Get Stronger After 40

Don’t Mistake What You Have Been Doing for What You Can Do

"I've never been athletic."

"I'm not disciplined."

"I'm not one of those women who likes exercise."​
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I've heard versions of these for years. Let me be honest—I’ve said versions of them, as well. Usually they're offered as explanations, but they act more like conclusions. The statements become labels, perhaps even our personal brand. Apparently some women are naturally active, naturally strong, naturally disciplined, and the rest of us just got assigned different personalities at birth.
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It's strange when you think about it because we don't usually talk this way about other skills. Nobody says, "I'm just not one of those women who brushes her teeth" or "I'm simply not wired to eat carrots.” We understand that most things become familiar because we repeatedly do them. But we treat exercise and physical capability like personality traits.

Capability is surprisingly indifferent to who we think we are. It’s built through exposure and repetition. Most women weren't born loving strength training. They weren't born knowing how to squat, deadlift, balance on one leg, or consistently show up for workouts. They became more comfortable with those things because they did them repeatedly. Exposure slowly became familiarity, and familiarity started feeling natural.
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I think many of us mistake history for identity. If you've spent years avoiding exercise, feeling awkward in gym spaces, or repeatedly stopping and starting, eventually that experience can start to feel like evidence. See? I've never been one of those women. But what if you've simply had more repetition being someone who doesn't exercise?

Humans adapt remarkably well and we become comfortable with what we repeatedly experience. We can become comfortable avoiding challenge. We can even become dependent on comfort itself. And then we believe this story we’re creating: I'm just not disciplined. I'm just not athletic. I'm just not that kind of person.​
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But those labels often describe your past experience—not your future potential. You don't become someone who lifts weights because you discovered your hidden fitness personality. You become her because you repeatedly lifted weights.
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We spend a lot of time waiting to feel like the kind of woman who is strong and confident in her body. But identity tends to be built after the behavior, not before it. In other words, you will become the woman you've repeatedly practiced being.

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You can try it out for yourself by downloading a free 8-minute workout video. Start practicing now. See how you feel about yourself after a week.

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