Fitness over 50 does not have to mean pushing harder, exercising longer, or forcing your body to follow routines that no longer feel right. In this episode of the ANEW Insight Podcast, we explore how women can build strength, energy, confidence, and resilience through realistic, sustainable movement during perimenopause, Menopause, and beyond.
Dr. Supatra Tovar is joined by Heike Yates, an award-winning author, midlife fitness and consistency expert, and founder of Hey Life Training. With more than 35 years of experience in Health and fitness, Heike helps women stop repeatedly starting over and create movement habits that support their changing bodies and lives.
In Part One of this conversation, Dr. Tovar and Heike discuss why restrictive diets and punishing workouts often backfire, especially during midlife. They explore the importance of listening to your body, choosing movement that brings you joy, starting with small and achievable habits, and building strength without adding more Stress or Burnout.
You will also learn how Pilates, strength training, walking, dancing, and even five-minute movement breaks can support bone health, posture, energy, confidence, and long-term wellness. The goal is not to become younger. It is to become stronger, healthier, wiser, and more connected to yourself.
In This Episode
• Fitness over 50
• Healthy Aging and Longevity
• Sustainable Exercise habits
• Perimenopause and menopause
• Strength training for women
• Pilates and bone health
• Diet culture and restrictive eating
• Exercise burnout
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and introduction
02:45 Redefining when midlife begins
04:20 Why restrictive diets often backfire
05:30 Finding community and joy through movement
07:00 From bodybuilding to ultramarathons and Pilates
09:00 Why movement should feel enjoyable
10:40 Why so many midlife women feel exhausted
12:00 Replacing dieting and restriction with balance
13:00 When exercise creates more stress
15:00 Diet culture, extreme weight loss, and midlife health
16:40 Viewing midlife as a turning point
17:00 Why more fitness information is not always the answer
19:00 Learning to listen to your body
20:30 Finding movement that lights you up
21:40 Why smaller workouts are more sustainable
22:20 Five-minute movement habits that add up
23:20 Strength training for long-term health
24:00 Pilates, posture, muscle, and bone density
26:40 Final thoughts and Part Two preview
Connect With Heike Yates
Website: https://heikeyates.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/heikeyates
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heikeyates/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heike-yates
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pursue-your-spark-midlife-fitness-mindset-for-women/id1231586317
Connect With Dr. Supatra Tovar
Continue Your Journey
📘 Book: Deprogram Diet Culture: Rethink Your Relationship with Food, Heal Your Mind, and Live a Diet-Free Life
🎓 Course: Deprogram Diet Culture
https://anew-insight.com
🌐 Visit the Website
🎥 Watch More Episodes
ANEW Insight Podcast
🎤 Watch the TEDx Talk
Rethinking Your Relationship with Food in the GLP-1 Era
📄 Transcript
Dr. Supatra Tovar: Hi, and welcome, everyone. I am so glad to have midlife fitness and consistency expert Heike Yates with us today. Heike, welcome.
Heike Yates: It is my pleasure to be here, Supatra.
Dr. Supatra Tovar: I am so glad to have you here to talk about all things midlife and fitness. I think many people have misconceptions and questions, and you are the perfect person to give us some answers. I am going to read a little bit about Heike before we get started, and then we will jump into the questions.
Dr. Supatra Tovar: Heike Yates is the author of the award-winning book Pursue Your Spark and the founder of Hey Life Training, H-E-Y. With more than 35 years of experience in the health and fitness space, she helps midlife women move out of the frustrating cycle of starting over and into a more sustainable path toward energy, strength, and confidence.
Dr. Supatra Tovar: Her work is deeply rooted in both professional expertise and personal experience. As a single mother navigating financial hardship while raising two children, Heike found resilience and stability through fitness. What began as a lifeline became a lifelong mission to support women through the physical, emotional, and identity shifts that often come with midlife.
