Women Over 50: Why Strength Matters More Than the Scale

Girl, I hit the number, I got the size, and then I stood there and realized that was never actually the finish line.

Who would have thought there'd come a day when I'd look at the scale and think, okay, that's enough.

For years, maybe even decades, the goal was always to lose weight.

But now my challenge isn't losing weight.

It is making sure I don't lose anymore.

And that's because I've realized something I never expected.

The goal has gotten bigger.

Living our best life.

It's good to be alive, but it's best to truly live.

Let your spirit fly.

Celebrate the journey every single day.

Aging with grace and style in our own special way.

Hey, friend.

Welcome back to Aging with Grace and Style.

I'm your host, Valerie Hatcher, and I'm so glad you're here today.

This is the podcast where we have honest conversations about what it really looks like to navigate this season of life with confidence, purpose, and, yes, a little grace, a little style, and a touch of sass.

Today's conversation is one I'm living in real time.

I'm still learning, still adjusting, still figuring things out.

But sometimes those are the best conversations to have, because I have a feeling you might be figuring it out, too.

A few years ago, I lost weight that I had gained from not being active when I needed hip replacement surgery.

And of course, there were the good old hormone changes and imbalance.

It wasn't easy.

Reaching that goal was something that I worked hard for, and I'm proud of that work.

But lately I. I found myself in a place that I never expected.

Instead of trying to lose another pound, I'm actually trying not to lose anymore.

Who would have thought I would ever say that?

That unexpected shift made me realize something much bigger.

Maybe I've been measuring success by an old standard.

Maybe it's time to stop asking how much do I weigh?

And start asking how healthy and strong do I want to be 20 years from now?

Today is not really a conversation about weight loss.

It's a conversation about how our definition of health changes as we get older.

We're going to talk about why strength has become my new focus, why the mindset shift has honestly been harder than the physical part, and why I think many of us may be ready to look at health through a completely different lens in this season of life.

Here's what happened.

Over the last several weeks, I noticed my weight continuing to drop.

Years ago, I would have celebrated that.

This time, I did not.

Because I don't want to get down too low.

I want to still look healthy.

So instead of celebrating it, I found myself thinking that I actually need to gain a couple of pounds back.

Can you believe I'm saying that?

The reason is pretty simple.

I realized I was probably not getting enough protein, and honestly, I was not eating enough to support the goals that I have now.

And that's when it hit me.

The goal has gotten bigger.

For years, my focus was on losing weight.

That was the right goal for that season, and I'm proud of the work it took to get there.

But somewhere along the way, I realized I was still measuring success by an old yardstick.

That being the scale.

For so many of us, that little number has had way too much power over our lives.

It determined whether we had a good week or a bad week.

It influenced how we felt about ourselves, our confidence, self, sometimes even our mood.

We have spent decades chasing smaller smaller bodies, smaller clothes, smaller numbers.

And I'm not criticizing that, because I was right there, too.

It is what many of us were taught.

We believed that smaller automatically meant healthier.

But lately, I've been asking myself a different question.

What if the things that mattered at 40 are not the same things that matter at 60?

That does not mean the old goal was wrong.

It simply means I'm in a different season now.

Now, I want to pause here just for a second, because I don't want this to land the wrong way.

If you are working toward a healthier weight right now or your doctor has encouraged you to lose weight for your health, I see you, and that goal matters.

This is not me saying otherwise.

Weight loss can absolutely be part of taking care of yourself.

What I'm saying is that the number on the scale is not the finish line, and it never was.

The real question, whether you are losing, maintaining, or like me, trying to gain a little back, is this.

What are you building?

Because when I picture the woman I Hope to be 20 years from now, I do not picture a number on the scale.

I picture a woman who is still traveling, still carrying her own luggage, still getting down on the floor to play with her grandchildren, and getting back up without making a whole production out of it.

Because, let's be honest, getting down is not the problem.

It's getting back up.

That's the woman I'm investing in right now.

So what does that actually look like?

Well, for me, it means I am asking completely different questions than I used to.

Years ago, I wanted to know how many calories something had.

Now I want to know how much protein it has.

Years ago, my workouts were about burning Calories.

I was cardio queen.

I know.

You remember Jane Fonda, right?

Well, I was right there.

You probably could have named me Valerie Fonda.

Now my workouts are about building strength.

Years ago, I focused on what I could lose.

Now I'm focused on what I need to preserve.

The more I started reading and learning, the more I realized this is not just something I am experiencing.

