The Midlife Method with Cam Allen®

Strength training at home doesn't have to start with the hardest version. If you've ever watched a workout and thought, nope, I can't do that, this episode is for you.
 
I've been coaching women since 2010, and I'm sharing my best tips for scaling any workout up or down so it fits your body and your equipment. Every exercise has what I call dials. Turn them down when you need more support. Turn them up when you're ready for more.
 
The 7 dials:
1. Range of motion (squat to a chair, the elevated push-up ladder)
2. Weight (how BBHH tells you if it's heavy enough)
3. Speed and rest (my slow-down trick when you don't have heavier weights)
4. Support
5. One side at a time
6. Hold it
7. Swap the move
 
You'll also learn how to tell effort from pain, the simple rule I use to know when to turn a dial up, and your first step for this week.
 
If you're brand new, this is your beginner guide to strength training. If you've been working out at home and feel stuck, start with dials 2 and 3.
 
I'm a functional health coach, not your doctor. If you have a joint injury or a medical condition, check in with your provider before starting a new workout for menopause or any new exercise after 50.

Chapters:
00:00 Importance of squats in daily life
03:20 Learning squats and pushups basics
07:00 Choosing the right dumbbell weight
12:45 Modifying exercises to avoid pain
15:14 Building Strength at Your Own Pace

FREE RESOURCES
Start here: https://www.camoyler.com/menu
Free Midlife Method app (Apple): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/midlife-method-with-cam-allen/id6755252970
Free Midlife Method app (Google): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj70460.app

PRACTICE YOUR DIALS
Menopause Mini Strength Program (short demo-style workouts): https://www.camoyler.com/offers/dNzq2xmR/checkout

WATCH NEXT
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 1: Why More Exercise Isn't Working: https://youtu.be/3m_3Yl-yvIU

WORK WITH ME 1:1
Apply here: https://calendly.com/cam-heymomma/apply

Come say HI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heymomma_cam/ 
 
#StrengthTrainingAtHome #MenopauseWorkout #ExerciseAfter50

Starting over in menopause isn't a willpower problem, it's an iceberg problem. 90% of what drives your habits lives under the water, and most programs never touch it.

I break down 3 things running beneath the surface: the stories you tell yourself, the feelings you were never taught to handle, and an identity that keeps pulling you back to the old you.

If you're tired of starting over in menopause on a Sunday loop, this one's for you.

Free live masterclass: Make This the Last Time You Start Over
Thursday, Oct 29 at 2 PM ET or Friday, Oct 30 at 12 PM ET
Save your seat: https://www.camoyler.com/masterclass

Watch next: Menopause Belly Fat, Part 2: 3 Hormones Storing Fat in Your Middle
https://youtu.be/LeqZrIACvKo

Chapters:
00:00 Midlife health as an iceberg
05:03 Challenging negative self-talk
07:07 Balancing fitness goals and safety
09:52 Recognizing unseen personal progress
13:15 Embracing Inner Changes During Menopause

Free resources to start with: https://www.camoyler.com/menu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heymomma_cam/ 

Let me bust a menopause myth that has you logging more and more cardio while your midsection stays put. I cover a real study in this video where the diet plus cardio group lost twice as much muscle as the lifting group, and more muscle than people who did nothing extra at all.

Muscle is your engine. When you burn it off chasing a smaller belly, you're erasing the exact thing that reshapes your body.

This is part of my Menopause Myth series. The fix is genuinely easier than what you're doing now.

Go deeper on belly fat:
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 1: Why More Exercise Isn't Working
https://youtu.be/3m_3Yl-yvIU
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 2: 3 Hormones Storing Fat in Your Middle
https://youtu.be/LeqZrIACvKo

Chapters:
00:00 Menopause myths and cardio misconceptions
06:13 Importance of muscle over cardio
09:16 Embracing Fitness During Menopause

Ready to start lifting at home? The Menopause Mini Strength Program walks you through short, demo-style workouts:
https://www.camoyler.com/offers/dNzq2xmR/checkout 

Building a health plan at 60 and 70 isn't just about what you eat or lift. It's about four bodies: physical, mental, emotional, and energetic. And they're all talking to each other.

I share real proof, including a continuous glucose monitor experiment, a Yale study on aging mindset, and a Harvard karaoke test, that shows your thoughts and feelings literally change your body chemistry.

Spoiler: the right health plan at 60 and 70 means the physical path gets narrower, but the definition of health gets so much bigger.

Subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode on cardio and muscle loss.
 
Watch next:
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 2: 3 Hormones Storing Fat in Your Middle: https://youtu.be/LeqZrIACvKo
Lower Blood Sugar in Menopause Means Less Belly Fat: https://youtu.be/1YjSwxlFNDI
In Menopause, How Much Protein Do You Need and How Do You Get It: https://youtu.be/62FS7FhNE-U
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 1: Why More Exercise Isn't Working: https://youtu.be/3m_3Yl-yvIU

Start here, my free resources menu: https://www.camoyler.com/menu

Get the Midlife Method app
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/midlife-method-with-cam-allen/id6755252970
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj70460.app
Work with me 1:1: https://calendly.com/cam-heymomma/apply

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heymomma_cam/ 

Chapters:
00:00 Menopause Effects on Women's Weight
06:17 Protein Needs in Menopausal Women
07:43 Optimize Protein & Balance Exercise
 
I'm a functional health coach, not your doctor. Take anything new to your next appointment and talk it through together.

