How to Know If Your Workout Is Too Hard at 50+

If you’ve ever finished a workout and felt completely wiped out instead of energized, this episode is for you.

In midlife, the old “push through” approach to fitness can start to backfire. What used to work can leave you feeling drained, sore for days, and struggling to recover.

In this episode, I walk you through a simple way to understand what your body is actually telling you. You’ll learn how to use biofeedback to tell the difference between a workout that supports your strength and one that costs you energy.

Menopause Minis | 10-Minute Strength Workouts for Women 45+
https://www.camoyler.com/meno-minis
Use CAMYOUTUBE to save $20

Free Menopause Sleep Guide
https://www.camoyler.com/opt-in

Strong Bones in Menopause | Free Guide for Women 45+
https://www.camoyler.com/boneguide

Foundational 4 Supplements | Menopause Nutrition Made Simple
https://www.camoyler.com/supplements

Free Menopause Home Gym Guide | Strength Training at Home
https://www.camoyler.com/gym-equipment-guide

Wins Beyond the Scale | Free Checklist for Midlife Women
https://www.camoyler.com/wins

Chapters:
00:00 Balancing workouts for sustainable strength
05:11 Shifting mindset with biofeedback
08:12 Being the bathroom police
12:34 Biofeedback audit challenge
14:54 Listening to your body's signals
16:36 Promoting Menopause Minis and biofeedback

