Stop pulling weeds. Start planting

My garden is, frankly, a bit of a state

I inherited it boggy, weedy, and with flower beds that make absolutely no sense. There’s a greenhouse. There are weeds. So many weeds. And somewhere underneath all of it, I’m convinced, is the lush, gorgeous garden of my dreams where I host friends on sunny afternoons and eat dinner outside on warm evenings like I’m in a lifestyle magazine.

I’m not there yet. Understatement of the year.

But I’ve been doing some reading and one idea really stuck with me. Apparently, the best way to deal with weeds isn’t to wage war on them. It’s to plant so much good stuff that the weeds simply run out of room.

And I thought… that’s exactly how I work with women over 40.

If you’ve ever inherited a garden that’s got a bit… feral, you’ll know the feeling. You step outside with good intentions. Then you spot the weeds. They’re large, they’re sprawling, they’re everywhere. And they’re doing a very convincing job of making you feel like the whole thing is a lost cause.

And so the temptation is to think: “I need to get rid of all of this before anything good can grow.”

This is exactly how so many women over 40 feel about their health.

The weeds might look like biscuits, hours on the sofa, heavily processed food, not enough movement, too much caffeine. And the instinct is the same as the garden: cut things out, clamp down harder, blast the cardio, eat less, be stricter. Try to eliminate everything that feels like it’s going wrong.

But here’s what I wish more people knew: health isn’t improved by obsessing over the weeds. It’s improved by planting enough of the right things.

What if you stopped fighting the weeds?

In gardening, there’s a brilliant shift that happens when you stop focusing solely on removal and start focusing on density. When you plant more flowers, more ground cover, more vegetables, something interesting happens. The weeds don’t disappear overnight. But they lose their power. There’s less space for them. Less light. Less energy available for them to thrive.

And your garden starts to look better, not because it’s perfect, but because it’s full.

Planting the good stuff in real life

Instead of asking “What do I need to stop doing?” we ask: “What could I add in a little of?” Here’s what that looks like in practice.

Movement

Not punishing workouts or bootcamps that leave you horizontal on the sofa for three days. Just strength training that actually builds you up, movement that supports your joints, and enough of it to feel capable and confident in your body. When you add the right kind of movement, the weeds, things like pain, low energy, and feeling a bit scared of your own body, start to shrink. Not overnight. But they do.

Food

Not cutting carbs. Not chasing some perfect version of your diet. Just more protein to support your muscles and keep you feeling human, more plants for your gut and your hormones, and regular meals that actually fuel you rather than leave you raiding the biscuit tin at 4pm. Add more of the good stuff and the urge to restrict, overeat, or feel chaotic around food tends to quietly settle down.

Lifestyle

Not a total life overhaul. Just a bit more sleep where you can get it, a bit more breathing space, and a few more moments in the day that actually belong to you. When you feel less wrung out, the anxiety and the burnout don’t have quite the same grip.

You’re not broken. Your garden just needs planting.

Here’s the thing. If your garden feels overgrown right now, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means life’s been busy. It means you’ve been at the bottom of your own list for a while. It means the weeds have had a free run, and honestly, same.

You don’t need a total overhaul. You don’t need to be perfect or do everything at once. You just need to start planting. One session, one habit, one small supportive change at a time. The garden shifts. Not because you battled the weeds into submission, but because the good stuff finally had room to grow.

Want a hand figuring out what to plant first?

That’s exactly what I do. I work with women over 40 who are tired of starting over and just want something sustainable. We focus on strength, fuel, and habits that actually fit real life. No punishment, no extremes, just steady growth.

Book a free chat and we’ll have a look at what your garden actually needs right now.