Episode Transcript
What if the reason your arms aren’t changing has nothing to do with your age—and everything to do with what you’ve been settling for? In today’s episode, we’re talking about the sneaky ways women over 50 unknowingly sabotage their progress, and why “feeling fine” might be the very thing holding you back from strong, sculpted arms. If you’ve been calling it aging, but deep down you know it’s something more… this one’s for you.
Hey everyone! Welcome to The Arm Coach podcast, episode 77!
How are you?
Today, I want to tell you a story I read months ago that I cannot stop thinking about. It’s a little gross (just a warning), but it is such a perfect picture of what I see happening with so many of you—and honestly, what I used to do too. So hang in with me. It’s worth it.
There was this woman in the UK who went in for a totally routine eye procedure—just cataract surgery. Nothing scary, pretty common. The lens of your eye gets cloudy with age, and they replace it. Simple.
But when the doctors started the surgery, they found something wild under her top eyelid: a clump of disposable contact lenses.
Not one. Not two. Twenty-seven.
Twenty-seven contacts shoved up under her eyelid. Can you even imagine?
I’ve worn contacts since I was a teenager, and let me tell you—if I ever doubled up, I felt it instantly. But this woman had 27 layered up in her eye and didn’t even notice.
When they told her, she was obviously shocked. But then she admitted something interesting: for years, she’d felt like her right eye was dry, kind of gritty, a little irritated—but she assumed it was just aging. Just “getting older.” Nothing to worry about.
She settled into that discomfort. She normalized it. And she never questioned if something was actually wrong.
Now, stay with me, because this is where it gets real.
This is what so many women are doing with their bodies. Especially when it comes to their arms.
They walk around feeling uncomfortable in their skin. Weak, inflamed, puffy, achy, tired. But instead of asking questions or looking deeper, they just label it “getting older” and move on. They tell themselves it’s normal. Expected. Inevitable.
They’ve been carrying around 27 layers of excuses, outdated fitness advice, and false beliefs about their bodies—and they don’t even realize how much better life could feel if they just peeled it all back.
I see it every day. Women settling into discomfort like it’s a life sentence—when really, it’s optional.
I can’t tell you how many women come to me and say something like this:
“Yeah, I mean I feel a little tired some days… but that’s just normal, right?”
Or: “Sure, I wish my arms looked better in sleeveless tops, but I’m not unhappy—I just feel kind of blah.”
Or: “I’ve been walking and doing some yoga, and I eat pretty healthy, but nothing’s really changing. I guess this is just how my body is now.”
And here’s the kicker—they’ll say it with total sincerity. They truly believe they don’t feel bad. That the fatigue, the stiffness, the stubborn arm fat… it’s just “getting older.” They’re not in pain, they’re just… fine. But “fine” isn’t the goal.
See, one of the first things I do with my clients is have them track a few very specific things: energy, strength, muscle soreness, cravings, mood, and sleep. Not just the obvious stuff like weight. I want real data.
And I don’t push. I don’t tell them what to expect. I just let them gather the evidence themselves. And without fail—this always happens—they come back a few weeks later and say:
“Wait. I had no idea how bad I was actually feeling.”
“I feel stronger now, but also lighter—less bloated, more calm.”
“My cravings are gone, my joints feel better, and I can’t believe how much clearer I feel mentally.”
“I used to think I was just tired because I’m 55. Now I know my body was begging for real fuel and real strength training.”
It’s not that they were lying to themselves. It’s that they’d gotten used to feeling low-level discomfort. Just like the woman with 27 contacts in her eye—she felt something, but she told herself it was just aging.
This is what happens when you’ve spent years ignoring your body’s subtle signals. You tell yourself, “This is just what it means to be a woman over 50.” But it’s not. That’s the lie.
Here’s something that always surprises my clients—but maybe it shouldn’t.
After just a few weeks of lifting weights, eating real food, and using the tools I teach, they start to feel amazing. Stronger. More energized. Clearer in their head. Clothes fit better. Mood is better.
