This week, Louise digs into the topic so many of us struggle with: consistency. It shapes our fitness and how we show up in every part of life.

Most of us start strong. A new program brings a honeymoon phase full of excitement and motivation. Then the novelty wears off, and we’re left with what Louise calls “the everyday business of doing it.” That’s where so many people fall off, often within the first few months.

Louise introduces consistency as layer one of her Strong Athlete Pathway.

In this episode:

• Why motivation fades after the honeymoon phase, and what to rely on instead
• The consistency cycle: “We need consistency to see improvements, and we need improvements to feel motivated to stay consistent.”
• How tracking your gains builds intrinsic motivation
• Trading an all-or-nothing mindset for an “all or something” mindset, where every effort counts
• Why goals without systems lead to inconsistency, and how to build routines that fit your real life
• The role of community, coaching and accountability in keeping you showing up
• How Louise built her own support system around her training
• Why real strength takes time, and why the fitness industry’s quick fixes set us up to quit

Reflection for the week:
What’s one small change you can make today to show up for yourself?

Connect with Louise:
Instagram: @louisegreen_bigfitgirl

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

In this Weekly Riff, fitness coach Louise Green explains why bladder leaks are common across ages and activity levels, yet remain hidden by shame. She shares practical ways to adapt workouts, find pelvic-floor support, and keep leaks from becoming a reason to give up strength, movement, or joy.

Key Topics

• Bladder leaks affect women across life stages, including young women, postpartum women, athletes, and those in perimenopause or menopause.
• Private conversations with clients prompted Green to discuss the issue publicly after multiple women said leaks kept them from jumping or deadlifting.
• Leaks can accompany high-impact exercise, heavy lifting, coughing, sneezing, and laughing; core bracing and a full bladder may contribute to pressure.
• Green cites a review of 22 studies involving more than 7,500 women, with reported leakage ranging from about 6% during low-impact activity to 80% during high-impact activity.
• A 2025 study she references found exercise-related leaking was common and a barrier to activity, while few women volunteered the issue to health or fitness professionals.
• Women may avoid classes, jumping, box jumps, burpees, heavy lifting, or the front row, relying on dark leggings, bathroom access, or standing near the exit.
• Practical options include modifying impact or load rather than quitting, planning bathroom access, and using protective products as a tool rather than a failure.
• Pelvic-floor physiotherapy can assess whether the pelvic floor needs strengthening, coordination, or relaxation; Green says it is more nuanced than simply doing Kegels.
• Green encourages coaches to ask about leaks, normalize the topic in intake forms, and have movement modifications ready.

Takeaways

• Women don't need another reason to play small.
• Shame keeps women small.
• There's nothing to be ashamed of. And there's also support out there.
• Modify, don't quit. Lower the impact, adjust the load.
• Protection is a tool, it's not a failure.
• Every conversation makes it easier for the next woman.
• Don't let a little pee stop you from living your one life.
• It's important to ask the question, is it something that you worry about?
• Your pelvic floor needs strengthening, coordinating, or relaxing.
• The fitness industry's rarely ask.

00:00
Why Louise chose to talk publicly about bladder leaks

02:03
Leaks shouldn’t be another reason women play small

03:06
Bladder leaks affect women across ages and activities

04:23
How fear of leaking changes workouts

06:04
Breaking the silence and shame around leaks

08:02
Pelvic-floor support and workout modifications

10:48
What research says about leaks and exercise intensity

12:03
Why leaks don’t mean you’re weak

13:24
The hidden cost: women losing strength and joy

15:03
Why women rarely tell professionals about leaking

17:53
Pelvic-floor physiotherapy is more than Kegels

19:39
Practical strategies for clients and coaches

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong

What if everything you've been taught about getting fit is actually making it harder to succeed?

After nearly two decades in the fitness industry, I've seen what helps people build lasting strength — and what keeps them stuck in cycles of frustration, unrealistic expectations, and starting over.

In this episode of The Weekly Riff, I'm sharing five things I would do differently if I were walking into the gym for the very first time.

We're talking about ditching the belief that your body needs fixing, why mastering the basics beats chasing complicated workouts, and how the fitness industry's obsession with intensity and quick transformations can sabotage long-term progress.

I'll also unpack why motivation is a terrible long-term strategy, what actually builds consistency, and why confidence in the gym isn't just an individual responsibility — it's also about creating spaces where people of all bodies and abilities genuinely belong.

And as someone who's now chasing Olympic weightlifting goals in my fifties, I can tell you this: being an athlete isn't about reaching some final destination. It's about what you continue to discover you're capable of.

This episode is for anyone who's starting out, starting over, or ready to rethink what fitness could look like when the goal isn't to fix yourself, but to build yourself up.

In This Episode

• Your body is not a problem to solve. How shifting from appearance-driven goals to strength, skill, and capability can change your entire relationship with exercise.
• Master the basics before chasing complexity. Why foundational movement patterns and progressive overload will take you further than constantly changing your workouts.
• Harder doesn't always mean better. The difference between intensity and effectiveness, and why recovery is essential to building strength.
• Motivation isn't a strategy. How realistic routines, systems, and consistency create lasting results without relying on willpower.
• You belong in the gym. Period. Why gym confidence matters, why representation matters, and why the fitness industry needs to do more to make movement accessible.

You don't have to earn your place in fitness. You already belong.

Episode Chapters

00:00 — Introduction: Nearly two decades of lessons from the fitness industry

02:05 — The misconceptions shaping our relationship with fitness and body image

04:10 — How cultural expectations have influenced women's fitness

06:12 — Five things I'd do differently if I were starting over

07:56 — #1: Stop treating your body like a problem that needs fixing

10:06 — Shifting the focus to strength, skills, and physical capability

12:06 — The trap of quick fixes and unrealistic transformation promises

14:01 — #2: Master the basics instead of chasing complicated workouts

15:54 — #3: Stop confusing intensity with effectiveness

17:53 — Why recovery, rest, and listening to your body matter

19:54 — #4: Build systems instead of relying on motivation

21:53 — #5: Claim your space in the gym

24:06 — Belonging, representation, and the responsibility of the fitness industry

27:06 — Fitness is a lifelong journey, not a finish line

Memorable Quotes

"Ask yourself, what can this body do?"

"Build a system instead of relying on motivation."

"You belong in the gym just as much as anyone else."

Keywords

Strength training, beginner fitness, gym confidence, weight-inclusive fitness, body acceptance, fitness motivation, workout consistency, progressive overload, recovery, Olympic weightlifting, sustainable fitness, women and strength training, fitness industry, movement accessibility.

Louise Green is an award-winning coach with 20 years invested in working with women of all body sizes. She has coached thousands of women from all over the world, if you're ready take the next step in your strength, check out her coaching program: https://www.louisegreeninc.com/size-strong