How to Get Lean and Strong at 51 With Lifting and Protein

Nikkiey: Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals and feel insanely confident. The only way we can do that is if you rate, review and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask you to do is leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.

Alicia: Every woman needs to know their own potential. Every woman needs to know their own power and tap in and realize they can make changes. They are not victim to whatever else. They can take charge of their lives and they can make big-time changes.

Nikkiey: Yo, yo, yo. What's going on, everybody? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show. Guys, I feel like I can do this intro because once you get to know who I have on the podcast today and you start to follow her, you're going to jam out on her morning hype sessions.

Today I have Alicia here with me. She's also known as the Midlife Maven, and I know this is going to resonate so hard. At 51, Alicia completely transformed her entire health and fitness journey, proving that midlife is just the beginning. After a 13-year career as a portrait photographer, she's now on a mission to empower other women in their prime to embrace their strength and vitality through strength training and nutrition.

Everybody listening, once you start following her, wait until you see how ripped and incredible she looks. I'm so excited. Let's go. I'm so excited to have you on here, Alicia. Thanks for being here.

Alicia: Oh my gosh. Thank you for having me. This is so fun. I can't wait.

Nikkiey: Your vibe is so great. Your energy is so great. We're going to have so much fun today.

Alicia: Yay.

Nikkiey: So let's kick it off. Your journey of transforming your health and embracing midlife as a time for growth and strength is so inspiring. I've been following you on social media and I love watching your stories. What initially sparked your decision to take this path, and what did those early steps look like as you began such an incredible transformation?

Alicia: I've always been about my fitness and health, from a very young age. My dad was very active. My mom did kind of the Jane Fonda thing. They were both good models for me, but my dad was an Ironman triathlete, so he was super inspirational to me. He took me to my first ever fun run, and I remember that feeling when I was done. I was like, whoa, I got a little boost of something. This feels good. I like that endorphin kick.

That carried through my life. That was just the theme: I knew I needed to be moving my body on a regular basis for my mental health. Not just my physical health, but my mental health. Fast forward to having kids, being a new mom, a stay-at-home mom. I was like, I need to do this or I'm going to lose my ever-loving mind. I need to sweat.

I seriously was like, I am going to go deep down that hole if I do not keep moving my body and somehow break a sweat. Daily, I need to do something or I'm going to lose my mind. So it's just been a theme throughout the course of my life. I think it was probably in my early 30s when I joined a gym and really started to learn more about lifting weights.

But I think a lot of us women tend to do what I tended to do. Do you remember Jamie Eason? She was on bodybuilding.com, and I did her programs and I was like, this is amazing. But I tended to go back to the boot camp classes that a lot of women do. They want to be in community, which I understand. So I kind of went back and forth. Then into my 40s, I really started getting into CrossFit. I did CrossFit for about eight years and really loved it.

I loved everything it taught me, because it taught me a lot about pushing myself, trying new things I didn't think I could do, learning new skills, how to move my body. I know that can be a controversial thing with CrossFit and proper movement, but our gym was really good about moving well, so I will say that. But as I was entering that perimenopause phase, I felt like my body just wasn't responding as well anymore. There was also a lot going on with life, running businesses.

My husband is also a small business owner, so we're all about the entrepreneurial spirit, but it takes a lot of effort. And then raising teenage girls. So when my girls finally were gone and had left, I was like, okay, what are we doing now? It's so all-consuming. You're just going, going, going. Then I was like, I want to really see what I'm made of. I want to see what I can do with this. This has always been a passion.

It's always been a priority for me, but let's take this next level. I'm going to figure out how I'm going to do this. I was like, I need to go back to the weight room and start regular strength training. I need to get my protein in check. I need to up my protein. I knew my macronutrients were not where they needed to be, so I needed to figure out what they needed to be and get back in the gym. I needed to stop doing all this cardio, because I was always a runner, and all this high-intensity, long cardio.