But then something happens.
They slip back into an old habit—maybe they skip their protein, or they don’t lift for a few days—and suddenly, they feel it.
And they come to me and say, “Kristine… I had no idea this one choice would make such a difference. I didn’t realize how bad I used to feel until now.”
And you know what? Sometimes they get a little frustrated. Not because of the slip—but because they’re finally aware. They’re like, “Wait. Have I really been living like this for years?”
Yep. You were. Most of us are.
And that awareness? It’s not a punishment—it’s a wake-up call.
It’s like the woman with 27 contacts in her eye. She wasn’t in agony. She just felt “a little off” for years. A little gritty. A little irritated. But she wrote it off as age. And she never questioned it—until someone opened her eye and showed her the truth.
This is what’s happening in your body right now. You feel something. You know your arms feel softer than you want. You know your energy crashes in the afternoon. You avoid mirrors, tug on your sleeves, and blame it on “menopause” or “aging” or “I’m just too busy.”
But you’ve been settling. And you don’t even realize how much better it could be.
We ignore the early signs—weak grip strength, loose triceps, restless sleep, brain fog—because we’re too busy managing everything else. And then we wake up one day and say, “What happened to me?”
Here’s the truth: Your body is talking to you all day long. You’ve just gotten really good at tuning it out.
You don’t have to wait for a medical emergency to take your health seriously.
You don’t have to wait for a doctor to say, “It’s your hormones” or “It’s your age.”
Here’s what most women don’t realize—especially the ones who keep saying, “I’m not doing anything that bad. I eat okay. I walk. I’m just getting older.”
But you are doing something that’s impacting your body every single day.
You’re asking it to run on empty… and still show up strong.
You’re depriving it of muscle-building fuel and still wondering why you feel weak.
You’re skipping strength training and still expecting toned arms to just magically appear.
That’s not how it works.
Let me explain it this way: your body is running a 24/7 behind-the-scenes operation to keep you alive and functioning. Hormone balance, blood sugar regulation, bone density, muscle repair, fat metabolism—these aren’t things you see happening, but they’re working constantly.
And when you don’t give your body what it needs—when you skip your lifts, under-eat protein, over-rely on wine, processed foods, or endless cardio—it’s like hitting the panic button.
Your body goes into fire-drill mode.
“Muscle breakdown? Yep, let’s use that for energy.”
“Inflammation in the joints? Let’s put that on hold.”
“Hormonal balance? Sorry, not a priority—we’ve got cleanup to do.”
Now imagine this isn’t once in a while.
Imagine this is every day.
Every week.
Every season of your life for the last two decades.
No wonder you’re exhausted.
No wonder you can’t tone your arms.
No wonder you feel like your body is fighting you—it is.
Back when I wasn’t lifting, back when I wasn’t fueling properly or treating my body like it deserved strength, I felt blah all the time. I’d wake up groggy. I was puffy, inflamed, uninspired. I thought, “Well, this is just midlife. This is what it means to get older.”
But that was never the truth. That was just the cost of the way I was living.
Now? I wake up ready to go. No grogginess. No sluggishness. My body isn’t stuck in repair mode—it’s building. My muscles aren’t degrading—they’re growing. My arms look better at 56 than they ever did at 26. Because now I partner with my body instead of dragging it behind me like a burden.
So if you’re waking up tired, unmotivated, and looking at your arms like, “Why aren’t you changing?”—you don’t need more willpower.
You need to stop putting your body into a daily emergency and start fueling it for strength, tone, and longevity.
You’ve just forgotten what it feels like to actually feel good.
Okay, let’s just talk about it—because I don’t think we talk about this enough.
Most women over 50 are out here thinking the only time they need to worry about their health is when something serious pops up—like osteoporosis or a torn rotator cuff or a scary diagnosis from their doctor.
But that’s not the real danger.
The real danger?
The mild symptoms.
The ones you’ve been brushing off for years.
