Part 3: From Nervous to Confident: A Beginner’s Guide to Lifting in Your 40s and Beyond

If the thought of walking into a gym makes your stomach flip a little, you’re not alone. So many women tell me they want to start lifting weights but feel nervous, unsure, or even a bit intimidated. The good news? That feeling doesn’t last long once you take the first few steps. Confidence grows fast when you realise how capable your body really is.

Let’s chat about how to move from nervous to confident, step by step.

Step 1: Start Simple, You Don’t Need Fancy Equipment

You don’t need to join a gym straight away (or ever, if you don’t want to). You can start building strength right at home with:

• Resistance bands

• A pair of dumbbells

• Your own bodyweight

Movements like squats, wall push-ups, or rows with bands are perfect starting points. What matters most isn’t how much weight you use, but that you start teaching your body how to move with strength.

Step 2: Focus on Big, Useful Movements

The goal is to train your body for life.

• Squats help you sit and stand with ease.

• Pushes and pulls build strong arms and shoulders for lifting and carrying.

• Hip hinges (like deadlifts or glute bridges) protect your back and strengthen your hips.

These movements have a direct carryover to everything you do daily, from carrying shopping bags to getting up from the floor.

Step 3: Learn the Basics of Good Form

Confidence grows from competence. Once you understand how to move well, the fear of “doing it wrong” disappears. If you can, work with a coach for a few sessions to learn great technique or even follow trusted online tutorials for beginners.

Remember: everyone starts somewhere, even Personal Trainers! The strongest person in the gym once had their first awkward workout.

Step 4: Progress Slowly and Celebrate the Wins

It’s tempting to want results straight away, but the real magic happens when you stay consistent. Add a little more weight, an extra rep, or a execute a movement better every few weeks. You’ll be amazed how quickly strength builds (especially as a beginner) and how good it feels to see progress.

Celebrate every small win: the first time you do a push up from the floor, the day you move up in dumbbell weight, or the moment you realise you’re walking taller and feeling stronger.

Step 5: Shift Your Mindset To "You Belong Here"

Gyms can feel intimidating at first, especially when you think everyone else knows what they’re doing (trust me, they don't!). The truth? Most people are focused on their own workout (and that's how it should be!), not watching anyone else.

You belong in every space where people go to take care of themselves and that absolutely includes the weights area.

My Final Thoughts:
You don’t need to wait until you “feel ready” to start lifting. Confidence comes after you take that first small step. Every rep, every session, every bit of progress will be proof that you’re stronger than you think in every sense of the word x