Liz Connolly Coaching

Getting back to the gym at 50 hits differently.

Hormones, tendons and an injury have meant less strength training lately. I’m happy I’ve kept my steps up, but now I need to rebuild my muscle and strength — without re-injuring myself.

Add a new job with longer days and later finishes, and I’m still figuring out what my new routine looks like.

I really didn’t want to go to the gym this morning.

But I went.

And yep… I feel so much better for it. 😂

Midlife fitness isn’t about bouncing back. It’s about finding a new way forward.

Some weeks are less about pushing forward and more about finding a new way through.

This week has been about adjusting.

Four weeks into my new role, I still haven’t worked out my new work-life routine. I’ve found space for the gym on Wednesday nights and Saturdays, but the workload is challenging and I’m feeling it mentally and physically.

I’ve also been diagnosed with gluteal tendinopathy, which has meant changing my gym program. I can still walk, but I’m nervous about what this setback means for my health journey.

The good part? Reconnecting with nature and spending quality time with family has been very good for my soul.

I’m reminding myself that changing the plan doesn’t mean giving up on the goal.

The hardest habit I’ve built isn’t exercising. It’s beginning again.

After taking June off from the gym because of holidays and illness, 1 July was my chance to start again.

By 6.30 pm I was still at work. A new role, resource challenges and the weight of new responsibilities had left me tired, hungry and already talking myself out of it.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

“One more day won’t matter.”

Then I caught myself.

Instead of convincing myself to do a full workout, I made myself one simple promise:

Just go for 30 minutes.

Just start.

Start the new month the way you want to continue.

So I went.

I ended up staying for 40 minutes.
I enjoyed it.

My husband met me afterwards and we had dinner at the gym café before heading home.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
But that’s exactly the point.

I’ve realised my health hasn’t changed because I’ve become more motivated. It has changed because I’ve learned to stop negotiating with myself and simply take the next small step.

Midlife habit change is hard.

Because one small step rarely changes everything.

But it often changes what happens next.

P.S. You won’t find cute, curated gym content here. Just me—showing up, starting again, and sharing the real, messy middle of building healthier habits in midlife.

Life has a funny way of testing your plans I started a new executive role this week expecting to spend my time learning, listening and settling into a new routine.

Instead, I found myself navigating unexpected challenges, and uncertainty.

Outside of work, life didn’t slow down either. I underwent unexpected dental surgery, came down with a virus (complete with a cold sore!), and my daughter was recovering from major dental surgery herself.

There were moments this week when I questioned whether I’d made the right decision.

But experience has taught me something important.

When everything feels uncertain, you don’t need all the answers. You just need to focus on the next right step.

At 50, I’m learning that resilience isn’t about having perfect weeks. It’s about adapting when life doesn’t go to plan, letting go of perfection, and trusting that clarity comes through action.

This week wasn’t easy.

The older I get, the more I realise that resilience isn’t built when life is easy. It’s built in weeks like this.

The view from 50 is better than I expected.

Last week just after my 50th birthday, I climbed the Old Man of Storr in Scotland - 300 vertical metres and 86 flights of stairs worth of climbing!

Today, I start a new role as Director of Corporate Services.

A few years ago, neither mountain seemed possible.

I was navigating a stage 4 endometriosis diagnosis and facing uncertainty during a major corporate restructure. The future felt anything but clear.

What I’ve learned is that mountains; whether they’re health challenges, career changes or literal hike - are climbed the same way……

One step at a time.

Sometimes the view from the top is better than you ever imagined.

As a mum of an adult daughter, I’ve learnt that motherhood doesn’t stop when they grow up. It simply changes shape.

Now it’s about being present for the little moments:
✨ The unexpected chats
✨ The walks together
✨ The laughing over dinner
✨ The “mum, can I ask your advice?”
✨ The simple gift of still being needed in different ways

This new chapter of motherhood that feels less about managing life… and more about enjoying it together.

To every midlife mum navigating changing identities, empty nests, or adult children finding their wings — you’re not losing your purpose.

You’re simply being invited into a new version of it.

Happy Mother’s Day 💛

I came across this on my walk yesterday and it really hit home. 28 weeks ago, I made a decision to show up differently for myself. Not perfectly. Not always motivated. But consistently.

Some days I feel energised to eat well and train.

Other days, I have to push myself just to show up.

I’m not where I want to be yet — but I’m no longer where I started. It took time to see and feel the difference, but now I feel stronger & look stronger.

I am showing up for the future me because I’m building strength she can rely on.

And that’s what keeps me going. 💛

It hasn’t just been the big changes—the small, steady ones have been just as powerful in creating real change.

Here’s the truth about midlife weight-loss no one talks about… ⬇️

The weight loss slowed.
My motivation dropped.
Life got busy… and messy… and overwhelming at times.

But I didn’t stop.

I didn’t start over.
I didn’t wait for motivation to come back.
I didn’t tell myself “I’ll try again next week.”

I just kept going… imperfectly.

Some weeks it looked like progress.
Some weeks it looked like maintenance.
Some weeks it looked like doing the bare minimum to stay on track.

And that’s how this happened 👇
16kg down. Halfway there.

Not because I was always motivated…
But because I built systems that carried me when I wasn’t.

This is what midlife health change really looks like:
✨ Consistency over intensity
✨ Discipline over motivation
✨ Showing up… especially when you don’t feel like it

If you’re in a season where it feels slower, harder, or less exciting…

👉 You’re not failing.
👉 You’re in the part that actually creates the result.

Keep going.

Because this version of you?
She’s built through the days you didn’t feel like it.