Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - 108: DIG IN: Strength Training: Your Hidden Superpower

Episode Date: July 6, 2026

Jo and Zoe are joined by personal trainer Kate Oakley, who specialises in working with midlife and menopausal women. From the importance of squatting, to her bitesize ‘exercise snacks’, Kate shares practical advice and demos to future-proof your body with strength training. So if, like Kate, you want to be strong now and capable later, watch or listen today. Whatever your age, it’s never too late to start. Follow Kate on Instagram: @yourfuturefit As a special offer for Dig It viewers and listeners, Kate is offering £20 off the first month of her Lift for Life programme. Find out more and join here: https://kate-oakley.cocoach.site/lift-for-life?promo_code=DIGIT20 GET IN TOUCH📧 Email us: [e-mail]📱 Text or Voice Note: 07477 038795💬 Or tap here to send a voice note or message on WhatsApp:⁠ ⁠https://wa.me/447477038795SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORSThis episode is brought to you by 🛍️QVC — Summer gatherings always seem to end up in the garden, so why not make the space feel extra special? Explore My Garden Escape at www.qvcuk.com and use code QDIGIT for £10 off your first order. Minimum spend applies and full terms are on the QVC website.🍅 Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference — Summer dinners don’t need to be complicated when the ingredients are doing all the hard work. Whether it’s a quick midweek supper or friends in the garden, a few great ingredients can transform the whole meal. Available in selected stores and online.CREDITSExec Producer: Jonathan O’SullivanProducers: Harriet Thurley & Samantha PsykAssistant Producer: Eve JonesTechnical Producer: Oliver GeraghtyVideo Editors: Cameron Laird and Jack Whiteside

Coming up on Dig It. If I could encourage every woman to start strength training, even if you just try it for four weeks and see the difference in your mindset, then I would say go for it. It's like a, it's a hidden superpower. I find it very, very frustrating the things that I can't do. And you talk about acceptance. And there's just something in my head that doesn't want to accept that I'm not able,

I'm not capable of doing things that I used to be able to do. The key is the strength. When I'm in my 70s and 80s, I won't be giving two hoots about any definition. I just want to be able to, you know, play with my grandkids or whatever I'll be doing then. All of that right after this. Today's guest is a personal trainer who specialises in midlife and menoples women. Of 50, she left her corporate job in HR to retrain as a PT. So she knows firsthand the benefits of strength training at this stage of life.

Better sleep, better mood, more energy, fewer aches, no oof sound when you get up in the morning. And the best thing is, she's helping thousands of. of other midlife women through her online strength training program, Lift for Life, which you can find on her website, Your Future Fit. And we've got a very special session with her now. This isn't just welcome, Kate. It's welcome back. Kate, how are you, darling? I'm really well, thank you. Thanks so much for inviting me back. So I was on in December, wasn't it? I know. And we are so excited to have this chat with you today. We have a lot of people on the pod, don't we, Joe, who have talked about career changes. And Kate, you are one of those amazing women who had a huge career change.

How did you come to be doing PT? I was doing HR. I mean, you couldn't get a bigger kind of career pivot, could you? So yeah, I was in HR for 25 years until I was 50, six years ago now, when I changed. And it's so funny because actually in my 40s, I thought about retraining as a personal trainer, but I thought I was too old and no one would want to work with someone as old as me. And then when I was around 49, a lot of things came together at once, actually. I've always been into fitness, always worked out, but I was more of a cardio girl, loved the hit, all the high impact stuff, the frenetic stuff. And I started to notice that they just weren't feeling quite right these workouts anymore. They were starting to feel like they were taking me,

point of maybe injuring myself. And so I started doing some research and at the same time, certain things started happening to me, which I, with the benefit of hindsight, realized were perimenopausal symptoms. So joint pain, lack of energy, struggling to sleep, all of this, you know, you've been there, got a T-shirt, yes. Yes, exactly. Yeah. So when I started doing this research, I suddenly realized what was going on. It's perimenopause and oh my gosh, I need to be strength training. Because even six years ago, people weren't talking about strength training like they are today. Can you define for us, I think, what strength training is? Because it's this phrase that we all know and I just think, oh yeah, wait, but actually breaking it down for us,

