Is your daily life strong enough? (It can be)

There’s a lot in the press right now about lifting weights, especially for midlife and older women. And the message is absolutely right: strength matters. Muscle loss accelerates as we age, strength training supports hormonal health, bone density, confidence, metabolic function… the list is long.

But, not everyone wants to join a gym, not everyone feels drawn to dumbbells, and not everyone feels ready for structured weight training, especially if their body already feels stiff, achy or unpredictable.

I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to feel pressured to join a gym or buy barbells to start building meaningful strength.

Load isn’t just about equipment, it’s also about starting to integrate bearing your own bodyweight into your daily life as well. Before we add anything external, that’s a good place to begin.

Why I. comes after M.O.V. in MOVING

In the last 3 blogs, you’ve already been reading about the first three principles of the Move Well Wheel™ framework I write about in my book Move Well for Life (available to pre-order now - published 1 Jan 2026); Move More, Oppose Repetition and Vary Levels.

This next principle; Integrate Load, is placed fourth for a reason (and not just because of how it fits in the acronym MOVING!).

If we suddenly layer heavy loads on top of restricted movement, limited ranges, or old patterns we’ve never addressed, the body simply isn’t ready. It would be like going from couch to half-marathon and expecting there to be no issues! That’s when niggles become injuries, when confidence drops, and when lifting feels like something we “should” do rather than something that feels possible.

But when we’ve already integrated moving more often, opposing repetition by mixing up our movements and varying the levels we move at throughout the day…the body is becoming primed. 

When you work through these steps, you build awareness and mobility. You wake up forgotten ranges, you start noticing the difference and most importantly, you start trusting your body again.

That’s the right moment to add load - gently, gradually, and in ways that fit into real life.

Load starts with your own bodyweight

Before we think about lifting, pushing or pulling heavy things, the first question is:

Can I move my own weight in different ways?

• Can I get down to the ground and back up smoothly?

• Can I control my descent?

• Can I hinge, squat, balance without bracing or holding my breath?

Bodyweight is load, and for most adults, rediscovering some of these movements is the foundation of building functional strength.

Everyday load: how real life makes you stronger

Once we feel stronger using our own bodyweight, the next step is noticing the opportunities already built into daily life, that we may realise we’re outsourcing.

One of my favourite sections of the book is about my friend who started adding load to things she was already doing:

• She began rucking on dog walks; simply adding a small, manageable weight to her backpack.

• She kept a kettlebell in the kitchen and did a few hinges and squats while waiting for the kettle to boil.

Nothing dramatic and they don’t have to be that “fitness-y” either - if that doesn’t appeal. Just a little more load, woven into the day.

And it can change a lot: stamina, posture, confidence, and the way you trust your body in ordinary moments.

Try this today

Here are a few places to integrate load in everyday life:

• Choose to carry a heavy bag of shopping slightly further than usual and always remember to keep swapping sides

• Choose awkward loads; plant pots, large boxes, bags of compost, because real life requires awkward strength that we can’t build from continually symmetrical patterns.

• Walk with your backpack lightly loaded with water bottles, food and a few more water bottles for load; just 2–3 kg at first.

• Create opportunities: either load a laundry basket with heavy items or place a heavy item (a 10kg bag of cat litter or a backpack full of books) at the bottom of the stairs and lift it upstairs each time you aren’t carrying anything else and bring it back down when you return.

Small, everyday load nudges your bones, muscles and nervous system in all the right ways, especially when combined with the M.O.V. foundations you’ve already been practising.

Why this matters more than ever

Loading the body:

• sends essential signals to maintain and build bone density

• strengthens the connective tissues that support joints

• improves balance and posture

• builds resilience

• boosts confidence hugely

Strength training doesn’t have to look like a gym session, it can start with you, at home, interacting with the world in slightly more intentional ways.

This principle; Integrate Load, is the fourth part of my Move Well Wheel, the framework I share in Move Well for Life and also support you to apply it into your life in my 8 week online signature course Reclaim Everyday Ease (next LIVE being held in mid-Jan 2026 so grab your waiting list spot & chance for your early bird discount here). 

This chapter of Move Well for Life is all about seeing load as something accessible, natural, and rooted in daily life, not something intimidating or separate from it.

Next week, we’ll explore the fifth principle: Nurture Joy, because when movement feels good and fits your personality, it becomes a part of your life for good.