Ruth Wilkinson

Many women reach a moment in their 40s or 50s where something suddenly feels different.

The workouts that used to work… don’t seem to anymore.
Energy feels less predictable.
Recovery takes longer.
Your body feels unfamiliar.

And the first thought is often:

“What am I doing wrong?”

But this usually isn’t a motivation problem.

Hormonal changes during peri- and post-menopause affect how your body responds to training, recovery and nutrition. The strategies that worked at 25 or even 35 often need to evolve.

That doesn’t mean you need to push harder.

It means you need a smarter strategy for this stage of life.

I’ve written a new article about this moment - the one where many women realise their body has changed, and what to do next.

You can read it here:
https://ruthwilkinson.co.nz/2026/03/07/menopause-strength-training-program/

Has your training felt different in the last few years?

This is Tina.

Last week she hit her first 75kg deadlift PB!

She's 55.

When women reach their 40s and 50s, the advice is often to move more and eat less. So they add more cardio, do lots of Pilates, and avoid lifting heavy.

But the research is clear - what women need most to support them through this stage of life is the opposite:

Strength, muscle, and progressive training.

It’s exactly why I’ve been building something new behind the scenes.

The Menopause Strength Mentorship starts in April - a small online group of women following a structured gym-based strength programme, with evidence-based coaching and guidance for this stage of life.

I shared the details with my email list yesterday and a few conversations have already started.

If you're curious about the Menopause Strength Mentorship, comment below, or send me a message with the word MENTORSHIP and I’ll send you the details.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣.

This is a 12-week online mentorship for women 40+ navigating peri-menopause and menopause who are ready to train properly in a commercial gym environment.

This is fully online, so you can join from anywhere, as long as you have access to a gym and can train 2–3 days per week.

This is not a short-term challenge.
It’s not generic programming.
And it’s not about chasing quick fixes.

It’s structured, progressive strength training combined with education and practical lifestyle strategies to support sleep, recovery, protein intake and long-term health through menopause.

The founding cohort will be capped at 15 women and will be a premium mentorship investment before future pricing increases.

If you’d like early access details and to see if this is the right fit for you, send me a private message.

✨ MetaPWR for Women - starts Monday - One Spot Left! ✨

Looking for a way to feel strong, energised, and confident — in less than an hour, twice a week?

Our Term 1 MetaPWR group kicks off this Monday at Lake Hayes Pavilion, and there’s just one space left.

This is not your average workout. MetaPWR is a high-energy, circuit-style class using fun, functional gear like battle ropes, kettlebells, power bags and slam balls — designed to help you build real strength and stamina that shows up in everyday life. No experience needed, just a willingness to show up.

💪 Why women love this class:
• Builds lean muscle, strength & bone density
• Boosts energy & metabolism
• Supports heart health & vitality
• Designed to suit all fitness levels

🕕 6:00–6:40am
📅 Mondays & Thursdays (Term 1)
📍 Lake Hayes Pavilion
👯‍♀️ Women only – supportive, encouraging vibe

We’re a local group of women (Arrowtown & Lake Hayes) who’ve been training together for over 3 years. If you’ve been thinking about doing something for you, this is a great place to start.

Send me a quick message if you'd like to take the last spot — I’d love to have you in the crew!

I’ve always been a big fan of high intensity exercise. Not because of how it feels. It’s tough, at every level. But because it’s short and it’s effective - and I don’t have hours and hours each week to exercise. It’s smart training.

I also know the massive health benefits it has, for all ages, and particularity as we reach midlife.

Strength training and high intensity is what will keep us strong and healthy as we age, and protect our bones and our brain. It needs to be the focus for all women.

I’m so glad to see the results of this new study! Who is inspired by this??? Let me know in the comments!

A huge new study (74,000 people!) just revealed something significant: High-intensity exercise is even more important than we thought.

The researchers found that 1 minute of vigorous activity delivers the same health impact as 4–9 minutes of moderate—or up to 156 minutes of light movement. This completely overturns the old “1:2 ratio” we’ve all been taught.

For active women, this reinforces something I’ve said for years: High-intensity exercise isn’t just for performance—it’s a massive driver of long-term health. Those short, sharp efforts you sprinkle into your week matter more than we realized.

And for people who are more sedentary, the implications are huge. “Just move” is always a good starting point, but this shows us how the real goal needs to be gradually building toward intensity to unlock the major benefits.

I'll be interested to see if this catches more mainstream media attention—because it should! That said, high-intensity training (and the discomfort that goes with it) isn't usually popular. But the science here is clear: A little bit of hard work goes a very long way.

I'll be digging into this further in an upcoming newsletter; stay tuned! In the meantime, you can check out the study for yourself here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63475-2

Some great tips here

Let’s talk about 3 common mindset traps in midlife — and how to shift them:

“I should just eat less.”
Nope. You probably need more food — more protein, more nutrients, and more energy to support muscle, hormones and mood.

“I’m too tired to train, so I’m failing.”
Your recovery needs are higher now. Sleep, stress, and hormones all affect energy. It's not failure — it's feedback.

“I should be able to do what I used to.”
Bodies change. What worked before might not work now — and that’s okay. There’s power in adjusting, not giving up.

Menopause is not a mindset problem — but shifting your mindset can definitely help you navigate it better.

A lot changes in menopause — and your mindset has to change with it.

Here’s what that actually means:

✅ Stop expecting your body to respond like it used to in your 20s and 30s
✅ Let go of the “I just need to try harder” loop
✅ Ditch the idea that pushing through fatigue is productive

Menopause brings hormonal shifts that impact mood, motivation, recovery, and results.
It’s not a lack of discipline — it’s a natural, biological transition.

The mindset shift?
💡 Learn what your body needs now — not what worked back then.
💡 Adjust your training, fuel, and recovery to support your body instead of punishing it.

This is the difference between feeling stuck and feeling empowered.