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Let’s address the elephant in the room.
At some point in midlife, many women look down and think:
“Where did this belly come from… and why is it refusing to leave?”
You didn’t suddenly lose discipline.
You didn’t suddenly forget how to diet.
And you definitely didn’t wake up one day and decide you love abdominal fat.
What’s actually happening is a mix of hormones, muscle loss, metabolism changes, and years of bad nutrition advice catching up all at once.
And unfortunately, the most common advice women hear is still:
“Just eat less.”
Which sounds logical… until it stops working.
The truth is, the way women need to eat to lose belly fat in midlife is very different from the crash diets most of us grew up with.
The goal isn’t eating as little as possible.
The goal is supporting muscle while gradually reducing body fat.
Let’s talk about how to do that.

First: Muscle Is Your Metabolism’s Best FriendOne of the biggest factors affecting body composition in midlife is muscle loss.
Starting in your 30s, women can lose 3–8% of muscle mass per decade if they’re not strength training (Volpi et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004).
Less muscle means:

• slower metabolism
  
• less calorie burn at rest
  
• poorer blood sugar control
  
• easier fat storage around the midsection
  

Which explains why the same diet that worked at 28 suddenly stops working at 42.
Muscle is metabolically active tissue.
Maintaining it is one of the best things you can do for fat loss and long-term health.
But muscle needs fuel.
Which brings us to nutrition.

Protein Needs to Be the Star of the ShowIf there’s one nutrient midlife women consistently under-eat, it’s protein.
Protein helps:

• preserve muscle while losing fat
  
• support metabolism
  
• improve satiety (meaning you’re less likely to snack all day)
  
• stabilize blood sugar
  

Research shows higher protein intake helps maintain lean mass during fat loss and improves body composition (Phillips & Van Loon, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2016).
A good starting point for many women is:
25–35 grams of protein per meal
Examples could include:

• eggs and Greek yogurt at breakfast
  
• chicken or salmon at lunch
  
• lean beef, tofu, or turkey at dinner
  

In other words, if breakfast is currently coffee and vibes… we might want to upgrade that situation.

Stop Skipping Meals (Your Hormones Hate That)A lot of women trying to lose belly fat unintentionally under-eat during the day and then wonder why they’re starving at night.
Sound familiar?
Skipping meals can lead to:

• unstable blood sugar
  
• increased cravings
  
• overeating later
  
• higher stress hormones
  

Chronically under-fueling also signals the body to conserve energy, slowing metabolism over time (Rosenbaum & Leibel, Obesity Reviews, 2010).
Consistent meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats help regulate appetite and support sustainable fat loss.
Which is significantly less dramatic than crash dieting… but much more effective.

Carbohydrates Are Not the EnemyThe internet has spent about 20 years convincing women that carbs are evil.
They’re not.
Carbohydrates provide energy for strength training, daily movement, and brain function.
The key is focusing on higher-quality carbohydrates, such as:

• fruits
  
• vegetables
  
• oats
  
• potatoes
  
• rice
  
• whole grains
  

These foods provide fiber and nutrients that help regulate blood sugar and support overall health.
Studies show diets emphasizing whole foods and balanced macronutrients are more sustainable and effective for fat loss than restrictive diet patterns (Johnston et al., JAMA, 2014).
In other words, your metabolism is not improved by fearing sweet potatoes.

Belly Fat Is Often a Stress Problem, TooMidlife women are juggling a lot.
Careers. Families. Aging parents. Hormones. Sleep issues. The mental load of everyone’s schedules.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which is associated with increased abdominal fat storage (Epel et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2000).
Which means nutrition is only one piece of the puzzle.
Sleep, recovery, and strength training also play major roles in body composition.
The body doesn’t release fat easily when it feels like it’s constantly under threat.
So yes, managing stress counts as part of your fat-loss strategy.

Consistency Beats Perfection Every TimeThe women who see lasting results aren’t the ones who try the most extreme diets.
They’re the ones who:

• eat enough protein
  
• strength train consistently
  
• move their bodies daily
  
• prioritize recovery
  
• repeat those habits for months and years
  

Nothing about that is flashy.
But it works.

If You Want Guidance, You Don’t Have to Figure It Out AloneIf you’re tired of guessing what workouts or nutrition strategies actually work, there are a couple ways to get support.
You can apply for coaching, where we build a personalized plan tailored to your goals, lifestyle, and training experience.
Or you can join the Ascend fitness app, which includes a full year of progressive strength programs designed to help women build muscle, improve metabolism, and create real changes in their body composition.
Because the right plan makes consistency much easier.

