For women juggling careers, family life and the countless demands of daily life, time can be one of the biggest obstacles to regular exercise. The issue isn’t necessarily a lack of motivation; often, it can feel like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Presenter Zoe Hardman can relate – but she’s found a solution.
‘I juggle a lot, so I do get many people messaging to ask me how I find the time to train – and how they can find the time, too,’ she told Women’s Fitness. ‘And while I know I’m very lucky to work on my business from home, I think it helps that I’ve made exercise a complete non-negotiable in my life. My workouts go in the diary and only come out if I have to film something for live TV. But I prioritise exercise over everything else because it ultimately helps me to be a better mum, a better broadcaster and a better human. It makes me feel like I can handle things a lot better, and it’s an hour for me where I don’t have my phone so no one’s trying to get me. I can just train and have fun’.
Now, she aims to hit three group PT sessions plus one Hybrid and one Hyrox session per week with her focus on ‘building muscle and keeping myself as strong as possible’, she shared on Instagram.
Speaking of her battle with an eating disorder in her 20s, she added: ‘At my worst, I was all about cardio and shredding and losing calories. Whereas now, it’s about gaining muscle, strengthening my bones and being strong. Once I hit 40, I had a good think about what I wanted my health to look like over the next 40 years, and one of the things I really wanted was to be strong – not for aesthetic reasons but because I want to protect my bones and my heart. I want to be able to pull myself up from a chair and go out for a walk when I’m in my 70s and 80s, and I want to stay strong for my kids. That’s why weight training is a key part of my exercise regime now.’
Below, find five key exercises Hardman incorporates into her routine. Together, they target some of the key qualities to preserve in midlife: muscle strength, power, balance and functional movement. Doing these regularly will counteract the natural muscle and bone loss that comes with ageing while maintaining mobility and independence. They tick every box, so here’s how to do them with proper form, plus demos from Hardman.
Zoe Hardman’s go-to strength exercises
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Sit upright holding the end of a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Press the weight overhead until your arms are straight, then lower with control.
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Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand. Step the foot on the same side as the dumbbell backwards and bend both knees to lower towards the floor. Drive through your front foot to return to standing. Complete all reps on one side before switching.
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Sit at the machine and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull the bar towards your upper chest, driving your elbows down, then slowly return to the start.Box jumps
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Stand facing a sturdy box with feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and swing your arms to jump onto the box, landing softly with both feet. Stand tall, then slowly step back down.
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Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench and a barbell across your hips. Drive through your feet to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, then lower with control.
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.