what is strength training and why is it so good for us? Well, I think strength training, it can be overcomplicated. And we also hear the term resistance training. And it's okay, well, which should I be doing? Resistance training, strength training. And if I just say what resistance training is first, which is using your, I can either be using your body as a resistance to work against. You need to be working against something. So your body, or it could be using weights or bands, something, you know, like this. Then strength training, really, I just use the term strength training to as an umbrella term because if your goal is to get stronger, then strength training is it. And all you're trying to do really is give your bones work to do because they, bone density

is declining from our 30s onwards, which I know sounds a bit alarming, but it's not because we can definitely do something about it. But strength training is where we are using either our bodies or we're using some form to get stronger, build our muscles. build our bones, and it doesn't need to be complicated. It really doesn't. So what are you using then? You're using the resistance bands. Is that what you held up just then?

Yes. So this is a resistance band, and it's a thick. That's really thick. Yes. And when you try and move it up, that's providing a lot of resistance there, look like that. Yeah. So much better than these snappy type, those elastic snappy type that kind of ping. And then, you know, sort of dumbbells like this.

It does at home. Don't need barbells and pull up bars and all the stuff you see all over social media that you think, oh my gosh, really, is that what I need to be doing? That it scares people off. So you can honestly just start with a couple of pairs of dumbbells at home like those, a pair of three KGs, something like that, a pair of fives and some resistance bands, and you're off. That's start strength training. Kate, why is it important that we start strength training, especially as women?

in midlife because you said, you know, you suddenly had this dawning that stuff wasn't working for you before. And, you know, I've got friends who are like, oh, do I need to be doing this? And I think it's that thing. It's just the understanding of why do we need to be doing that? And what will this change to our exercise be doing for us, Kate? So the reason we need to be strength training in midlife is because we need to be working on our bone density and we need to be working on our muscle mass, which is declining from perimenopause onwards. And essentially, we need to be thinking about our future selves. If we want to continue living the life we want in our 70s, 80s,

and maybe beyond, doing all the things we love, then we need to be thinking about building that muscle and protecting that bone now for later. And then also, if we strength train now and midlife, honestly, the benefits you right here, right now are huge. So it's not just about future-proofing your body. It's also about getting the most out of today. And I know a lot of your listeners have got aches, pains, joint niggles, and strength training can really, really help with that. Great. You're absolutely right, because I've got like

hip issues and I've got knee issues and you sort of sort of think, oh, well, I probably shouldn't do stuff to sort of bat. But the strength training makes them stronger. if you're doing the right sort of stuff. Absolutely. It can feel counterintuitive. If you're thinking, oh, I've got, you know, dodgy back, dodgy knees, shoulders, it can feel counterintuitive to start strength training.

But actually, it can really, really help. So I would say to anyone listening who's got something going on, which is probably if I have to guess around 80%, because that's, you know, if I had to guess, the people like the women I work with, about 80% of them, have got something going on for them. And strength training can really help. So for example, if you've got issues with your knees,

if you build the strength in your, in your thighs, your quad muscles and your glutes, as in the muscles in your bottom, then that can really support your knees. And honestly, it can be a game changer. So for women who are watching right now, and they haven't particularly done very much or they would like you, I mean, I was the same as you. I just always want us to go hard, go fast all the time.

And people would talk about yoga and stretching. And I'd be like, no, it's just, it's not for me. And then you get a little bit later in life. I'm into the sixes era now. And things really change when you get to the, to this stage of life. And what can you do? Where do you start? Is it too late?

It's never too late to strength train ever. I work with women who are starting in their 80s, 80s, which I think, you know, impressive. It's never too late to start. What I would just say is to start safely and carefully. So don't believe everything you see on social media that you go from zero to 45 minutes, three, four times a week. Start small.