A New Community for Support and AccountabilityKayli has also launched a private online community called Phoenix Rising, designed for people who want real, sustainable results.
If you feel like you’ve tried every diet, workout plan, or “quick fix” but still struggle to keep the weight off, you’re not alone.
Phoenix Rising focuses on helping people build sustainable fat loss, real strength, and healthier habits that last.
Instead of extreme dieting or punishing workouts, the focus is on the foundations that actually create long-term results:

• strength training
  
• balanced nutrition
  
• daily movement
  
• recovery
  
• mindset
  

Inside the community you’ll find:
• Structured workout programs
• Nutrition and habit coaching
• Educational trainings on fat loss and metabolism
• Weekly live group coaching calls
• 90-day challenges for accountability
• A supportive community that encourages growth and consistency
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is progress.
It’s a place to learn, ask questions, celebrate wins, and build a stronger, healthier lifestyle for the long term.
Final ThoughtsIf your goal is to lose belly fat while maintaining muscle, the answer isn’t starving yourself.
It’s fueling your body well enough to support:

• strength
  
• metabolism
  
• recovery
  
• long-term consistency
  

Extreme dieting might produce short-term results.
But sustainable nutrition habits create lasting change.
And that’s the goal.

SourcesVolpi E et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004
Phillips SM & Van Loon LJC. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2016
Rosenbaum M & Leibel RL. Obesity Reviews, 2010
Johnston BC et al. JAMA, 2014
Epel ES et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2000

 Summer distractions don’t have to derail your goals.
Learn 5 simple, realistic ways to reset your fitness and nutrition this fall so you can feel confident heading into the holidays.


Summer tends to fly by in a blur of travel, cookouts, and busy schedules. If you feel like you didn’t make the progress you wanted these past few months, you’re not alone. The good news? September is the perfect time to reset, refocus, and commit to simple habits that will carry you through the holidays feeling stronger, healthier, and more confident.

Here are five actionable steps you can start today:

1. Rebuild Your Routine With Small Wins
Don’t feel like you need to “go all in” right away. Instead, start by picking one or two healthy habits you know you can stick to — like walking 10 minutes after lunch or hitting your protein target at breakfast. Small wins create momentum and consistency, which matters more than perfection.


2. Prioritize Strength Training Over Endless Cardio
If fat loss and confidence are your goals, resistance training should be your foundation. Even two to three sessions per week can make a big difference in metabolism, strength, and energy. Plus, building muscle helps your body burn more calories at rest.


3. Fuel Your Body (Don’t Starve It)
Skipping meals or cutting calories too hard usually backfires — leaving you hungry, tired, and more likely to binge later. Instead, focus on eating enough lean protein, fiber-rich carbs, and healthy fats to fuel your day. Balanced meals keep blood sugar stable and make fat loss sustainable.


4. Get Back to Basics With Sleep & Stress
It’s easy to overlook, but your sleep quality and stress levels play a massive role in fat loss and overall health. Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep and carve out even 5 minutes for deep breathing, journaling, or stretching. You’ll notice a difference in energy and cravings almost immediately.


5. Set a “Mini Goal” Before the Holidays
Rather than thinking about everything you want to achieve, pick a short-term goal to aim for between now and Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s losing 5 pounds, increasing your squat weight, or simply fitting into your favorite jeans more comfortably. Short deadlines keep motivation high.


✅ Remember: Fall is a fresh start, not a punishment for summer. You don’t need to overhaul your life to see results — just focus on consistency with the basics.

If you’re ready for accountability and a clear plan, I can help you simplify the process and finally reach your goals without restriction or burnout. Book a free discovery call here →

​

Struggling to Lose Fat in Your 40s? You’re Not Alone — and You’re Not Broken

If you’re in your 40s and feel like your body is fighting against every effort to lose fat, I promise you this: you're not crazy, lazy, or doing it all wrong. The reality is, what worked in your 20s and 30s just doesn't work the same anymore — and there’s a good reason for that.

Let’s break it down and talk about what actually does work when it comes to fat loss for women over 40.


 Your Metabolism Has Changed — But It’s Not “Broken”

One of the biggest myths I hear from women is that their metabolism is “shot.”

The truth? Your metabolism may have slowed, but it can absolutely be reignited.

• Muscle mass naturally declines as we age, which lowers your resting metabolic rate.
• Crash dieting or skipping meals can further damage metabolism.
• Chronic stress, poor sleep, and hormonal shifts (hello, perimenopause) add another layer of complexity.
  
  

💡 What works: Strength training, eating enough protein, managing stress, and building muscle back.


