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Elinka | Lifting After 40

@elinkadalhover

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🏋🏼‍♀️Lifting heavy shit at 40+ while the house burns
⭐️Strength + food tips for busy moms
👇🏼 Free guide: Strength Through the Shift

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This chic is not being authentic. I’ve been playing it safe. Very PC and that’s not me at all🫣

In real life I’m sarcastic, I swear too much, and I can definitely be loud. So I am challenging myself to put it out there which is kind of a vulnerable space to be in. But challenge accepted because I truly believe that if you’re not challenging yourself in some capacity we just become complacent.

I’m not the expert with all the answers. I’m here to learn right alongside you. So thanks for being here🥰 taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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6 days ago

11 years ago, I was helping Lucy take her first steps, and I was 3 months pregnant. I stayed active through both of my pregnancies, but I didn’t pick up a weight until about 5 years ago.

Lifting gave me more than muscle. It gave me my energy back, my confidence, and a kind of strength I carry into everything I do as a mom.

If you’ve been telling yourself it’s too late or you don’t have time, start small and keep showing up. Future you will thank you🤍

Save this for the day you need a reminder💪 taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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2 days ago

40+, mom of 2, and finally strong💪🏼
If you’re new here, welcome! My name is Elinka, I’m 45, mom to 2 girls and navigating softball life, my 9-5 and being a wife. Let me back up and tell you how I got here.

For most of my 20s and 30s, I was chasing thin. Counting, restricting, over-exercising, comparing. Convinced that if I could just get small enough, I’d finally feel okay in my own skin. Nobody sits you down and tells you that “thin” and “happy” aren’t actually the same goal.

Somewhere in my 40s, everything shifted. Not overnight, and not because of some extreme program or 2-hour gym sessions I didn’t have time for. Just consistent strength training. And it showed me something I genuinely didn’t expect, my body could still change, A LOT. Just showing up and lifting consistently is when everything changed for me.

The part that took me the longest to really believe is that I’m not trying to look 25. I’m just trying to feel strong at the age I actually am. Right now, in this body, in this decade. That’s the whole shift. It sounds simple, but it changed how I show up in the gym, at home, everywhere.

Moreover my 2 cheerleaders are watching closely-how I treat my body and how I talk about myself. I want them to grow up thinking strength is just…normal. It’s not something reserved for other women. It’s something every woman gets to have.

If I had to boil down the biggest thing I’ve learned through all of this, it’s that my body was never the problem, my mindset was. I spent years trying to fix something that was never actually broken. Once that shifted, everything else-the training, the consistency, the confidence followed a lot more naturally.

That’s the exact shift I help other women make now. Not through extreme diets or unrealistic time commitments, but through strength training that actually fits real life. The busy, imperfect kind of life most of us are living.

So if any part of this feels familiar, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Comment GUIDE and I’ll send my free intro guide straight to your DMs. Let’s do it together. 🤍

#strongafter40 #strengthtrainingforwomen #fitnessover40 #perimenopausefitness #strongnotskinny by @elinkadalhover

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a month ago

I’m 45 and this is the deep core routine I started doing 2 months ago and have noticed a significant change🤍

No equipment. Just a mat.

▪️ Vacuums: 10 x 10 sec hold
▪️ Banana crunches: 50
▪️ Toe taps or sit-ups: 2 x 25

Save this for tomorrow morning and tell me how it felt!👇🏼 taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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an hour ago

🌙You’re always tired at 40+ because of these 5 things:

1️⃣ You’re not sleeping. Hormones, kids, and doomscrolling at 11pm because it’s the only quiet time you get. Sound familiar? Me tooooo🤦🏻‍♀️ this is something I’m currently working on.

2️⃣ You’re not eating enough protein. Coffee and whatever your kid left on their plate is not a meal. (I’ve been there. Toast is not dinner.)

3️⃣ You’re skipping strength training. I know, I know, but muscle is literally what gives you energy. Annoying, but true.

4️⃣ You’re carrying the whole damn mental load. Who needs new shoes, what’s for dinner, when’s the dentist. That shit is exhausting even when you’re sitting down.

5️⃣ You’re under-eating overall. Skipping meals because you’re too busy catches up with you fast.

