Denise Yeats - Coach, Personal Trainer, Event Producer

"I know I should eat more carbs... but what if I gain weight?" 😬

A client said this to me last week.

It's not uncommon. Smart, switched-on women. Training hard. Still apologising for carbs like they're the enemy.

Then summer hits ✅
Appetite drops ✅
And carbs are the first thing to slowly disappear ✅

However, a smaller appetite doesn't equate to a smaller need.

New on my Substack 👇
What carbs actually do for your body and why it's not just pasta & chips (hello lentils, oats, sweet potato 🍠)

Fuel, not fear.
Link to the Substack article is here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/fuel-not-fear-why-cutting-carbs-isnt

What a treat today was. 🚤☀️
Earlier this year I was named one of the F:Entrepreneur iAlso100 top inspiring female entrepreneurs, and today the iAlso100 team, supported by Starling, brought together many of this year's Female Founders for an afternoon on the Thames.
Life as a solo entrepreneur can be brilliant, but it can also have it's challenges, and if I'm honest, the announcement at the beginning of the year landed at a strange time for me. My bike accident shortly after knocked my confidence as much as it had my body, and it was tricky to feel able to celebrate properly.
🎉So today felt like a chance to catch up on that celebration. Spending time with a boatful of women building extraordinary things, swapping stories and cheering each other on, was exactly the kind of connection and recognition I needed. Grateful to iAlso100 and Starling for making it happen, and to every Female Founder on board today for the inspiration.

🔥 It is getting HOT out there and with so many events underway at this time of year it is even more important to stay safe and hydrated!
💧 We use the water in our bodies to get rid of the heat we produce and to cool us down while we’re exercising. It’s an amazingly efficient process when it is working well....

🖐 But as we enter peri and menopause and our hormones are in flux, all sorts of things start to happen..

👉Thirst sensation flattens - so we should be more conscious of drinking during the day and especially when exercising.

👉Thermoregulation control and oestrogen loss means we start sweating a lot sooner than we normally would (there is usually a response that tells us we are getting hot first).

👉We have a high predisposition to becoming dehydrated which can be exacerbated if we are having hot flushes or sweats.

👉With less water in your blood, the blood is more viscous, so your heart has to work harder. Your heart rate goes up. Your power goes down. Your core temperature rises. All of that leads to fatigue and reduced performance.

💦 So get smart about your hydration - if we have a higher body water then our temperature control is better as our body can move heat around a lot more, which can help mitigate those hot symptoms.

👉For a full blog post on this, take a look here: https://www.deniseyeats.co.uk/blogposts/beating-the-heat-a-guide-to-hydration-and-cooling-for-women-in-menopause

Let me tell you about the time a pile of weeds beat me.
About twelve years ago I was meant to be supervising a community garden makeover in East London, camera in hand. Of course I couldn't resist getting stuck in, and I spent six hours hauling out thick, established weeds. I went home rather pleased with myself. Two days after that, every laugh and every twist had me wincing. I'd strained the muscles between my ribs.
I was fit. I trained, yet the garden still caught me out.
I see it all the time now. People come to me wanting to be strong for life, not for a race or a medal, just for the everyday business of lifting, kneeling, carrying and getting back up off the floor. Gardening asks all of that of us, and it gives so much back.
That is the heart of Green Care for You, a lovely free two-week programme from Carers UK and Thrive, helping unpaid carers find calm and connection through gardening and nature. You don't even need a garden to take part, and you can sign up any time over the next couple of weeks.
I've written all about how to garden without paying for it later, and I have a simple cue sheet of the exercises for anyone who would like it. Just give me a shout.
Read the article here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/train-for-the-garden-not-just-the

Sign up to Green Care for You: https://uk.emma-live.com/greencareforyou

A slightly different post from me today.
How many of us have quietly set down a part of ourselves somewhere along the way, the part that sang, or danced, or did something purely for the feeling of it?
I'm starting a new series called The Feeling of Strong, and the way in is music. I'm looking at the songs that still do something to us when we hear them.
It begins with More Than Words by Extreme, a song I loved at 22, and the singing lessons I nervously signed up for at 47. I nearly didn't knock on the door. Where that small, terrifying decision eventually led still surprises me.
Find the song that just came to mind as you read this. Put it on properly. Then let me know what it was ? 🎶
Read the full piece here 👉 https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/the-feeling-of-strong-more-than-words