 Hormones in Your 40s Are Not the Enemy — But They Need Support

As estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone begin to shift, many women experience:

• Increased belly fat
• Slower recovery
• Mood changes and poor sleep
  
  

These hormonal changes can impact how your body stores fat and how easy it is to lose it.
💡 What works:

• Prioritize fiber-rich carbs and healthy fats
• Lift weights to support insulin sensitivity and lean muscle
• Get at least 7 hours of sleep
• Walk daily and move consistently — even if it’s not a “workout”
  
  ​

 You Might Be Eating Too Little — Or the Wrong Combo of Foods

Many women I work with come to me eating too little during the day, then binge or crave carbs at night. Sound familiar?
That’s often a sign your body is under-fueled and over-stressed.
Plus, as we age, protein becomes even more important to protect muscle and support metabolism.

💡 What works:

• Eat balanced meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats
• Don’t skip breakfast or rely only on salads
• Aim for 25–30g of protein per meal
  
  
  

 Cardio Alone Won’t Cut It Anymore

If you’ve been doing tons of cardio and not seeing results, you’re not alone.
The truth is, cardio burns calories—but lifting weights changes your body.

💡 What works:

• Strength training 2–3x/week
• Walking for stress relief and recovery
  Mobility work to reduce joint pain and stay active long-term

✅ Sustainable Fat Loss After 40 Comes From a Smarter, Not Harder, Approach

It’s not about dieting harder or pushing through exhaustion.

It’s about working with your body — not against it.
And guess what? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
My coaching method is built specifically for women like you — who want fat loss that lasts, without extremes or restriction.


 Let’s Chat About Your Goals

If you’re ready to finally lose the fat, build strength, and feel confident again…

📲 Click here to book a free discovery call — and let’s build a plan that works for your body and your life.

I have a bone to pick today, as I'm feeling a bit rant-y.
But mostly, I'm frustrated.
Because I think you're getting tricked and it's time you learn the truth...

See, the workout "truths" you've been fed are things like,

• "Pilates and yoga will give you toned, lean muscles!"
• "If you want to look like an athlete you have to train like an athlete!"
• "You should ditch machines and do free weights to be more functional!"
• "Kettlebells train stabilizers and all planes of motion, which prepares you for real life!"

And I'm here today to tell you this is all nonsense.

Ok, to be fair, it's not all nonsense - there is some truth in each one.
But it's nonsense to the fact that ~95% of the people reading this newsletter lift weights for aesthetic reasons.

Aka you lift weights to look better.

Sure, you know it's healthy and therapeutic and helps you move better and makes you stronger, yada, yada.

And yes, I get it ⏤ you don't want to look too bulky like a bodybuilder, or get too obsessed with your muscles, or not fit into your favorite outfits.

I understand all of that.

But at the end of the day, you MOSTLY go to the gym to 1) build muscle and 2) lose fat so you feel more confident in your clothes and proud of the body you see in the mirror.

You want to be in-shape. Slim, defined, and muscular in all the right places.
(And hey, me too. No shame here.)

So if you agree that that is your main motive in the gym, then believing the "truths" above will only prevent you from reaching your goals.

And why is that, exactly?

Firstly, muscle and fat tissue can ONLY do three things:

1. get bigger (gain muscle or gain fat)
2. get smaller (lose muscle or lose fat)
3. stay the same

So, knowing this, and knowing that the main outcome we're working out for is to increase our muscle mass and decrease our fat mass, then we should judge our workout's effectiveness solely on how well it does those two things.

And, again, yes we can also workout to improve our cardiovascular fitness, explosive power, core stability, and so on. Or just to have fun!

These are all by-products of muscle building workouts too, they just aren't the primary focus.
You can go to the gym and do whatever feels good for you.

Do the HIIT class, the kettlebells, the battle rope, or Crossfit workouts.

Just don't be upset when your body doesn't look the way you want, even though you're working out hard.

Because remember: our goal in the gym is NOT to sweat the most or get our heart rate up as high as we can or to train for the NFL combine.

Our goal is to gain muscle and lose fat. Period.

Which means we need to do workouts that are built for exactly that.

There's obviously way too much to break down in one blog, but I'll give you my general template.

My muscle-building workout breakdown

1. Warm up - increase body temp with cardio and dynamic stretching of target muscles
2. Heavier compound lifts - multi-joint exercises like bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press, etc (all variations)
3. Accessory lifts - more machines, cables, and stabilized exercise choices for isolating target areas
4. "Athletic" lift - ONE exercise that is single leg/arm and multiple planes of motion (this prevents injury)
5. Cardio/Core - this will be either long distance cardio, a HIIT finisher, or an ab workout

To clarify, 2 and 3 are 80% of these workouts.

