What if you just don't like strength training??

The DOMS will get much better. Being crippled with them for days is very much a thing when you're just starting and if you keep exercise up they will become much much more mild and won't interfere with other activity.

Caroline may not be the trainer for you right now but training to increase strength and muscle mass is SO important as you age and makes such a difference for mobility, strength and health. I think it gets hypnotic and satisfying as you stick with it personally, and the mirror effects are a sweet sweet bonus, but the exercise you do is the best exercise, so maybe try some of the suggestions here and see if you can tolerate them better.

Caroline Idiens is gentle. You can lift but with lighter weights. I’m the laziest, unsportiest person, I started with weights at home in my mid 40s. I’m not super toned or lean, I don’t lift super heavy, but I do 20 mins at home every other day. I’ve got a core now and my fitness is better. My weight is stable as well. I’m 50 now, not in menopause yet, and all my bloods/bp were fine at a pre 50 health check. If you’re combining it with walking and yoga, you’ve probably got the perfect combo. I’d say I was actually physically in a better state than my 30s and wish I had time to do more to be honest.

There's no magical moment, apart from when you look at yourself in the mirror and realise how much the perseverance and discipline paid off.

As a fellow middle-aged toddler I absolutely hear you! Having tried EVERYTHING from having a PT (expensive and weird social pressure about being the sole focus while I turn into a beetroot) to home workouts inc CG (there's always a reason not to do them) to weight machines in gyms (have to wait for people to get off the one I want, repetitive and easy to start coasting); this is the formula that's finally been working for me:

4x strength-based gym classes a week, first thing between 6-7.
Ix run at the weekend, also first thing.

Having signed up you can't back out of going, and going first thing means there really isn't anything else I'd be doing. The classes are way more engaging and motivating than anything else I've tried and being part of a sweaty gang is nicely anonymous.

I kettlebells for strength, 2 Les Mills for strength and conditioning, 1 vinyasa yoga for conditioning and because I really look forward to that one.

I am not a gym person but I joined a strength and conditioning class nearly two years ago. It's small group coaching, with a program to follow but tailored to each person. It's a very welcoming and accessible gym, so in reality it's a lot of middle aged women but we work very hard. It's also very social as we all get to know each other, chat, etc. We do 10 mins mobility, then follow our main lift program (deadlift/bench/squat depending on the day) up to about half past. Then some HIIT/bodyweight/cardio type stuff and some stretching. The programming means I stay motivated as every single week I progress. I go three times a week and adore it. Something like that could be the answer.

I can't do boxer either. Shame because it is fun.

Yes it gets better OP. I echo joining a strength and conditioning class. It's better with other people for the crack and encouragement.

Plus it's the only thing where you have to eat more. No starving yourself on silly calories.

I loathe weights (another runner who only does them because I have to). In the end I got a PT for four weeks to get me started and give me a 30 minute dumbell routine. I do it in front of the TV or with a film on my ipad if I'm in the gym to distract me.

It might be possible to find a yogaish bodyweight work out at least to get you started.

PS I turn the music right down and listen to a podcast

I had a personal trainer before I started CG but stopped that for money reasons.
Honestly CG is so much better snd the results have been incredible
But I'm very consistent - I have been doing it since Sept and only stopped for two days over Christmas.
I do five work outs a week:
I prefer iron to epic

I hate it too. Body pump almost tips me over in to madness as the music is always dreadful (and I've done it on and off for 20 years now). Circuit classes with a mixture of cardio and weights are fun. See also outdoor army bootcamp workouts, I'm easily distracted by a cute dog or bird which takes my mind off the session.

Carrying heavy shopping is an option. I walk most places and happily lug it along in ikea bags.

I find it boring too. I do things I enjoy. I like swimming, walking and occasionally go to the gym and do some rowing.

Try Henley fitness on insta if you want some fun inspiration.

It does hurt as your muscles aren’t used to lifting weight. It will get easier - but if you up the weight then it will hurt again.

you will quickly start to see gains if you go regularly and will genuinely feel and look stronger. Keep at it, once you notice the gains it becomes a bit addictive as you don’t want to undo all that hard work.