I'm like, we're going to lift weights. We're going to prioritize our protein. And I actually cut sugar, which I'll get into. I know you probably have more questions about that, but I had cut out alcohol, and then it kind of turned into sugar. So I decided I was cutting refined, processed sugars. So walking, nutrition and weightlifting. I was laser freaking focused. I was like, we're freaking doing this. I was on a mission, and the results started to come. And I was like, dang, okay.

This is really working. Once I got super focused and honed in on what I wanted to do and stuck with it, it was amazing.

Nikkiey: Amazing. You mentioned the basics there. You mentioned going back to the weight room, protein intake and macros. And something I see you do on social media, which has inspired me because I'm only at 2,000 steps today, don't yell at me, is getting out there and getting your 10K steps in walking too.

Alicia: Yes. Huge. Walking is my new absolute favorite thing to do. I do not run anymore. I walk and I hike. I live in Washington state, so we have a million hikes here, and we hike all summer long. We're snowshoeing this winter. It's just my favorite. It feels so good, and my body loves it.

Nikkiey: When you stopped CrossFit and went back into what you just described, where were you starting from? Did you have to lose weight? Were you skinny fat? Were you overweight?

Alicia: I wanted to lose like 10-ish pounds, 10 to 15. I just had a little extra layer going on. So I went into a caloric deficit at first, and I did that for about three to four months. It took a minute for me to start losing weight because my body was adjusting to the protein. I had not really tracked my protein like that before, and I was like, whoa, hold on a second. So it took a minute for things to start happening, and then once they did, it was really kind of quick. My body started to respond. From that point I was like, okay, I'm happy with what I'm weighing. I just want to recomp from here. I just want to stick with what I'm doing, stay at maintenance, push hard in the gym and recomp. And that was crazy too, watching what happened over the next year.

Nikkiey: You just said maintenance, and I say maintenance is where the magic happens. Although some people can go into a cut, some people shouldn't go into a calorie deficit or a cut. So you stayed at maintenance and just lifted heavier inside the gym. That's what you did.

Alicia: Yeah. When you see the pictures of me at the end of my cut versus a year later, it's insane. I wish I would have done a DEXA at the beginning of my maintenance, because I know I put on so much muscle. I completely changed my body composition. It was crazy.

Nikkiey: Insane.

Alicia: And then my maintenance. What women don't realize is that you're in maintenance, and as you're putting on more muscle, your maintenance calories actually go up, because muscle is so efficient and muscle burns through your food. So you get to eat more food. It's freaking awesome.

Nikkiey: It is freaking awesome. I just wish more women understood that, which is why I love you coming on and sharing this message. Whenever I hear people saying the same thing I'm saying, it feels good, because it's like, oh, Nikkiey says this, but she's saying this too, so it actually might mean something. It gets more believability behind it.

Alicia: Totally. And I think especially with my generation, Gen X, we've been taught something completely different, so it's very hard to get this through.

Nikkiey: A hundred percent. So you did all of this around 51, right?

Alicia: Yeah, as I was turning 50.

Nikkiey: So were you experiencing any signs of perimenopause, or were you going through it?

Alicia: Oh yeah, definitely. As I was going into my mid-40s, I felt like perimenopause was coming on. I definitely noticed that with the activities I was doing, and also with alcohol, because I decided to cut out alcohol after a 25-plus-year relationship with it. I was like, this just is not doing it anymore. My body is just like, we are done.

We are not handling this like we used to. We need to be done. It was making me feel like crud. And I also had goals. I had things I wanted to do, and it was getting in my way. So I completely cut it. You just notice things your body responds to differently as you're coming into peri. It's like, this ain't doing it anymore.

Nikkiey: I love watching your stories. I think it was last night you were pouring your seltzer into a wine glass.

Alicia: Oh yeah. I drink it out of a goblet.

Nikkiey: A little goblet.

Alicia: Or a chalice, I call it.

Nikkiey: Dancing to rap music at that.

Alicia: Uh huh. Because I'm like, you know what? I'm more fun sober than I was before. My energy has skyrocketed.

Nikkiey: Oh yeah. What motivated you to fully take out alcohol and take out processed sugar?

