I WON A RAFFLE

My friend recently ran a raffle to raise money for a sporting charity. A genuinely wonderful cause helping underprivileged kids join sports teams they otherwise couldn’t afford. The benefits of movement start young, and being part of a team can literally change a child’s life.

Kids who grow up in sport are less likely to drift into gangs, drugs, or that “wrong crowd” we all warned each other about in the 90s. I may sound 105 years old saying it, but it’s true. History has shown us over and over again that boxing gyms, soccer clubs, footy teams .. they’ve saved countless kids from making decisions that lead to regret, missed potential, and a much harder road than they deserved.

Anyway, like we all do, I bought the raffle tickets.

And like we all do, I assumed I would win absolutely nothing. Because how many times have you had a friend ask you to buy raffle tickets? How many times did you oblige? And how many times did you expect to win?

Exactly.

Never.

We give because it’s a good cause. We don’t expect a return.

So you can imagine my shock when I actually won something. I briefly wondered if I should buy a lottery ticket or check if Mercury was in retrograde.

But afterwards, I kept thinking about that feeling ..giving with zero expectation, and then one day the reward drops into your lap out of nowhere.

And it hit me:

This is exactly how strength training during menopause works.

Yes , I can hear you .. how does she brilliantly weave every story back to menopause?? But this really does hold true … 

During menopause, consistency can feel hard. You’re dealing with disrupted sleep, hot flushes, mood swings, bone density changes, metabolism shifts, and a body that sometimes behaves like it has its own secret agenda.

And yet, every day you train:

Every walk.

Every set of squats.

Every kettlebell swing.

Every time you choose movement over “I can’t be bothered today.”

Those moments are raffle tickets.

You don’t always see the result immediately. You don’t always “feel” stronger that week. You don’t wake up after your second session thinking, “Ah yes, my bone density must be thriving.”

But you keep showing up.

You keep giving.

You keep putting your tickets in the barrel.

And then one day…

You notice you carried all the groceries in one trip.

You reached the top of the stairs without puffing.

You slept better.

Your mood lifted.

You swung a heavier bell and thought, “Oh wow — I just did that.”

Or you simply felt like yourself again.

That’s the moment you win the raffle.

Not because you got lucky, but because you kept showing up with zero expectation and full commitment.

Consistency truly is the Quiet Investment

Menopause can feel unpredictable, but your training doesn’t have to be. Strength, mobility, walking, resistance work.  They are all  investments in  your future self and they  will quietly compound behind the scenes.

You may not “expect” the return each day, but trust me, it’s coming.

Just keep putting your tickets in.

Movement has changed the futures of so many children… and it absolutely continues to shape ours.