At 67, Debbie McGee is making a conscious effort to stay active – even now, when an injury has stopped her from doing the Pilates, yoga and dance workouts she’d usually turn to.
Speaking to Good Housekeeping, the TV star revealed that she’s had a damaged inguinal tendon in her abdomen for the last year, which has forced her to get creative when it comes to incorporating exercise into her day.
While she tried to keep going with her workouts to begin with, she found that they aggravated the injury. As a result, she’s had to stop doing any movements that involve bending forwards.
Debbie McGee’s daily movement hack
But Debbie’s not letting that stop her. Instead, she’s started habit-stacking her movement, using different spots around the kitchen as cues to bend, stretch and lift weights.
‘While I’m around the kitchen, I do things like rising up on my feet to strengthen my calf muscles,’ she said. ‘And I do my old ballet pliés, which are like squats, really. If I’m bending down to go in a cupboard, I can’t bend forward with my stomach, so I bend my knees out, like ballet second position.
‘I do that every time I go into a cupboard. So that’s keeping me exercising all the time. That keeps your legs stretched and strong.’
She continued: ‘I’ve got two light weights in the kitchen for my arms, because I thought, “Oh, no, my arms are starting to go a bit.” So, I’ve started doing bicep curls and things like that while I’m waiting for something to boil. I want to make sure my arms and my legs stay strong.’
Debbie’s approach is one all of us could benefit from – even if you don’t have dumbbells lying around to do bicep curls while the kettle boils. While setting aside another hour a week to squeeze in an additional gym session might not be possible when you’re juggling a busy schedule, doing calf raises while you brush your teeth, or working through 10 squats every time you go to the toilet, is much more achievable.
Habit-stacking is also a great way to stay consistent – something Debbie said she learned from her late husband, magician Paul Daniels.
‘Paul used to say, “Every time you walk through a doorway, pull your tummy in and stand up straighter,”’ she said. ‘And if you connect a doorway with that, you do suddenly go, “Oh, yeah, I’m slouching; I’m going to stand more upright.” All those little things add up.’
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Lauren Geall is deputy site editor for Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK. She graduated from Exeter University with a BA in English Literature before studying an MA in Magazine Journalism at City, University London. She’s been writing about health, fitness and wellbeing for over five years, with a total of seven years in digital journalism. Prior to her current role, she worked at Stylist as the acting health and fitness editor. As well as being a keen runner, Lauren is passionate about women’s sport and can often be found cheering on Arsenal Women at the Emirates or keeping tabs on the Red Roses’ latest win.