Spring Is Here… But You Don’t Need to Reinvent Yourself
There’s something about the first few days of spring that instantly changes the mood, isn’t there? You walk outside and realise it’s still light later in the day, you get that first little bit of warmth on your face, and suddenly you remember there is actually life after winter. 😂
I love it. But I also know what comes with it.
Almost as quickly as the weather starts warming up, the noise starts. Summer bodies. Spring resets. Detoxes. Eight-week challenges. Lose this many kilos before Christmas. Apparently the moment we take off our winter coat, women are supposed to look underneath and immediately start finding things that need fixing.
And I reckon we’ve done enough of that.
Especially by the time we reach our 40s, 50s and beyond.
I don’t want spring to be another season where women look at themselves and think, “Right, what do I need to change?” I’d much rather we looked at it as an opportunity to ask, “What would make me feel really bloody good over the next few months?”
Because those are two very different conversations.
Coming out of winter
Winter has a funny way of slowly changing our habits without us really noticing. The mornings are dark, the evenings are freezing, and suddenly the couch starts winning a few more arguments than it did in summer.
We might walk a little less. Training gets skipped occasionally because getting changed and leaving a warm house feels far less appealing than it did in February. We naturally gravitate towards warmer, heavier foods and, if you’re anything like me, an early night can start looking like quite an exciting social event. 😂
None of that means you’ve failed.
And it certainly doesn’t mean September needs to become some kind of punishment for what you did in June, July and August.
This is something I wish more women understood about health and fitness after 40. You don’t need to keep starting again.
You just keep going.
Sometimes you’re absolutely flying. Sometimes life gets busy and you do the bare minimum. Sometimes you need to pull things back for a while. Then there are seasons where you have more energy and can push a little harder again.
That’s normal life.
The skill isn’t staying perfect through all of it. The skill is learning how to adjust without completely abandoning yourself.
Maybe we ask a different question this spring
Instead of standing in front of the mirror and deciding how many kilos you need to lose before summer, what if you asked yourself how you actually want to feel?
That question becomes much more interesting as we get older.
I want to feel strong. I want energy. I want my body to move well. I want to travel, carry my own bags, train, laugh, eat beautiful food and say yes to things without wondering whether my body can keep up.
Of course, we’re allowed to want to change how our body looks too. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your jeans to fit better or wanting to lose some body fat. I just don’t think our entire health journey should be reduced to a number on the scales.
Because if the only goal is “smaller”, it’s very easy to fall straight back into the old tricks — eat less, train more, cut everything enjoyable out and hope sheer determination gets you there.
Most of us have already tried that little circus.
This time, don't change everything
I see this happen every spring. We get one nice sunny day and suddenly we're a completely different woman.
We're going to train five days a week, hit 10,000 steps every single day, meal prep on Sunday, stop drinking wine, drink three litres of water, meditate, go to bed at 9pm and somehow become a person who enjoys kale.
By Wednesday we're exhausted. 😂
If winter has knocked a few of your habits around, you don't need to bring everything back at once. Just start with the things that give you the biggest return.
Maybe you start walking again because you know how much better your head feels when you get outside. Maybe you get two strength sessions back into your week. Maybe breakfast has become coffee-and-hope lately, so you start making sure there's some decent protein in there again.
Pick something you can actually keep doing once the novelty of spring wears off.
That's the part that matters.
The one thing I really don't want us forgetting
If you've followed me for any length of time, you already know where I'm going with this.
Ladies, keep lifting weights.
Strength training becomes increasingly important as we move through our 40s, menopause and beyond, and not simply because muscle changes how our body looks.
I think about training very differently now than I did when I was younger. These days, every time I pick up a weight I'm investing in the woman I want to be twenty years from now.
I want strong bones. I want muscle. I want balance and confidence in my body. I want to be able to get myself off the floor, carry the shopping, lift my suitcase into the car and keep doing all the things I love without needing someone else to do them for me.
I want to be that woman in her 70s who's still saying, "Yep, I'm in."
And yes, if strength training also keeps my bum where I'd prefer it to be, I'm certainly not complaining. 😏
Use spring rather than trying to conquer it
One of the nicest things about September is that movement starts becoming easier again. We have more daylight, the weather is improving and there are suddenly more opportunities to be outside.
Use that.
Go for a walk after dinner. Take the dog out. Meet a girlfriend for a walk and a coffee instead of only the coffee — we're keeping the coffee, obviously. I'm a health coach, not a monster.
And remember that movement doesn't only count when you're wearing activewear and sweating.
The walking, gardening, taking the stairs, moving around the house and all those little bits of activity throughout the day matter too. You don't need every healthy choice to become another task on your to-do list.
Sometimes looking after yourself can simply become part of how you live.
Maybe that's what spring is really for
Before you decide you need a new diet, new program, new body and new personality for summer, have a look at what's already working.
What did you miss doing over winter?
What makes you feel better when you're doing it regularly?
And what are you continually forcing yourself to do because someone told you it's the "best" way, even though you hate it and never stick with it?
Keep what works. Bring back what you miss. Let go of some of the nonsense.
At this stage of life, I'm far more interested in building a way of living that I can actually maintain than proving how disciplined I can be for eight weeks.
Because your body isn't a seasonal project.
And you don't need to become a new woman every spring.
You've spent years becoming the woman you are now. She's lived a bit, learnt a lot, probably put everyone else first more times than she'd care to count, and her body has carried her through every version of herself so far.
Maybe September isn't about fixing her.
Maybe it's simply time to back her.
Get outside. Move your body. Lift something heavy. Eat food that gives you energy. Get some sleep. Have the wine occasionally. Laugh with your girlfriends. And keep doing enough of the things that make you feel strong, confident and bloody good in your own skin.
That's a spring reset I can get behind.
If you're not sure where to start
If winter has knocked your routine sideways and you're thinking, "I know I need to do something, I just don't know where to start," you know where to find me.
We don't need to overhaul your entire life by Monday. Sometimes you just need someone to help you work out what your first step should be.
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