Jane Cleary - The Midlife Movement

02/10/2026

You’ve been told to eat more protein.
You may have even worked out your magic number.
90g. 100g. 110g.
But have you ever been told to pay attention to leucine?
If you just said leu-what? you’re definitely not alone.

Leucine is one of the essential amino acids found in protein and it plays an important role in signalling your muscles to build and repair.

That matters for all of us in midlife.

But if you’re using a GLP-1 and eating considerably less food than you used to, it becomes even more important to understand what you’re putting on your plate.
Because hitting a protein number is only part of the story.

Protein quality matters.
How you spread it across the day matters.
And what you prioritise when your appetite has packed its bags and left the building matters.

Yet so many women are simply being told:
“Eat more protein.”
Righto. And then what?

This is exactly the gap I’m tackling in my new GLP-1 Eating Blueprint.
Four weeks of taking all those numbers, recommendations and conflicting bits of advice and turning them into food you can realistically eat — even when your appetite has changed completely.

And right now I’m offering one fully funded scholarship place.
Applications close next Friday, 9 October, and once they close, that opportunity is gone.

If you’ve been trying to piece all of this together yourself, come and have a look at what we’ll be doing. Doors open for registration on Tuesday 13 October and we kick this thing off together on Monday 2 November.

Here are all the details: https://www.janecleary.com.au/glp1-eating-blueprint-registration

And yes, we’ll definitely be talking about leucine.

01/10/2026

Does your body have a “set point” weight? And if you manage to get below it, will your body just keep trying to drag you back up again?
Because that's a fun thought after you've spent months losing weight. 😳

Set points are getting talked about quite a bit in GLP-1 groups at the moment and, as tends to happen on social media, a fairly complicated area of physiology has been reduced to:
Your body has a preferred weight and it WILL make you go back there.
Well… no. We can't really say that.

There is some really interesting science behind why losing weight — and keeping it off — can become harder. Our appetite can change, our energy expenditure can change and there are biological adaptations going on that we can't simply dismiss as a lack of willpower.

There's also some pretty compelling research now on what happens after people stop GLP-1 medications.

But do you have one magical number buried somewhere in your biology?
And does sitting at the same weight for four weeks mean you've found it?
That's where things get murkier.

I went looking at the research (there went my morning 😂) and ended up writing a whole blog about it because I felt it was a topic that is just crying out for some real perspective.

Set points, settling points, metabolism, plateaus, menopause, GLP-1s and weight regain — including some very recent research from 2026.

If you've ever wondered why your body sometimes seems to have its own agenda when it comes to your weight, this one's worth a read.

Does Your Body Really Have a Set Weight?
Take a gander here: https://www.janecleary.com.au/blog/set-point

X J

30/09/2026

You read that correctly.
I’m gifting one woman a fully funded place in my GLP-1 Eating Blueprint.
The complete 28-day program. Nothing to pay.
And I really want you to consider applying.

If you’re finding the eating side of GLP-1s harder to navigate than expected, this is for you — wherever you live.

More than 5,000 women answered my recent poll and well over 60% said protein was where they were getting stuck.

We KNOW about protein. We’re not living under a rock.
But knowing you need it doesn’t automatically give you the appetite to eat it — or any idea how much YOU need each day.

Suddenly meals look enormous. You’re ‘done’ halfway through lunch. You wonder if cottage cheese can ever really be made more appealing. And another chicken breast has all the appeal of a mammogram.

Meanwhile, you’re trying to fit in fibre and fluids, wondering whether you need electrolytes, or a second job just to fund all the supplements you ‘should be taking’ — while hoping you’re not risking your precious muscle.

This is why I created the GLP-1 Eating Blueprint.
For 28 days, I’ll help you work out what YOUR body needs and how to get it in when your appetite has other ideas.

We’ll make meals smaller but smarter, sort out protein, fibre and fluids, cover low-appetite days, shakes and supplements, and keep muscle retention firmly on our radar.

You’ll have daily accountability, weekly live guidance with me and exclusive ‘backstage’ access to my private Bodywise community.

And one of you will join me fully funded when we begin on 2 November.

If you’re reading this thinking, this sounds like me, please apply.
Tell me where you’re stuck and what you’d love to feel differently about.

I want you to know how to do this well without adding more stress, anxiety and confusion to the mix.

Open the fridge. Make something you enjoy. Eat what you can. Know you’ve got it covered.

Real-life eating solutions for real-life women.

Applications close Friday 9 October.
Simply click here to learn more and apply for the scholarship - https://www.janecleary.com.au/glp1-eating-blueprint-registration

x Jane

29/09/2026

28/09/2026

Your muscles have been gossiping behind your back.
And for once, this is gossip we WANT. 😂

We tend to talk about muscle in fairly obvious terms.
It makes us stronger. Helps support our bones. Makes getting off the floor easier. Means we can haul all the shopping bags from the car in ONE trip because two trips would clearly constitute some kind of personal failure.

But muscle does something else that I find absolutely fascinating.
Your muscles communicate with the rest of your body.
When muscles contract — particularly during exercise — they release signalling molecules known as myokines. These little chemical messengers can travel through the bloodstream and communicate with other tissues and organs, including fat tissue, the liver, bones and brain.

In other words, muscle isn't just sitting there looking fabulous in a sleeveless top.
Skeletal muscle behaves like an endocrine organ.

And researchers are discovering more and more about the role these muscle-derived signals may play in things such as glucose and fat metabolism, inflammation, bone metabolism and brain health.