Alicia: Well, I am a woman of faith. I definitely felt something in my spirit, and I've heard somebody else say this before, like it just wasn't aligning with me spiritually, mentally, physically, in every aspect of my life. It was just not matching up. And as you can see, I'm the kind of person who goes all in with what I do. I understand that some people are like, I just need to moderate, it's too much for me to completely cut it. If moderation works for you, that's great. Moderation is zero to two glasses a week. That's moderation. And what I used to consider a glass was probably more like three glasses.

So if that works for you, that's great. But I knew what I needed to do for me. Every person has their own decision to make, and they don't need to compare with anybody else when it comes to alcohol. You need to do what you know is best for you. I just knew in the depths of my soul that it needed to be completely gone, because it was too habit-forming for me. It was four, five, six days a week.

Nikkiey: And how much?

Alicia: Oh yeah. I could do anywhere from a glass to a bottle. Easy. Or even more on the weekends. I was like, I can't do this anymore. I need to completely be done.

Nikkiey: That's amazing. First of all, kudos to you. That's really hard for people to do. And I love that you have faith, whether it's spiritual, the universe or God. You had that voice inside of you and you followed it. That is amazing. Where was this in the mix of your transition? Were you still doing CrossFit?

Alicia: Yeah, I was in the middle of CrossFit.

Nikkiey: And when you stopped drinking, did you see results come quicker?

Alicia: They call it the sober glow. It was my eyes, my skin. I took selfies every day for months, and it continued over the months. Everything became so much more vibrant, so much more alive, so glowy. At the end of the day it's a toxin. You're putting a toxin in your body. To me it was a game changer. I felt like a new woman.

Nikkiey: Kudos to you. I hope you're inspiring anybody listening right now to take that first step. It's incredible that at 51 you transformed your entire body, and you did the basics. I want to drill that back in: macros, protein, strength training. The majority of women who listen to this podcast are 45 to 65 years old. For anyone in midlife who feels hesitant about starting strength training, what advice would you give to help them take that first step?

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Alicia: I know it can be overwhelming to think about going into the gym, or where do I even start? I know women think about getting bulky, but do I look bulky to you? Your nutrition is going to determine how bulky you get. So I would say get out of your own way with your mindset. Get out of your own way with whatever preconceived notions you have.

Look at these women who are transforming. There are so many women online. Look at what they're doing and listen to what they're saying. There's absolutely no reason why anybody couldn't do this. We're just doing the thing. We're just being consistent. And another thing our generation has been taught is that this is going to happen so quickly. Well, it's going to take months, if not years, to build the body you want.

That's where you have to fall in love with the process, because it's going to take time. You don't need to set a time limit on things. Just start doing the thing, start chipping away and fall in love with it as you're doing it.

Nikkiey: Amen to that. I'm going to dive in a little further with you on that, because if you follow Alicia on Instagram, you can see her consistency shows in the results she has with her body. You're speaking to the generation of women who grew up with Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. I always say they expect to put their body into a microwave and out comes a toned body. I say just accept that your journey is going to take anywhere from eight months to 12 months, 18 months to two years. You stop chasing the outcome and you start getting addicted to the journey. You start falling in love with the journey. You can be happy now, instead of waiting for a result to happen to finally be happy.

I also say people follow macros and do strength training workouts, but that's the tip of the iceberg. What people don't see is the bottom of the iceberg: what you put in on a daily basis, your consistency, showing up, your willpower, your persistence, your patience. Can you talk to the audience about what that means to you and why you show up and keep the promises to yourself every day?

Alicia: Who doesn't want to wake up feeling like a million bucks? You wake up with confidence, you feel good, you have high energy. You walk around owning your womanhood and feeling amazing.

Who doesn't want to wake up feeling like that? You prove to yourself that you're a badass and that you can do hard things, and your confidence skyrockets and you feel so freaking good. It takes work. And it takes a lot of mindset work too. I think that's not touched on enough: where your mindset is at, how you speak to yourself, really getting your mind right for this. That's where people get caught up with the mindset stuff. They get a little stuck.

