{"id":509379,"date":"2026-04-02T18:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/509379\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:37:10","slug":"i-turn-50-this-week-and-feel-better-than-ever-heres-what-i-added-to-my-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/509379\/","title":{"rendered":"I turn 50 this week and feel better than ever \u2013 here’s what I added to my routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tara Riley<\/a> is rejecting the idea that as we age, we need to slow down our exercise routines. “There’s this narrative that as you get older, you should pull back from cardio, but I don’t agree with that at all,” Tara tells us ahead of her upcoming milestone birthday.<\/p>\n

“We need challenging cardio. We need it in our bodies and in our brains. Coordination, rhythm, memory – those things matter more as we age, not less,” she implores.<\/p>\n

Far from being fastidious with her fitness and wellness, she says: “I don\u2019t track anything, I don\u2019t measure my workouts, my output, or my sleep. I don\u2019t wear a watch or own a scale. I know how I feel, and I\u2019ve learned to trust that.<\/p>\n

\"woman\u00a9 yogaandphoto.comTara has daily movement in her routine <\/p>\n

She continues: “I know when I\u2019m under-fuelled, I know when I\u2019ve pushed too hard, and I know when I need to pull back. That awareness has come with time, and learning to listen to it is a mindfulness practice in itself.”<\/p>\n

Feeling fit<\/p>\n

That said, as her 50th birthday approaches, Tara says: “I’m the fittest I’ve been in my adult life. It’s a different kind of fitness to when I was younger. I was a competitive gymnast when I was growing up and I was training for hours a day, doing flips, twists, and balancing on a four-inch beam, so that kind of fitness is very different. My body simply wouldn\u2019t do those things now and probably shouldn\u2019t!<\/p>\n

“What\u2019s changed [as an adult] is the\u00a0quality. I have more awareness. I understand and can use my breath, and my pace has shifted. I can move more slowly, with more intention, which is often much harder than moving fast. I might not be flipping through the air anymore, but there’s a depth and awareness to my movement now that I didn\u2019t have back then.”<\/p>\n

A changing routine<\/p>\n

On her midlife exercise routine, Tara notes: “What I have added more consciously is resistance training. That includes heavier resistance within barre, more balance work, and incorporating weights. It’s about supporting muscle strength and bone health, but in a way that still feels good in my body.”<\/p>\n

As a fitness professional, Tara works out daily, doing a little Pilates, barre, strength, and dance cardio each day. “Barre is probably where my body feels happiest and what I do for myself most days. Over time, I\u2019ve learned there\u2019s a balance; too much heavy weight training and things start to feel off; too little Pilates and I notice that too. And without the energy of dance cardio, my head isn\u2019t as clear.”<\/p>\n

\"woman\u00a9 yogaandphoto.comTara says her routine has changed as she’s got older<\/p>\n

“This combination hasn\u2019t come from a trend or a plan; it\u2019s come from years of trial, error, and paying attention. I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 27<\/a>, and this forced me to listen properly to my body. I don\u2019t push through for the sake of it anymore; I adjust, I respond, I work with it. And that\u2019s what\u2019s allowed me to keep going.”<\/p>\n

My diet at 50<\/p>\n

Tara says she follows a “consistent rather than strict” diet. She eats smoked mackerel on seeded sourdough toast with fresh tomatoes and spinach every morning for breakfast, and has cut out dairy and eggs. “I avoid fried and heavily processed foods because they trigger inflammation and joint pain. That\u2019s just experience, I\u2019ve learned what doesn\u2019t work for my body.”<\/p>\n

That said, she notes: “I\u2019m not rigid. I enjoy food, I enjoy a glass of wine, and I\u2019ll absolutely have something sweet if I want it. I don\u2019t follow a set plan, but I do prioritise protein because I know I feel better when I do. It\u2019s less about rules and more about knowing what supports me.”<\/p>\n

\"woman\u00a9 @yogaandphotoTara shares her health and fitness routine at 50
\nMy simple supplement routine<\/p>\n

Tara keeps her supplement regimen simple, taking collagen\u00a0<\/a>for joint and bone health, turmeric to help manage inflammation, and magnesium\u00a0<\/a>“on and off” for muscle recovery and sleep.<\/p>\n

Advice for others<\/p>\n

As for words of wisdom for other midlife women dreaming of amping up their fitness, Tara reassures: “Fitness isn\u2019t like a pension; it\u2019s never too late to start.”<\/p>\n

On where to start, Tara says: “Pilates is a brilliant place to begin. It teaches you how to really listen to your body, build control, and understand how everything connects.<\/p>\n

\"woman\u00a9 Cecilia Cristolovean-CsikyMovement shapes Tara’s every day <\/p>\n

“Barre is also incredibly effective. I have clients in their 70s who absolutely love it, and who are stronger, more balanced, and more confident because of it.”<\/p>\n

The bottom line? “More than anything, it\u2019s about finding something that makes you feel good in your body, something that makes you feel alive and joyful while you\u2019re doing it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tara Riley is rejecting the idea that as we age, we need to slow down our exercise routines.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6647,102,23018,50021,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-509379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-fitness","11":"tag-second-act-fitness","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}