01/10/2026
Are you finding the food you’ve always eaten and the workouts you used to do no longer work in your late 40s & 50s?
You’re not alone!
Here are some of my top tips for staying on top of it for LIFETIME not just a SHORT Time….
• Resistance training doesn’t need to be fancy – Boring is good!
Effective resistance training is generally the same exercises – and that's okay. You don't need a completely different workout every time you train.
Repeating key movements allows you to practice technique, build strength and track progression. If you are constantly switching up your exercises doing circuit classes and not getting heavier weights doing the same compound movements, then you probably are not getting stronger.
There is no magic number of reps that suddenly makes a workout effective, what matters is that you are creating enough pressure to create a stimulus. Your final few reps should feel difficult and close to failure. It doesn’t matter if you can only do 2 reps of something, stick to that weight until you can do about 10-12 reps easily and then pop that weight up again.
In midlife, consistency and progression are far more valuable than constantly chasing the latest fitness trend, which may even increase your risk of injury.
• Increase your NEAT
Particularly if fat loss is your goal, increasing your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – or NEAT – can help reduce body fat.
NEAT includes everyday movement such as housework, walking, carrying shopping, gardening, taking the stairs instead of the lift and even fidgeting.
Walking, in particular is fantastic!
It increases daily energy expenditure without adding a ton of fatigue or interfering with recovery.
You don’t need to spend hours at the gym to get your movement in, just make an effort to move more where & when you can, and ensure those strength training sessions are happening every week.
• Recovery is also important
Your training only works if your body has the opportunity to recover and adapt. If you are overdoing it, if you are working hard doing HIIT classes and circuit classes etc and not giving your body the time to recover, this can do the opposite for what you are trying to achieve.
Prioritise days where you just walk, or maybe a lighter session like pilates, maybe you need to sleep and focus on great nutrition. Listen to your body and take some time to also slow down in between your harder training days.
• The odd indulgence won't ruin your progress
Consistent habits over weeks and months matter far more than one meal or one day.
A meal out, birthday cake or a weekend treat isn't going to undo weeks of regular training and healthy eating habits, The goal is balance, not perfection.
Good delicious ice-cream is such a pleasure and life is too short to be ‘good’ all the time. So enjoy meals out with family and friends and ditch the guilt. Just stick to your great habits 80% of the time and allow the other 20% for the things you love and time spent with people you love.
• Nutrition still matters
For fat loss, your overall calorie intake matters more than obsessing over whether those calories came from carbs or fat. Cutting carbs is hard, we do need carbs for our energy and brain, so it’s just a matter of finding the most wholesome nutritious choices we can for our changing bodies.
Ditching things like overconsuming white bread, chips, creamy pastas and processed crackers for things such as fruit, quinoa and brown rice, kumara etc
Energy balance is important, but that doesn't mean calories are the only thing worth considering, Protein, fibre, food quality, portion sizes, sleep and activity all influence how sustainable your diet feels and how well you can stick to it.
If you are not sleeping, it’s the first thing we need to address alongside with nutrition.
If you’d like some help, If you’d like to feel like yourself again, please reach out, I understand & I’d love to help you x
