Mei Says Move

Most women in menopause think the answer is eating less and exercising more.

But often, the real issue is that their body is already under more stress than it can comfortably handle.

And when stress levels stay high for long periods of time, it can impact everything from energy and recovery to cravings, sleep and fat loss.

That’s why some of the habits that seem healthy on the surface can actually make progress feel harder.

The goal isn’t to do less.

It’s to be more intentional with what you do.

Less unnecessary stress.

More recovery.

More quality sleep.

More strength training.

More consistency.

Because the women who get the best results during menopause aren’t necessarily the ones working the hardest.

They’re the ones working with their body instead of against it.

Comment HABIT and I’ll send you my complete guide to losing body fat and improving energy during menopause. 👇🔥

Before working with me, Niki had completely lost herself.

She was the heaviest she’d ever been. Her clothes didn’t fit, she felt uncomfortable in her own skin, and she had no real understanding of nutrition.

She’d tried going to the gym before, but nothing ever stuck.

The motivation wasn’t there, and she felt completely trapped in a rut.

Everything changed when we started working together in September 2025.

With structured workouts, simple nutrition guidance and ongoing accountability, Niki began rebuilding her confidence.

Although she hated taking progress photos at first, they soon became one of her biggest motivations because she could finally see the changes happening.

Then life threw her an unexpected challenge.

After becoming seriously unwell and spending time in hospital, her journey had to be put on hold.

When she was ready to return in April 2026, we didn’t rush it. We focused on rebuilding her strength slowly and safely, helping her regain confidence in her body again.

Today, Niki says she feels incredible.

At almost 55 years old, she’s stronger, more confident, her clothes fit better, and she’s no longer obsessed with the number on the scales.

Instead, she celebrates how she feels, what her progress photos show, and what her body is capable of.

The woman who once dreaded the gym now heads there every lunchtime, makes the most of her 40-minute sessions, tries new equipment with confidence, and genuinely looks forward to working out.

Her words, not mine:

“You brought me back to me.”

If you’ve been sitting on the fence, wondering whether now is the right time to prioritise yourself…

Take this as your sign. ❤️

Because it’s never too late to feel like yourself again.

DM “Niki” to get chat about your journey…

You don’t need endless crunches to build stronger, more defined abs.

Try this quick circuit instead:

✅ 10 Dumbbell V-Sits
✅ 20 Dumbbell Russian Twists
✅ 10 Thread the Needles per side
✅ 10 In-and-Outs
✅ 20-30 Sec Plank with Knee Drives

Repeat for 2-3 rounds and you’ve got a full ab workout that targets your upper abs, lower abs, and obliques 🔥

Save this for your next abs session and give it a go.

And if you comment “ABS”, I’ll send you another workout just like this one 🔥

Most women spend years trying to “tone” their arms without ever giving attention to the muscle group that actually makes the biggest difference to how their upper body looks.

Your shoulders.

They create the shape, confidence, and balanced look that so many women are chasing.

Strong, sculpted shoulders can make your arms appear more defined, improve your posture, and help you feel more confident in the clothes you wear.

And no, training shoulders won’t make you look bulky.

It’ll help you build a physique that looks strong, feminine, and athletic.

The key is choosing the right exercises to work all parts of the shoulder.

Comment SHOULDER and I’ll send you my go-to shoulder workout 👇💪

If you do…

🔥 10 Curl to Press
🔥 10 Overhead Tricep Extensions
🔥 10 Front Raises
🔥 10 Chest Fly
🔥 10 Press-Ups (toes or knees)

✔️ 2 rounds beginner
✔️ 3 rounds intermediate

You have a quick full upper body workout using just one set of dumbbells.

Many women in midlife are exercising hard… but still not building muscle 👇

Here’s my honest ranking of popular workouts based on their ability to actually build lean muscle and change body composition:

Pilates ➡️ 5/10
Amazing for mobility, posture, and core strength.
But if your goal is building muscle, the stimulus usually isn’t high enough.

F45 / Body Pump ➡️ 3/10
Fun. Sweaty. Social. Great for fitness.
But high reps, light weights, and constant variation leave very little room for progression.
You burn calories…but you don’t build much muscle.

Personal Training ➡️ 2/10
Good for accountability.
But results depend on whether you’re actually being progressed properly.

As an ex-PT myself, most sessions focus more on variety, entertainment and exhaustion (and a good chat) than structured overload.

Strength Training with Progressive Overload ➡️10/10
The gold standard. Every time.

Because muscle is built when your body is consistently challenged to get stronger over time.

That means:

✔️ Increasing load
✔️ Improving performance
✔️ Progressing reps
✔️ Building strength

And in midlife? This matters more than ever.

Because muscle isn’t just about aesthetics anymore.

It’s:

* metabolism
* strength
* confidence
* longevity
* independence

If you want your body to change, your training needs to give it a reason to adapt.

DM me “STRONG” if you want help building muscle properly in midlife 💪

I don’t actually talk about my running that much because most of my content revolves around strength training.

But in the background, I run around 4 times a week.

Nothing dramatic.
Nothing hardcore.
Usually 30 minutes max.

I’m a solid “5k and I’m done” kind of girl because honestly… I cannot be bothered to run further than that

But I genuinely love it.

Partly because I like moving fast.
I walk a lot too, but running scratches a different itch in my brain.

It gives me:

• fresh air
• headspace
• endorphins
• stress relief
• creative thinking time

And weirdly, it’s one of the only times I properly unplug.

No podcast.
No music.
No scrolling.
No notifications.

Just me, my thoughts and usually about 17 different business ideas flying around my head at once.

I normally come back from a run with 3 brilliant ideas.

Unfortunately by the time I’m home, I usually can’t remember any of them 🙈

Also…I do think being able to run is a massively underrated life skill.

Not marathon running.
Not ultra running.

Just being able to comfortably move your body quickly if you need to.

Good for your heart.
Good for your bones.
Good for your joints.
Good for your brain.

As with most things in fitness though, the magic is usually in the “enough” rather than the “extreme.”

🔥 20-Minute Upper Body Burner 🔥

Need a quick upper body session that lights up your shoulders and arms without spending hours in the gym?

All you need is a medium set of dumbbells and 20 minutes 💪

Perform:

✅ 10 Front-to-Lateral Raises
✅ 10 Tricep Kickbacks with a twist
✅ 10 Bicep Curls (3-second lowering phase)
✅ 10 Reverse Flies
✅ 10 Close-Grip Press-Ups (toes or knees)

Complete 2–3 rounds with minimal rest.

Shoulders, biceps, triceps and rear delts = DONE

Comment ARMS and I’ll send you my full upper body workout 💪🏼