Nicola Carless Fitness

Nicola Carless Fitness Helping women 40+ in Bromsgrove get stronger, fitter & more confident through Personal Training, Pilates & PAYG fitness classes.

Build strength, lose fat, move better & feel great. Join our friendly, supportive community & thrive at every age!

17/09/2026

September doesn’t have to mean starting all over again

16/09/2026

Strong Wednesday 💪

We’re finally getting started with the 5 movement patterns I talked about a few weeks ago.

First up… the squat.

We use a squat movement all the time in everyday life — sitting down, standing up, getting up from the floor and more.

So being able to squat well is a really useful skill to have.

And you don’t need to be squatting a heavy barbell to benefit from it.

Start with your own bodyweight, work on your technique and then gradually build your strength from there.

And remember, your squat doesn’t have to look exactly like someone else’s. We all have different bodies, mobility and abilities.

Next week I’ll show you some different ways you can work on the squat if a traditional squat doesn’t feel comfortable or isn’t right for you.

There’s always a way to work on your strength. 💪

What movement do you find hardest — squat, hinge, push, pull or carry?

14/09/2026

✨Mindset Monday✨

September can feel a bit like a second January, can’t it?

Summer’s coming to an end, holidays are over and routines start to settle down again.

And suddenly there’s this pressure to “get back on track” and change everything at once.

But you really don’t need to.

If your routine has been different over the summer, that’s okay.

Maybe you’ve had more meals out, enjoyed a few treats, had later nights, travelled, or simply haven’t trained as regularly.

You don’t need to undo any of it.

Instead, ask yourself:

What are the things that make me feel good that I want to bring back into my routine?

Maybe it’s your strength training.
More walks.
Getting organised with your meals.
Going to bed a little earlier.
Or simply making more time for yourself.

Pick one or two things and start there.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole life because it’s September.

Small things, done consistently, can make a big difference.

So rather than thinking “I need to get myself back on track” ask yourself:

“What do I want more of this autumn?”

More strength?
More energy?
More confidence?
More time for yourself?

Start there. 🩵

You don’t need a new you.

You just need to keep building the woman you want to become.

MidlifeMindset MidlifeMojo

14/09/2026

💪 Back to Training – The Next Chapter

Back to training... and my legs have something to say about it! 😂We got home from holiday Sunday and I was straight back...
12/09/2026

Back to training... and my legs have something to say about it! 😂

We got home from holiday Sunday and I was straight back into training Monday.

Tuesday I trained lower body with Mike. As I hadn’t trained while I was away, we went lighter with more reps to ease me back in.

Although there’s not much “easing” with Mike! 😂

Cue DOMS...

Walking, sitting down and getting back up again were all suddenly much harder than they should be! Thankfully my legs are just about recovered today.

Yesterday we trained upper body and worked on shoulders. We kept the weights lighter and reps higher again, but I did something I haven’t really done for around 14 years...

Barbell clean and presses.

I injured my right shoulder doing this movement years ago and have avoided the barbell version ever since.
Yesterday I did them again.

No pain. No problem. And a little less fear. 💪

Sometimes getting stronger isn’t just about the weight you lift. It’s also about rebuilding confidence in what your body can do.

And now I’ve got a new goal...

Over the next 4 months I want to reduce my body fat while maintaining the strength I’ve worked so hard to build.

I’m not interested in simply getting lighter.

I want to be leaner AND strong.

New chapter. Same long-game mindset. 🩵

StrengthTraining HealthyAgeing BodyComposition MidlifeMojo

10/09/2026

New 8-Week Pilates Courses Starting This Month

10/09/2026

Back to training — but not going all out 💪🏻

Strong Wednesday 💪Well… I was going to start our squat demos today but my legs have other ideas! 😂After more than two we...
09/09/2026

Strong Wednesday 💪

Well… I was going to start our squat demos today but my legs have other ideas! 😂

After more than two weeks off while I was on holiday, I got back to training yesterday and today I’ve got some lovely DOMS — delayed onset muscle soreness. 🥴😂

And it got me thinking that it’s probably worth talking about because I hear this a lot…

“If I’m really sore after my workout, it must have been a really good workout!”

