Many women I work with tell me the same thing:

“I do core training. I’m strong. I can feel my abs working. So why does my body feel different than it used to?”

And it’s a very important question.

Because after 40, it’s incredibly common to still be active, still train regularly and yet start noticing small changes that weren’t there before.
Not big problems.
But small signals.

Maybe your core exercises don’t feel as effective.
Maybe your back or hips get tired more easily.
Maybe your balance feels slightly off.
And for many women, maybe you notice a bit of leaking when you run, jump, laugh hard, or blow up a balloon.

Not all the time.
Not every day.
Just enough for you to think: “Hmm… that didn’t use to happen.”

That’s not something to ignore.
But it’s also not something to panic about.

It’s your body giving you early, very useful information.

 

The Two Types of Core Muscles,  And Where Many Women Go Wrong

When we talk about “the core,” it’s important to understand that it’s not just one group of muscles.

I divide the core into two main systems:

1. The global muscles
These are the big, visible muscles, especially the rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscle).
You can feel it.
You can see it working.
It gives you that strong, switched-on feeling.

2. The deep muscles
These include:

  • The pelvic floor
  • The transverse abdominis (your deep abdominal support muscle)
  • The deep spinal stabilisers

They work quietly in the background.
Their main job is support, timing, and pressure control.

And this is where I see many women over 40 start to compensate.

Because you can easily feel and see the six-pack working, many women become very dominant in the global muscles.
That’s not wrong.
But it’s not enough for daily support, impact, and pelvic floor control.

Your six-pack is not designed to be switched on all day.
It’s not built for low-load, all-day support.

So when the deep system isn’t doing its job optimally, the body starts to borrow help from:

  • The lower back
  • The hips
  • The bigger surface muscles

Over time, those areas fatigue more easily.
That’s when you start noticing:

  • Recurring back or hip niggles
  • Neck and shoulder tension
  • Feeling “done” in your body sooner than you used to

 

Small Leaks Are Not “Just One of Those Things”

For many active women, pelvic floor changes show up subtly:

  • Leaking after you’ve been running for a while
  • Leaking when you jump
  • Leaking when you laugh hard, shout, or blow up a balloon
  • Feeling less confident with impact

This is not your body “falling apart.”
It’s not a sign that big problems are inevitable.

It’s a signal.

Just like the day you realise you need to use your hands to get up from a very low chair or floo, that’s a sign of strength changes in your legs.

Pelvic floor changes are exactly the same.

The pelvic floor is a muscle system.
If it’s losing strength, timing, or coordination, it needs to be trained, just like any other muscle in your body.

 

Why Pelvic Floor Training Is Tricky

One of the challenges with pelvic floor training is that you can’t see it.

It doesn’t move a joint.
It doesn’t create a visible action.
You have to feel it.

Research shows that around one third of women who think they are contracting their pelvic floor correctly are actually not.

That means you can be doing “pelvic floor exercises”, without really training the right muscle.

It’s like saying you want to strengthen your legs, but you only doing your arms.
You’re working hard.
But you’re not targeting what you think you are.

That’s why guidance can make such a big difference.

Often, it doesn’t take a lot of sessions to:

  • Learn how to find the muscle
  • Get the timing right
  • Coordinate pelvic floor, breathing, and deep core
  • Apply it to your real life and training

And when you go early, it’s usually much easier to change.

 

Early Action = Big Payoff

The women who get results fast are not the ones who wait until symptoms are severe.

They are the women who notice:
“This feels different than it used to.”

And then they do something about it.

Early support means:

  • Better connection to your deep core
  • Better pelvic floor timing
  • More confidence with running, jumping, and impact
  • Less compensation in back and hips
  • Less risk of small problems becoming big ones

This is not about getting older and accepting decline.

Yes, what your body needs now is different than what it needed 20 years ago.
But different does not mean worse.

With the right approach, you can absolutely get your body back on track.

 

Your Body Is Still Working, It Just Needs Smarter Support

If you recognise yourself in this, you are exactly the woman I work with every day.

Active.
Motivated.
Still training.
But starting to feel that something isn’t quite working like it used to.

That’s not failure.
That’s information.

Listen to it early.
Train your pelvic floor and deep core with the same respect you give to legs, arms, and strength training.
Get guidance so you know you’re doing it right.

Because small signals, handled early, can prevent big problems later.

- Astrid -