{"id":927840,"date":"2026-10-10T13:58:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T13:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/927840\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T13:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T13:58:22","slug":"julie-hesmondhalgh-56-uses-exercise-snacks-to-stay-fit-without-the-gym-im-fitter-than-i-was-in-my-30s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/927840\/","title":{"rendered":"Julie Hesmondhalgh, 56, uses exercise snacks to stay fit without the gym: \u2018I’m fitter than I was in my 30s\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to staying fit as you age, you don\u2019t need to spend hours in the gym. Celebrity Traitors star and former Coronation Street actor Julie Hesmondhalgh, 56, is proof, revealing that exercise snacks \u2013 short bursts of movement incorporated into her day \u2013 are the reason she\u2019s fitter now than she was in her 30s.<\/p>\n

‘I’m fitter than I ever was in my 30s and healthier in mind, body and spirit,\u2019 she told Good To Know<\/a>. \u2018I do a lot of dog walking<\/a>, a bit of yoga<\/a> in the morning. I started it mainly to keep me calm when my kids were growing up.’<\/p>\n

Her yoga sessions consist of \u2018just ten minutes of stretches<\/a>\u2019, but she says \u2018I do think it’s changed my life. I’m stronger and don’t get as ill nearly as much.’<\/p>\n

\"julie<\/p>\n

Dave Benett\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

What are exercise snacks? <\/p>\n

They\u2019re short bursts of activity that can be spread throughout the day. That might mean a 10-minute yoga session or a five-minute dog walk at the start and end of the day like Hesmondhalgh, or even walking up the stairs for a few minutes instead of taking the lift.<\/p>\n

Exercise snack examplesQuick dog walkWalking up the stairs over taking the lift Squatting while brushing your teeth A quick dance burst while listening to music Cycling to the shopsA few rounds of calf raises while sitting downA 5-10-minute morning mobility or yoga routineCarrying shopping bags around the shopping centre\/supermarketWalking up a few flights of stairs at intervals during the dayGetting up and walking around for a few minutes every hour Why exercise snacks work<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> shows that a short exercise snack of just five minutes a day could significantly improve your fitness and mental health, and according to another study<\/a>, even just one minute of exercise could have health benefits.<\/p>\n

The appeal is that there\u2019s no need to carve out a full hour for exercise. For Hesmondhalgh, juggling filming with family life means that breaking movement down into smaller, more manageable chunks is significantly more achievable \u2013 and therefore, effective. After all, a 10-minute routine you can actually do regularly is likely to be more beneficial for your fitness than an hour-long workout you can only commit to every couple of weeks. <\/p>\n

Hesmondhalgh\u2019s approach is a reminder that getting fitter in midlife doesn\u2019t necessarily mean doing more, harder or longer workouts. It’s about making movement a regular part of your day to build a routine that lasts. We\u2019re sold.<\/p>\n

Want to train like Liz Earle<\/a>? Liz\u2019s PT, Michael Garry, has created a 4-week training plan exclusively for members of the WH COLLECTIVE. It\u2019s designed to remove one of the biggest barriers to fitness: time. You\u2019ll train for just 35 minutes three times a week \u2013 Liz\u2019s exact strategy to build muscle, boost metabolism and support long-term health. Tap the link below to unlock 14 free days of training and start Liz\u2019s plan today.<\/p>\n

GET THE PLAN<\/a><\/p>\n

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As Women\u2019s Health UK\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine\u2019s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!<\/p>\n

Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner\u2019s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in <\/a>print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as \u2018Fit At Any Age\u2019, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.<\/p>\n

She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks \u2013 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. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to staying fit as you age, you don\u2019t need to spend hours in the gym.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":927841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,184086,181853,181517,4671,318701,784,407,787,84,237154,783,318700,273948],"class_list":["post-927840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-collection-fit-at-50","tag-collection-fit-at-any-age","tag-collection-fitness-app","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-b3e3b586-be07-4d43-a73d-9b3ece9e160e","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-why-julie-hesmondhalgh-swears-by-exercise-snacks","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/927841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=927840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=927840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}