5 Fitness Myths That Silently Sabotage Your Results After 50

Myth 1 – More Cardio Burns More Fat

This one is everywhere. And it’s the myth I wish someone had busted for me back in my 30’s when I’d spend my entire lunch hour on the elliptical.

Long, steady-state cardio – 45 minutes on the treadmill, the elliptical, the bike – feels productive. But here’s what’s actually happening:

Your body adapts. Meaning, you’d have to push harder, go longer, every month and even then, you’re getting less benefits for the effort (vs other ways to move & strengthen your body.)

It took my husband a looooong time to drill this into my stubborn head: steady-state cardio doesn’t build lean muscle. It can actually break it down, especially if you’re in a calorie deficit. And muscle is metabolically active tissue – we WANT muscle! More muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate (this means that your body burns more calories at rest!) So if steady-state cardio is chipping away at your muscle, your metabolism is quietly slowing down – even though you’re working your butt off (literally).

And once you stop? The calorie burn stops with you. No meaningful afterburn. No lasting metabolic boost.

At Coastal Fitness here in Fort Myers, our 30-minute sessions combine metabolic resistance training with interval conditioning. This elevates EPOC — excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. Translation: your body keeps burning calories for hours after you leave the studio.

Myth 2 – Just Eat Less

If “eat less, move more” worked long-term, none of us would still be stuck.

When you drastically cut calories, your body doesn’t cooperate. It adapts. Thyroid output drops. Leptin falls. Ghrelin – your hunger hormone – spikes. In layman’s terms…your body is saying, “I’m not sure when I’m going to get my next meal… so I’m going to store all this fat in case I need it later.”

The result? You’re exhausted. You crave sugar. Your metabolism slows to protect itself.

You’ve been thinking it’s crappy willpower but friend, it’s pure biology.

We use structured nutrition strategies at Coastal Fitness designed to stabilize blood sugar, support gut health, preserve muscle mass, and keep your metabolism running. Fat loss without metabolic damage. Listen, crash dieting after 50 is not the ideal solution for you.

Myth 3 – Lift Heavy, Rest Long, Repeat

If you did any weight training in your younger days, you might remember this one. Traditional bodybuilding splits with long rest periods? Those were designed for advanced lifters chasing hypertrophy. Not busy women over 50 navigating hormonal changes, joint health, and real life.

For us, insulin sensitivity, cortisol management, and hormonal balance matter way more than a max bench number.

Our workouts are built to keep your heart rate elevated, preserve and build lean muscle, improve insulin sensitivity, boost natural growth hormone response, and maximize fat oxidation. All in 30 minutes. a day. Yes, 30 minutes a day.

Myth 4 – It’s All About How Much You Weigh

Ladies, holyyyy crap, put that scale in the garbage. This is the most emotionally damaging myth on the list. And I know, we’ve ALL been there. Stepping on the scale and wincing.🫣

Years of helping women along their weight loss journey helped me craft the perfect words for what our true goal is: True transformation is body recomposition. It simply means to change the ratio of muscle to fat on your frame.

Say you gain 3 pounds of lean muscle and lose 5 pounds of fat. The scale shows a 2-pound loss. That’s it. But your metabolism got faster. Your insulin sensitivity improved. Your long-term fat-burning capacity went up.

That 2-pound number tells you almost nothing. That’s why your overall weight is a horrible metric.

At our Gateway fitness studio, we track body composition changes, your body fat as a percentage and your muscle gains. We offer every new member a free body composition scan – because once you see the full picture, you stop letting the scale mess with your head.

Myth 5 – I’ll Start When I Feel Ready

I hear this one all the time. And I say it with love.

Readiness is a myth. F*ck ready.

Energy follows action. Confidence follows consistency. Momentum follows commitment. (read that again and let it soak in!)

Waiting until you “feel ready” is why so many of us look back five years later and realize nothing changed. Don’t wait until you lose a little weight first, or until your schedule frees up. Make the time TODAY, or your poor health will force you to make the time tomorrow. Health scares suck. Cancer diagnosis suck. 😓 Do what you can TODAY to avoid poor health later.

You don’t need to feel ready. You just need to start.

So What Actually Works?

Most gyms sell access. (think: Planet Fitness) Most programs sell motivation. (Think: Peloton) Most diets cut calories. (Think: weightwatchers) Those are great for a few weeks, until life happens and the excitement fades. No accountability or structure to keep you going.

We do it differently at Coastal Fitness.

We combine structured metabolic workouts, science-backed nutrition guidance, real coaching and accountability, progressive programming that evolves with you, and a community of men and women who actually get it – because we’re all going through the same things.

And we guarantee results. Follow the program and don’t see measurable changes? Full refund. Not many fitness studios – anywhere – put that in writing. We do. Because hundreds of men and women right here in Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, and across Southwest Florida have transformed their health since we opened in 2019.

The system works when you work it. We stand behind it completely.

Your Next Step — The Fit In 30 Challenge Starts March 2nd

If you’re tired of guessing. If you’re tired of feeling stuck. If you want real structure, real science, and real accountability – this is your moment.

Our Fit In 30 Challenge kicks off March 2nd. It’s the structured, coach-led starting point that gives you everything we just talked about – metabolic training, nutrition guidance, accountability, and community – packed into a focused challenge designed to get you moving and seeing results fast.

Spots are limited. Registration closes soon. Click the button below to register today!

Stop guessing, ladies. Start with science, structure, and a community that has your back. We’re right here in Fort Myers (in Gateway) – and we’d love to meet you. 💛

Cheering for your success,
Coach Jenn
Coastal Fitness
12220 Towne Lake Dr
Fort Myers, FL 33913
Text us here: 239-237-5508