It is what experts have been telling us for years.

As women get older, we naturally lose muscle.

Bone density changes, balance changes, metabolism changes.

That is part of aging.

But here's the encouraging part.

We are not powerless.

We can strength train.

We can prioritize protein.

We can move our bodies.

We can make choices today that support the woman we're becoming tomorrow.

And I'll tell you something else that shifted my thinking.

I have spent a lot of time planning for retirement financially, strategically thinking about what I want that season to look like.

But somewhere in that planning, I started asking a different question.

What good is it having the time to travel if my body would not let me enjoy it?

What good is financial freedom if I don't have the strength and the energy to actually live it?

I am not just preparing financially for retirement.

I'm preparing physically for it, too.

Every workout, every walk, every meal, every decision to fuel my body.

Well, those are not just choices for today.

They are investments in my future.

Here's what has surprised me the most.

The hardest part has not been lifting weights.

It's not been figuring out what to eat or how to train.

The hardest part has been changing the way I think.

Because when you have spent decades believing that success means seeing a smaller number on the scale, it's hard to suddenly celebrate something different.

I'll be honest with you.

There are still mornings when I step on the scale and the old thoughts try to creep back in.

Maybe I should lose just a little more.

Maybe I don't need to eat that when I absolutely know neither of those things need to happen.

Didn't I just say that?

I'd like to get back a few of those pounds?

See how your mind plays tricks on you.

Those thoughts do not disappear overnight.

They are habits.

They are beliefs that we have carried for years.

But now I find myself asking completely different questions.

Have I eaten enough today?

Am I getting enough protein?

Am I fueling my body to build something instead of continuing to shrink?

That's a complete shift, and it does not happen all at once.

I think that's true in so many areas of life.

After 50, sometimes the hardest part is not changing our habits.

It's Changing the story we've been telling ourselves.

The story that thinner is always better.

The story that aging automatically means getting weaker.

The story that our best years are behind us.

I'm choosing a different story.

I'm choosing to believe this season is not about becoming less.

It's about becoming stronger.

Not to prove anything to anyone else, but because I want to keep saying yes to my own life, yes to traveling, yes to Halo and whatever grandchildren come after her, yes to opportunities that I have not even imagined yet.

That is what strength means to me now.

This is not really about adding another workout to the week.

It's about asking a much bigger question.

What kind of life am I preparing myself to live?

Every choice is a small deposit into that future.

And the body that you're building right now through every walk, every workout, every decision to take care of yourself, that's the one you're going to be living in.

So make it count.

I want to slow down here just for a second, because underneath everything that we've talked about today is one really important question.

When you think about your health, what are you actually chasing?

Not what sounds good, not what you think you should say, but what has really been running the show?

A number, a sigh, Something someone said to you 20 years ago that you never quite let go of.

And here's the follow up.

Is that measuring stick serving the life you want to live?

Now, sit with that.

Write it down if you can, because I think when we get honest about what we've been chasing and why, we get a lot more clarity about what we actually want to build.

So here's what I want you to walk away with today.

This was never really about weight.

It was about perspective.

It is about recognizing our.

Our goals can evolve because we evolve.

What mattered in one season may not be what matters most today.

And that's not failure.

That's growth.

The goal after 50 is not to be the thinnest woman in the room.

The goal is to be strong enough to live the life that you're building for as many years as possible with energy, with mobility, with independence, with joy.

Strong is not what you settle for when skinny stops working.

Strong is the plan.

So this week, I want to challenge you to do one thing your future self will thank you for.

Maybe it's a walk.

Maybe it's adding protein to your breakfast.

Maybe it's finally scheduling that strength class that you've been thinking about.

Whatever it is, do it because you're investing in yourself, not punishing yourself.

And there's a big difference.

Your body is not done with you.

Not even close.

So stop asking it to shrink.

Start asking it to grow.

Before I let you go.

Here's your reflection prompt for this week.

What is one thing I can do this week?

That it's about building strength, not burning calories.

Just one thing.

Start there.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a woman in your life who is still chasing the old goal.

Text it to her.

Tag her in a post.

Sometimes all it takes is one honest conversation to shift the whole picture.

Find all our episodes@pod.agingwithgraceandstyle.com and if you have not left a review yet, I would love helps more women find this conversation.

I will see you next Tuesday, my friend.

Always remember, aging is not a curse.

It is absolutely 100% a blessing.

Talk to you soon.