{"id":614520,"date":"2026-09-04T18:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T18:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/614520\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T18:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T18:20:15","slug":"im-a-busy-44-year-old-mum-here-are-the-5-simple-things-i-did-to-change-my-body-composition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/614520\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I\u2019m a busy 44-year-old mum \u2013 here are the 5 simple things I did to change my body composition’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Doctor and mum of 7-year-old twin boys Rewa Keegan<\/a> says there\u2019s one question she gets asked more than anything else: \u2018How did she get toned?\u2019 It\u2019s something we\u2019re often asked for advice on here at Women\u2019s Health, but the term \u201ctoned\u201d is technically marketing jargon. It\u2019s impossible to \u201ctone\u201d a muscle; when someone says they want to get toned, what they mean is that they want more defined or visible muscles. To do that, you need to change your body composition by building more muscle<\/a> and reducing body fat levels to reveal more muscle underneath. <\/p>\n

If it sounds hard, Keegan\u2019s story is proof that even with two young children and a busy career, simple changes to your routine can be enough to achieve your goal. <\/p>\n

\u2018I used to chase the short-term aesthetics, and ironically it never worked (probs because I was scared that 5kg pink dumbbells would make me bulky),\u2019 Keegan says on Instagram<\/a>. \u2018What actually worked was [training] for a completely different reason. I want to be a gangster granny. Muscly, ripped, full of life, hiking mountains, beating my grandkids at everything, still running races when I\u2019m eighty. That\u2019s the actual goal. The way I look now is just a nice side effect of training for that.\u2019<\/p>\n

One thing that everyone will need is patience. \u2018This took years, not weeks or months,\u2019 Keegan adds. \u2018And genetics and circumstances are different for everyone; I\u2019m not promising you\u2019ll get this exact result. But the principles hold. Fuel properly, train consistently, tolerate the uncomfortable phase, and recover properly.\u2019<\/p>\n

Below, she shares the five things that made a difference \u2013 and why.<\/p>\n

How to change your body composition after 401.She switched cardio for 1-2 weekly strength sessions<\/p>\n

\u2018I used to do a lot of cardio and group fitness classes. Now it\u2019s one to two dedicated strength sessions a week, plus functional training, and I\u2019m generally active most days, six sessions a week of some mix of cardio and strength.\u2019<\/p>\n

2. She switched to a plant-based diet and quit counting calories and macros<\/p>\n

\u2018I started by switching to a plant-based diet, stopped counting calories or macros entirely, and just focused on filling up on whole foods. Protein mattered, but I wasn\u2019t obsessive about it.\u2019<\/p>\n

3. She didn\u2019t give up as her weight initially increased\"bodyInstagram<\/p>\n

Instagram @drrewakeegan<\/p>\n

\u2018As my muscle mass increased, my weight went up and my clothes got tighter. That phase is genuinely uncomfortable, and I think it\u2019s where a lot of people give up, because it looks and feels like it\u2019s going wrong. I wasn\u2019t worried, because I knew exactly why it was happening. Muscle is the organ of longevity. Over the long run, my body fat percentage came down naturally, but that only happened because I let the uncomfortable phase run its course instead of panicking out of it.\u2019<\/p>\n

4. She gave up alcohol and focused on recovery\"bodyInstagram<\/p>\n

Instagram @drrewakeegan<\/p>\n

\u2018Two other things mattered more than I expected. Giving up alcohol removed a lot of empty calories I wasn\u2019t accounting for. And in the last year specifically, recovery has made the biggest difference of anything. I was training hard but under recovering, and muscle is actually built in the recovery, not just the session.\u2019<\/p>\n

5. She started supplementing with creatine and protein <\/p>\n

\u2018Two small extras that helped, though I don\u2019t think either is the actual secret. Five grams of creatine daily, which has helped my strength, energy and recovery. And a regular high-quality protein supplement, useful on a plant-based diet where hitting protein targets takes more effort. They added maybe an extra five to ten per cent on top of a programme that was already working.\u2019<\/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