{"id":589929,"date":"2026-08-11T12:38:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/589929\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T12:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:38:20","slug":"gillian-anderson-shares-the-two-time-saving-workouts-she-does-to-stay-strong-at-58-i-dont-try-that-hard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/589929\/","title":{"rendered":"Gillian Anderson shares the two time-saving workouts she does to stay strong at 58: \u2018I don\u2019t try that hard\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gillian Anderson has never been a gym bunny. Instead, there are two gym-free, affordable and efficient ways she stays fit \u2013 and neither requires much effort. Speaking of her preferred workouts, the X-Files star and mum-of-three, who turned 58 yesterday, previously told the Daily Mail<\/a>, \u2018I don\u2019t try that hard to stay in shape.\u2019 <\/p>\n

But while she might not be one for pushing herself, she does know how beneficial keeping active with age is. On an episode of How To Fail with Elizabeth Day<\/a>, she shared that after decades of stubbornly rejecting exercise, since turning 55, she felt \u2018ready\u2019. \u2018People talk about longevity and if you want to live longer or be able to pick up your grandchildren, and so in that context, I feel like: OK, I\u2019m ready now,\u2019 she said. \u2018I am going to do it the way I want to do it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Below, find the two workouts she does right now, and everything she\u2019s said about her routine. <\/p>\n

\"gillian<\/p>\n

Instagram<\/p>\n

Gillian Anderson\u2019s workout routine NEAT exercise<\/p>\n

On How To Fail, she shared that she had started to \u2018work with a trainer on an app.\u2019 \u2018She sends me things,\u2019 she explained. \u2018You know, it\u2019s even the smallest things such as not taking the lift, taking the stairs, you know, all the things that you hear.\u2019<\/p>\n

The type of movement she\u2019s referring to is known as NEAT exercise<\/a>. Standing for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, it\u2019s the energy you burn through everyday movement that doesn’t require the time taken on planned workouts, like walking<\/a>, gardening and doing household chores.<\/p>\n

As Anderson explains, it might not feel like much effort, but everyday movement like this has a much bigger impact on your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE<\/a>) than your structured gym workouts. NEAT accounts for roughly 50% of the calories you burn each day; structured exercise typically contributes to only around 10%. It\u2019s about finding more opportunities to move across each day \u2013 without having to carve out time for intentional exercise. Some examples include: <\/p>\n

Washing the car Fidgeting Walking upstairs Walking the dog Carry grocery shopping Gardening Playing with children or pets Using a standing desk<\/a> Walking to the gym, shops, office instead of taking public or private transport\"gillian<\/p>\n

Gisela Schober\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Yoga<\/p>\n

Yoga<\/a> has been a two-for-one mind-and-body workout in Anderson\u2019s fitness routine for years. She first mentioned it in an interview with InStyle<\/a> in 1998, when she was explained she had been practicing since attending DePaul University in Chicago. \u2018I remember it was 3 in the morning and I’d just come home and I was going to do yoga,\u2019 she laughed. \u2018I did this one posture that you’re not supposed to do if you had any alcoholic beverages. And I did it collapsed on the floor.\u2019<\/p>\n

One year later, she told Redbook<\/a> she had been \u2018doing yoga again for the first time in a long time\u2019, adding that, \u2018I always thought that unless I was sprinting and lifting weights, I wasn\u2019t doing anything.\u2019 <\/p>\n

In 2015, she told the Daily Mail: \u2018I go through stages of yoga a few times a week.\u2019 Just last year, she revealed to Elle<\/a> that she still uses \u2018meditation and yoga\u2019 to connect her mind to her body, adding that \u2018I do notice the difference when I allow myself the time to take that space and connect the mind and body.\u2019 <\/p>\n

From attending university in 1996 to now, that\u2019s 30 years of a regular yoga practice. And it\u2019s no wonder Anderson has stuck with it: studies show that as well as calming your mind, it will boost flexibility, strength, balance and mobility<\/a> \u2013 all especially important as we age. Double the benefits from a single workout.<\/p>\n

\"gillian<\/p>\n

Instagram<\/p>\n

Final thoughts <\/p>\n

Anderson\u2019s routine is a reminder that fitness doesn\u2019t have to mean pushing your body to its limits or carving out hours per week for gym workouts. Her biggest priorities are making fitness fit seamlessly into her life and making it functional: she uses NEAT exercise to prolong her life and stay fit for grandchildren; practices yoga to bring her mental clarity; and she\u2019s previously shared that she brings in a personal trainer when a particular acting role requires it. It\u2019s about making it work for you.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

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":"Gillian Anderson has never been a gym bunny. Instead, there are two gym-free, affordable and efficient ways she…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":589930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[131705,131377,1134,249266,1107,499,1110,103,61,60,184510,1135,249265,223989],"class_list":["post-589929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-collection-fit-at-any-age","tag-collection-fitness-app","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-c2982461-9178-4c9e-ac25-83e04403ffb6","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-gillian-andersons-workout-routine-at-58","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589929","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=589929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}