Nikkiey: Totally agree with you on that. They're stuck in the old stories, limiting beliefs, maybe even the patterns of watching their mom go on diet after diet, so they think they have to do the same exact thing. That carries on into their habits, and then it's really hard to change the behaviors. But like we mentioned earlier, you've got to get out of your own way. I always like to say, if you're doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, that's the definition of insanity.

Alicia: It's definitely Albert Einstein. Big time.

Nikkiey: Mindset is something that needs to be addressed at the beginning of the journey, at least subtly, to bring self-awareness to it. If people think they can't do it, they're not going to be able to do it. If they think they can do it and they change the narrative, they're going to see themselves excel.

Alicia: That's exactly what I was telling myself when I started this whole thing. I was like, you can do this. You are absolutely able to do this. And I was also telling myself, I love you like this too. I appreciate you, body, for everything you've brought me through and everything you've done up to this point. Thank you for getting me to where I am today. You can still love yourself and love your body but want more. That's okay. You can still believe you can do and accomplish more. I think that's a sweet spot a lot of us have a hard time finding, and honestly I feel like I worked for years to get there with my mindset: loving and accepting me where I am and still saying, you know what? We can do more. We can go even further. Let's go.

Nikkiey: Unstoppable, baby. That's some resilience right there. Let's go. I love it.

Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second and leave a quick rating or review, or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me.

Sharing your journey online has inspired so many women, and you share on your stories about the community you're building. What made you decide to open up about your transformation and the lessons you've learned along the way?

Alicia: It's so crazy, because honestly everything has truly exploded over the last year. I've always loved social media and sharing on it, and I've had businesses, so I've learned how to navigate that. But as I was really transforming, I was thinking of where I was when I started, where I had been before and where my mind had been. I knew there were other women out there who have felt this way, who have felt down in the dumps or down on themselves, or felt like, I guess this is the best it gets. Like after this, I can't really do much else because I've passed my prime. So when I really started transforming, I was like, every woman needs to know about this. Every woman needs to know their own potential.

Every woman needs to know their own power and tap in and realize they can make changes. They are not victim to whatever else. They can take charge of their lives and make big-time changes. I wanted to help somebody else see that. I quit alcohol six years ago, and it took maybe a year for me to start sharing and getting vulnerable about that, because that's a vulnerable thing.

Nikkiey: Absolutely.

Alicia: But when I started sharing about that, I would get DMs from people saying, thank you so much for sharing about this, it's made such an impact on me. You realize how much you inspire others just by showing up, putting yourself out there and being vulnerable. It might look crazy to somebody else, but you have no idea the impact you might be having. People are watching and they don't even say anything, especially when it comes to alcohol. A lot of people would watch and then send me a DM. So I had the same approach with this. Other women need to know about this. I want everybody to feel amazing every day when they wake up.

I want them to wake up with confidence, ready to take on the world. Every woman deserves to feel this way. No more negative self-talk, no more self-sabotage. I'm huge into empowering. I've always been a girl's girl. I just want to share it to the ends of the earth.

Nikkiey: Heck yeah. I love that. Your energy just radiates. But one thing social media does is emphasize being perfect, and someone could look at your body and think, that's a perfect body. What you've been really open about is the realities of your journey. Why is it so important for you to share the ups and the downs with your audience?

Alicia: To me, I've always been about showing up as me. This is just who I am, especially on my stories. I'll show up however I am. If it's four o'clock in the morning and I'm talking on stories, just waking up with puffy eyes, that's reality. That's life.

Nikkiey: The other day you woke up and you were whispering.

Alicia: I was like, I don't want to wake up my husband because he's sleeping, but I'm a horrible sleeper.

Nikkiey: And you're like, I'm still here.

Alicia: Yeah. And especially when everything started taking off, I decided I'm not putting any filters on my stuff. I'm not doing filters on any of my videos. I'll edit some of my photos, but never filtery edits. You know what I mean?

