Exercise is vital for maintaining strength, independence and vitality well into our later years, but it’s easy to lose our fitness mojo in midlife. Personal trainer Elizabeth Davies joins Liz to talk about the power of movement – and easy ways to get started.
They discuss how fitness has been marketed as a way to lose weight or build a ‘summer body’, and why the focus should be on being strong, not skinny.
Elizabeth also explains the importance of midlife fitness for heart and bone health, tips for navigating pelvic floor weakness and how to save time by cutting your workout in half.
Stream the episode below, or download the recording via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Training for your ‘old lady body’: 3 ways to build lasting strength
For years, women have been sold the idea that exercise is about getting smaller: a flatter stomach, toned arms, a ‘beach body’. But for personal trainer Elizabeth Davies, midlife fitness is about training for your ‘old lady body’ – not looking younger, but ageing better.
Strength training in midlife protects our mobility, balance, bone health, heart health and confidence as we age. “So many of us look forward to retirement, but if we get there with a body that can’t support us, that’s a massive shame,” she says.
Here are three mindset shifts she wants us to adopt, so that we can build a body that will support us to live fully in midlife and beyond.
Be intentional with your workouts
Many of us fall into the trap of doing exhausting ‘random’ workouts – HIIT classes, circuits, treadmill sessions – without any structure or purpose. Elizabeth advises switching to a simple, intentional strength-training plan three days a week where we can track consistent progress.
If you’re starting out, focus on a handful of movements using your own body weight or resistance bands, building reps and range of motion before adding a weight. Free weights at home can be just as effective as hitting the gym.
Short on time? As you build strength, you can gradually go heavier on the weights and lower on the reps, reducing workout duration. Just make sure you take a 2–3-minute rest period in between sets for recovery.
Choose consistency over quantity
Cardio matters too, particularly as falling oestrogen levels can increase cardiovascular disease risk in midlife. But you don’t need punishing HIIT workouts to benefit – a brisk walk counts. So does dancing, cycling or swimming, as long as it raises your heart rate.
Incorporating interval training can introduce more of a challenge if it’s something you enjoy, but isn’t essential. Elizabeth advises using a machine such as a stationary bike to maintain good form and reduce risk of injury.
If walking works for you, find ways to build it up – include a longer route, add hills, walk a little faster. “Pick what you enjoy,” advises Elizabeth. “We are only going to reap the benefits of it if we do it regularly and consistently.”
Work with your body, not against it
It’s OK to adjust workouts depending on how you feel. “It’s not another thing you’re failing at,” says Elizabeth. “Movement can help – but you can’t out-fitness menopause.” That might mean lifting lighter weights, doing fewer sets or swapping a hard session for a walk when sleep, stress or hormones take their toll.
If pelvic floor challenges such as leaking or prolapse make you fearful of exercise, start gently and build slowly. Avoiding movement altogether will reduce confidence and resilience, so seek support from a pelvic health physiotherapist if it’s holding you back.
The key is removing the all-or-nothing mindset that stops so many of us from showing up consistently. Instead of seeing getting old as an inevitable decline, Elizabeth reminds us that we have the power to give ourselves the best possible chance of ageing well.
Also in this episode:
- How much cardio we really need
- Protecting heart and bone health
- How to exercise with pelvic floor weakness
- Do we need to lift heavy weights?
- Ways to cut your training session in half
Links mentioned in the episode:
More from Elizabeth:
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- WhatsApp: 07518 471 846
More from Liz:
- Order Liz’s new book – How to Age
- A Better Second Half
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