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
Countless studies prove it's worth fitting some movement into your day. Not only can it help stave off chronic health conditions and improve your mood, but it aids longevity.
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
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.