Especially my videos and showing up on stories. I'm not doing any filters. This is me. This is who I am. Just put it out there. Just be me.

Nikkiey: People can tell.

Alicia: I feel like people can sniff stuff out. People are so smart nowadays. You can just tell.

Nikkiey: A hundred percent. You can tell if someone's being real or being fake, if they're being authentic or if they're just trying to sell you something.

Alicia: Absolutely.

Nikkiey: One hundred. I want to take it back to strength training and macros. Do you track macros now, or is it more intuitive eating at the point you're at?

Alicia: It's more intuitive. I'm not really tracking right now, because I eat a lot of things on repeat.

Nikkiey: Wait, talk about that, because people at the beginning of their journey make it so complicated. They feel like they need massive amounts of ingredients. It's so simple, but people overcomplicate it. Share a little about that.

Alicia: That's what I started learning to do at the beginning. Obviously dinners might vary, because you're eating with your family or your partner. But my other meals during the day are a lot of the same on repeat, because it makes it easy. It's a no-brainer. You don't have to think about it. If you are tracking, that makes it even easier. And if you love the food, you'll look forward to eating it every day. I actually just made a reel about this. I can't remember the sound, but it's about when you eat the same meal every day and you still look forward to it every single time.

It just makes it easy. You know you're going to love it. You don't have to think about it. It's automatic. And I do agree that we women overcomplicate things. We don't need to make it so complicated. I'm always joking on my stories, like, this is my super aesthetic food. It looks so boring. It doesn't look cute.

Nikkiey: You had a normal dinner the other night and it was just basic, but basic works. Just like you said, you went back to weight training, you went back to protein intake, you went back to macros. That's the basics.

Alicia: Yeah.

Nikkiey: To follow consistently.

Alicia: Yeah. We don't have to be overwhelmed. We don't need to overthink it. It's actually so simple. It's crazy.

Nikkiey: People make it so much more on the internet. Okay, with strength training, when you got back into it, a lot of people experience intimidation. They don't know where to start. They're afraid of walking into the gym. We're coming up on a new year. How did you feel when you got back into it, and what advice could you give somebody who's just starting?

Alicia: I completely understand how that can be intimidating, because I had been at CrossFit for years and hadn't been back to a regular gym. I was scouting out gyms in my area, and I knew I wanted to go to a hardcore kind of gym. I wanted a gym with people who are in there to win it.

Nikkiey: That makes so much sense.

Alicia: Right. I didn't want to go to a dinky gym.

Nikkiey: Environment matters. A lot of people can work out at home successfully, but you have your TV in the room, you have your kitchen, you have your computer you can sit down and work at. Your environment matters.

Alicia: I completely agree. It gets you in a different mindset. It gets you locked in. So I'd been scoping out gyms and I found this one. It's a bodybuilding gym, and it's kind of gritty. It's called Big Iron. I wanted to go there, but I was super intimidated. So I made friends with a gal at the front desk. I was like, I just don't want to look like an idiot the first time I'm in here. Can you make sure I know where everything is? And she said, oh yeah, of course.

There's a back room, so I started working out more in the back room with the barbells and the dumbbells. As I got more familiar and more comfortable being there, I expanded out into the cables and the machines. And then I just took over the whole gym. Pretty soon I'm like, what's up, mama's here. I'm here to F it up. You know what I mean?

It's so funny how we get in our own heads and get so nervous about it. We think people are watching us. If somebody is watching you and judging you, that's on them, not on you. At the end of the day, nobody cares. People are more consumed with what they're doing. Nobody's really watching you. So take a deep breath. Go to the back corner if you need to and scope things out while you're there. Do something small to get started. Then as you get more comfortable, you can branch out to new machines and new things as you get better.

And pretty soon, everybody's going to know your name. Everybody's going to know who you are. You're going to feel like a badass. You're going to walk around and own the place.

Nikkiey: Amen. That's how it goes. Anything you start at the beginning is going to be hard and going to be a change. You've got to push yourself over the edge. Even how you walked into the gym and had the confidence to ask somebody, hey, can you just show me around? Then you're not by yourself walking into the gym. You have somebody else.