And if you’re wiped out all the time, still mention it to your doctor, because sometimes it’s more than just mom life🤍

Save this and send it to a mom who’s running on fumes. Comment GUIDE and I’ll send you my free guide so you’re not figuring this shit out alone.

Now go drink some water and pretend you’re thriving💪🏼 taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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a day ago

Kids are napping. 20 minutes. 5 exercises. Zero equipment🙌 Get up, let’s go!

If you’re a beginner, getting back into a routine, or just need a quick workout at home, save this one! 💪

Complete 3 rounds:
✨ 15 squats
✨ 12 push-ups
✨ 20 glute bridges
✨ 15 reverse lunges each leg
✨ 15 dead bugs each side

You don’t need a complicated workout to make progress. Just start, stay consistent, and build from there🤍

Save this for your next at-home workout! by @elinkadalhover

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3 days ago

Strong isn’t an age, it’s a decision made before the day even starts💪

Not when you feel motivated, not when the schedule clears up…before. When the alarm goes off, when the kids need something, when your body says “maybe tomorrow.”

🤍You decide first, and the rest follows.

Save this for the morning you need it. Comment GUIDE for my free guide on getting starts sent straight to your DM’s👇🏼 taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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4 days ago

Eating for your goals doesn’t mean giving up fast food OR dessert. 🍔🍟🍦

Here are some macro-friendly fast-food choices that are high in protein, under 500 calories, and still leave room for something sweet👏

Whether you’re grabbing a quick meal or just want to satisfy your sweet tooth, you can make choices that fit your calories and protein goals without feeling restricted.

✨ Save this post for your next fast-food run and follow for more strength training and food tips! taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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5 days ago

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…creatine is one of the best supplements on the market. And now Costco carries it in capsule form so no excuses!💪🏼

✅Strength and power: Reliably improves performance in high-intensity efforts like lifting and sprinting

✅Muscle growth: Helps you train harder and recover between sets, supporting more lean mass over time

✅Faster recovery: May reduce muscle damage and soreness after tough workouts

✅Well researched: One of the most studied supplements, with a strong safety record in healthy adults

✅Brain benefits: Some evidence for improved memory and mental performance, especially under stress or poor sleep

✅Healthy aging: Can help preserve muscle and strength as we get older

✅Affordable and simple: Cheap, and just 5 g of creatine monohydrate daily works

✅Bone support: Early research suggests possible benefits for bone health, particularly alongside resistance training

Thanks @imjustwasim for the awesome @costco find!👏🏼 taken in Washington by @elinkadalhover

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9 days ago

If you want to go broke, sign your kids up for sports. These are my must haves when traveling for softball tournaments🥎✅ by @elinkadalhover

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12 days ago

I started lifting for all the wrong reasons. I started because of my vanity, wanting to look a certain way and chasing a body instead of a purpose.

But somewhere in the process of working through my own mental health, lifting gave me so much more than I ever expected🙏🏼

It gave me the gift of loving who I am, not for how I look, but because I take care of myself with a routine of self care.

It gave me permission to have time that’s just mine. Time where I’m not taking care of anyone else and just showing up for me.

It gave me the confidence to push boundaries I never would have pushed before in my relationships, in my life and in what I thought I was capable of.

And it gave me the ability to say no. To protect my peace without guilt. And to stop pouring from an empty cup.

None of that was on my radar when I picked up a weight for the first time. I just wanted to look better. What I got instead was a completely different relationship with myself. One that’s made me more present, more grounded, and more me for my kids and everyone I love.

If you’re starting for the “wrong” reasons, that’s okay. Sometimes that’s exactly how the real transformation begins🤍

If you’re just starting your fitness journey, let’s do it together. Comment guide for my free guide on getting started. by @elinkadalhover

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14 days ago

Abductor machine always taken? Yeah super annoying! Do this instead.✅

Standing plate hip abductions:
▪️ Lean lightly against a wall or hold a chair
▪️ Slight bend in the knee, lift out to the side
▪️ 3 sets of 12-15 per side (25 reps if your weight is light)

No plate? Your kid’s backpack works too!🎒

They isolate the glute medius which gives you that shelf we all want🍑And no waiting around for that damn machine!

Save this for your next glute day and let me know if you try it!🤍 taken in Golds Gym by @elinkadalhover

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15 days ago