Start with just 10 minutes three times a week, something like that. And start to feel that strength build. And you can always take it up from there. So I'd say small incremental steps. Body weight, even for some, will be absolutely the right starting point. or if you feel ready, then yes, get that pair of dumbbells. Okay. One thing I noticed as well is muscle wastage happens so much quicker the older you get.

So I used to go to the gym all the time, felt really great. Then over the past six months or so, haven't had as much time to go to the gym. And I've watched, I've looked in the mirror and gone, oh my God, that didn't used to be there. That used to move a lot more. This bit, the arm, under the arm, your skin actually changes. I don't know whether that's, I mean, you've got amazing arms. You're sitting there in your vest top and you're looking crazy. You've got that, like the Madonna defined arms.

But can you control things like that? Is there anything you can do when the skin, the elasticity starts to change? Thank you for the compliment. And yes, that is strength training. My body's changed shape a lot. Yeah. Just in six years, it's changed a lot. But it's also genetics.

So, and I really want to make that clear. So genetics plays a huge part. So genetically, I'm disposed for that definition. There are women a lot stronger than me. who you don't see so much definition. And I think whilst, yeah, the aesthetics might be nice, the key is the strength. When I'm in my 70s and 80s,

I won't be giving two hoots about any definition. I just want to be able to, you know, play with my grandkids or whatever I'll be doing then. This here is your tricep. Yeah, so that's your, so if I turn, that's your tricep. But you're still going to get that, you know, you're still going to get that skin. Vingo wing, the wobble.

Yeah, you're still going to get that wobble. And I'd say, care less about the wobble and care more about the strength. And you can absolutely work on building up your triceps. But you forget the wobble. Embrace the wing. Forget the wobble. I mean, I'll be honest, I've been looking this stuff up, you know, and sort of like, how do you tighten inner thighs and under the arm and is there a way?

And you sort of look, there's all sorts of things where you can go and have it, frozen or you can go and have it zapped or you can have it this or that or you can have it hacked. I mean, there's women who have operations and they've got scars and stuff and then you sort of think, or you can embrace it like you're saying, Kate, and just say, look, we are getting older. Our bodies won't be the same as they were. So what? There's going to be some extra skin. It might be hanging in certain places. It is really hard to deal with. It's like I can't do a downward dog, not in a full legging anymore because I get really depressed about the old hanging down stuff of like, what is that? But I think it is that thing, isn't it? It's sort of turning

your brain around, loving your body, embracing your body and just making it stronger. I mean, this is something I have to tell myself. I think there's a couple of things there is we have a tendency to look back. And same with, so a lot of women will say, oh, but I used to be able to run 10K or run half marathons or I used to be able to do this. I used to be able to do. I used to be able to that. And I try to encourage every woman to just think about what she can do today because our bodies are amazing. Yes, they are. And think about what we can do today rather than lament what we could do in the past because that's just not a helpful mindset. And a little thing I do at the end of every workout, and I'm not saying that every workout I do is amazing. I have vanilla

days and nere days just like everyone else and some of them are good days. But at the end of a workout, when I'm doing that last stretch and that last breath in the cool down, I'll actually put my hands together at heart centre and I'll have a moment of gratitude for what my body's just been able to do for me because it's not a given. It's not. And would we all like lumps and bumps and wobbles to not be there, yes. But if we focus on what our bodies can do for us and how incredible they actually are, I just think that's a better mindset and a place to be. Can you give us a run through what people can do? Because squatting is important, isn't it? That's a secret weapon. Squatting is an exercise that I, yes, absolutely top of the list because it mimics