Alicia: And people want to help. At the end of the day, if it's a good gym, the people are going to be helpful and friendly and want to connect with you. And you know what? You can hire a personal trainer too if you want. A personal trainer is going to get you familiar with everything.

Nikkiey: A hundred percent. There are so many resources and tools. The hardest part is getting there and having the courage. To piggyback off of that, building physical strength often has a ripple effect. How has the physical strength you've built influenced other areas of your life, like your relationships, your career, what you're doing with your people, and your own mindset?

Alicia: It's so interesting. I saw a before-and-after physique comparison the other day, and it was talking about how it's not just the physical that changes. There's a whole mental transformation that happens when you do a physical transformation. They go hand in hand. And honestly, over the last couple of years, like you said, I have felt unstoppable. I used to talk to myself in a certain way, I used to feel limited and I used to compare. I feel like owning my own business before this helped me too with my mind space. But the confidence I've built, I feel like I can do freaking anything. I feel like the sky's the limit. I am 51 and I feel like I have a whole world ahead of me.

I have my whole life ahead of me. I have so much I'm going to do, and I am so excited. Every once in a while I might have a moment where I'm like, oh gosh, I'm going to do this and this. And then I'm like, heck yes, we can. We're doing this. It's given me the confidence that I can do freaking anything I want.

Nikkiey: What is confidence? You seem like you'd be a naturally confident person, but what does it mean to you?

Alicia: I've always had a level of confidence, but it's built and built over the years. It builds through keeping promises to yourself. You tell yourself you are going to do this, and then you keep that promise and you do it. You're like, I freaking did it. And that means the next thing you want to do, you can go out and do too, because you proved to yourself that you did that thing. It just builds and builds. It's like a freaking snowball. Let's go.

Nikkiey: I have such a random question. People will be like, why is she asking this? But what's your zodiac?

Alicia: Leo.

Nikkiey: Oh, okay. That says enough.

Alicia: What?

Nikkiey: That says enough.

Alicia: I know. I know. I match it.

Nikkiey: Yeah, you do. I feel like you're my soul sister. I'm an Aries, and Aries and Leos get along so well. You're saying so many amazing things. I freaking love it.

So you're a mom, you're a wife, you've juggled so many roles while also prioritizing your health. You started back in your 30s, then CrossFit in your 40s, and then this big transformation now that you're 50. How old are you now? 50?

Alicia: 51.

Nikkiey: Oh, you are 51. Holy shit. So this really all transpired over the last year.

Alicia: Yeah. The last couple of years.

Nikkiey: Woo. All right. There are moms listening to this podcast right now who are like, we don't have the same 24 hours in the day. We don't have enough time. How would you encourage those women to let go of that guilt and make themselves a priority?

Alicia: You can do a lot with a small amount of time, and it's about your priorities. What is important to you? And boundaries, honestly. Boundaries are so key. Explain to your family and your friends, whoever needs to hear it: I really want to make my health and my fitness a priority. I need this chunk of time out of my day, each day, to focus on me and my goals.

This is how it's going to be. Communicate that, and then make that promise to yourself. You can get a lot done in a very small amount of time if you're really intentional and focused. Maybe you need to give up some scrolling time. Maybe you need to make a little sacrifice with your Netflix time. Maybe something in your life needs to budge so you can focus on this, because the rewards are going to pay off big time. You've got to set boundaries and set your priorities, because everybody's busy.

We're all busy. We all have stuff. I know how crazy it gets, but I would always, always make it a priority no matter what. Always.

Nikkiey: Circling back a little, we touched on how women kind of just accept this stage of life. I've heard women say it's like doom years ahead, and they accept that it's out of their control. But you're living proof otherwise. Are you through menopause now? Are you on the other side?

Alicia: I would say I'm probably—

Nikkiey: You're in it.

Alicia: In it, because they say once you haven't had your period for a year, you're in menopause. I went like 11 months without one, and then I got a little one, and I was like, no way. So I would say I'm definitely headed into menopause. I just started doing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Sorry, I know you had a question, but I'm kind of going off.