Which gives us yet ANOTHER reason to stop treating muscle as something women should only care about if they want “toned arms”.
Especially after 40.
Because as we move through menopause and get older, preserving muscle becomes increasingly important — and lifting weights isn't simply about what happens to your body on the outside.
Every squat, deadlift, row, press and carry is asking your muscles to work.
And working muscle is biologically active tissue.
I really love that.
We've spent decades being encouraged to make our bodies smaller. Eat less. Weigh less. Take up less space.

At this stage of life, I'm far more interested in building and protecting something that has the potential to support our health from the inside out.
So yes, I want you lifting weights because I want you strong enough to carry your suitcase, get off the floor, keep your bones strong and remain independent when you're 70, 80 and beyond.
But I also want you to understand that muscle is so much more than strength.

Your muscles are sending messages to your entire body.
Give them something worth talking about. 💪

28/09/2026

Recently I asked a question.
More than 5,000 women answered it.
It was so clear that I created something to help them.

I asked midlife women what they were struggling with most on their GLP-1 journey.

More than half said they didn’t know how to get enough protein.

We’re certainly being told to eat it. Between social media, online calculators and the specialised supermarket aisles, there is no shortage of information about how important protein is for us ladies in midlife.

But working out how to eat the right amount when your appetite has all but disappeared is another matter entirely.

Women told me their old meals now looked enormous. Foods they’d always enjoyed had become unappealing. Some had been given protein targets that seemed to require a rotisserie chicken to snack from in the handbag at all times. Others were relying on several shakes a day because nobody had shown them another way.

And then the worry starts creeping in. Are we f-ing this right up?

Perhaps you feel tired, your digestion has staged a protest and you’re standing in the supplement aisle trying to work out whether you need electrolytes, collagen, magnesium, fibre powder—or a small personal loan.

Food has recently become a daily maths problem. Protein. Calories. Fibre. Fluids. Portions. Meal timing.

This is exactly why I created the GLP-1 Eating Blueprint. It’s a 28 day program for midlife women who want to understand what their body needs and learn how to get more nutrition from the smaller amount of food they’re now eating.

We cover realistic protein targets, smaller meals, fibre, fluids, low-appetite days, shakes, supplements and what to eat first when you already know the whole meal has no chance.

It kicks off on Monday 2 November with a limit of 20 to keep things personal and manageable.

And here is the exciting news...

I’m offering one of you a fully funded scholarship place - receiving the complete program at no cost. I will select the woman I feel would benefit most from the support at this point in her journey.

You can read more, register your interest or apply for the scholarship here:

https://www.janecleary.com.au/glp1-eating-blueprint-registration

Registration is free and is totally obligation free.

More than 5,000 women told me where they were getting stuck.

The GLP-1 Eating Blueprint is my response.

x Jane

27/09/2026

Glute bridges are one of those exercises where more movement doesn’t necessarily mean better movement.

I’m doing these weighted (and resisted) here (clothes have a multitude of uses sometimes), and I’m deliberately NOT trying to push my hips as high as I possibly can.

Once you start chasing extra height, it’s very easy to finish the movement by arching your lower back rather than squeezing your glutes.
It’s a small difference.

Ribs down, brace your core, slight tuck of the pelvis and finish with your glutes.

You might find your bridge suddenly looks a little smaller. But feels a whole lot better.
Good.
You’re not being marked on height.

24/09/2026

Who can relate?

22/09/2026

One of my favourite things to see in my classes these days? Women getting off their knees.
And yes, we’re talking push-ups. 😂

For years the knee push-up was handed to women as 'our' (safer) version.
Nope. Not on my watch!

Today, even some of my more senior girlies (yep, these Queens are rocking their 60s, 70s and even 80s) are doing their push-ups from their toes. We gradually built the strength for it and they gradually built their confidence to be able to do it right along with it.

We used walls, boxes and bars. We worked at different heights. We shortened the range when we needed to. Then, as they got stronger, we progressed. They started playing around with the eccentric version of the push up - my fave progression move - with Salt n Pepper strategically playing on full dial in the background.

Because push-ups are friggin' useful. You’re moving your own bodyweight, building upper-body strength, engaging your core and learning to keep your whole body strong and controlled. And one day this move will help you get up off the floor with grace - not stuck waiting for someone to find you. I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-E.

And there is something VERY satisfying about watching a woman who once said “I'll never be able to do a push-up in a million years” knock them out from her toes. YESSSS!!!!!

We don't have to keep making exercise easier because we're getting older. Screw that!
We can go and get stronger instead.
And my ladies keep proving it week after week. 💪

22/09/2026

That girl is me at 18.

Tiny. Big blonde hair. And STILL pinching my stomach looking for fat. 🙄

We Gen X girls grew up worrying about every bit of fat we could SEE (or couldn't!!!) — tummy, thighs, arms, the lot.

Fast-forward 38 years and, ironically, the fat I care about most now is the fat I CAN’T pinch.
Visceral fat.

It sits deep inside the abdomen around our organs, and too much is associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

And menopause? Of course it sticks its nose in. As oestrogen declines, we tend to shift more fat storage towards the abdomen, including visceral fat.

The good news is we can do something about it: fibre, good nutrition, regular movement, sleep and — you knew this was coming — lifting weights.

And if you’re using a GLP-1 medication, there’s another interesting piece to the puzzle: research has shown significant reductions in visceral fat alongside overall fat loss. Up to 40% in some studies!

At 18, I wanted less fat because I wanted a flatter stomach - even though looking back I was already pretty concave!!!

At 56, give me less visceral fat, more muscle and fewer hours in doctors’ waiting rooms.
Although I would still like that mass of hair. 😂