Are you a woman over 40 who feels like achieving a super fit and ripped physique is just a distant dream? You’re not alone! Many women experience dissatisfaction with their bodies and health, but I’m here to tell you that it’s entirely possible to attain visible abs and defined muscles at any age. In this enlightening episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I reveal the six secrets that can transform your body and mindset, empowering you to embrace your health journey with confidence.
Are you a woman over 40 who feels like achieving a super fit and ripped physique is just a distant dream? You’re not alone! Many women experience dissatisfaction with their bodies and health, but I’m here to tell you that it’s entirely possible to attain visible abs and defined muscles at any age. In this enlightening episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I reveal the six secrets that can transform your body and mindset, empowering you to embrace your health journey with confidence.
As we navigate the complexities of women's health and wellness, especially during pivotal life stages like perimenopause and menopause, it's crucial to understand that achieving your fitness goals is not just about diet and exercise. It’s about adopting a holistic health approach that prioritizes body composition, mental health, and nutrition. I believe that every woman deserves to feel strong and vibrant, regardless of age. “Being ripped is not just a destination; it’s a lifestyle,” I often say, and this episode dives deep into what that truly means.
Throughout our conversation, I emphasize the importance of mindset and consistency. Are you ready to embrace discomfort as part of your journey toward fat loss and strength training? I encourage you to celebrate every small victory along the way, finding joy in the process rather than fixating solely on the end results. It’s essential to recognize that a balanced life, filled with flexibility and enjoyment, is just as important as the pursuit of a ripped physique.
Join me as we explore practical strategies tailored for women over 40, focusing on how to improve your weight loss efforts and overall well-being. From enhancing bone health to incorporating creatine into your nutrition plan, I share insights that can help you redefine your approach to fitness. This episode is not just a guide; it’s an invitation to reclaim your health and happiness.
So, if you’re ready to unlock the secrets of achieving a super fit and ripped physique while maintaining a healthy mindset, tune in! Let’s embark on this empowering journey together and remember: it’s perfectly fine to enjoy life while striving for your fitness goals. Your transformation starts here!
If you're interested in womens health, this is the podcast for you.
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Speaker #0 A woman can become super fit and seriously ripped at any age. You probably know the type. Visible abs, defined muscles in her arms, and she's usually wearing clothing that shows off her hard work instead of hiding under baggy sweaters. And it's absolutely within the realm of possibility for you too if... You adopt these six secrets, and I will argue that any woman's life will be infinitely better the stronger, leaner, and more bulletproof that you are. But there is a catch. So, if you want to know what women over 40 do to become super fit and ripped, keep listening. Hello and welcome. If you are new around here, I'm Holly Perkins, and I help women to improve your body composition to at least 70% lean muscle so that you can reduce your risk of disease and stay in the game of life and enjoy all of those awesome years ahead. And after 30 years in practice coaching women, I have seen it all. Oh my gosh. All when it comes to different degrees of fitness and leanness and the methods to become super ripped. This is something that I know very well, both as someone who has done it herself, but also as the coach that women come to for this level of impressive fitness. And lately, I have been going deep down the rabbit hole on exactly what it takes to become super fit and ripped. Because guess what? The workouts and the nutrition strategy are only a piece of the puzzle. And in some ways, they're actually the least of the equation. And so what I see out there in the world, whenever there's a demonstration of a super ripped woman over 40, the questions start, what do you eat? What kind of workout do you do? What's your legs, your leg day? What is your workout split? Are you using creatine? They start asking all the what she has done. And what I have found is all of that doesn't really matter. And I'm so curious about human nature and what it really takes for a woman over 40, over 45, to really get ripped. So if you find yourself thinking that you'd like to become a seriously ripped woman, or if you wonder how on earth did that gal do it, this episode will be so much fun. Because here's the sad truth. So many women. are walking around dissatisfied with the status of their body, their health, and their fitness. So many women don't feel well in their skin. They deal with aches and pains every day, battle food cravings, and mood swings. And in my experience, most women really are unhappy with where they are, and they desire to be better. And I know this because I see the conversations. Probably because people are comfortable bringing it to me, either professionally or even in my social life. As you know, the Holly Perkins Health Podcast is dedicated to helping you become a powerhouse. I want you to be unstoppable and energized and pain-free. And guess what? That does not