Here’s something to know about me……

I love Rugby This last month has been so incredible for a rugby fan, lover of sport and supporter of women’s sport.

When the England Red Roses stepped onto the field at Twickenham last Saturday in front of a record crowd of 81,855 for Women’s rugby and subsequently lifted the trophy it showed what commitment, self-belief and resilience plus mental and physical strength can achieve.

The whole tournament has been a testament to commitment over years and showing up to play even when it felt like nobody was watching. The Women’s World Cup 2025 has been incredible and has shown women’s sport at it’s absolute best and it’s inspired a whole new generation of young people to try rugby and to get involved in a sport that’s not just about what happens on the field.

Rugby thrives on a sense of belonging, of doing your job well so others can do their jobs well too, it covers the whole range of body shapes, sizes, height, with a position for everyone. This was clearly shown by the Red Roses and the other competing teams throughout the tournament. Rugby is certainly showing what body positive can mean.

The stories of some of the players were nothing short of inspiring, those who were mothers, some very new and were back playing elite sport, those who hold down full time jobs and then go straight to practice because their national side isn’t funded, those who have overcome serious illness to be back playing on the field, the player with a stoma, those who have recovered from serious injuries, those who had hard backgrounds and rugby provided an escape. All of the players brought a story of determination, belief and commitment to their dream.

For England, losing the last world cup to New Zealand was a catalyst to rebuild and to come back stronger.

You might wonder what this has to do with midlife women. As a midlife woman here are some of the lessons I'm taking from these amazing, inspirational women (they might be younger but the mindset is the same whatever age you are):

Courage to begin again

Midlife has a way of asking hard questions like:

Who am I now? What’s next for me? Is this it?

Our bodies change, our routines and priorities change, it can feel like life is continually throwing curveballs at us and our spark can feel like it’s disappeared.

Starting again and rebuilding doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch, it means starting from where we are now and using our experience and knowledge to move towards a second half that is joyful and fulfilling and that is exciting.

The England Rugby Team didn’t forget everything they knew, they built on it and created a stronger, more resilient team who also know how to have fun.

We can do the same.

Strong isn’t just physical

When we see athletes celebrating, it’s easy to focus on the physical, their power, endurance and hours of training.

But their real strength is mental.

They show up even on the days they don’t feel like it.

They trust the process even when the progress is invisible.

They believe in themselves, not because they feel unstoppable every day, but because they learned that belief grows through effort and consistency.

So although strength in midlife should be about resistance training and lifting weights to build and protect muscle, it’s not just about that.

It’s about having the right mindset to keep going when you don’t feel like it, telling yourself you can do it, that doing something is better than doing nothing and to not beat yourself up if things don’t quite go to plan but equally to not allow that to stop you completely, just get back to it as soon as you can with no judgement.

The quiet power of consistency

England didn’t win the world cup overnight. Their success was built on years of small, consistent actions, early mornings, recovery sessions, team talks, and belief.

That’s how real change happens, small steps, consistently taken over time:

One walk, one class, one small act of believing in yourself.

So, if you’ve fallen out of love with exercise or you feel disconnected from your body, start small.

Take a walk, do some stretching and build on being consistent with it. Before you know it you will be feeling better and wanting to do more so add another small step in and work on that consistently. This is how you build better health small, slow and with commitment to yourself and your future.

The message beneath the medals

The England Red Roses win reminds us that women are powerful and we as midlife women can take from that:

It’s never too late to start again.

You are not past your best.

A comeback isn’t about proving anything to anyone other than yourself, you are capable, you are worth the investment in yourself and you absolutely can do it.

So this month, what small steps will you take to build a stronger body and mindset and build your self-belief?

Move a little more, rest a little and back yourself 100%.

I’m cheering you on and if you want any help to work out what the steps to take are book one of my FREE coaching sessions and I’ll help you get started.