GLP-1 muscle loss is the part of the story most women over 50 never hear. In big studies on these medications, up to 40% of the weight people lost was lean mass, not fat. If you're in menopause and the scale is finally moving, this is your sign to protect your muscle and bone, not to coast.

In this Menopause Myths episode, I bust the myth that a dropping scale means you can skip the gym. You'll learn why the quality of your weight loss matters more than the speed, why women after 50 are at higher risk of losing muscle and bone, and the three simple ways I help my clients on GLP-1s keep what matters: lift something heavy for you, eat your protein first, and get proof with a DEXA scan.

I'm not for or against GLP-1s. I'm for strong, healthy aging, so you can enjoy your life at 60, 70, and 80.

START HERE
Free resources menu: https://www.camoyler.com/menu
Work with me 1:1: https://calendly.com/cam-heymomma/apply

BUILD YOUR MUSCLE
Menopause Mini Strength Program: https://www.camoyler.com/offers/dNzq2xmR/checkout
Free Midlife Bone Care Guide: https://www.camoyler.com/boneguide

WATCH NEXT
Menopause Myths: The Fasting Myth: https://youtu.be/SpAtZ2mClcc
How Much Protein Do You Need in Menopause: https://youtu.be/62FS7FhNE-U
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 1: https://youtu.be/3m_3Yl-yvIU
Menopause Belly Fat, Part 2: https://youtu.be/LeqZrIACvKo
Lower Blood Sugar in Menopause Means Less Belly Fat: https://youtu.be/1YjSwxlFNDI

FREE MIDLIFE METHOD APP
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/midlife-method-with-cam-allen/id6755252970
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj70460.app

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heymomma_cam/

Chapters:
00:00 Quality of weight loss discussion
05:53 Guiding clients on weight loss

I'm a functional health coach, not your doctor. This video is for education only. Please talk with your doctor about your medications and any changes to your exercise or nutrition.

Midlife Method with Cam Allen®

#GLP1 #Menopause #MenopauseMyths

If you want to know how to lose menopause belly fat, the answer probably is not more fasting. After 50, skipping meals and training fasted can be the very thing keeping the belly fat on.
 
In this Menopause Myths episode of the Midlife Method with Cam Allen, we bust one of the biggest myths about belly fat in menopause: that fasting harder melts it. You will learn why under-fueling reads as a famine to a midlife body, how that raises your stress hormone and stores fat around your middle, and the two simple changes that flip you out of storage mode and back into build mode. One of them starts tonight, and it costs nothing.
 
What you will learn:
- Why the fasting rules that worked at 40 stop working at 50
- How under-fueling and fasted workouts can raise cortisol and store belly fat in menopause
- The only fast your body was actually built for (hint: it happens while you sleep)
- How to surround your workouts with nutrition so you build muscle instead of burning it
- A simple daylight-eating day you can start today, sunrise to kitchen-close

More Menopause Myths and belly fat episodes:
- Menopause Belly Fat, Part 1: Why More Exercise Isn't Working https://youtu.be/3m_3Yl-yvIU
- Menopause Belly Fat, Part 2: 3 Hormones Storing Fat in Your Middle https://youtu.be/LeqZrIACvKo
- Lower Blood Sugar in Menopause Means Less Belly Fat https://youtu.be/1YjSwxlFNDI
- In Menopause, How Much Protein Do You Need and How Do You Get It https://youtu.be/62FS7FhNE-U

Free resources to help you start: www.camoyler.com/menu
Work with me 1-1: https://calendly.com/cam-heymomma/apply 

Subscribe so you never miss a Menopause Myth
 
This channel is for education, not medical advice. I am a functional health coach, not your doctor. Please talk with your own physician about your situation, especially if you take any medication.

Chapters:
00:00 The challenges of dieting after 50
06:06 Cortisol and midlife weight gain
07:38 Calorie deficits and body response
11:39 Changing meal times for better hunger
15:03 Pre- and post-workout nutrition tips
17:50 Daily meal schedule and benefits
21:28 Fasting and muscle building advice
 
#menopausebellyfat #bellyfatinmenopause #menopausemyths #fastedworkouts #fastingafter50 #womenover50 #perimenopause #midlifehealth

Menopause belly fat is not always fat. Sometimes your middle feels tight because your gut has slowed down, not because you gained weight overnight. In part three of the belly fat series, I walk through gut health in menopause: why lower estrogen and progesterone slow your digestion, how a leaky gut and inflammation puff up your waistband, what GLP-1s are really doing in there, and the simple way to calm the whole thing down.

