Learning new things over 40: why it feels harder (and how to make it stick)
If you’ve ever left a class or workshop feeling like you understood everything, but then couldn’t recall it the next day, you’re not alone. This happens to a lot of capable adults, and it’s one of the biggest reasons people think they “aren’t able to learn like they used to.”
The truth is simpler, your brain didn’t lose the ability to learn. It just changed how you learn.
During my comprehensive Pilates teacher training, I expected a challenge. What surprised me was my memory or lack thereof. From anatomy, to biomechanics, breath work, equipment setup (across all of the apparatuses), contraindications, and cueing - just knowing the material wasn’t enough! It’s so much more than recall and it builds over time. My brain wasn’t going to be rewired in a day, no matter how motivated I was. I had to recall the content clearly and then communicate it under pressure.
Why learning feels different after 40
In your 20s, learning often feels quick and automatic. You hear instructions once and your body responds almost immediately. Later, the process changes. You may understand what you’re being taught, but recalling it — especially under pressure — takes longer.
This is where many capable adults get discouraged. The issue usually isn’t comprehension. It’s retrieval. You know what you were told, but you can’t access it fast enough to use it confidently. Meanwhile, someone younger appears to absorb it instantly and move on.
The difference isn’t effort or ability. It’s the learning system your brain now prefers.
Earlier learning relies on speed and short-term memory. Later learning relies on reinforcement, relevance, and application. Once you understand that, the experience stops feeling like failure and starts making sense.
The solution isn’t pushing harder. It’s working with the system you have now.
What’s actually happening in your brain
As we age, processing speed and working memory gradually slow, while long-term understanding and pattern recognition often improve. New information still gets learned, but it doesn’t stay after a single exposure. Your brain now organizes information through repetition and context rather than quick recall.
That’s why you can leave a class understanding everything, yet struggle to remember it the next day. The learning happened — it just hasn’t been reinforced enough to become accessible.
Here’s the important part: this is normal, and it’s fixable.
When you expect immediate recall, the experience feels frustrating. When you expect reinforcement, it becomes manageable. Each repetition strengthens recognition, and recognition eventually becomes recall.
If you’re learning something that requires coordination between thinking and movement — Pilates, a certification program, or any physical skill — knowing how your brain processes information now changes how you approach practice and how patient you are with yourself.
How to learn more effectively after 40:
Focus on understanding, not speed
Learning later in life tends to go deeper. You may not memorize quickly, but you’re better at seeing connections. When you allow yourself time to integrate information, retention improves — and confidence follows.
What this gives you: fewer mental blocks, stronger long-term recall, and less self-doubt.
Study with intention
Passive exposure isn’t enough anymore. Writing things down, revisiting notes, and timely repetition matter. This isn’t about over-studying, it’s about giving your brain multiple entry points to store information.
What this gives you: faster recall when it matters and less “I know this but can’t access it” frustration.
Learn through your body
For a physical skills like Pilates, movement reinforces memory. Feeling concepts in your own body creates stronger neural connections than reading alone. Practice the exercise, feel it in your body. Understanding the intent behind the exercise, as you do it, will help you when you have to cue someone else to do it later. Also, practicing with others adds another layer by forcing clarity.
What this gives you: true understanding instead of surface-level knowledge.
Say things out loud
Auditory processing strengthens memory. Speaking cues, explanations, or concepts out loud helps lock them in and improves verbal confidence, especially important if you’re teaching or presenting. Getting ready to teach someone? If you perform the exercises, while saying the cues out loud, you’ll improve your cueing of others.
What this gives you: clearer language, better recall, and more confidence communicating what you know.
Expect learning to be non-linear
Some days recall is quick. Other days it takes effort. That variability doesn’t mean regression . . . it’s how adult learning works. Consistency matters more than perfection.
What this gives you: resilience and patience instead of burnout.
The real advantage of learning over 40
Learning new things over 40 isn’t about keeping up with someone younger. It’s about building integrated knowledge . . . information that connects to experience, judgment, and awareness.
You may take longer to remember, but you often understand more fully. That depth carries into how you move, how you teach, how you problem-solve, and how you apply what you’ve learned in real life.
If you’re learning something new later in life and wondering why it feels different, the answer isn’t that you’re behind. It’s that you’re building something stronger.