necessarily mean you have to be ripped. Around here, it's about... Number one, first getting to that 70% of your what I call adjusted body composition as lean muscle mass, and technically this is really 70% of fat-free mass. That's the first checkbox, right? And then number two, the ultimate goal is continuing on to 75% fat-free mass, 75% lean muscle, because this is where you will be certifiably healthy. you will look definitively fit and you will feel amazing. And your lifestyle won't be too altered to achieve this. This is very reasonable. But I think that many women secretly wish that they could be super ripped. Is that true for you? So if you see on social media a woman in your age category, or maybe she's a little younger or a little older even, and she is just ripped. She's doing her body check video, showing you her abs, or conveniently wearing a tube top with her recipe video. And you see her gorgeous ripped arms, or her booty, or her legs. And you see that. And there's a part of you that probably thinks, ooh, I'd like to look like that. And I think that many women think that is what they are wanting or reaching for, when in fact, they have no idea what it really takes to get there. So if you have been trying to become super fit and ripped, or you think that's what you want, and you have struggled to get there, These six secrets are most likely why you haven't arrived yet. In fact, it is rare, incredibly rare, that you come across a woman over 40 who is truly super fit and super ripped, right? I'm in the business, so I would know. And now you might look at social media, and of course, depending on your feed, if it's anything like mine, you might think that everyone is super fit. And it's easy to become ripped because there are, quote unquote, so many women in great shape, right? So what's your problem? Good question, huh? But let me tell you the truth. When you look at the entire population of women of all ages, you'd learn that getting super fit, I'm talking visible abs and chiseled arms, The kind that you want to show off is actually incredibly rare. And I went to the research to look at this. And those women out there in the United States are less than 1% of the population. And one of the sources said the statistics are that they are 0.5% of the American population. The point is, it is hard. to get to that level of a hard body. So in this episode, you'll learn the six secrets to seriously ripped women and a peek inside of their lifestyle. You'll hear the number one paradigm shift that makes anything and everything possible. The mindset that helps her stay on track with nutrition 24-7, 365. The behind the scenes. reality of her days and why she doesn't need discipline or willpower to stay ripped. The first secret is actually the one that inspired me to create this entire episode after I studied hard the habits of women who are seriously ripped. And reflecting back on the times in my life when I was 15% body fat and about as lean as a woman over 40 can get, that was me. for a lot of years. And at the time, I literally couldn't go anywhere. I lived in Los Angeles. I could not step outside of my house without a stranger commenting on my fitness, my fabulous arms, or my visible abs. My fitness really spoke for itself and people would comment. And now, a few years later, my body fat is higher. And the truth is, I am 100% 100% happy about that because being ripped is not my goal right now. I want to feel incredible. I want to love my workouts. I want to feel full of energy when I show up at the gym. I want to be completely unrestricted in my nutrition and I want to be able to enjoy an Aperol spritz with my husband on the weekends. And for the most part, That is not compatible with being ripped. Ripped women do not eat pizza and drink beer on the weekends. The secret is this. She is obsessed with the results that she's getting. She is obsessed with her results every single day. The number one secret that I believe is the biggest of all is that there is nothing in life, nothing in life that she enjoys more than seeing results every single day, every single week. She feels a deep satisfaction, pride, power in how her body looks and how she performs. She is committed to the results. that she already has. You following me? Every minute of every day, she gets a hit of dopamine because she is so stinking proud of herself and she loves having an obviously fit body where her muscles pop, everyone knows it, and people comment on it. Now, you might be thinking this is vanity. I disagree. Even if it is vanity, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I have been this woman and I loved every minute of it. Now the lifestyle is another conversation and we're going to get into that in a moment. The result is what drives her. She sees all the ways that her life is better because of her fitness and there is nothing that could keep her from that reward. Does that make sense? And... Therein lies the rub, because how do you get there if you're not already there? This is the biggest mistake that mere mortals make. You are focused on the fact that you're not there yet, that because you haven't succeeded, you're failing, that you'll be happy when you get there, that you're not satisfied yet. Until you're there. Am I right? Listen, I am a coach day in and day out, and I have a pretty good suspicion that if this is you, this is how you think. And while it might be subtle, do you see the difference in these two psychologies? And can you spot the trick? The key is to be obsessed and excited about the results that you have. right now. And if you don't have any results or