10/15/2026
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Weight Gain: The Only Thing Getting Easier With Ageš«£
ā ļø WARNING: TABOO SUBJECT AHEAD!
I'm about to publicly discuss something women are apparently supposed to suffer through privately, preferably while smiling, wearing flattering clothing and pretending everything is absolutely fine. Those of a delicate disposition may wish to avert their eyes. The rest of us can enjoy the scandal of acknowledging reality.š«”
I've written before about those hormonal changes we're apparently not supposed to mention, despite the havoc they wreak on our lives as horsewomen. Previously, I've explored their effects on our confidence, anxiety and riding, but now I want to investigate one of the most infuriating developments of midlife that is very much connected to this discussion: the apparent ability to eat practically nothing, exercise constantly and, if we're lucky, maintain our weight.š If we're unlucky, we gain more. š«
I've begun wondering whether evolution equipped women over 40 with a remarkable survival advantage, allowing us to survive on the nutritional equivalent of three almonds and a cup of tea. Perhaps our ancestors relied on middle-aged women to get the tribe through a famine? š¤I have no evidence for this theory, but I'm increasingly convinced we could survive an ice age on a packet of crackers.š
I've experienced this superpower myself. My beloved w**e and cheese have become dangerous recreational substances. One glass of w**e and two pieces of cheese, collectively weighing about 300 grams, can apparently produce TWO EXTRA KILOGRAMS on my bathroom scales. Seriously, I prove this every single time.š¤Æ
Obviously, I haven't manufactured two kilograms of body fat overnight, and I have a theory about what's happening, but it's still a spectacularly irritating result from such a modest contribution to human happiness.š
Fortunately, social media has all the answers. Fast, don't fast, eat carbs, avoid carbs, lift weights, avoid weights, do cardio, avoid cardio, balance hormones, heal your gut, reduce cortisol and, when all else fails, purchase shapewear with enough compression to qualify as industrial machinery. Every second post offers salvation from someone whose scientific credentials are difficult to establish but whose confidence is apparently unlimited. All will be revealed once you've purchased the book, watched the webinar and enrolled in the diet and supplement subscription.š¤Ø
My career in pharmacy, healthcare and educating health professionals has proved rather useful during the two years I've spent investigating this madness.šµāš« Some of the apparently conflicting advice addresses legitimate but different aspects of weight regulation. Other advice is commercialised bullsh!t dressed in scientific terminology and sold to women who are already feeling miserable.š§
And equestrians have a particularly unfortunate problem. We participate in a sport requiring skin-tight clothing while sitting astride a horse in a position that does our expanding waistlines absolutely no favours. Then someone takes a photograph. You can spend an entire ride feeling wonderfully balanced, capable and elegant, only to discover that the camera has documented an entirely different experience. Suddenly, opening the photographer's gallery requires the sort of emotional preparation usually reserved for receiving the results of a particularly unpleasant performance review.š«
And this is where weight gain can really undermine confidence, because it can attack from several directions at once. We become self-conscious about our appearance, uncomfortable with how our bodies feel, less certain of our physical abilities, joint pain, and increasingly aware of how much space we occupy on our horses. We start worrying about how we look riding, whether we're fit enough, whether we're too heavy, and whether everyone else is noticing the same things we are. Even when nobody has said a word, we can become our own most enthusiastic critic.š
Unfortunately, weight also matters to our horses. Additional kilograms mean additional load, and while the consequences depend on the horse, rider and workload, we cannot pretend otherwise. For women who care deeply about their horses, that reality adds another layer of guilt to an already difficult personal experience.š¢
And I wonder whether this is where motivation starts quietly disappearing. When riding becomes associated with physical discomfort, self-consciousness, guilt and the possibility of seeing another photograph you'd rather forget, it can gradually lose some of its appeal. Perhaps you start making excuses, postpone the lesson or decide the horse could do with another day off. The less you ride, the less riding-fit you become, and the harder it can feel to get started again. Eventually, you might conclude you've lost your passion for riding, when perhaps you've simply lost some of the physical comfort and confidence that once made riding such a pleasure.š„ŗ
A 2026 study by Bradley and Mills surveyed 1,629 female equestrians. 66% reported weight gain, 71% decreased strength, 74% joint discomfort and 75% decreased riding confidence. That's three out of four women reporting a loss of riding confidence. The study doesn't establish that weight gain caused it, but it certainly suggests we should be taking these experiences seriously.š§
I've spent two years investigating the biology behind this frustrating reality, and I'll be sharing what I've learned this week. There are understandable reasons our bodies change, and the more we understand them, the better equipped we become to make decisions about our health, weight and riding.š¤
In the meantime, if you're struggling with this, please know you're in very good company. You haven't suddenly become incapable of looking after yourself, and you're certainly not the only woman wondering whether her body has developed the metabolic efficiency of a drought-resistant camel.šā¤
Stick with me over the next few days where I will explain some interesting stuff...
Collectable Advice 313/365. Please SHARE and help me spread this socially unacceptable conversation. There are far too many women suffering in silence, and frankly, we need to talk about this crap "superpower"!š¬
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IMAGEšø: After six months of strict dieting, resistance training and daily exercise, this rider has successfully lost 523 grams. Sadly, the achievement was reversed by a glass of w**e and a brief encounter with Brie.š