I find body pump even more boring than lifting weights on my own in the gym, the tracks just go on and on and on and on doing the same couple of exercises for minutes at a time! At least in the gym I can listen to my own music too.
Something more like a circuits / bootcamp class might suit you more as they tend to vary every time and you might work to time rather than reps then move onto the next exercise.

@SilkieChick CG is pretty hard core for a newbie to weights.
i have been following her for three years and my body is so different and so am strong.
i suggest you look at other trainers. There are well known ones on YouTube who are not as intense. It is the intensity that gets you results though.
i often don’t want to train but I do -5 days a week because it is a non negotiable for me- like brushing my teeth.
i want to be able to function when I am older . I am 57 and have no intention of having a slow and miserable decline into decrepitude if I can help it.

I love strength training and weights but I hate Caroline Girvan's routines, so boring, and overwork single muscles IMO. I use Nike Training Club workouts - so much variety that I never get bored.

Caroline Girvan is sometimes quite aerobic.

What about body weight workouts using resistance bands? And doing things like full push ups (not from your knees) and pull ups. Also step ups, and as you get stronger/faster, wear a back pack with some tins of tomatoes or whatever, in it. Add weight progressively.

Or try MegSquats "Before the Barbell" - it's a free programme that you follow via Instagram. She really knows her stuff, and she writes programmes specifically for women.

The principles behind weightlifting that is actually what is recommended for women to ward of osteoporosis is weight-bearing and resistance. And as you get stronger, you progressively overload your body so it responds to that stressor by growing more muscle, which protects your joints.

I've been going to a weights class 3 times a week for about a year now...bit longer actually. I'm not completely consistent - just had 5 weeks off because of flu and Christmas...

Anyway I'm 56 so doing it because I'd got lazy - what I like about it is it makes it so much easier to do the things I do like doing! Gardening, walking, just general life.

I'm not a natural gym person but I just go and do the classes. I also do Pilates which is weight bearing with lots of planks etc which I prefer - it's quite a tough class.

So it might just be you have to just do it...and appreciate the benefits.

To be honest I preferred an outdoor weights and fitness class I used to do ...but they moved venue and I couldn't get there anymore.

I love strength training but I don't like Caroline Girvan. She's just too much for me. Try something like Bodyfit with Amy. She does lower weights, simple workouts and 10 minute kettlebell routines. Start with a 10 minute workout a few times a week and build up.
Or try bodyweight workouts. I like Leo Moves on You Tube as his focus is on agility and balance with strength almost as a by-product.

I find it boring too, one of CG's iron series was just 30 minutes of different variations of Romanian deadlifts and oh god, I could not stand it!

I now belong to an outdoor physical training group. We do various bootcamp style sessions, with weights but also bodyweight exercises, they do cardio/running sessions, yoga etc as part of the timetable. It may not yield the best results if all you want is building muscle mass but for overall fitness, building a bit of strength, and social interaction they suit me perfectly. Life's way too short to do workouts you hate.

I think you just have to suck it up and make it part of your routine; like washing your hair. It may not fill you with great joy but it needs to be done!

I don't love weights (I'm a runner who does weights cos I have to) but I've grown to like it because of the real benefits it's bringing in terms of reducing injuries and making me stronger.
Oh and the physical changes are nice too - I have defined muscles where before I just had skinny arms.

You'll get lots of people saying to try body pump or boxercise whatever, and they're good for cardio, but it's not the same as lifting heavy weights and doesn't deliver the same benefits.

You just have to suck it up and tell yourself all the fantastic things it’s doing for your body, keeping you strong, fit and healthy.

I have muscle and joint disease and I know had it not been for the years of lifting weights (and other activities too), I would be in a much worse state. I’m also on long term steroids but know that lifting weights as well as other weight bearing exercise helps mitigate some of the problems these cause.

Have you tried body pump classes? Less intense than Caroline, better music and if you are motivated by group exercise it's available at many/most gyms. Otherwise it's available on Les Mills at home (pay for it monthly) and there's a whole range of other classes on there too, as well as a couple of different strength ones.

Have you considered climbing? Good for strength and flexibility. It’s also a good whole body exercise. Our local climbing wall has a woman’s only group.