Tana Ramsay is proof your 40s don’t have to mean slowing down. In her last decade, between completing three Ironman 70.3 races, she also gave birth to her fifth and sixth children – first at 44 and again at 49. Before that, by 41, she’d completed ‘12 London marathons and umpteen halfs’.
What is it about endurance training that appeals to her? The emotional release. ‘When you’re running, with your music on, you can cry,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘You can scream. That’s important. You can’t keep it in because it comes back to haunt you if you haven’t processed it. That’s what causes long-term problems.
‘Whether it is cycling and chatting together, or running and having a cry on your own, you have to have that release. You also have to have those moments where you allow yourself to feel really sad, when you’re thinking, “Why me?” We’re all going to think like that occasionally. It means we can handle it. It has drawn us together as a family.’
@gordongram//Instagram
Endurance sessions are how the wife of TV chef Gordon Ramsay and star of Being Gordon Ramsay’s processes emotions – but the idea that it can do so isn’t just anecdotal. Studies show moderate endurance running increases positive emotions both during and after exercise as it trains the brain to process and regulate emotions. Other research shows regular one-hour runs can offer consistent emotional benefits including reduced tension, anger and depression, proving that the “high” you feel from exercising is neurological and measurable – not just endorphin folklore.
But endurance cardio isn’t all Tana does. With strength training proven to reduce sports injuries by 66% – including those of endurance athletes – Tana does regular resistance work in the family’s home gym. As reported by the Daily Mail, below, she shares her top five exercises for keeping fit in your 40s.
Jan Hetfleisch//Getty Images
Tana Ramsay at the 2025 70.3 Ironman in Costa Navarino
Tana Ramsay’s 5-exercise workout1. Weighted running man
Do: 2 x 30 reps
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Lift one knee toward your chest while simultaneously pressing the opposite arm overhead, then quickly switch sides in a running motion. Keep your core tight, back straight, and land softly on each foot. Move at a controlled, rhythmic pace, maintaining balance throughout.
Do: 2 x 30 reps
Standing with feet hip-width apart hinge at the knees to come into a squat position – making sure your knees track over your toes and don’t extend past. With the weight in your heels push back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.
3. Weighted squat hold
Do: Squat for 30 secs, then hold for 30 secs. Repeat the cycle 3 times.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell close to your chest. Lower into a squat so your thighs are parallel to the floor and hold the position, keeping your chest upright and core engaged. Maintain even weight on both feet, knees aligned with toes, and breathe steadily while holding the pose.
Do: 2 x 30 reps
Sit on the floor with hands holding a medicine ball in front of your chest and lean your upper body back until abs are engaged. (Optional challenge: Hover legs off floor with knees slightly bent, so that legs and torso are forming a V-like shape.) Keep your lower body still while rotating your upper body to the right side until your right elbow is just off the mat, with your gaze following hands. Immediately rotate your torso to the left so that your left elbow is hovering just off the mat, gaze following your hands.
Do: 2 x 30 reps
Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair or bench, hands gripping the edge beside your hips, fingers facing downwards. Slide your hips off the edge, bending your elbows to lower your body until your arms form roughly 90-degree angles. Press through your palms to straighten your arms and lift back up. Keep your shoulders down and back, core engaged, and legs either bent or extended for added challenge.
@tanaramsay//Instagram
Besides managing stress, her goal with exercise is to live a long and healthy life. ‘At 80, I want to have energy,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘I want to be saying to Gordon, “Let’s go on holiday with our bikes and panniers, somewhere like Hawaii.” Enjoying our time after working so hard, just ambling around. That’s how I see us.’
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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. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and 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.Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, where we showcase 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.