Some of the biggest decisions I've made after 50 didn't happen because something had gone terribly wrong.

When I looked at these five decisions together, I realized they all had something in common:

I stopped believing something had to become terrible before I was allowed to change it.

In this episode, I'm talking about each of those decisions, what they taught me, and why one of the best parts of getting older has been realizing that we are allowed to change our minds.

Something can have been right for one version of our life and not be right for the next one.

And maybe that's not failure.

Maybe that's growth.

I'd love to hear from you: What's one decision you've made after 50 that changed your life?

What happens when the motivation that got you started disappears?

After losing more than 120 pounds, I've learned that long-term success isn't about feeling motivated every day. In fact, some of the most important days are the ones when you don't feel motivated at all.

In this episode, I'm sharing five things I personally do when I feel myself slipping off track—from revisiting my WHYs and reminding myself how far I've come, to planning my food ahead of time, changing the channel in my brain, and giving myself permission to have what I call a “minimum day.”

We're also talking about all-or-nothing thinking, why motivation is unreliable, and why one imperfect day doesn't have to become an imperfect week—or month.

If you've been struggling to get yourself “motivated again,” this episode may help you think about motivation in a completely different way.

My daughter Meredith is back for Part 2 of our fitness conversation, and this time I'm asking the question so many women over 50 have:

What should we actually be doing?

For most of my life, I thought cardio was king. Give me a treadmill and I knew exactly what to do.

Strength training? Not so much.

So I asked Meredith — who is certified in personal training and yoga — what she thinks women our age should really focus on.

We talk about why the “best” workout may be the one you'll actually continue doing, where strength training fits in as we get older, why I started with weight machines, and why cardio doesn't have to disappear just because you've picked up some weights.

We also get into yoga and Pilates, mobility, classes versus working out on your own, and how exercise can support the everyday things we want to keep doing as we age.

Then things get slightly less serious. 😂

We're talking workout clothes, affordable places to shop, what makes you feel confident at the gym, machines versus free weights, home workout equipment and our supposedly “rapid-fire” questions.

Spoiler: we are not particularly good at rapid fire.

And Meredith answers one question I especially wanted to hear:

What's something she wishes I would stop doing at the gym?

Her answer had very little to do with an actual exercise — and a lot to do with believing we're capable of more than we think.

If you're trying to build a fitness routine after 50 without turning your entire life into one giant workout plan, I think you'll enjoy this conversation.

This episode provides general fitness information and shares our personal experiences. It is not individualized medical or exercise advice. Talk with your healthcare provider or an appropriately qualified fitness professional about your individual needs.