And the other 20% ⏤ 1, 4, and 5 ⏤ support 2 and 3 to make them more effective via injury prevention and core stability. Or cardio, which supports fat loss.

Notice how everything is hyper-specific to the goal of building muscle or losing fat.

And, of course, the exercise selection, sets, rep ranges, and weekly progressive overload are the other components required to optimize all of this, but this is the skeleton.

Maybe I'll chat on those another day, but I hope this was helpful.

I'm passionate about making this clear because I want you to get results.

And I've had too many clients come to me thinking they've been working out the right way, except they've looked the same for the last two years.

Not because they weren't trying.

But because they were putting their efforts in the wrong place.

So my hope is to help you prevent that.

You only have so much time, energy, and bandwidth to make it to the gym in the first place.
If you're going to be there, I want you to make it count.

Not wasting your time on fluff, false promises, or exercises that simply don't move the needle.
One last thing, if you want to completely take the guesswork out of workout programming check out our ASCEND Training App. This app will help elevate your fitness journey with an all-inclusive collection of personal training programs designed to help rise to new heights.

Thanks for listening to me rant.

If you have any questions, just comment below.
​
Thanks,
Kayli

Building lean muscle mass is a common goal for many fitness enthusiasts. Understanding the science behind muscle growth, along with effective nutrition and training strategies, can help you achieve your goals efficiently. In this blog post, we'll explore the key components of muscle growth and provide practical tips for optimizing your nutrition and workout regimen.
Understanding Muscle GrowthMuscle growth, or hypertrophy, occurs when muscle fibers sustain damage through resistance training and subsequently repair themselves, becoming stronger and larger. This process is influenced by several factors, including the type of exercise, intensity, and nutrition.
The Role of Protein in Muscle GrowthProtein is essential for muscle repair and growth. Consuming adequate protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle fibers. Aim for a daily protein intake of 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, depending on your activity level and goals .
Key Sources of Protein:

• Lean meats (chicken, turkey, beef)
• Fish and seafood
• Eggs
• Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese)
• Plant-based proteins (beans, lentils, tofu, quinoa)

The Importance of Carbohydrates and FatsWhile protein is crucial, carbohydrates and fats also play vital roles in muscle building. Carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores, providing energy for workouts. Healthy fats support hormone production and overall health.
Recommended Carbohydrate Sources:

• Whole grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa)
• Fruits (berries, apples, bananas)
• Vegetables (leafy greens, sweet potatoes)

Healthy Fat Sources:

• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Olive oil
• Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel)

Effective Training StrategiesResistance training is the cornerstone of building lean muscle mass. Incorporate a variety of exercises targeting different muscle groups to ensure balanced development. Here are some effective training strategies:
1. Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight, intensity, or volume of your workouts to continually challenge your muscles and promote growth .
2. Compound Exercises: Focus on compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups. These exercises work multiple muscle groups simultaneously, leading to greater overall muscle development.
3. Proper Recovery: Allow adequate rest between workouts to enable muscle repair and growth. Aim for 48 hours of rest for each muscle group before targeting it again.
4. Consistency: Stay consistent with your training and nutrition plan. Consistency is key to seeing long-term results.
The Role of SupplementsWhile whole foods should be your primary source of nutrients, supplements can help fill gaps in your diet. Common supplements for muscle growth include:

• Whey Protein: Convenient and high-quality protein source.
• Creatine: Enhances strength and power, supporting muscle growth .
• Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): May reduce muscle soreness and enhance recovery.

Hydration and SleepHydration and sleep are often overlooked but are critical for muscle growth. Water aids in nutrient transport and muscle function, while quality sleep supports recovery and hormone regulation.
Tips for Optimal Hydration and Sleep:

• Drink at least 8-10 cups of water daily.
• Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
• Establish a regular sleep routine.

ConclusionBuilding lean muscle mass requires a balanced approach to nutrition, effective training strategies, proper supplementation, and adequate recovery. By understanding the science behind muscle growth and implementing these strategies, you can optimize your results and achieve your fitness goals.
For personalized advice, consider consulting with a certified nutrition and fitness professional.

References:

1. "Protein Intake for Optimal Muscle Maintenance." Journal of Sports Science & Medicine.
2. "Principles of Progressive Overload in Resistance Training." Strength and Conditioning Journal.
3. "Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Performance and Training Adaptations." Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.

For more information on muscle growth and nutrition, check out these resources: National Institute of Health - Protein and Muscle Building, American Council on Exercise - Strength Training.

Feel free to share your experiences and tips in the comments below. Happy training!