Fiona Bruce, presenter of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, looks like the poster-girl for healthy aging – but it hasn’t always been that way. The 62-year-old says she felt ‘mortified’ after her GP was ‘appalled’ about her lack of exercise following the birth of her son Sam, who’s now in his 20s.
‘I never did any exercise until I went to see a GP before or just after I had Sam,’ she told Woman And Home. ‘When asked if I did any exercise, I said “none” and the doctor replied “Literally none?” I said “no” and I was mortified because she was so appalled!’
The presenter and newsreader took up running, which she credits with maintaining her fitness and adds: ‘To me, exercise isn’t about living longer but it gives me energy and I don’t know what I’d be like without it.’
If you’re struggling to prioritise exercise, GH fitness expert Kim Hawley has this advice to make it easier. ‘Try habit stacking: adding small bursts of movement to things you already do every day,’ she says. ‘Always doing push-ups while the kettle boils. Taking the stairs two or three at a time. A dozen squats every time you visit the bathroom. None of these take any planning, but together they create meaningful gains over time. The key is making them non-negotiable.
‘Another simple mindset shift is to plan the session to be easy as a rule. Thinking it will be hard before you’ve even started can be a barrier in itself, whereas once you’re moving and warmed up, you’ll almost always do more than you expected.
‘Ultimately, healthy aging isn’t built on occasional bursts of motivation,’ says Kim. It’s built on consistency. The aim is to make movement and exercise as automatic as brushing your teeth, because the small things you do every day will always have a greater impact than the big things you only do occasionally.’