It's bioidentical, sourced from wild yam and soy, which is so freaking crazy. I do an estrogen cream, and they just added a little bit of testosterone, again sourced from wild yam and soy, to the estrogen cream. I do that every night, and I do a progesterone pill every night. I started that when I turned 51 at the end of July, because my hot flashes were out of freaking control.

I was waking up at all times of night. My sleep was trash. I had been starting to have hot flashes for the last two years, but they really started to amp up, and I was like, I can't do this anymore. This is affecting my quality of life and my quality of sleep, and sleep affects everything. I'm definitely feeling so much better.

Nikkiey: Did you get tested? Did you do blood work?

Alicia: Yep. I have a functional medicine doctor, and we usually test every six months to see where everything is at, and we go based off of that. I would highly suggest women stay on top of that. But I will say, yes, hormone replacement therapy is great, but you still have to do the work. You can't make excuses like, oh, this is just my body now. I'm telling you, when you put muscle on your body, you're going to run like a fine-tuned machine. I'm not kidding. I'm dead serious. Do it now, because it's going to blow your mind what happens when you put a layer of muscle on your body.

Nikkiey: Say it loud.

Alicia: It's going to be crazy. If I could encourage just that one thing. I see it with the women I'm talking to every day. They're like, oh, I'm seeing this muscle coming. It feels so good. I feel so amazing and so powerful. They just didn't realize they had it in them.

Nikkiey: Yeah. And I think a lot of women go to the doctor and the doctor is like, oh yeah, this is just what happens at this stage of life. And they pretty much accept it.

Alicia: Find a new doctor.

Nikkiey: Thank you. It's time to toss that doctor out.

Alicia: I've heard great things about Midi Health, M-I-D-I Health. I don't have any connection with them. I think it's a telemed service where you can get on with somebody who's going to help you with hormones and all that stuff.

Nikkiey: Beautiful. Midi Health.

Alicia: Anyway, that's another resource.

Nikkiey: Because I know this whole conversation can be very polarizing and very confusing for a lot of women, because of previous information that's come out about HRT.

Alicia: HRT is getting a better rep these days. I feel like there are some doctors who are really loud right now saying, nope, we're going to correct this, these are actually the facts. It's been great that they're being loud and putting out facts, because that's what we all need. It's been very confusing.

Nikkiey: Amen. Just make sure people find the right doctor, the right dose and what works for them.

Alicia: Yeah. A doctor who's going to be their advocate, not just brush them off.

Nikkiey: Facts. Wait, what did you say though?

Alicia: Nothing. What?

Nikkiey: Not going to brush them off? Oh, I thought it was going to be something else.

Alicia: No. Nothing. Brush them off.

Nikkiey: That was hilarious. My brain. The joke that they're out there trying to get some money too.

Alicia: I mean, yeah. Right. Oh my gosh. That's so funny.

Nikkiey: Anyway, this has been so much fun, Alicia. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. Your energy is so vibrant. I'm going to have your information in the description too, but where can people find you?

Alicia: AliciaE, A-L-I-C-I-A-E, on Instagram. And themidlife-maven.com. I'm there.

Nikkiey: Before we head out, what's one piece of advice you'd like to leave the women listening with as they navigate this stage of life?

Alicia: That it is not too late. You are still magnificent and powerful, and you are actually just getting started. You have been pouring into everything else up until this point in your life: your career, your spouse, your kids, everyone else. Now it's your time. You're going to make you a priority. You are literally just going into the second half of your life.

You need to make it the best. You want to be your best for the second half. This is the time when you get to be you and do your thing. You want to feel good. You want to look good. You want to do all the things. You've got to have that high energy. And it's not too late. You can start now and completely change your life.

Nikkiey: One hundred percent. No doubt. Amen. Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you for all your insight, your energy and your words.

Alicia: Thanks for having me.

Nikkiey: It's been a blast. All right, see you, everyone. Bye.

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