The stiffness. The sluggishness. The brain fog. The soft, achy arms. The sleep that never feels refreshing, no matter how many hours you get.
And because it’s not dramatic, you write it off.
You say, “It’s just age.”
But what if it’s not?
What if the reason you feel meh every morning isn’t age—
…it’s that you’ve been disrupting your body’s recovery cycle night after night without even realizing it?
Let’s break it down. No shame. Just facts.
👉 You don’t strength train regularly, so your body isn’t building muscle—it’s breaking it down.
👉 You barely eat enough protein, so your muscles never get what they need to repair.
👉 You stay up scrolling, or you crash too late, and now your circadian rhythm is all over the place.
👉 You wake up groggy, not because you’re “getting old”—but because your body’s been working overtime all night just trying to get back to baseline.
And girl—hydration? Forget it. Most of you are starting the day two coffees in before you’ve had even one glass of water. Dehydration affects your joints, your energy, and your skin—but also? It makes your workouts feel harder than they need to.
Oh, and that restless sleep you keep having? That’s not just menopause. That’s also your body sending a red flag that it’s not recovering.
You want toned arms?
You want to feel strong and light and clear again?
Then you’ve got to stop living in this low-grade chaos and pretending it’s normal.
Because I promise—once you give your body what it actually needs—progressive overload, recovery, protein, sleep—you’re going to feel like someone turned the lights back on.
But first, you’ve got to stop calling dysfunction “just aging.”
It’s not age—it’s neglect disguised as normal.
Okay, now let’s talk about something even trickier to spot: your mood.
Because if you’re anything like I was, you might be waking up feeling kind of… low.
Not devastated. Not crying. Just… off.
A little heavy. A little numb. A little disconnected from your life.
But here’s the thing no one’s telling you:
That blah feeling? That subtle anxiety? That “what’s even the point” fog?
It might have nothing to do with your age—and everything to do with how you’re treating your body.
When you don’t strength train regularly…
When you skip meals or live on coffee and carbs…
When your gut health is a mess because of stress, wine, late-night snacks, or no real nutrition…
You start to feel down, anxious, reactive, unmotivated—and you blame your personality. Or hormones. Or menopause. Or just "being in a funk."
But girl, there’s a physiological reason your motivation is gone.
💥 Your serotonin? The feel-good chemical that regulates your mood? That lives in your gut.
💥 And your gut is directly affected by what you eat, how much you move, and whether you’re letting muscle deteriorate or actually rebuild.
💥 And when your blood sugar is all over the place because you’re skipping protein or snacking instead of fueling… guess what? You feel edgy, tired, and sad—and think it’s just life.
It’s not. It’s biology.
And let’s not forget digestion. I know it’s not sexy, but it matters.
When your digestion is off—when you're bloated, inflamed, irregular, or uncomfortable—it throws off everything: your mood, your energy, your focus, your drive.
You cannot feel mentally clear in a physically inflamed body.
You cannot feel confident in your arms when your gut is sending danger signals all day.
You cannot show up powerfully in your life when your body is in constant survival mode.
This isn’t about discipline or perfection—it’s about support.
Are you supporting your body? Or are you pushing it, ignoring it, and calling it “normal”?
And here’s what really gets me, because I see this all the time:
So many women come to me doing everything right—they’re choosing the healthy foods, buying the protein powder, adding the greens, watching their sugar…
But guess what?
They’re still bloated. Still inflamed. Still tired.
Their arms aren’t changing. Their skin feels dry. Their clothes still feel tight.
And they look at me like, “Kristine, what am I doing wrong?”
And my answer is usually this:
It’s not just about what you put in your body.
It’s about what your body is able to absorb, recover from, and rebuild with.
And if you’re constantly living in stress mode…
If you’re under-eating and under-training…
If your digestion is sluggish, your gut is inflamed, and your hydration is a joke—then even the healthiest food in the world won’t land.
Your body can’t use what it can’t process.
