Why What Worked in Your 30s Doesn’t Work Anymore—And What To Do Instead
- Gut Guru
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Are you overweight, bloated, low on energy, and struggling to fit into the clothes you love… or do the activities you used to enjoy with your kids?
You’re not alone. And you’re not lazy, broken, or crazy either. I know exactly how it feels — because I was there too, just last year.
Despite being a lifelong athlete, professional dancer, and group fitness trainer, my body suddenly felt like a stranger. The same workouts that once kept me lean and strong were no longer cutting it. I was exhausted. I felt puffy, inflamed, and frustrated. But worst of all? I felt like I was doing everything right… and nothing was working.
Here’s the Good News: There’s Nothing Wrong With You.
Your body isn’t broken. In fact, it’s working hard — really hard — to adapt to a world that’s changed a lot since your 20s and 30s.
And this is not about vanity or chasing some outdated beauty standard (although feeling confident in your body is a great bonus).
This is about reclaiming your energy, strength, and long-term health.
Why It’s Not Working Anymore (Even If You’re Doing All the “Right” Things)
What used to work — cutting calories, doing hours of cardio, skipping meals, or surviving on salads — might actually be working against you now. Here’s why:
1. Your Hormones Are Changing
As estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decline with age, your body becomes more prone to storing fat (especially in the belly) and less efficient at building muscle.
Estrogen also plays a critical role in insulin sensitivity. When it drops, your body may struggle to regulate blood sugar, leading to more fat storage, more cravings, and more inflammation.
Research shows that perimenopausal and menopausal women are at greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes weight gain, high blood sugar, and insulin resistance. NIH: Hormonal changes and body composition in aging women
2. You’re Carrying a Toxic Load
There are over 85,000 synthetic chemicals in our modern environment — from pesticides and plastics to skincare, household cleaners, and even receipts.
Most of these toxins are processed through your liver — your body’s built-in detox system.
But here’s the problem: when your liver is overwhelmed, it can’t properly break down fat, hormones, or toxins. And that shows up in your body as fatigue, stubborn belly fat, cravings, and brain fog.
A CDC biomonitoring study found detectable levels of over 200 industrial chemicals in the average American’s body. CDC Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
3. Your Gut Has Changed Too — And Menopause Might Be the Reason
You’ve probably heard about the gut microbiome — the community of trillions of microbes that live in your digestive tract and impact everything from mood to metabolism.
But here’s what’s less commonly known:
Hormonal changes during menopause can dramatically alter your microbiome — sometimes even completely.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
Despite all my experience in fitness and wellness, when I hit menopause, I felt like my gut flipped upside down. I was bloated, foggy, and my cravings were out of control. I had no idea it was related to changes in my gut bacteria.
Turns out, estrogen helps regulate the gut microbiome — and as estrogen levels drop, so do the beneficial microbes that help keep you lean, calm, and regular.
A 2021 study confirmed that declining estrogen alters the diversity and function of the gut microbiota, increasing inflammation, insulin resistance, and weight gain risk.
And when your gut microbiome shifts, your ability to absorb nutrients, regulate appetite, and burn fat all go down — even if you’re eating clean and exercising.
Why What Worked in Your 30s Doesn’t Work. So, What Do You Do?
First — stop blaming yourself.
Second — start working with your body, not against it.
That’s what I did, and it changed everything.
I Researched, I Tried New Things… and I Followed My Gut
I was a gymnast in my teens and danced professionally through my 20s. In my 30s, I moved to NYC and turned to yoga — but the city made it feel competitive, which always felt at odds with the spirit of the practice.
After leaving NYC, I leaned into aerial yoga and inversions — anything that built strength and gave me that endorphin rush. At 50, I got my 30s body back doing HIIT five days a week. But by 55, things changed. My joints ached. My hips were tight. I kept throwing my back out.
The Wake-Up Call
I would have kept pushing through — but in 2024, the universe had other plans.
I was rushed to the ER with a health scare. (Read more here.) I was diagnosed with low hormones, severe fatigue, and Barrett’s Esophagus. I had literally hit a wall.
The Perfect Storm: Women + The “Do It All” Trap
I’ve been an entrepreneur all my adult life — launching bold ideas and staying ahead of the curve. But I never saw myself as stressed. Looking back? I was living in constant overdrive. That low-grade, chronic stress — the kind you don’t even notice — was quietly undermining my health.
We’re told, “You can do it all.” But at what cost?
My Breaking Point → My Breakthrough
When I couldn’t swallow solid food and was drowning in brain fog, I knew I had to change. I paused my work and focused entirely on healing. With no real answers from our traditional Health Care system, I had to become my own advocate, a wellness researcher and I finally started listening to my body.
On top Of Colostrum LD, Curcumin Ld and a handful of other vitamins, here’s what I added to my daily routine:
10 minutes of Qi Gong before yoga (to gently wake the body and stimulate lymph)
Shortened yoga sessions to 30 minutes (yoga always makes my gut feel better)
A short morning meditation practice
Walks and playtime with my dogs (hello, oxytocin!)
Time in nature — noticing bees, birds, wild flowers and the flow of the river
Barefoot grounding and laying in the grass for microbial exposure
Morning Ritual with gratitude, affirmations, and visualization
One Year Later
Today, I’m beyond grateful. I can eat normally again, my gut is healed, my energy is back, and I’ve naturally lost weight. (Thank you, ProColostrum LD!)
But healing is never truly “done.” I’m now working through another common — but rarely talked about — symptom of menopause. And I’m fired up about the lack of research on this stage of life.
Still, I believe our generation can help change that. By doing the work now, we can pass forward what we learn so future generations of women don’t have to suffer in silence.
Coming Soon: “Reclaim My Body, Health & Happiness”
This 12-week course is for women in midlife who want to lose weight, restore energy, and reconnect with their bodies — the healthy way.
You’ll learn how to:
Rebalance hormones naturally
"Confuse" your metabolism with gentle carb cycling
Use gut and liver health to unlock fat loss
Create a simple, powerful morning ritual
Move smarter, not harder — with daily exercises
Integrate superfoods like turmeric, ginger, and colostrum
Finally understand why belly fat won’t budge — and how to change that
Why what worked in your 30s doesn’t work now. You need a full mind-body reset designed to give you back your energy, clarity, confidence… and yes, a body you feel great in again.
📩 Want to be first in line? Email me at kate@immuneandguthealth.com
Let’s reclaim what’s rightfully ours: our body, our health, and our joy.
