Melanie Durette — Strength Training Coach For Women Over 40
Helping Women Over 40 Build Strength, Health and Confidence
Confused by all the conflicting fitness advice out there?
Feel like what used to work, doesn’t anymore?
Want to build strength, shape up trouble areas, improve posture, and feel more youthful again?
Want to work with a coach who understands midlife changes and can help you through challenges when they come up?
Looking for a program you’ll stick with because it’s realistic and will actually get you results?
You’re in the right place. Have a look around and reach out if you have any questions about getting started.
Meet Your Over 40 Mentor
A Coach Who Truly Gets You
My Mission: To inspire women to become their strongest selves, find balance and believe that transformations are possible at any age!
I started Female Fitness Systems because I found that good quality, balanced information about training and nutrition for women was missing in the fitness industry. The older I got the more I realized that this was especially the case as we navigate our 40s and cope with our changing bodies and hormones.
It’s never too late but you need a program designed for where you are in life. The workouts you get on social media or in group classes just don’t cut it anymore. You need something different.
With over a decade of coaching experience both online and in person — and being in my 40s as well — you’ll have a coach that truly understands you. Many of the women I work with stick around for years, and it’s such a privilege to be part of their journey.
If you are ready to do something for you, I’m here for it. Let’s go!
Not Sure Where To Begin?
Let me help choose your next step…
All of my training programs are designed to be safe after 40 so the main difference is whether you would like the meal plan component or not. Simple choose the best option for you below to learn more.
Where It All Started
My Story, From The Beginning
In my 20s someone told me:
Find out what you love and make that your job. Then it will never feel like work and you always be happy.
This was a life-changing moment.
At the time I had just graduated from law school and was traveling Australia before going back to Canada to start my legal career. That advice stuck with me and a few months later I phoned home to announce I was staying in Australia.
Australia led on to Mexico, most of Central America, and Costa Rica doing yoga, exploring the coast line and living on mangos and fish. Then I taught English in Taiwan and eventually ended up back in Australia on an internship. That internship led to four years of working with Indigenous people and water policy in Australia and New Zealand. My colleagues brought so much passion to our work, but I didn’t have the same feeling. That old advice kept coming up — reminding me that I hadn’t yet found my passion.
Defying Medical Odds
My Health Journey That Changed Everything
I should step you back even further so you can understand how health and fitness works into all of this. In law school I found out I had osteopenia. That’s when you almost have osteoporosis — literally my bones were about 80 years old. It was a devastating diagnosis. The problem came about because I hadn’t had a period for four years and I wasn’t producing the estrogen to protect my bones. I was also told I would never have kids. I saw nine specialists and not one could help me. I was told I would only be able to manage the disease which would likely progress to osteoporosis and fractures sooner rather than later.
After a while of feeling depressed and hopeless, someone said to me:
You’re already so healthy. Why don’t you use this as an opportunity to transform into an even better version of yourself?
This one conversation changed my life.
I started learning everything I could about nutrition, fitness and hormones. I also studied the mind-body connection and took up visualization and yoga. From this experience, I realized life offers no guarantees so, before I started a career that would have me sitting in an office for the rest of my working life, I decided to travel around Australia first.
I had a bone density scan after that first year away in Australia and I had managed to completely reverse my osteopenia. “Not physically possible.” That’s what the doctor said when they looked at my results. Bone loss is meant to be physically irreversible.
That’s when I started to realize that true health and wellness is something we have to find within ourselves. You ultimately are the one with the power to heal yourself or turn your life around.
You likely won’t find it in a doctor’s office. And not being able to ever have kids? Once I learned to eat properly, my cycles and fertility came back normal and remain perfectly predictable even now that I’m in my 40s.
Why I Created Female Fitness Systems
And What It Means For You
So while I was enjoying my policy job in my 30s, I still hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
I spent all my spare time at the gym and researching women’s health. I had my own transformation when I learned to weight train properly and I realized that the biggest problem most women face is simply that they are doing the wrong things. I wanted to teach women that it doesn’t have to be so hard. I wanted them to experience how body transformation also leads to life transformation. How building a stronger body leads to a strong mind.
I decided to study nutrition at University and with Precision Nutrition and I got qualified as a personal trainer. And was I ever surprised.
Not only have I found my passion, but since opening the doors of my training studio, I’ve been fully booked with women seeking something different for themselves. Seeking answers they aren’t finding elsewhere. I now work with women all over the world.
In my 40s, I remain dedicated to working with women and this website is evolving to have more of a longevity focus. Before law school, I studied pyschology with a focus on neuropsychology (the relationship between your brain and your behaviour) and this is a growing area of interest for me (which is why I talk so much about keeping your brain healthy on my YouTube Channel and run an annual Pivot Mindset Challenge). I want women to think differently about body transformation. It’s not just about looking good — it’s about setting yourself up to be strong and confident in your later years. Women often wonder if it’s too late for them and I want to help answer that question.
Some of my best client transformations have been women in their 40s and 50s, and this dramatically changes the trajectory of their lives. I also have many clients in their 60s who are some of the strongest ladies I work with. So it’s not too late for anyone.
I’m so grateful you are here. If I can help you in anyway please don’t hesitate to contact me.
If you are looking for me on social media, I’m most active on my YouTube channel.