the movement that we need in every day. So if I was just to get up and down off this chair, that is a squat. So we want to be thinking that in our older age, we want to be able to get out of the chair without having to press down on the arms. We want to be able to get out of bed, out of a car, and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. So squatting is key, but I know a lot of women will say, yeah, but I can't squat. You know, I can't do it. I watch all these people get right down low and I can't do it. And then it puts them off. But there will be a squat there, some variation of a squat that is going to work for women. And if someone's listening now and thinking, yeah, that's me, I can't squat, then I've got one quick suggestion for people, which is to raise your heels

onto a pair of dumbbells or coffee table books. If you've got, if you've not got a pair of dumbbells at home, raise those heels and then you'll actually be able to get into that squat position. Because sometimes it's actually about your ankle mobility or the length of the bone and your thigh, your fema. So it's not that you're doing anything wrong or that your body's weird compared to other people. It's just that you need to find the right squat for you. So this elevated squat where you raise those heels up can really, really help. We've got a demonstration from Kate here of the elevated squat. And if you don't watch on YouTube and you listen, we can put this up on our socials, can't we, Joe, on our Instagram. So you can see Kate doing an elevated squat. Yeah. So your heels are lifted onto some, yeah, under some weights and then you're just bending down. It's nice to know things that you can do around the house or while you're kind of on the go. So the ways that you can incorporate exercise into your everyday. I just saw something, we just saw a little clip of you while the kettle was boiling.

So what are exercises you can do while the kettle is boiling? Oh, I call them exercise snacks. Love it. Tell us more. Strength training, people can be put off by seeing on social media these long workouts or thinking it has to be some to be something complicated. It doesn't. It can be something as simple as an exercise snack that while the kettle's boiling, you could do a tricep press off the kitchen counter. So you're putting your hands on the kitchen counter and your feet are further away from the kitchen counter and you're lowering your body down and pressing back up from that countertop. And that's going

to work. You're talking about the, you know, the wing, the under arm, the wing. I don't like that term. Okay, sorry. Okay. Ban it. Yes, I ban the word, especially, especially if we put bingo at the start of it, yes. So, but that will work those triceps. And you just keep the elbows in close and push up from the counter. And let's say you can do 10 the first time. Maybe next week when the kettle's boiling, maybe you could try and do 12, 13 and just build it up gradually like that. That's a really effective one, no equipment, really simple. I like that as well because I, for some reason, I've just got a thing in my head. I guess it's a thing, isn't it? It's like, oh, I can't do those. Like you said earlier on, some people say, I can't do squats. And I'm always like, oh, I can't do press ups. I can't do push-ups.

And so I tend to do them from the, when, if I'm lying down from the knee, but I'm thinking, actually, that's a really good way of doing it off the sideboard or off a wall. Can you do it off a wall? Yes, you can do it off a wall. Absolutely. Yeah, great. The higher you take your hand, the easier it is. So the wall would be your starting point, then a kitchen countertop, then maybe the kitchen table, and then you might take your hands to the floor

and do it on your knees on the floor. How long should we be working out for Kate? You know, if we're starting out, because I think this is the thing that sometimes goes. We're so busy, you know, we can be working, you can be looking after kids, you can be looking after parents, you can look after friends.

There's a lot to get in the day and sometimes exercise is the thing that goes because you think, well, I just don't have time. But I've sort of learnt, I do a little workout off an app. And I try to do it three times a week up in the loft. Yeah. I go and do it. It's a bit of peace and quiet. And, I mean, it just, not only do I feel better, it also really helps my head, I find sometimes just mentally.

You just get a rush of the endorphins and stuff. But how often ideally should we be training? So I'm when that word ideally. Okay. Because there'll be people listening who are not doing anything at all. Great. And there'll be people who are already training. So if I was to give you, okay, my ideal, let's say you're not a beginner and you just want a simple answer to that question.

I'm going to say if you can do two or three times a week for 30 minutes, that that, that, It's enough to build strength and build muscle. So you'll have your warm up and your cool down on top of that. So that might add up to 40 minutes in total. It doesn't need to be an hour. I know especially a lot of men, sorry, if there are any men listening, like to spend hours in the gym. We haven't got time.