So yes, you might be spending energy trying to “eat clean”—but it’s being wasted if your body is too inflamed, too dehydrated, or too broken down to use it.
And girl, let’s talk about the skin for a second. Because I know you notice it.
You wake up puffy and think it’s salt.
You see sagging skin around your arms or fine lines around your mouth and call it “aging.”
But here’s the truth:
→ Chronic dehydration = puffiness.
→ Inflammation = skin that looks dull and tired.
→ Loss of muscle tone = saggy skin.
→ Lack of vitamin A, protein, and blood flow = accelerated aging—inside and out.
You want that radiant, sculpted, confident look?
You have to create it from the inside out.
And that doesn’t happen by dieting harder or doing more cardio. It happens when you start treating your body like it deserves to rebuild, not just survive.
Look—I’m not saying how you feel in the morning is all about your appearance.
But let’s be honest: when you feel puffy, bloated, and tired before your feet even hit the floor, it does affect how you think about yourself.
And if your brain wakes up already beating you up… you’re starting the day in a fight you didn’t sign up for.
So no, it’s not “just aging.”
It’s not “just hormones.”
It’s not “just life over 50.”
It’s your body trying to tell you: I need real fuel. I need real rest. I need real strength.
Alright, let’s land this with the thing nobody wants to talk about—but everyone secretly cares about: your weight.
Specifically? The stubborn fat on your arms, belly, and back that no amount of walking, salad-eating, or YouTube workouts seems to touch.
Here’s the truth:
You can be eating all the “right” things and still struggle to tone your arms if your body is constantly stuck in stress, inflammation, or muscle breakdown mode.
When you’re not strength training consistently…
When you’re skipping recovery…
When you’re living off protein bars instead of real protein…
You’re not burning fat. You’re storing it.
You’re not sculpting muscle. You’re losing it.
Your body prioritizes survival over sculpting—every single time.
And if your body doesn’t feel supported, it’s going to hold on to every ounce it can.
You think you’re doing everything right.
But under the surface, your body’s saying:
👉 “I’m too depleted to grow muscle.”
👉 “I’m too inflamed to burn fat efficiently.”
👉 “I’m too stressed to sleep soundly, digest properly, or wake up energized.”
And that’s why you wake up with puffiness in your face, stiffness in your joints, and softness in your arms.
And listen—I know it’s tempting to just call it aging.
To say, “Well, this is just what happens after 50.”
But is it?
Or are you settling for a version of your health, strength, and confidence that isn’t even close to your potential?
Ask yourself:
✨ How do I really feel when I wake up in the morning?
✨ Do I have energy? Mental clarity? Strength?
✨ Do I feel proud when I look in the mirror—or am I constantly tugging at my sleeves and avoiding photos?
✨ How much of this have I just chalked up to age… instead of challenging what’s actually possible?
Here’s what I’ll tell you, friend—most of my clients didn’t even know how bad they felt until they started doing this work.
They didn’t realize how drained, discouraged, or disconnected they were…
until they stopped settling and started training like a woman who deserves to feel amazing.
So if you’re still blaming your body, still calling it “just hormones” or “just genetics” or “just life,” I want to lovingly challenge you:
What if the thing holding you back isn’t your age—it’s your mindset?
Because I’ve seen it again and again:
When a woman decides to stop treating her arms like an afterthought…
When she starts lifting like she means it, fueling like she matters, and thinking like she’s worth the effort?
That’s when everything changes.
So that’s what I want for you this week.
To question the lies you’ve been telling yourself.
To stop writing off the bloat, the fatigue, the arm jiggle, the low energy… as “just getting older.”
It’s not just aging.
It’s conditioning.
And it’s optional.
Alright, my friend—that’s it for this week.
If you’re ready to start showing up for your body in a whole new way, I’m here.
You can message me anytime, or head over to TheArmCoach.com to learn more about my program.
And next time you wake up and think, “Ugh, I’m just getting old…”
I want you to stop and ask: Or am I finally ready to get strong?
I’ll see you next week.
