Wendy's Way to Health 2024: Healthy Aging!

Meet Wendy, the visionary founder of Wendy’s Way to Health and a Precision Nutrition certified coach. With a mission to empower women to thrive during menopause and beyond, Wendy combines her deep knowledge of nutrition with a passion for holistic well-being. Her innovative approach focuses on providing women with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to navigate the challenges of menopause, turning this transitional phase into an opportunity for growth and vitality. Wendy's dedication to fostering a community of strong, informed women sets her apart as a true advocate for health and empowerment. Join Delivery Rank as we explore how Wendy’s Way to Health is transforming lives, one woman at a time.

What inspired you to create Wendy’s Way to Health, and how did your journey as a Precision Nutrition certified coach begin?

I was inspired to start Wendy’s Way to Health 10 years ago, when I was working as a weight loss coach at a big weight loss company. 

I’ve been fit and healthy most of my life, and I was at my fittest during my early 30’s, when I competed in triathlons and half-marathons.

During the 1980’s and 90’s, I worked as a fitness trainer and taught group exercise classes. Then I took a break and moved into hospitality for a few years when my husband and I lived in the UK. 

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when we came home to Australia in 2010, so when the Jenny Craig job came up, I thought it sounded interesting and jumped in. That turned out to be a great decision, because I absolutely loved it. Helping my clients reach their health & weight loss goals was one of the most fulfilling things I’d ever done, and I just wanted to learn more and do more!

So I completed the Precision Nutrition certification and took the leap into my own business in 2014.

How does your coaching program address the unique challenges women face during menopause and beyond?

I’ve just created my signature program The Midlife Mojo Reset, which is designed to address the specific challenges older women face such as gaining excess fat (particularly around the midsection), feeling drained of energy and feeling lost, like they see a stranger when they look in the mirror. 

Many women struggle with these issues because they don’t realize they need to do things differently now that their body has changed. When we persist with the “old” ways of dieting & exercising that may have worked in the past, it feels like a battle. And sadly, it’s a battle we’re not going to win, because we’re fighting AGAINST our post-menopausal physiology. 

Restricting calories further and further and exercising harder, for longer, not only doesn’t give us the results we’re after, it makes things worse. I know this from personal experience, as well as what I’ve learned from research and from industry experts.  I thought I knew what to expect from menopause – the hot flushes, brain fog and mood swings. Because I was fit and healthy and hadn’t made any changes to my diet & exercise, I wasn’t expecting to gain fat and lose strength, fitness and confidence. I was baffled initially, and it took me a long time to realize that instead of doubling down on my nutrition and exercise, I needed to make some changes.

The thing is, when we make the RIGHT changes to our nutrition, our exercise and other lifestyle factors like sleep, rest & recovery, we work WITH our physiology, instead of against it. The excess fat releases and our energy levels come back. We begin to feel more like ourselves again.

So The Midlife Mojo Reset teaches women how to make those changes over the course of 3 weeks. Now, I know 3 weeks doesn’t sound like a very long time, and that’s for a very good reason. These women have already been on and off the diet roller coaster for most of their lives. I don’t need to teach them to “suck eggs” so to speak! 3 weeks is plenty of time to learn what they need to do; they have the rest of their lives to implement the changes! 

Week 1 is focused on nutrition, week 2 is dialing in the right exercise and week 3 is devoted to improving sleep, rest & recovery. Each woman is at a different stage of their journey, so I offer 3 different levels of support. 

(i) There’s a VIP experience, where I guide the women through the program with 1 on 1 and group coaching calls. 

(ii) They can buy a digital version and go through the program themselves in their own time. 

(iii) It’s available in the course library for the Better than Ever members to work through on their own, or with some coaching support from me.

What do you think are the most common misconceptions about menopause and how do you help your clients overcome them?

I believe the biggest misconception about menopause is that it’s the end of our “good” years, and life goes downhill afterwards. That goes hand in hand with the idea that we should accept the weight gain and feeling like rubbish, because women mostly find that nothing works when they try to lose weight.

I help my clients overcome these ideas firstly by changing their mindset and perceptions. It’s not easy, but it feels amazing to trust the process and then start seeing results.

In what ways does the Better than Ever group coaching program differ from traditional diet and fitness plans?

The Better than Ever membership offers women access to 25+ mini courses (now including The Midlife Mojo Reset), hundreds of healthy recipes, meal plans tailored to specific needs (eg. high protein/high fibre) exercise library training plans. Plus the community, where they support each other and access group coaching with me. All available on a month-by-month basis, so women can stay as long as they like and cancel at any time.

What advice would you give to women who are struggling with self-confidence due to changes in their bodies as they age?

That it doesn’t have to be that way! There are ways of working around the hormonal changes happening or that have happened in your body. It’s a slow process and it won’t happen overnight, but trust the process and you’ll get there. Don’t give up, it IS possible to thrive after menopause.

To read more about Wendy's Way to Health, please visit https://wendyswaytohealth.com/