When 47-year-old Kate Nolte first suggested a daily movement routine to her 83-year-old mother Suki eight months ago, she probably wasn’t expecting such a radical reinvention. But what started as a modest commitment to Kate’s Quick Minutes workout platform (where Kate trains 1 million+ women to build strength and mobility) turned into an impressive transformation, with Suki now moving with a level of strength and flexibility her daughter has never seen before.
‘She does Quick Minutes,’ Kate explains. ‘She does 8 quick minutes every single day, and she started in September. So that’s eight months of commitment. And she’s stronger and more flexible and more independent and confident than I’ve ever seen her in my entire life.
‘She plays pickleball. She walks the neighbourhood. She’s now adding hills to her walks because she really wants to feel her strong leg muscles. And now she just told me she’s going to start incorporating strength training. She’s going to learn the machines at her gym and build upper-body strength.
‘She’s living proof that strength can be built at any age – and that it’s never too late to feel strong, mobile and joyful. She says she feels younger than her age and more brave (just a few months ago she travelled to Japan with her girlfriends). She inspires me more than anyone. She is longevity in motion – proof that the way you live every day shapes how you age.’
Suki is proof that short, consistent workouts are all the human body needs to unlock impressive adaptation. Below, Kate shares the exact 8-minute routine they do daily. ‘We do it in the morning because it gives us a fantastic mood and energy boost for the day,’ she adds.
8-minute seniors workout for strength and mobility
How to do it: Perform each exercise for 1 minute with no rest in between.
Instagram @tulumtrainer
Hop x 1 minWave x 1 minTrunk x 1 minGolf x 1 minTwist x 1 minKnee x 1 minPunch x 1 minRotate x 1 min
But it’s not just movement helping her live a long, healthy and happy life – as research reiterates, a focus on macros, mindset and deep social connections also contribute to vitality. Here, Kate explains the four key factors.
She exercises everyday (even when she doesn’t feel like it): ‘At 82, she does 15 quick minutes every morning before pickleball. Mobility isn’t about intensity. It’s about consistency. She can jump, she can squat. She can touch her toes. She can lift her grandchildren.’ She chooses community: ‘After my dad died, my mum knew she needed her friends. So she took action and started playing pickleball and has weekly card games with girlfriends she’s had for over 50 years. She knows people expect her to show up and that her relationships keep her brain sharp and her heart open.’ She prioritises protein: ‘She knows she can’t afford to lose muscle mass. So she eats scrambled eggs (and bacon!) for breakfast, Greek yoghurt and blueberries for lunch and often a hamburger with vegetables for dinner. She doesn’t eat a lot, but knows that if she eats protein first, she is helping her body stay strong and resilient.’ She has a confident mindset: ‘She trains her brain for optimism. She pushes herself to be seen in the world and goes on big adventures. A few months ago she went to Japan with her girlfriends – even though she was scared to go – and had an amazing time! She can still do bold things at 83. And that changes everything.’
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.