Transcript

0:00

You finish your workout and you wait for that rush of energy. But instead, you feel like you've been run over by a truck and you need a three hour nap just to recover. For women over 50, that's not a weakness. That's your hormones sending a very strong signal that something needs to change. Everything you've been told about fitness, no pain, no gain, just push through it, work harder. Was written for a body you no longer have in midlife. But what if I told you that pushing through wasn't actually building strength that you want? Instead, it's actually stealing energy from your future self. And that is the key to getting stronger in midlife. It's not about working harder. It's about listening to yourself better. Stick with me, because today we are ending that cycle of workout burnout for good. Hey there, I'm Cam, and welcome back to my channel. So let's talk about this fitness gaslighting we do to ourselves. You know what I mean? Like, not really paying attention and outsourcing everything to something outside of ourselves. You know, it's that little voice inside of your head that says, ugh, I'm so tired today. My, my joints really ache. And then there's another voice that's even louder that immediately shouts like, don't be lazy. Used to be able to do all this. Push through it, just keep going. And for years, or maybe decades, that second voice was our coach. It got us through some really tough workouts, and it helped us build discipline. But if you're in your 40s or your 50s or beyond, you've probably noticed something. That that voice, that second voice started to feel less like a coach and more like a bully. And believe me, it's not your fault. Because the fitness rules we learned in our twenties and our thirties were written for a completely different body than the one we have today. We have hormonal shifts in menopause, particularly with cortisol and estrogen. Meaning our old go hard or go home strategy or never miss a Monday can actually lead to more inflammation, more exhaustion, and more weight gain. The exact opposite of what you're trying to achieve. It's a definition of spinning your wheels. So in this video, my promise to you is this. By the end of our time together, you're going to have a very simple, powerful framework to understand your body's unique feedback system. We're going to replace the guesswork with concrete signals. I'm going to show you how to do it. You're going to learn to tell the difference between that good tired and that Damaging tired so you can actually build sustainable strength, have more energy, and finally feel like your workouts are working for you and, and not against you. I want to tell you a quick story. About six years ago, I was clinging to my old workout CrossFit identity. I was a CrossFit and athlete all through my 40s and into, I think by 51, I'm like, finally I had to give up my identity. And this is one of the stories that happened. I was the person who loved the high intensity training. I loved lifting weights. I started at age 41. I didn't know how powerful I could be. The sweatier I was, the better I felt. And literally, like, I used exercise while I was going through divorce and it was kind of like my escape. I wore the exhaustion like a badge of honor. Can anyone identify with that? But I was also struggling. So this was after my hysterectomy. So I was post menopause, I believe I was 51. And I remember waking up so exhausted and so tired and like, just literally, how do I get myself out of bed? I was relying on caffeine to like, power through my afternoons. And I remember thinking, like, I just didn't have the mental focus to even start anything in my life. My creative energy was in the toilet. And I just thought I needed to be more disciplined because, you know, that's how it always worked for me. I just thought about doing something and I forced myself to do it. So I just doubled down. I'd go do an intense workout in particular. This one was called Nancy. And I kept thinking, oh, I feel so good. I'm back. This is gonna be amazing. But in reality, it was trying to get me out of a hole that I was just digging deeper. My body was sending me very clear signals that this kind of exercise was no longer supporting my system. When you're on the couch for days and all you want to do is eat chips and you're not even taking walks, that is not the kind of exercise that I wanted to do. Also, I noticed, like, my sleep was horrible. Brain fog, fatigue. I was just actively ignoring all the symbols, all the signs that my body was giving me. And honestly, it's really easy to go into that gaslighting mode, like, oh, I'm just not tough enough. Oh, you're just, you know, you're just lazy. This is the core of the problem, actually. We treat our bodies as if they are the enemy, when actually they're the ultimate data source. The old way is based on external rules, like, you should work out five Days a week, you should burn X number of calories. Your workout should be at least an hour long. Notice all those shoulds. I call that shoulding on yourself. And you know what? In midlife, there's no room for shooting on yourself. So the new reality is one that actually works for us in midlife is about listening to your internal clues. Instead, we have to shift the mindset from imposing our will on our bodies to one of beginning actually having a conversation with ourselves. And the language your body speaks is called biofeedback. So biofeedback isn't some complicated scientific term. It's actually simply the signals your body is sending you 247 about its status. And me personally, like before my hysterectomy, before menopause, I relied on, quote, unquote, the experts, anything outside of myself, not my inner knowing. But you see your energy levels and your mood and your sleep quality and aches and pains and cravings, all of that is data about what's going on on the inside. Your body is literally telling you how she feels. And today we're going to learn how to read that report. I'm going to break this down into three simple checkpoints. Think of this like the traffic light system for your workouts. Green light means you're good, you're good to go. Everything's system's all green. Yellow light means proceed with caution, and red light means stop. We need to reassess things. So checkpoint number one is during your workout. The first place to listen to yourself is during the workout itself. The goal here is to feel challenged and in control. So a green light would be like your heart rate goes up, your breathing gets heavier, you can still speak if you had to, like a short sentence. You feel powerful, you feel focused, and this is the sweet spot. A yellow flag during a workout would feel like you feel so breathless to the point where you cannot talk. And you've noticed that your form is starting to get really sloppy because you're just trying to get through the reps. That would be an example of a yellow light, red light. You're dizzy, you feel nauseous, you feel the sharp, specific pain in a joint. This is your body screaming, stop, we gotta stop going, no pain, no gain. That, that old mantra, we gotta stop that right now. Here's a really simple tip for you to use next time you're in the middle of a workout. It's called RPE and it stands for the rate of perceived exertion. So perception. That's your opinion of how you are feeling during the workout. And on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 is like sitting on the couch and 10 is going the hardest that you could possibly go. You want most of your workouts in, like, the 6 to 8 range. A 9 or a 10 on this scale should be really rare. The way I teach it is the last few reps should feel challenging in order to challenge your muscles and your bones. But that does not mean being wiped out on the floor. There's a difference. And I also want to bring this up because there's something our brain does. I call it hall passes. Because I used to be a teacher. So you don't want to, like, believe everything your brain says because. Because sometimes your brain's going to tell you things to get you out of the exercise altogether. And I call those hall passes. I used to teach fifth grade and across the hall was the boys bathroom. So the middle school would use that bathroom and the fourth and fifth grade would use that bathroom, and those boys would go in there and they'd get hall passes to go to the bathroom and spray ax spray everywhere. I felt like the bathroom police many, many, many