Story time! I'm sharing a personal story from my early triathlon days that still shapes how I coaches lifters today. What started as a scary open-water swim became a powerful lesson about progress, patience, and why perfection is not required to move forward.

In this episode, you'll reframe how you think about missed workouts, imperfect weeks, and all-or-nothing thinking in fitness. If you've ever felt like skipping one session meant you blew it, this episode offers a grounding reminder: that forward progress counts, even when it doesn't look pretty.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why stopping completely doesn't get you any closer to your goals – but imperfect effort does

• How all-or-nothing thinking quietly sabotages long-term strength training consistency

• What "just keep swimming" really looks like inside a lifting program

• Why flexibility is a skill – not a lack of discipline

• How minimum effective effort can keep momentum alive during hard seasons

• What strength training consistency actually looks like for women over 40

Enjoyed this episode and want more?

If this episode resonates and you're ready to stop guessing in the gym, you can try a free sample of Strong with Steph, my progressive strength training program built specifically for women over 40 who want structure and flexibility.

Try 7 days free at https://stephgaudreau.com/workout

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who's lifting (or thinking about starting), and make sure you're subscribed to Fuel Your Strength so you don't miss future episodes like this one.