weights<\/a> to making everyday movement count, here are the habits that have become part of her wellbeing routine \u2013 and why experts say they\u2019re particularly valuable after 50.<\/p>\n1. She prioritises strength training<\/p>\n
Rather than focusing on endless cardio, Cox has made resistance training a regular part of her week, previously telling Good Housekeeping that strength training is \u2018really important for women\u2019 and something she aims to fit in a couple of times each week.<\/p>\n
After completing her extraordinary challenge of five marathons in five days for BBC Children in Need, she also documented her gradual return to training, starting with light weights and low repetitions rather than rushing back into intense workouts. <\/p>\n
2. She makes movement part of everyday life<\/p>\n
Not every workout has to happen in the gym! Sara has said she\u2019s a firm believer in walking more, whether that\u2019s taking her dog out or choosing the stairs instead of the lift at work.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an example of what fitness professionals call NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) \u2013 the everyday movement that can make a significant contribution to overall health. <\/p>\n
3. She finds exercise she genuinely enjoys<\/p>\n
Alongside weight training, Cox has spoken about loving Blaze, the HIIT-inspired class at David Lloyd gyms that combines cardio, boxing and strength work. She\u2019s also a keen horse rider, an activity that builds balance, coordination and core strength while being relatively gentle on the joints. <\/p>\n
4. She focuses on consistency rather than perfection
<\/p>\n
Back in 2022, Cox completed a 10-week fitness programme that also saw her give up alcohol temporarily, saying afterwards that she felt \u2018ruddy ace\u2019 and had loved taking a break from drinking. But perhaps the biggest lesson from her approach is that healthy habits don\u2019t have to be all or nothing.<\/p>\n
\u2018Women often feel guilty about taking time for themselves,\u2019 says GH\u2019s Kim Hawley. \u2018One particularly effective strategy is reframing. Instead of thinking you\u2019re \u201cgoing to the gym\u201d, think of it as \u201ctraining\u201d. It shifts the focus from self-indulgence to purpose. Equally, saying \u201cI\u2019m going to train\u201d rather than \u201cI might train\u201d creates commitment instead of leaving the door open for excuses.<\/p>\n
\u2018Another simple mindset shift is to plan the session to be easy as a rule. Thinking it will be hard before you\u2019ve even started can be a barrier in itself, whereas once you\u2019re moving and warmed up, you\u2019ll almost always do more than you expected.<\/p>\n
\u2018And do try habit stacking: adding small bursts of movement to things you already do every day. 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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ultimately, healthy aging<\/a> isn\u2019t built on occasional bursts of motivation. It\u2019s 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.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is it possible to transform your attitude to health and fitness whatever your age? Yes, it really is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4959,225476,1107,499,103,61,60,184510,1135,225475,223989],"class_list":["post-529555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-21839071-c2dc-4bbd-b787-88e2cc261432","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-4-diet-and-fitness-hacks-transformed-sara-coxs-body-at-51","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}