{"id":816178,"date":"2026-10-28T04:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T04:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/816178\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T04:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T04:58:09","slug":"emmerdales-lisa-riley-50-lost-12-stone-by-making-exercise-enjoyable-her-walking-and-workout-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/816178\/","title":{"rendered":"Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley, 50, lost 12 stone by making exercise enjoyable \u2013 her walking and workout routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Radical weight loss might be more visible than ever, thanks in part to the rise of GLP-1<\/a> medications, but there\u2019s still plenty to be said for finding forms of exercise you genuinely enjoy \u2013 and Lisa Riley is a case in point.
<\/p>\n

The Emmerdale star has opened up about finding an approach to fitness that works for her in a new interview with Closer<\/a> magazine. Her go-to workouts are varied, but they have one thing in common: she actually enjoys doing them.<\/p>\n

\u2018I go to the gym because I want to go,\u2019 she reveals. \u2018I like doing classes like Zumba<\/a>. But I do run around a lot too. When I am on set, I easily hit 10,000 steps<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

A former Strictly Come Dancing contestant \u2013 she starred in the 10th series back in 2012 \u2013 Riley also credits dancing<\/a> and yoga<\/a> with helping her stay active, previously sharing on social media that a private yoga session was \u2018just what\u2019s needed\u2019 to boost both body and mind after a busy day.<\/p>\n

We know that varying your training can help keep exercise interesting and make it easier to stay consistent \u2013 and Riley\u2019s mix of Zumba, gym sessions, walking and yoga certainly offers plenty of inspiration. Here\u2019s a closer look at some of her favourite ways to move.
<\/p>\n

Zumba<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, Zumba is a Latin American-style fusion of dance moves and music, mixed with more traditional strength exercises such as squats and lunges. It can help improve coordination and cardiovascular fitness, while offering a more playful alternative to conventional cardio.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also highly adaptable. As instructor and founder of The Body People<\/a>, Chloe Redmond previously told Women\u2019s Health:<\/p>\n

\u2018[Zumba] doesn’t have to be too complicated. If you allow people to put their spice and flavour [in it] with different dance styles, music and genres, it can be really flexible and well-rounded. It’s a nice cross between the dance and fitness world.\u2019<\/p>\n

Gym sessions<\/p>\n

Riley\u2019s no stranger to a sweaty, HIIT<\/a>-based gym workout, either.<\/p>\n

\u2018The reason I love love love going to the gym at least five\/six times a week..because I know when I look like I do in my little video….then I have pushed myself to the max,\u2019 she revealed in Prima<\/a> magazine.<\/p>\n

Her go-to move? The humble squat<\/a>, which she credits with giving her a \u2018@jlo ass\u2019.<\/p>\n

While Riley\u2019s own gym routine can be high-intensity, the bigger takeaway is that she\u2019s found a form of exercise she actively wants to return to \u2013 rather than viewing workouts as a punishment.<\/p>\n

Walking<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one form of exercise that has dominated the fitness conversation over the past decade, it\u2019s walking \u2013 and with good reason.<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> suggests that regular walking is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease<\/a>, dementia<\/a> and depression<\/a>, among other health benefits, while also supporting healthy ageing and weight management.<\/p>\n

Riley\u2019s 10,000-steps-a-day habit is another example of how movement doesn\u2019t have to mean a formal workout. She says she can easily hit that number while working on set, simply by being on the move throughout the day.<\/p>\n

And that might be the most useful lesson from Riley\u2019s approach: exercise doesn\u2019t have to look one particular way. Whether it\u2019s a Zumba class, a gym session, a walk or a yoga class, finding something you genuinely enjoy can make staying active feel much more sustainable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Radical weight loss might be more visible than ever, thanks in part to the rise of GLP-1 medications,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":816179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[149632,149736,148305,148106,379,267815,381,6647,102,190731,1156,267814,223205,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-816178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-collection-celebrity-workouts","tag-collection-fit-at-50","tag-collection-fit-at-any-age","tag-collection-fitness-app","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-fae56973-d09f-4779-a8cf-b247aee98432","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-how-lisa-riley-learned-to-enjoy-exercise","tag-sponsored-false","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816178","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=816178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}