond, our bodies start to change. Hormones are shifting. Muscle is naturally declining if we're not being strategic about it. And our metabolism becomes more sensitive to stress. and that is why these phases where you are in maintenance and trying to build more muscle matter so much. They give your body what it needs to thrive and maintenance phases are not about letting go of your goals.

13:32It's about playing the long game because the women who look their best, who feel their best, who stay lean and strong long-term are not dieting 365 days a year. They are cycling through phases. They know when to push for fat loss and they know when to pull back and build strength and protect their body and their metabolism and their muscle. And they know how to practice the art of balance and moderation. And that's the real magic of transformation over 40. And this is exactly what I'm helping and guiding my members through in my Strong by Shauna membership. We are running a private holiday strength challenge, and this is not about restriction.

14:11We are going to be using the extra calories of the season to lift heavier, to build muscle, to feel strong, all while enjoying the holidays mindfully. They're going to finish the year in such a better place, hormonally, metabolically, and mentally, ready to crush their fat loss goals in the new years without feeling like they are starting over. And if you're listening to this and you're thinking, man, that sounds exactly like what I want to do. Enjoy the holiday season and use these extra calories to my benefit so that I can walk into the new year ready for fat loss, then come join my Strong by Shauna membership and you can join us in our private challenge.

14:50This is only an exclusive challenge for my members. The members that are in there are an amazing community of women. I absolutely adore every single one of them and they're working so hard on their goals and they're all encouraging each other. And sometimes immersing yourself in a community of women who are on the same walk as you who are at the same stage of life, experiencing the same challenges is really helpful for you to see that it is possible. When you surround yourself with women who are encouraging and supportive and helping you stay accountable, you are just that much more likely to continue to stay consistent.

15:24And that's what's key for success is consistency. So if you are interested, I will leave all the information in the show notes for my membership. We would love to have you there. But as we wrap this up, I want to leave you with this, is that you do not need to keep yourself in a diet through these holidays. You don't need to punish yourself or feel super anxious about food. You can enjoy the season. You can stay consistent. You can use the extra fuel to train hard and still move closer to your goals by choosing to live in maintenance intentionally. This is about playing the long game. So let this season be about fueling, about restoring your metabolic health, about restoring your body's energy and hormone needs, not restricting it.

16:08Then when January comes, your body is going to be in an amazing place. It's going to be primed to burn fat and your metabolism is going to be in a better place and you are going to be unstoppable. So I hope this encourages you to lean into getting stronger this season, but that is it for today's episode. If this resonated with you, if you found it helpful, please leave a rating or a review. I would be so, so thankful. If you want more details on the reverse diet, because I know I quickly covered it here, make sure you go back and listen to episode six, because that's a powerful one to help you walk through a reverse diet so you can get into maintenance and then build some amazing muscle.

16:47And if you're ready to have the structure, the workouts, the community to walk through this phase together, come join us inside the Strong by Shauna membership. Until next time, keep getting stronger and I'll see you in the next episode.