think that you don't have any results, you've got to at least celebrate what you do have and what you're grateful for and for the progress that you do have. Because celebrating what you are, what you do have on that continuum is the very thing that will help you get more. So in other words, you've got to fall in love with the process until you can be in love with the results. And boy, I could talk about this psychology all day long, but I'm going to stop myself. Instead, we're going to go to secret number two. And this one is tricky because it's sneaky, it's subconscious, and it strikes at our very existence. And that is, she has, listen closely, No regard for comfort or pleasure in the typical sense. She does what she has to in order to have, keep, and get more results because the results are the pleasure. She associates discomfort with the results. So discomfort becomes pleasure. Isn't that wild? Does that make sense to you? So for example, let's say her leg press is uncomfortable. She feels joy. If she's sore the next day, she celebrates because she sees the discomfort as part of the process that got her the results that she has so she can keep those results and get more. It is the proof that more results are coming. She likens hard work and discomfort with the big pleasure of success. She simply does whatever she needs to do in order to reap the benefits, and she's detached from how it feels in the typical sense. So on some level, pain equals pleasure. And this is tricky territory. While I may realize that you hear this and think, oh, that is just self-abuse or that's twisted or it's unhealthy emotionally. I'm here to tell you that it's all just a game of your inner mindset. I love the comfort and the pleasure that comes at the end of the day when I crawl into bed. It is the best. And this is pleasure. I also love a hot Epsom salt bath and I love a massage. I mean, who doesn't, right? These are what we think of in terms of typical pleasure. Does that make sense? But why is that? Because it feels good physically? Sure. Well, I also love the feeling I get at the bottom of a squat when my hips hit that perfect position and I can feel my opening of mobility and I can feel my hips hit this like point of pressure. And I love the feeling of my glutes. firing when I push to stand back up. I love how my back feels when I reset my squat at the bottom and open my chest. Are these not pleasures also? I invite you to rethink discomfort and pleasure because it doesn't have to equate to self-abuse. Physical discomfort can trigger a positive emotion. I know it's crazy, but I was this person. I loved how uncomfortable it was because I associated that with the results I had and getting more. And this is exactly what I'm talking about. Because if you hate your workouts or you hate strength training or you're cursing your walking lunges, it's going to be very hard to achieve a higher level of fitness. And while you can, you can white knuckle and you can complain yourself to a higher level of fitness, absolutely. You could suffer your way to becoming seriously ripped. It most likely won't last and it's going to be miserable. And that is where I would say it's self-abuse. Because the truth is humans are hedonistic and we do need to feel pleasure. So therefore, it's really about how you define pleasure. So could you start reframing how you think about the things that you have to do in order to become more fit? Because if you love the process, nothing will stop you and it becomes a whole lot more fun every single day. And I'd love to tell you about one of my personal secrets to that joy that I feel when I crawl into bed. I can feel it right now and I love it. So darn much. And I am proud to say that I consider myself the poster child for good sleep. I sleep like a queen pretty much every single night, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, most of my life, I really struggled with sleep. And I know that was a piece of me not feeling well the majority of my life. So along the way, I was introduced to a product that was a game changer for me. I turn to Beam's Dream Powder, which I drink about an hour before bed. It is a healthy nighttime blend that is made with science-backed ingredients like reishi, magnesium, L-theanine, apigenin, and a little bit of melatonin, all designed to help you fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up clear and not groggy. And the truth is I'm not the only one. Beam has already improved. over 17.5 million nights of sleep, helping people across the country wake up and feel their best. Whether you're training hard or just getting started, recovery is non-negotiable and dream is your edge. And right now, Beam is offering up to 40% off their best-selling dream powder for my listeners. It's perfect timing to lock in your own sleep strategy. Just go to shopbeam.com forward slash hollypea and use code hollypea at checkout. That's shopbeam.com forward slash hollypea and use code hollypea for up to 40% off. Grab the deal and give your sleep the same attention that you give the rest of your health today. The third secret of seriously ripped women is that they are incredibly consistent in their habits every single day, every single weekend, every single night, and every morning. In fact, she doesn't need discipline. She just repeats the habits that are creating the results that she loves. She sees her actions and habits as the very thing that provides the benefits. So her workouts and eating habits are the same. are what give her the physique that she enjoys. And so she doesn't feel restricted or overly controlled by something that might