Fatigue Isn’t Normal After 40 and Here’s Why
Jan 08, 2026Fatigue Isn’t Normal After 40 and Here’s Why
Welcome to Weight Loss for Women Over 40 podcast 2026!! I am doing things a little differently this year and introducing short mini series for you! We are kicking it off with the first series: “Energy Reset After 40” and the first episode “Fatigue Isn’t Normal After 40 and Here’s Why”
Grab your free copy of Mind + Body Rest Ebook Inside this 80+ page guide, you’ll uncover the 5 mindset shifts that quietly determine whether your body works with you or against you…and why everything you’ve tried before never clicked the way you hoped.
It’s a guided reset that helps you understand what’s actually happening inside your body after 40, how your thoughts and nervous system shape your habits, and how to create the mental foundation that makes weight loss feel natural instead of forced.
Fatigue Isn’t Normal After 40 ... And Here’s Why
Weight Loss for Women Over 40
Welcome to 2026 ... and welcome to the Weight Loss for Women Over 40 podcast. I’m so excited you’re here.
I’m officially heading into my sixth year of this podcast, which honestly blows my mind. And this year, I’m doing things a little differently. Instead of random standalone episodes, I’m creating intentional podcast series ... each one building week by week around a central theme.
We’re kicking things off with a 6-week series called: Energy Reset After 40.
And today’s episode ... and this blog ... is about something I hear from women constantly:
“I’m just tired all the time.”
So let’s talk about it.
Because fatigue isn’t normal after 40 ... it’s common, yes… but it’s not inevitable. And it’s definitely not something you’re supposed to just accept.
Feeling Exhausted After 40 Isn’t “Just How It Is”
If you’re over 40 and you feel tired every single day, you’ve probably been told things like:
- “That’s just aging.”
- “It’s hormones.”
- “You’re busy ... of course you’re exhausted.”
- “Welcome to your 40s.”
And eventually, you stop questioning it.
You quietly lower your expectations of yourself.
You normalize running on fumes.
You stop asking why.
Especially here in the U.S., there’s this unspoken expectation that we should always be doing more, producing more, pushing harder ... even when our bodies are clearly asking for something different.
Feeling chronically exhausted after 40 is not normal ... it’s a signal.
Why Low Energy in Women Over 40 Is So Misunderstood
Most women I work with are not lazy.
They’re not unmotivated.
They’re not “giving up.”
They tell me things like:
- “I wake up already tired.”
- “I need coffee just to function.”
- “By mid-afternoon, I feel heavy and flat.”
- “I’m not depressed ... I’m just drained.”
And what they’ve been taught to do is push through.
Push harder.
Be more disciplined.
Optimize everything.
Fix yourself.
But here’s what no one tells you:
Energy does not come from trying harder.
Energy comes from feeling safe enough to sustain yourself.
The Real Cause of Fatigue After 40: Your Nervous System
After 40, your body stops tolerating chronic pressure the way it used to.
For decades, you may have been:
- Over-responsible
- Holding it together for everyone
- Suppressing emotions
- Being the strong one
- Living in high self-expectation mode
Your nervous system learned one primary setting:
perform, produce, and don’t fall apart.
That works… until it doesn’t.
And when it stops working, fatigue shows up.
Not as a failure ... but as feedback.
Your body is saying:
“I can’t keep protecting you from yourself.”
Why Sleep, Naps, and Vacations Don’t Fix Midlife Fatigue
This is a big one.
You can:
- Sleep 8 hours
- Take naps
- Go on vacation
…and still feel exhausted.
Why?
Because sleep does not resolve emotional load.
Let me say that again:
Sleeping does not fix emotional exhaustion.
Most women who are tired aren’t low-energy ... they’re chronically braced:
- Tight jaw
- Shallow breathing
- Always anticipating what’s next
That constant internal vigilance burns more energy than any workout ever could.
That’s why weekends don’t fix it.
That’s why vacations help… until you come home.
Diet Mentality Makes Fatigue Worse After 40
Here’s where this ties directly into weight loss after 40.
The biggest energy drain is usually not food.
It’s not even exercise.
It’s self-pressure.
- Pressure to eat “right”
- Pressure to stay on track
- Pressure to be consistent
- Pressure to not mess up
- Pressure to control yourself
Especially if you’re stuck in dieter’s mentality.
Your primitive brain reads constant self-monitoring as a threat.
And when your primitive brain senses a threat, it conserves energy.
So fatigue isn’t your body quitting ...
it’s your body saying:
“I don’t trust this environment anymore.”
Why Most Fatigue Solutions Fail
Most fatigue “fixes” are rooted in control:
- Track your food
- Track your workouts
- Track your sleep
- Wear a watch
- Push harder anyway
It feels productive.
But to your nervous system:
Control = pressure
And pressure deepens exhaustion.
That’s why women say:
“I’ve tried everything ... and nothing works.”
I believe them.
Because the system doesn’t need to be overridden ...
it needs to be retrained.
How Energy Actually Returns After 40
Energy comes back when your body feels:
- Less managed
- Less evaluated
- Less corrected
This looks like:
- Reducing internal self-talk and judgment
- Letting go of constant self-correction
- Creating moments of non-performance
- Celebrating rest without earning it
This is not about doing less ...
it’s about demanding less emotionally.
And here’s what surprises women the most:
When they stop bullying themselves…
they don’t become lazy.
They become clearer.
More focused.
More alive.
Because energy isn’t something you earn ...
it’s something that returns when your system feels safe.
Your Fatigue Is Asking for a New Relationship With Yourself
After 40, your body stops responding to force.
because it’s done being bullied….bullied by YOU!
Your fatigue isn’t asking for another fix.
It’s asking for listening.
And while your energy won’t come back all at once ...
it will return quietly… sustainably… and truthfully.
What’s Coming Next
If this felt confronting ... good.
If it felt relieving ... even better.
This Energy Reset After 40 series isn’t about hyping you up.
It’s about helping you feel safe in your body again.
Because that’s where real energy begins.
👉 Next week: Morning Practices That Shift Your Metabolism
Free Resource: Mind & Body Reset Guide
Grab your free copy of the Mind & Body Reset eBook ... an 80-page guide that walks you through the five mindset shifts that determine whether your body is working with you or against you after 40.
You’ll learn:
- Why nothing you’ve tried before has clicked
- How your nervous system shapes habits
- Why weight loss after 40 must feel safer ... not harder
Already have it?
DM me on Instagram @weightlossforwomenover40 and tell me how it’s going.
Thanks for being here.
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss the rest of this series ... and I’ll see you over on Instagram.
