Your new year meno-fitness plan with Michelle Bridges
A clear, compassionate health reset for women in midlife: fitness, perimenopause, and finding your strength for the year ahead.
As we start the new year, time is a time when so many of us want to reset our health, get stronger, feel clearer, lose weight, and maybe sleep a bit better. I want all of it. Do you? But here’s the thing that almost no one says out loud: if you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s, or early 60s, every part of your health is being shaped by perimenopause or menopause - even if you haven’t recognised the signs or don’t want to talk about it.
That’s why I wanted to start the year with someone who can speak honestly, practically and compassionately about what’s really going on in women’s bodies at this age, and how we can bring her wisdom into our health plans for 2026.
In this episode of Prime Time, I’m joined by someone I’ve long admired: Michelle Bridges - bestselling author, coach, and one of Australia’s most well-known and trusted health communicators. Michelle has coached thousands of women and has just released a new book, ‘The Perimenopause Method: The only menopause guide you’ll ever need’. It’s a brilliant, practical guide to understanding your changing body and working with it, not against it.
You can find Michelle’s latest book at all book retailers.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST HERE:
Highlights of the conversation:
Why women need a new health approach in midlife: Michelle shares why standard fitness advice often fails women in their 40s and 50s, and what’s really going on in our bodies during perimenopause and menopause.
Your strongest years are ahead: Muscle mass is critical for healthy ageing and Michelle explains why building strength (not just losing weight) is the key to vitality, energy and longevity.
A kind approach to exercise: Michelle talks about ditching punishment-based fitness and learning to move your body in ways that are sustainable, joyful and effective.
The power of structure and habit: From small tweaks to weekly routines, Michelle explains how to create a fitness plan that actually sticks, even when life gets busy or motivation drops.
Her own perimenopause journey: Michelle gets candid about her own experience navigating hormonal change, including the symptoms that caught her by surprise and what’s helped her most.
Why now is the time: Whether you’re at the start of your health reset or feeling like you’ve let things slide, Michelle reminds us that it’s never too late - and you don’t need to do it all at once.
From Bec’s Desk
One of the themes I keep coming back to in Prime Time is that good health in the second half of life is not about doing more, it’s about doing things differently. It’s about learning how your body works now, not how it worked ten or twenty years ago, and building confidence in responding to that.
As we head into a new year, my hope for women reading this is that health becomes a priority without becoming another source of pressure. Strength, energy, mobility, and long-term health are not vanity goals. They are the foundations that allow us to enjoy our lives, our work, our families, and our independence.
If you’re feeling curious, cautious, or quietly relieved to hear menopause talked about openly and practically, you’re not alone. These conversations matter, and they belong front and centre in Prime Time.
Thanks for being here. I’m really glad we get to keep having these conversations together.
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Can you also get an alternate view from Kitty Blomfield - eating pro metabolically and lifting weights.