We literally haven't got time, have we? There's too much going on. So that's the ideal. But equally, if you're not doing anything right now, that's going to feel unrealistic. So I would just say start where you're at. Start where you're at. And if it's nothing right now, then start with an exercise snack.

And you can even start one when you're brushing your teeth, which sounds, I know it sounds weird, but bear with me. You can do a wall sit while you're brushing your teeth where you lower your back against the wall, come down into almost like a seated position. And, you know, we've got electric toothbrushes, most of us now. They've got the timer on them, haven't they? So you know how long you're doing. Each time it wears, that's 30 seconds. So you can try and do a wall sit for 30 seconds, a minute,

and you're really building up the muscles in your thigh, the quad muscles. That's a really great place to start. And if you do that, build it up. You're doing, let's say you do it one minute in the morning, one minute in the evening. That's 14 minutes a week already without finding any extra time. So it depends where you're at. You've got your ideal, yes, two to three times a week, 30 minutes. But if you're starting further, you know, closer to the beginning,

then start with the snacks and then build up to short workouts. It will all help and it will all build strength. We've got some listeners questions. So it'd be really nice to hear from our diggers with some questions. And this one is from Wendy, who said, what's a good exercise to prevent your back and shoulders becoming stooped as you get older? I've caught sight of myself in the ring doorbell going out. You never usually see yourself from behind the horror.

So yeah, the stoop that happens, the hump. How do we avoid that? I love this question from Wendy, actually, because, I've got great news for Wendy, which is that you can absolutely do something about it. And you need to be working on your chest, actually, your chest and your shoulders. And we talked about push-ups. Push-up is an exercise that works both, and you don't even need any equipment. So, Wendy, you could start with a push-up, and as we've already talked about, you can be doing that kitchen counter.

But if you want to actually know a good exercise using dumbbells, then I'm going to give you a couple of names of them. Chest press and a shoulder press. Have a Google and you'll find, yes. So a shoulder press is... Yes, is... Great. Yeah, exactly. That one, Zoe.

Yep, perfect demo. Thank you. What's the chest pressed? Chest press, you're lying on the floor and you're taking the weights out to the side and bringing them in in line with the chest. So for anyone watching, you'll know what we're on about. Anyone listening, they're going to be wondering what we're talking about. So, but if you have a Google, they're very popular exercises. You will find some good demos on YouTube, etc.

Okay. Brilliant. We've got another one from Joe. She said, I'd like to know where I start with strength training as a menopausal woman who currently has, oh, here we go, a right frozen shoulder, a dodgy right hip, and lower back pain. help. Joe, we hear your pain. I think between Joe and I, we actually have most of those things as well. As I saw you doing the chest press then, I was like, no, that would definitely, I can't move my shoulder, my arm in that direction because of my spur that's grown. And I definitely, you know,

my rotator could not allow me to do that. But you can adapt, can't you? You can adapt. And the first thing I'd like to say to Joe is that to not feel alone. You know, as you've just said, you've got issues going on. I've got issues going on. I honestly, I think it's unspoken about how many issues we've all got going on. And it's a and we need to work out a way to train with these issues existing. So yes, as you said, Joe, you can you can modify. There will be a way for Joe to train. So one thing I would suggest is that she finds a program or a routine where she can really focus on technique, which is key to keeping it safe, something that's slow and controlled. So then you can really listen to your body. So you'll start to understand what feels just like a little bit of

discomfort, which is fine if that dissipates quickly. And you'll know the difference between that. And no, this is actually really painful and I need to not push through this. And I would also say if she could see a physio or a PT, just because she's got quite a lot of things going on at once, if it is possible to get a set, just a session, just to get a bit of guidance, then that might be a good place too. But it's about modifying rather than just not exercising at all. I see this amazing guy called Adam at David Lloyd, who I've seen for years and years and years. So he's known my body throughout, I don't know, the past decade. And it's really changed. it really has in terms of ailments that have come along.