look like rigidity. She actually thrives in the routine, the patterns, the day-to-day repetitive habits, because she knows that those guidelines are paying off. So if you're someone who feels, let's say, confined by your eating strategy, or you hate doing the same workouts week after week. You might want to examine this more closely. Now, I will say that if you're not getting results from your effort, then that's the issue to be addressed. Keep in mind that what I'm talking about here is when you do have the right strategies that bring the results. But if you're killing yourself week after week and you're not ever getting results, that is something completely different. And to me, that is some level of self-abuse because... Why keep doing something over and over if it's not working? That is a whole different thing. We're making the assumption that you've got the right strategy. But if the effort is working, even if it's at a slower pace than you'd prefer, then consider shifting your focus to loving the process because it's taking you where you want to go. Secret number four is something near and dear to my heart, and that is... She pushes herself into uncomfortable territory in order to increase weight loads during her strength training workouts. She willingly and safely, of course, leans into her workouts and she loves working through the temporary hardship that a higher weight load brings. And listen, if you've ever really worked with a super high weight load that literally stops you in your tracks, you know what I'm talking about here. And she welcomes a heavier weight load because she knows she has to expose her muscles to heavier weights in order for the muscle to change. And she does it even if she doesn't feel like it. She doesn't moan and she doesn't groan. She just does it even if she'd rather not. Again, this is assuming that she's increasing her loads at the right time. According to the appropriate progression, we are assuming appropriate programming. But when it's time to add five pounds to her barbell back squat, she just does it. In fact, she gets excited for it, even if she's not in the mood, even if she's tired, even if she'd rather be elsewhere. And not only that, she's looking forward to her next workout as she leaves the gym after her current workout. She is chomping at the bit for her next workout, and she wakes up ready in the morning to go after it. And listen, these aren't things that you can trick yourself into, I don't think. I've certainly tried it, and I don't think that you can just fake it until you make it. But maybe you can. But it really is a paradigm shift. And you get there by, number one. celebrating the results that you are getting, even if they're small, and you associate your effort with getting you the body, the performance, or the health that you want. So if you don't feel this way right now, and you moan and groan when you have to do a workout, there's some inner mental work for you to consider. Could you start to look at your workouts as the very thing that leads to your happiness, that leads to what you ultimately do want for yourself? Could you start linking your effort to the results that are coming and see the discomfort as a good thing? Because if you're following the right program, the discomfort will lead you to what you want. Okay, secret number five is the one that nobody talks about. But as a coach, I promise you, this will be your superpower if you want to become seriously ripped. When you love the rewards so much, you become really committed and strong on a personal level. And this allows you to work through moments of deep fatigue, hunger, and food desires. The reason why so many people struggle to lose weight and achieve their goal is because they believe that it should simply be a function of showing up and doing the work, showing up for workouts and quote unquote eating right. And while this is true, that is actually the easiest part of it. In order to become ripped, a person will have to release body fat. And this process, the release of body fat, goes against homeostasis and your body's drive to survive. It's why losing weight is so hard. Your body doesn't want to lose weight. Fat loss does not come easily. It comes with a desire to eat. It comes with food cravings. It comes with pronounced hunger at times and moments of deep fatigue. And sadly, I don't believe that there is a way around this, which I call the fallout symptoms of fat loss. This is the territory that is really uncomfortable. Most mortals will cave to this discomfort and they won't stay the course because on some level, it feels really scary to not eat when you're hungry and to not skip a workout when you want to rest. It strikes at our innate drive to survive. Ripped women over 40 are willing to suffer through these sensations and that's all they are, sensations. She is resolved and committed to the programming if she really wants to eat a cheeseburger. She finds ways to nurture her body even during times of fatigue so that she can still show up for her workout. Because remember, she loves her workout and she wouldn't miss it for the world, even when she's deeply tired. Now listen. Before I share the last secret, please know that I am not necessarily a proponent of these practices. I'm also not criticizing them. I believe that what I'm sharing here is really just the facts. It's the behind the scenes that not a lot of ripped women will tell you about. And you get to decide if the payoff is worth the pain. There are times in my life it is. and there are times in my life it's not. There were years and years where I loved the struggle to be