Crafting guru, Dragon’s Den icon and Strictly alum Sara Davies is a very busy woman. And when we say busy, we mean busy. What with her businesses, media commitments and family life, Sara tells Women’s Health that historically, she’s struggled to prioritise herself.
But then she had a health wake-up call.
‘Honestly, I thought going on national telly might be the kick up the bum that I needed to lose some weight, and I still didn’t,’ recalls Sara of her first series of Dragon’s Den. So, as somebody needing accountability, she booked a private healthcare assessment, hoping the doctor would ‘frighten me into losing some weight’.
Having had gestational diabetes during both of her pregnancies, Sara was aware she had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And sure enough, the doctor told her that her HbA1c levels were rising and that she was likely to become pre-diabetic within a year unless she made some lifestyle changes.
So, upon the advice of her doctor, Sara started running, committing to twice-weekly running sessions with a personal trainer for three months. She pre-paid everything and arranged for all communication with the PT to go through her personal assistant so that she couldn’t cancel last minute.
‘By the time my alarm would go off at 5:30am, he’d already set off, so it just forced me to do it,’ she says. Talk about friction-maxxing.
‘By the end of the three months, [running] was so ingrained in me, I would just quite happily go out for a run on my own in the morning.’
How Sara’s fitness routine has changed
While Sara still loves running – she does the Great North Run most years – she says that her perspective has changed in recent years. Inspired by her ‘super fit’ mum’s approach to healthy ageing, and after connecting with a personal trainer specialising in midlife fitness, Sara’s mindset shifted – and so did her fitness routine.
‘I’ve spent years thinking I wanted to be thin, and actually now I’ve got to the point in my life whereby that’s not what’s driving me – I want to be fit and strong and healthy,’ she says. ‘I now look at the Gladiators and I’m like, oh my God, that’s what I want to be when I grow up.’
Sara’s current fitness routine
Sara aims to exercise three to four mornings during the week, adding a weekend run when she can.
Power walking
Now, though, walking makes up a bigger part of her routine.
On several weekday mornings, she goes power walking with different friends – usually wearing a weighted vest.
‘Not like a little stroll and a bit of chit-chat,’ she says of these workouts. ‘We are out of here and power walking for an hour at 6am with our weighted vests on – we do around 6k in an hour.’
Sara Davies
Weighted power walking has become an integral part of Sara’s routine
Power walking, she adds, has been helpful as it puts less pressure on her joints, while also keeping her at around 60-70% of her maximum heart rate – often referred to as ‘Zone 2 training’, where the body uses a greater proportion of fat for fuel than at higher exercise intensities.
‘Whereas when I go running, even though I don’t run that fast, I’m definitely operating above 70% of my heart rate, but fast walking keeps me right in that zone,’ says Sara.
While being in a calorie deficit – expending more energy than you consume – remains the primary driver of fat loss, Zone 2 exercise can play a valuable role in supporting sustainable weight loss if that’s your goal.
Strength training
Proving that strength training doesn’t have to be complicated, Sara says she aims for one to two home sessions a week. They last no longer than 40 minutes including a warm-up and finisher.
‘I don’t have any big, fancy, expensive equipment,’ she says, referring to the affordable dumbbells and kettlebells she’s collected.
Using a mixture of bodyweight, 5kg and 6kg dumbbells and 10kg and 20kg kettlebells, Sara follows a structured strength training plan from her PT Holly Davison, with sessions typically built around two blocks of three exercises.
Sara Davies
Sara’s home workout routine proves strength training doesn’t have to be complicated
‘I’ve got quite tight quads as a result of running, and my hip flexors are always quite tight, so a lot of the stuff she does with me is really focused around that.’
‘We seem to do an awful lot of deadlifting – my PT is always telling me how the deadlifts are really good for me.’
A compound movement (an exercise using more than one muscle group at once), deadlifts are great for building functional, full-body strength.
Other exercises Sara has been focusing on recently include:
Her next challenge? ‘I’ve just ordered a bar to clip over the top of the door frame because I see about dead hanging being really good for you, so I need to learn how to hang.’
Sara’s daily health habits
Alongside exercise, Sara has been focusing on the following health habits.
Supporting her strength training with enough protein (as well as adequate carbs, fibre and good fats), which is crucial for maintaining and building muscle. Never skipping breakfast.Refuelling after exercise. Meal prepping.A healthy sleep routine.Oral health – having recently learnt about the link between type 2 diabetes and gum disease, Sara has also started using a daily mouthwash from gum experts Corsodyl.
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.