So I've got arthritis and we're going to come onto that now because I have a question from Snow Love 3 on Instagram. But with Adam, like I find it hard to hold dumbbells now because I literally just cannot bend my fingers. I can't hold onto things. But he's constantly telling me different angles to hold things out, different ways to grip onto things. And so I can vouch that there are ways that you can adapt

all your routine and things that you ordinarily would do easily, easily. And then suddenly your body just goes, No, I can't do that anymore, but there are different ways around it. So the question from Snow Love on Instagram, I'm 60. I'm not overweight, but my knees creak and I have arthritis in them. I feel as though I have little strength in them. I can't do a proper lunge and I certainly can't get down and up from the floor without using a hand and something to push up from.

Can strength training help with arthritis, please? Snow Love 3, yes. If it is arthritis, it absolutely can help. Strength training can help. It's not going to make the arthritis go away. As you know, Joe. No, I'm going to go anywhere. But it could absolutely help.

As you build that strength in the muscles, it's going to support the joints. So it can absolutely help. And I would say to her to, again, not judge where she's at compared with other people. So this lunge, don't worry about how low you're going in a lunge. But what might be helpful is to have a chair, the back of a chair, to one side. And you can put a hand on the chair, just body weight. So you're doing a lunge. Don't worry about the length, the depth of that knee.

Use that chair to help you get back up again. And then as you get stronger, just reduce the pressure on that chair, a little bit like stabilisers on a bike, right? So you'll just gradually rely on them less and less until you don't need the back of that chair anymore. And she could also, the wall sit that we mentioned, that's a great place to start building up the strength in those thighs, those quad muscles,

which will support the knees. But yes, strength training can help. Yeah, let's do it. It won't make, like you say, it won't make it go away, but yeah, it will help in some way, shape or form. I find it very, very frustrating the things that I can't do. And you talk about acceptance and there's just something in my head that doesn't want to accept that I'm not able, I'm not capable of doing things that I used to be able to do. You have no choice. We don't really, we don't really have a choice.

And then it's about, but what we do have a choice about is our mindset. And Zoe, you mentioned that you can just feel so much better after you've done a workout. That's something, if I could encourage every woman to start strength training, even if you just try it for four weeks and see the difference in your mindset, then I would say, go for it. It's like a hidden superpower. It is, yeah. If you feel strong in your body, you feel stronger in your mind, 100%.

Absolutely. Kate, if people wanted to follow you, how do they find you? And have you got any sort of exercises online that they might be able to find and follow as well? They can find me on Instagram at Your Future Fit. And yes, I have my own online strength training program called Lift for Life, which is suitable for all levels. So, yep, you can find me and join me there. Lift for Life.

I'm signing on. The message is on there why I do what I do. Yeah. Which is, you know, people say, oh, I can actually garden now, which is key for your guys, without feeling it in their backs for, you know, days afterwards or they're able to walk up, you know, do some walk that they used to do, and it used to, you know, leave them half, like, gasping, and now they can do it. Just those everyday things is amazing.

So, and I keep it, I keep it short. It's, the beginners ones are even 20 minutes, 25 minutes. Brilliant. I keep it to 30 minutes. It's good. Kate, you're absolutely amazing. This is the inspiration we need. Maybe we should have a check-in in a couple of months' time and see how our diggers are doing.

That'd be great. And thank you so much for the inspiration because you're absolutely right. And I have to say that having worked with a really brilliant PT called Jonathan, who's amazing, and when I do do my training, you know, I struggle to lunge. There's various bits and pieces that I can't do. But there are things that I can do, and they have really helped my hip and my knee. and I'm the first who's always just like, oh, being a bit defeatist, but it really does make a difference. So it's an important message you're sharing, I think.

There'll be a way forward for everyone. That's a really important message. That's lovely. Thank you very much indeed, Kate. Take care. Thanks for having me. Bye. Digit is a Persefonica production.