days. So anyway, a hall pass is when you're trying to get out of something. Like the boys were trying to get out of middle school math. We don't want to give ourselves a hall pass. We want to be super honest. Like, is this challenging? Am I doing something positive for my body? That's the green light. That's where we want to be. Checkpoint number two is about an hour after your workout. Okay, so you finished the last rep, and the clock doesn't really stop there. I want you to ask yourself, how do I feel in 60 minutes? There's some really critical data here. A green flag would be like, I feel energized and accomplished. You may be a little tired, but it's like the good tired. You have a clear mind. Your mood is lifted, and you're ready to tackle the next thing on your list. You're like, ready for your day. That's good. A red flag, on the other hand, is when you can feel completely wiped out. That's how I felt during that CrossFit workout, you know, and that, that I told you about earlier. Completely wiped out for, like, days. You finish your workout and immediately you just want to lie on the floor. You feel irritable, maybe you're shaky or that hangry feeling. This is a classic sign that your body perceived that workout is not healthy stress, but as a threat. And it is flooding your body with cortisol. This was big for me, because in CrossFit, if you ended up on the floor in a putty in a puddle of sweat, that was like a badge of honor. And I used to feel that wrecked feeling all the time. And I used to think that meant a great workout. Now I know that's not a great workout. A great workout should actually give you energy, not take your energy away. If your workout is costing you the rest of the day or the days after that, honestly, that's just too expensive. And most women don't realize they're paying that price. I was one of those women. Okay, so checkpoint number three is 24 hours after your workout. This checkpoint people, like, honestly, just ignore. But it actually might be the most important one of all, especially if you're busy and you're busy and you're doing this. How does your workout affect your sleep the next day? And your performance is the ultimate truth teller. So a green flag would look like this. Your sleep is sound that night. You wake up feeling rested. You might have some mild muscle soreness, but it's the kind that feels like this pleasant reminder of your hard work the day before. I like that, that kind of soreness. It reminds me of, I'm just alive. Oh, yeah, I did something. I love that kind of soreness. But that kind of soreness does not stop you from doing your daily activities. Your energy for work and your family and all that stuff is stable or even improved. You're not on the couch. You're not in bed. Now a red flag 24 hours after a workout, you can't fall asleep that night. Maybe you wake up repeatedly. You have that wired and tired feeling. For me, it's like busyness behind my eyes. Like my brain literally won't stop. That's how it feels for me. And this next day, you have this deep, debilitating muscle soreness that makes it hard to walk or sit down or use the toilet. That's not what we want. That's red flag. Maybe you've noticed your brain's foggy. You, like, have no motivation for life, and your productivity in life just kind of plummets. If your workout is costing you a good night's sleep and being productive the next day, the price is too high, period. Especially when you have a life that actually needs you. Like we need you. We need you to show up fully. You, you know, your work, your family, your brain, all of that. You do not get extra credit for being exhausted. Your fitness should be fueling your life, not draining the battery. So how do you put all of this into practice. I really want you to become a detective of your own body. And so for the next seven days, I have a challenge for you. I want you to run a simple biofeedback audit. It's super simple. Grab a notebook or actually use the notes app in your phone, which I use all the time for stuff. For every workout, I want you to jot down three things. Number one, what was the workout? What did you do a 10 minute mini a 30 minute string session or did you do some 45 minute spin class? Write it down. Number two, what was the immediate feeling on that scale of 1 to 10, how energized do you feel an hour later and add a word to describe it to like help you. So like maybe it was an 8 out of 10, you feel energized and you're ready to go. Or maybe that spin class got a 3 out of 10 because you are wiped out. Notice the scale and a word. Just the remember. And then finally, number three, how is your sleep? What's that next day feeling? How's your energy? What's your muscle soreness like the next day? For example, you could write slept great, mild soreness. That sounds like a great workout. You're ready to go. Or maybe this happened. I slept poorly, I feel very sore and I'm foggy. That's it. It takes 60 seconds. After a week, you're going to have this amazing and valuable data and I hope you see a pattern emerge. Like whoa, every time I do that intense hit class, my sleep is terrible and I get nothing done the next day. But when I do like a 10 minute menopause mini strength workout, I feel amazing. Listen, this is not about being perfect. It's literally collecting data so you can make smarter choices for you. You can take ownership of your body and your health and your fitness. You're taking the emotion and the self judgment out of the equation and you're replacing it with just like pure, plain, pure data. Which means you can stop second guessing yourself all the time. You're just not guessing anymore. You're recording stuff and you're noticing patterns and you're finally letting your body have a seat at the table. That's amazing. So let's bring this all together. The old rules of more is more and no pain, no gain are a complete recipe for burnout in midlife. The secret to building strength and your bones and all that feeling, strong and capable and full of energy. All that is to start listening to your body by paying attention to those three biofeedback checkpoints during the workout, an hour after the workout, and a day after the workout, you can finally stop fighting your body and start working with it. You're going to have all the clues. You get to trade exhaustion for actual energy. You get to trade the brain fog for actually mental clarity. Because exercise should actually make your brain work better. Did you know that? And when you build a foundation of physical strength that supports every other goal you have, whether that's for you in your personal life or for your grandkids, whatever, this is where things start to feel really different. If you've been feeling like your workouts are taking more from you than they're actually giving you, I want you to hear this. You're not imagining it. And really just getting some data and tracking how you feel during a workout, an hour after workout, and a day after, you're going to notice how you feel. Your body is giving you information and once you start listening to it, everything can feel a lot less confusing. And that's a big part of why I created the Menopause Minis. These are short, simple strength workouts designed for this season of Life so you can build muscle, support your metabolism and feel stronger without needing like a perfect schedule or a ton of energy to get started. It's super simple. You just open the app, watch the demo, read the cues, follow the plan, and rest when your body needs it. Because I teach you that rest is part of the Midlife muscle protocol. And when you get done, you feel like you did something good for yourself instead of feeling wiped out for the rest of the day. If this sounds like the kind of support you've been needing, I've linked the Menopause Minis below. The Menopause Minis is trusted by over 928 women as of this morning. So join us. And if you're not ready for like a program like that, I want you to start with a seven day biofeedback audit that I described in this episode. Let your body show you what's gonna help you. Let your body show you what drains you and what needs to change. That alone can tell you a lot. Thanks for being here with me today. And if this episode helped, be sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next. And if you want to keep going, watch this next video where I walk you through a simple strength approach that works beautifully in midlife. I'll see you over there.