Then we talk about the other kind of gut. Gut feelings. Because in midlife, your body stops letting you ignore what you have been stuffing down.

If this series is helping you, subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Watch the rest of the belly fat in menopause series:
Part 1, exercise and belly fat: https://youtu.be/3m_3Yl-yvIU
Part 2, the three hormones: https://youtu.be/LeqZrIACvKo

Want to work on this together? https://calendly.com/cam-heymomma/apply 

I am a functional health coach, not your doctor. Take anything new to your next appointment and talk it through together.

menopause belly fat, belly fat in menopause, gut health in menopause, how to lose menopause belly fat, menopause bloating, GLP-1, menopause gut health, menopause weight gain, gut health over 50, menopause digestion, gut feelings, menopause inflammation, midlife wellness, Cam Allen, Midlife Method

Chapters:
00:00 Feeling bloated from a sluggish gut
05:18 Importance of gut bacteria
09:37 Discussing gut feelings and intuition
10:29 Menopause and emotional awareness

Deep belly fat can climb from about 5 to 8 percent of your body fat before menopause to much higher after, and it can happen even when the scale barely moves. Your body did not get lazy. Three hormones redrew the map.

In part two of this three-part series on midlife belly fat, I walk through estrogen, cortisol, and insulin, how they gang up to store fat in your middle, and the five signals of safety that turn the whole loop around: build muscle, walk after dinner, protect your sleep, fuel with protein, and downshift your stress on purpose. I also cover the two labs that let you see it on paper, the DUTCH test and fasting insulin.

Missed part one on exercise and stress? Start there. Part three on gut health is coming next week, so follow along so you don't miss it.

I am a functional health coach, not your doctor. Take this to your next appointment and talk it through with them.

Chapters:
00:00 Hormones and midlife fat changes
04:22 Cortisol and fat retention explained
07:07 Questioning diet and exercise beliefs
12:28 Managing menopause with stress and sleep
13:50 Importance of fasting insulin test

#menopause #bellyfat #midlifehealth #hormones #cortisol #insulin

If your menopause belly won't budge no matter how much cardio you do, the exercise itself might be the problem. In Part 1 of this two-part series I share the three exercise mistakes feeding belly fat after 50, and the strength-first fix that actually works.

You cannot spot reduce. No crunch, plank, or ab gadget melts fat off one spot. What actually moves the needle is building muscle, because muscle is where your body parks and burns glucose.

You will learn why too much steady cardio, too much high intensity, and under-eating can all backfire in menopause, plus my simple menu of what works: strength training, core work, walking, and HIRT (high intensity repeat training) done the smart way.

Believe it or not, your body is not betraying you. It is protecting you. When you stop punishing it and start building it, it stops holding on so tight and the belly fat slowly decreases.

Part 2 goes under the hood into the hormones, cortisol and insulin, and why stress sends fat to your midsection. Subscribe so you do not miss it.

Chapters:
00:00 Rethinking Cardio and Belly Fat
05:31 Importance of rest and recovery
08:08 Explaining HIRT workout basics
10:22 Understanding Menopause and Body Care

Watch next:
Protein After 50 https://youtu.be/62FS7FhNE-U
Blood Sugar After 50: 2 Habits That Lower It Without Meds https://youtu.be/1YjSwxlFNDI 

Come say hi:
Instagram: @heymomma_cam

Hit subscribe and I will see you in Part 2.

Protein is the missing piece for building and holding muscle after 50, and most midlife women are not getting close to enough. In this episode I break down why protein matters more in menopause, how much you actually need, and the simple ways I get more into every single meal.

I spent over a decade as a vegetarian, then a pescatarian, before my body started asking for something different in menopause. In this episode I share that story and the honest truth about why I do not believe I could hold my midlife muscle without animal protein, plus exactly how to get enough no matter where you are starting.

You will learn why protein is your metabolism's best friend after 50, the thermic effect that makes it burn more calories than exercise, how much protein you really need in menopause, and my go-to high-protein breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. No complicated math and no food scale required.

Remember, lifting builds the muscle and protein is what lets your body keep it. One does not work without the other.

Chapters:
00:00 Midlife fitness and diet changes
05:59 The importance of protein in diet
09:40 Importance of Breakfast Protein
12:45 Eating order for blood sugar
13:57 Focusing on protein and health

Resources and things I mentioned:
Cronometer (free tracking app I call the Coach's app)
Safe Catch tuna (mercury tested)
Butcher Box (my sustainable meat source): https://www.butcherbox.com/discount/EGTB-2574-CMOZ?referral
Equip peanut butter protein powder: https://www.equipfoods.com/HEYCAM
Foundational 5 supplements (NutriDyn, 20% off): https://camallen.nutridyn.com

Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Watch next:
Last week's blood sugar episode: https://youtu.be/1YjSwxlFNDI


Come say hi:
Instagram: @heymomma_cam

Free Midlife Method app to get started:
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/midlife-method-with-cam-allen/id6755252970   
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kj70460.app   

If this helped, subscribe so the next one finds you.