Episode 13: Training for the Body You Need at 60 with Naz Demirtas

Disclaimer

This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only, and it is not medical, mental health, or nutritional advice. If you need personalised support, please consult a qualified health professional or therapist.

Strength Training Isn’It’s about the body you’ll need at 60

I’m so excited to share this conversation with you because it’s one of those episodes that hits on something I think so many women need to hear, especially if you’ve spent years in that loop of trying to “fix” your body.

This episode is with Naz Demirtas, a certified strength coach and Australian sports nutrition and health coach, who believes strength training is less about how you look and more about how well you live.

And honestly, I love her for it.

Naz works with women both online and in person, and she’s helped hundreds of women build strength, confidence, capability, and self trust, not by shrinking themselves, but by learning how to take up space in their bodies again.

Because this is the thing.

Most women have been trained to think health equals being smaller.

Naz is here to flip that on its head.

Naz’s turning point: pregnancy and realising what her body could do

Naz shares that her relationship with her body used to revolve around control. Dieting. Trying to be her smallest self. Like so many women, that was the only way she felt she could have power over her body.

But pregnancy changed something.

For the first time, she wasn’t looking at her body as a project to manage.

She was looking at her body as something capable. Something powerful. Something sacred.

Growing a human.

Giving birth naturally.

Experiencing the intensity and the oxytocin and the rawness of what women can do.

And that experience became the seed of her entire philosophy.

Strength training isn’t about being smaller.

It’s about being stronger.

“Train for the body you’ll need at 60”

This is one of the core messages Naz is known for, and it’s such a powerful reframe.

Because the truth is, most women in their 30s and 40s are not thinking about what their body will need at 60, 70, or 80.

They’re thinking about their stomach.

Their thighs.

Their weight.

Their jeans.

But Naz speaks about something that matters so much more than aesthetics.

She’s talking about muscle preservation.

Bone density.

Independence.

The ability to get on and off the toilet.

To lift your groceries.

To pick up your grandchildren.

To not be frail, hunched, and afraid of falling.

And she shares a statistic that should honestly be talked about more often:

After 30, women can lose around 3 to 8 percent of muscle mass each decade.

And after menopause, it gets even more intense.

And when you lose muscle, you lose independence.

This isn’t fear mongering.

This is reality.

The hidden problem: women are under eating protein

One of the biggest things Naz sees in her work is how many women are unintentionally under eating, especially protein.

Not because they don’t care.

But because diet culture has trained women to think eating less equals being healthy.

So women cut back.

They snack instead of eating meals.

They try to “be good.”

They skip breakfast.

They under eat during the day.

And then they wonder why they feel exhausted, irritable, depleted, and ravenous by 5pm.

Naz speaks about that moment so many women know well.

The 5pm snap.

You’ve worked all day.

You’ve picked up the kids.

They’re asking what’s for dinner.

Your nervous system is cooked.

And you have zero capacity.

If you’ve been fasting, restricting, or barely eating, you’re not just tired.

You’re depleted.

And your body will demand something.

This is where cravings get louder.

This is where emotional eating can kick in.

And this is where women often blame themselves, when the truth is, their body is just trying to survive.

The connection between dieting and emotional eating

This is where my world and Naz’s world overlap so perfectly.

Because I see this all the time.

Women think they have an emotional eating problem.

Or they think they have a bingeing problem.

But often, underneath, there’s a cycle of restriction, control, pressure, and self punishment.

And it creates the exact outcome they’re trying to avoid.

Naz said something that I deeply agree with:

If diet culture didn’t exist, emotional eating would be so much less common.

Because so much emotional eating is actually a rebound response.

Restriction creates obsession.

Pressure creates rebellion.

Control creates the snap.

And then the shame part comes in after.

It becomes a loop.

Not because you’re broken.

Because your system is responding normally to deprivation.

What changes when a woman gets stronger

One of my favourite parts of this episode was hearing Naz speak about what she sees happen in women when they start strength training.

Not just physically.

But emotionally.

Mentally.

Energetically.

She said something that landed so deeply:

A woman becomes more capable in her belief system.

She stops living by society’s rules.

She stops outsourcing her body and her worth to trends.

She starts trusting herself.

She starts feeling like she can do hard things.

And she starts realising something huge:

The real control isn’t restriction.

The real control is health.

It’s nourishment.

It’s strength.

It’s capacity.

It’s being able to trust your body again.

“Aesthetics are cute. Osteoporosis is not.”

Naz shared some powerful insights about osteoporosis and bone density, and this part matters.

Because women don’t really understand osteoporosis until they see it.

Naz spoke about her grandmother in aged care, and how confronting it is to witness what happens when independence is taken away.

Not because someone “got unlucky.”

But because the body wasn’t supported.

Bone density wasn’t protected.

Muscle mass wasn’t built.

And the reality is, one fall can change everything.

A hip fracture can become the beginning of a major decline.

Strength training and power work can help protect bone density.

Eating enough protein and fat supports hormone function.

This is not about vanity.

This is about your future.

Training and eating from love, not hate

Toward the end of the episode, I asked Naz what she sees when women start training and eating from a place of love and respect for their body, instead of hate.

And her answer was perfect.

When the nervous system is calm, the results happen.

There is no sustainable change that comes from hate.

You can punish your body all you want.

You can restrict.

Youcan force.

You can push harder.

But your body will respond with stress.

With cortisol.

With resistance.

With fatigue.

With cravings.

With flatlining.

And eventually, with rebellion.

But when you shift into nourishment and self respect, everything changes.

Because your body stops bracing.

And it starts responding.

Three things Naz recommends if you’re ready to do this differently

Naz shared three simple but powerful places to start.

1. Start strength training, even at home

If the gym feels intimidating, start with body weight. It’s harder than people think, and it builds real connection with your body.

2. Build meals around protein, fibre, and healthy fats

Aim for protein in every meal. Add fibre through fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and include fats to support hormones.

3. Prioritise stress and sleep

Because you can be doing everything “right” and still feel stuck if your system is living in survival mode.

And I added something I’ve been sharing with clients lately too.

If slowing down feels impossible, don’t try to overhaul your life overnight.

Just move half a second slower.

No one will notice.

But your nervous system will.

The real goal is a body you can live in

This conversation is one I hope every woman listens to.

Because if you’ve been stuck in cycles of dieting, control, shame, and emotional eating, you deserve a different relationship with your body.

One built on capability.

Trust.

Strength.

And long term health.

Not punishment.

Not shrinking.

Not constantly trying to earn your worth.

Your body isn’t something to fix.

It’s something to live in.