IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START

Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.

- ASHLEIGH AUSTEN

If you've never had a regular exercise routine, or you haven't for many years, it can be a daunting prospect to start.

We know it's good for us, but that doesn't make it any easier to pull on a pair of leggings.

Whether due to an ongoing injury, a change in life circumstances or a lack of motivation, even the thought of stepping into a gym can break many of us into a sweat.

But according to Malin Svensson (right), midlife is the perfect time to start moving - regardless of what shape you're in.

She has spent the past 35 years working with clients over 50, and is a firm believer that movement starts with mindset.

"You have to ask yourself what it means to be 'old'," Malin says.

"Society has brainwashed us to believe that after 50, it's all downhill." This couldn't be further from the truth. At 62, the LA-based trainer is the fittest she's been and says that she has worked out with people in their twenties who are in bad shape and those in their seventies who are in great shape.

"I work out more now than I did in my thirties. I do more strength training in my sixties because I've seen what happens when you don't." Beyond how you look, keeping your body in functioning order is paramount as we hit 40 and beyond.

With the onset of menopause and lower oestrogen levels, women lose muscle mass as well as the stamina they had in their thirties, which means that incorporating strength training is vital.

"I work out to be able to live to 100 without any aches and pains and to live a life of quality. If you're in your sixties, how do you picture yourself as an 80 or 90-year-old? If you want to travel and enjoy it and not be pushed around in a wheelchair, think about how you plan to do that."

Move more to live longer