Not necessarily!

DOMS is that muscle soreness and stiffness you can get after exercise, usually becoming noticeable around 12–24 hours later and sometimes lasting a few days.

You’re more likely to get it when you’ve done something your body isn’t currently accustomed to — for example, after having a break from training, increasing your training volume or intensity, or doing something differently.

And that’s what’s happened with me.

I regularly squat and I’m very used to strength training, but I’ve had over two weeks away from my normal training routine.

So yesterday’s session was a return to a training stimulus my body hadn’t had for a couple of weeks — and clearly my legs are letting me know about it today! 😂

But here’s the important bit…

DOMS isn’t a measure of how effective your workout was.

You don’t need to be sore after every workout for it to have been a good one.

In fact, as your body adapts to regular training, you may get less DOMS even though you’re still training effectively and getting stronger.

So please don’t feel like you need to make yourself sore to know you’ve had a good workout.

Progress comes from consistently challenging your body, recovering and adapting over time.

And if you do get DOMS, especially after a break, give your body a chance to recover and build back up gradually.

As for me…

The squat demos can wait until next Wednesday! 😂

I’m pretty sure my legs will thank me for that. 💪

BACK TO IT… The next chapter starts here. 💪🏻After two weeks away, I’m back in the gym and back training with Mike. … But...
08/09/2026

BACK TO IT… The next chapter starts here. 💪🏻

After two weeks away, I’m back in the gym and back training with Mike. … But I’m not trying to make up for the time I missed.

I’m easing myself back in, seeing how my body feels and gradually building things back up....Because taking a break doesn’t mean you’ve lost your progress.

You don’t have to start again. Just start where you are.

And I’m excited because this is the start of a new phase for me.

For the last 18 months I’ve focused on building muscle and getting stronger. Now my goal for the next four months is to reduce body fat while maintaining the strength and muscle I’ve worked hard to build.

No crash diet. No extremes. Just a small calorie deficit, consistent strength training and getting on with it.
New phase.
New goals.

Same commitment to getting stronger. ❤️

Let’s see what the next four months bring!

StrongWomen MidlifeMojo

I didn’t train for two weeks… and I didn’t feel guilty about it. 🇬🇷And I think more women need to hear this.After a very...
07/09/2026

I didn’t train for two weeks… and I didn’t feel guilty about it. 🇬🇷

And I think more women need to hear this.

After a very busy year, working long hours and fitting in my own training around everything else, we knew we needed a proper break.

So that’s exactly what we did in Paxos.

Morning walks, swimming in the pool because it was lovely, reading books, exploring places we hadn’t seen before, sitting in the sunshine and generally slowing down. We even had a few regular visitors at the villa… some very cute Greek cats! 🐈❤️

And my steps?

Much lower than usual. Most days were between 4,000–8,000, with only a couple reaching around 10,000.

I also didn’t do any structured strength training for the whole two weeks.

And I didn’t worry about it.

Because sometimes your body doesn’t need another workout.

Sometimes it needs you to rest.

Especially as women over 40, we’re often so used to doing everything and pushing ourselves that we can forget recovery is part of being healthy too.

Two weeks without training isn’t going to undo months or years of hard work.

You don’t need to come home and punish yourself.

No extra cardio.
No starving yourself.
No trying to “make up” for missed workouts.

Just come home, get back into your normal routine and carry on.

You don’t have to earn your rest. 🩵

That’s exactly what I’m doing — back to work, back to the gym this week and looking forward to getting back to my own strength journey.

And I’ll share what my next training phase looks like in my next post. 💪🏻

MidlifeMojo RestAndRecovery

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