I am so incredibly proud of my lovely friend Shirley McGill who has received the British Empire Medal for her speech and drama work, inspiring so many young people. I know how hard she has worked over the past 30+ years, but makes it seem effortless as she is so passionate about what she does.
In true Scottish style she is being incredibly humble about it, so I am posting it here, because after all I do love to champion strong women, and here is one of the best! Congratulations Shirley, this is SO well deserved! xx

Aberdonian Shirley McGill receives BEM after more than 30 years inspiring young people through speech and drama. Read more: https://ebx.sh/VBg5Fd

What a great day!
Today we kicked off The Big Step Out 2026 at the beautiful Hatfield House, and we were absolutely over the moon to welcome the incredible Angela Rippon — national treasure, carer champion, and today, one of our very own walkers!
Angela joined our wonderful carers and the people they care for on the walks, chatted, laughed, and was generally a superstar. The thunderstorms couldn't dampen a single spirit, if anything, everyone just huddled closer together and kept going, including a bit of a singalong to the band over lunch. Very on-brand for carers, if you ask us. 💪
Today was Day 1 of our national campaign to raise 10 MILLION steps in celebration of the UK's unpaid carers and the people they care for. The campaign runs until 10th July — and every single step counts. 👣
It was also very fitting that today also marked Age Without Limits Day — a celebration of ageing boldly and without barriers. Here’s to that!
Thank you to everyone who came, walked, volunteered, supported, and sang. You made today something very special. 🎶

There's a moment I watch for every year at The Big Step Out event for carers. It comes when the band strikes up, and a carer who arrived guarded, perhaps not quite sure they're allowed a day for themselves, starts to sing along to a song they haven't thought about in years. For that moment they visibly remember something. Themselves, perhaps.
This week is Carers Week, when we turn our attention to unpaid carers across the UK and everything they quietly carry. Wednesday is both our Big Step Out at Hatfield House and Age Without Limits Day, and this year's theme, ‘the power of questions’, has me thinking about carers.
So in my Substack post this week I ask three questions:
When did you last let yourself be asked how you are, and really answer? When did you last do something that reminded you who you were before you became responsible for everyone else? When did you last feel strong — not coping, or managing, but genuinely, joyfully strong in your body and your bones?
Full Substack article is here: https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/the-strength-in-the-singing

"I thought I was doing everything right."

I hear some version of this almost every week, from women in their late 40s and 50s who've watched what they eat, turned up to their classes, and tried so hard. Yet the weight creeps up, the knees ache, a scan result lands that they weren't expecting.

Then today, this arrived in the news. New research following over 147,000 people for three decades found that just 90 minutes to two hours of weight training a week is linked to a 13% lower risk of early death — 19% lower for heart disease and stroke, and 27% lower for neurological conditions like dementia. For those who paired strength work with regular cardio, the risk of dying early fell by up to 58%.

Interestingly for people who find time is a blocker, they found that more than two hours of lifting a week added no further benefit. It was never about doing more. It was about doing the right things.

That's the message I return to again and again. Midlife women don't need to train harder. They need to train differently — strength, enough protein, the right intensity. That's what protects your bones, your heart, your brain, and your years.

The great news is that it is genuinely never too late.

I've written more about it here in this week's Substack article 👇
https://deniseyeats.substack.com/p/i-thought-i-was-doing-everything

I Thought I Was Doing Everything Right Welcome back to Reset, Recharge, Reclaim, and this week I want to talk about the conversation I have with women over and over again…

Really pleased to share this one. I've written a two-page feature for Caring magazine, published by Carers UK, all about strength training for unpaid carers.

It's called Strong for Life, and it's for anyone who thinks strength training isn't for them. No gym, little or no equipment needed, and it genuinely is never too late to start.

Have a read and let me know what you think. And if you know a carer who might find this useful, please do share it on 🙏

Carers UK also have a great online hub for staying active, (which I also contribute to!) go to https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/your-health-and-wellbeing/carers-active-hub/