Michaela Bentley shares eight midlife fitness lessons

As someone who's always maintained a pretty high level of fitness, that all came to a crashing halt in my late 40s, personal trainer and nutrition coach Michaela Bentley wrote on Instagram.

Hitting a Midlife Fitness Wall at Age 60

Bentley, now 60, experienced sudden weight gain during her late 40s despite maintaining her lifelong exercise habits. All the methods she previously relied on to stay fit stopped working, leaving her unable to figure out why her body was changing while her routine remained identical.

Working alongside insights from Sarah Campus, personal trainer, instructor, nutrition coach, and founder of LDN MUMS FITNESS, Bentley identified eight core adjustments that helped her navigate midlife physical shifts. Their shared guidance targets resistance training, recovery, and daily movement patterns for women experiencing similar changes.

Prioritizing Resistance Training and Progressive Overload

Effective training does not require constant variety and can often be repetitive, according to both fitness coaches. Repeating key movements allows practitioners to practice proper technique, build genuine strength, and accurately track their progression over time.

If you're doing completely different workouts every week, you're not building strength, Bentley states.

Campus adds that constant changes make it much harder to measure actual physical gains. Rather than chasing random workouts that yield random results, both trainers advise following a structured program for at least six months to a year.

When executing those workouts, the focus should rest squarely on effort rather than arbitrary rep counts like eight, ten, or 12. Muscles must be challenged close to failure while maintaining correct form, while weights and volume gradually increase through progressive overload.

Boosting Daily Movement and Managing Nutrition

Beyond structured gym sessions, increasing Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis—known as NEAT—serves as an underrated tool for fat loss during midlife. NEAT encompasses everyday tasks such as housework, walking, gardening, taking the stairs, and fidgeting.

It increases daily energy expenditure without adding a ton of fatigue or interfering with recovery, Bentley notes regarding walking.

Nutritional strategy in midlife should likewise prioritize overall calorie intake and energy balance above meticulous macro tracking. Bentley recommends focusing on calories first, followed by protein and fiber, while Campus emphasizes that sleep, portion sizes, and food quality dictate long-term dietary sustainability.

Restructuring Recovery and Long-Term Consistency

Physical adaptation requires adequate rest, making recovery a critical component of any midlife fitness regimen. Campus stresses that increased training volume does not automatically yield better outcomes, particularly when daily life demands are already high.

More training isn't always better, especially when life is already demanding. Prioritize sleep, rest days, nutrition and lighter sessions when needed.

Sarah Campus

To support that recovery between sets, Bentley recommends resting at least two minutes during challenging exercises. Both coaches agree that long-term success relies on building steady habits rather than depending on fleeting motivation, and that occasional indulgences like a meal out or birthday cake will not derail months of disciplined routine.