ripped. I loved the commitment. I loved the dedication. I loved the narrow boundaries because I knew if I ate like this, I would get that. I loved the control, honestly, because I knew that if I took this action, It's going to lead to the thing that I ultimately really want. And I loved every minute of it. Now, listen, there were times that I felt dead to the world and I can see them and remember them like crystal clarity in my mind's eye right now. But I got up and I went to the gym at 6 a.m. or 9 p.m. I'm not saying this is the goal. And I'm not saying that it shouldn't be either. I just think you need to know what's behind. this reality so that you can decide. And also, if you are the personality type that's like, bring it, now you can know why maybe you haven't succeeded just yet. I believe that she will tell you that it's worth it, provided that she remains healthy on a mental and physical level. Pushing so hard that you're always sick, always injured, always sore, or binging is not what I'm talking about here. And that isn't necessary in order to become ripped. In fact, I would argue if those are obstacles you're coming up against, it's an indication that your programming isn't right. A person can become ripped in a very healthy, albeit uncomfortable way. And lastly, secret number six is that she eats to meet her metrics and she is relentless. She doesn't care. what anyone thinks about her eating habits. She doesn't care if you put pumpkin pie under her nose. She is happily and peacefully resolved to stay the course and only eat the foods that serve her results. This isn't willpower. This is really just pure commitment to the results and the fact of life. At times, this will mean that she eats foods she's not really in the mood for. She eats when she's not hungry. And she sticks to her metrics, even if she is hungry, at a holiday celebration.She doesn't use food to cope with stress or her emotions. She uses food to fuel her performance machine and her workouts. She uses food to provide her muscles with what they need. And at times, she has to eat less than what her appetite is because that is what it takes to be in a calorie deficit in order to burn off the body fat to get the ripped abs that she wants. And she is here for it. She loves it. This isn't restriction. This isn't control. This isn't discipline. This is, she's motivated by the results. And that is all that matters. There's really an emotionality that gets removed altogether. And let me tell you, it is freedom. It is wonderful to be able to say, that donut looks good, but I'm not going to eat it. With zero internal struggle, zero internal trigger No warring between I want it, but I shouldn't have it. Oh, but I can have it, but I can't. I shouldn't do it. There is none of that going on inside of her. It is matter of fact. Does that pumpkin pie serve my purpose? Yes or no? Nope, not going to eat it. Next topic. And again, a word to us mere mortals. These practices will mean that you have to behave in ways that your friends and loved ones might and probably will. criticize. You're going to get some pushback. You're going to get some eyebrow raises. You're going to get comments. You'll have to do the things that other people won't understand. They might not approve of. They might judge you for it. And you have to be perfectly okay with that because the truth is that's their journey, not yours. And in some ways, I want this reality for all of us because I do think it's really empowering and it gives you total freedom to be who you want and to eat what you want when you want or not. But there is a price to pay and you get to decide if that's a price that you're okay with. And it's perfectly okay if you decide that you do not want to pay the admission fee. This has been an incredibly liberating process for me personally. I had to work through everything that I talk about. I was that woman. for a lot of years. And the truth is, I do hope to get back there. Honestly, I do. I loved it. And these days, I'm also really loving being flexible in everything. If my husband wants to go out for dinner, I have the freedom to eat and drink what I want, not what the program calls for. And if I had a particularly demanding week at work, which most of them are, and I don't want to work out on a Friday morning. I enjoy having the choice to go for a walk instead. And you will never hear me express dissatisfaction with my body, even when my body fat's a little bit higher. It's just a fact of life. And that is the price that I choose into, that I pay so that I can have beer and pizza on the weekend. And this isn't to say that a seriously ripped woman over 40 doesn't ever eat a cheeseburger and a beer, but it's on the very... rare occasion. So as you can see, I didn't mention anything about her weekly strength training split or what exercises she's doing for her abs or her macronutrient distribution, because honestly, any of those strategies could possibly work. It's all of these other lifestyle habits that she's demonstrating that really pay her admission to the Ripped Abs Club. I hope you enjoyed this episode. And more than that, I hope you found it illuminating. Because now you know what to focus on if you want to be a seriously ripped woman in your 40s and beyond. And you can grant yourself some grace if you decide that what you actually want is to simply be fit and strong and healthy without regard to how visible your abs are. Thank you for listening. And thank you truly for being here. I hope that you will stay tuned for another brand new episode on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong, my friend.