How to be fit, healthy and body confident at 50

Someone once said, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become by achieving your goals.” This is very true and what happened to me... Read on to find out my top tips for making transformational change to your lifestyle with small steps.

It's Boxing Day December 2020. We've been plunged into lockdown 2.0. I’m sat in my kitchen on my own (my children grown up and left home the year before), single, the heaviest I’ve ever been, aged 50 and fed up of having constant pain in my back, hips and legs. I’d stopped cooking as I didn’t see the point when there was just me and was living off a mix of ready meals, jacket potatoes and anything that was easy.

I was setting my goals for 2021 (I’ve always been a goal setter; it’s how I live my life!) and writing in my new diary about what I wanted to achieve that year. Without thinking I’d written, “Loose at least one stone and be pain free.” Looking at what I had written I thought, “How on earth am I going to do that?”

Within a few days, it was as if the universe was listening. I saw an advert on Facebook for a new fitness app from none other than the Body Coach, Joe Wicks. I had dabbled with PE with Joe in March 2020 and enjoyed it so I knew Mr Wicks and his style. I immediately clicked through and started to read. I was hooked and signed up straight away.

In those dark, winter, locked up months of January to April 2021 I religiously followed the plan for food and workouts. I learnt so much about nutrition and my diet, how my body responded to physical exercise and certain foods, and I gradually changed shape, lost weight, and gained so much strength. I was pain-free, two stone lighter, back in love with cooking again and eating better than I had ever done before. This was no limiting diet, it was a lifestyle change. My family were amazed and continuously cheered me on, marvelling at my progress and what I was experiencing.

I honestly felt like a changed woman. I was sleeping a solid eight hours a night, I was focused and productive with my work, and my confidence in my body, my appearance and myself soared. It was perhaps no surprise that at this time (May 2021), I also met my boyfriend and fell in love. Having been single for 15 years, this was a huge achievement for me and it was definitely an outcome of feeling fabulous and body confident.

Some would say I had it easy; I lived on my own so only myself to cook for, no children to look after, working from home and in lockdown so no tempting meals out. However, I would counteract that with; I had to do this on my own, I had no-one at home to share it with and push me out of bed in the morning to do the workout and I was very lonely.

It isn’t about whether you have it easier than others; all our circumstances are different. It’s about whether you want something badly enough and how you approach the process.

Roll forward to present day and it’s a permanent lifestyle change for me, and I’ve never been happier. I still go out for meals, eat chocolate and cakes but, overall, I eat a high protein diet, work out four to five times a week with a mix of cardio and strength-based exercise, and take care of myself. This will never change.

I am so thankful that Joe Wicks came into my life when he did, I would love to meet him one day to tell him how his app has changed my life. But I also realise that the main reason I have achieved all of this is because I had a solid reason why I wanted to achieve my goal; being pain free and the healthiest I could be at 50. Losing the weight and dropping dress sizes was a by-product of achieving my goal.

Top tips for making transformational change to your lifestyle

1. Set yourself a goal that you really want to achieve. Ask yourself “What do I want to do/have/be instead?”

2. Make sure you know why you want to achieve it – ask yourself, “Why do I want this, what will it give me?” You have to be motivated to make transformational change.

3. Plan and prepare as much as you can to help you when it’s hard work. I planned my meals on a Sunday morning for the rest of the week and then bought the food I needed. I knew from experience that if I didn’t plan my meals, I would end up raiding the cupboards and having something that was convenient but not healthy.

4. Set up actions each day that will enable you to achieve your goal. For example, my first action was to do my workout first thing, before breakfast five days a week. I knew that if I didn’t do my workout first thing, I would find excuses all day to not to do it.

5. Set yourself up to allow your actions to happen and become good habits. I decided that to really make sure I did my workout first thing, I would put my workout clothes on as soon as I got out of bed. This worked and now I don’t even think about doing my workout I just do it – it’s become a good habit.

6. Find cheerleaders in your network who will support you from the side lines. My mum, dad and my sister were mine and their support was invaluable. It was the little things that helped of never offering me any cakes or chocolates and celebrating my new shape.

7. Celebrate every win you find no matter how small; this will keep you going.

I hope some of these tips help. If you want to make changes to your life, but are not sure how to start then contact me and let’s have a conversation.