Katie Arch: Finding Balance and Strength with Empower
Katie Arch first found CrossFit at the age of 30 after she had her first child. She fell in love with the training and soon got her Level 1, and eventually Level 2 certificate course.
Then COVID hit. Katie — now a 40-year-old mom to a 5- and 10-year-old in Ocean City, New Jersey — started doing more long-distance running, biking, and swimming, which she also loved.
She began tracking her macronutrients, but found herself feeling both tired and hungry all the time, especially around her menstrual cycle. She also noticed she was losing muscle.
“And I noticed I was seeing a bit more body fat and my LDL cholesterol went up,” she said.
That’s when she had a realization.
“For health reasons, I just felt like doing only long endurance stuff wasn’t serving me. I needed to follow a program with strategies that are backed by science.”
Discovering Dr. Stacy Sims
Katie read Dr. Stacy Sims’ book Roar: Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong Body for Life, and it resonated with her.
Shortly after, she listened to a podcast featuring Dr. Sims, who “casually mentioned” she was working with CrossFit Games athletes Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir to launch a fitness program designed specifically for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m signing up for this as soon as it’s out,’” Arch said.
Joining Empower
Katie had a marathon to finish first, which she did. Then she joined Empower and has been following the Flight program for the last three months in her home garage gym. She still does some endurance training on the side because she loves it, but she no longer pushes herself as hard as she used to.
The results came quickly.
“I love it so much. It’s so fun. I love how it is programmed. I get my CrossFit fix, I get the HIIT, and it has some plyometrics and mobility. It’s very well organized and is such a balanced program, and if I have any questions I can ask them and get an answer right away,” Arch said, adding that she loves the pelvic floor and breath work on the less intense days.
Feeling Stronger and More Energized
Katie says she feels “so much stronger and so much more energetic” and is less fatigued than when she was focused only on endurance training. As a bonus, her clothes “fit better,” too.
She’s also noticed a big change around her menstrual cycle.
“I feel like I have more control over my nutrition. I don’t feel like I want to run in and eat everything in the cabinet anymore. And I have been conscious about upping my protein intake,” she said.
As a long-time CrossFit and fitness enthusiast, Katie is confident Empower is the perfect fit for this stage of her life.
“There’s such a balance in the programming, and it’s so easy to follow,” she said.
She added:
“If you want energy and strength and body composition results, then this is the program you have to follow. I feel safe with them. They’re always going to do what is most effective for women based on the latest science.”
Katie’s Message: If You’re Not Seeing Results, Make a Change
Though she enjoyed endurance training, Katie realized it wasn’t giving her the results she wanted — and she hears the same from other women her age.
“I have friends who think they need to focus on endurance training because it’s what they have always done, but they complain that it’s not giving them the results they want,” Arch said. “If you feel like something isn’t working, then try something else. Get out of your comfort zone.”
This is exactly what she did, and it’s paying off.
“I was like, ‘I have to try this,’ and now I’m seeing huge results,” she said.
Katie’s story is a reminder that sometimes the results you’re looking for come from making a shift. With the right tools, support, and science-backed training, you can feel strong, energized, and in control — right where you are.
