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The five​ simple exercises ​that are crucial in midlife​

Published

2 years ago

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The five​ simple exercises ​that are crucial in midlife​

I’ve been a personal trainer for more than two decades now, so I know that building up and maintaining strength, rather than succumbing to muscle loss, can be the difference between whether you suffer a bruise or a broken bone if you fall over later in life. 

The decision to keep your joints moving now will determine the range of motion you have for decades to come. These two pillars of physical health – strength and mobility – can be built up in the comfort of your own home, all you need to do is invest in some weights. And the earlier you start, the better.

Midlife should be a time when we stop exercising in pursuit of that elusive toned belly and instead focus on priming our body to weather the ageing process. Here’s how to do it. 

Strength exercises

From around 30, we typically lose three to 8 per cent of our muscle each decade, which limits our ability to do simple activities, such as walking up the stairs. Strengthening exercises help combat this by building muscle back up. 

Using weights also increases our bone mineral density, protecting against osteoporosis – when the bones become brittle, fragile and more likely to break – which is especially prevalent among women due to hormonal changes during the menopause.

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Building muscle is also great for our metabolic health, because muscle eats up more calories at rest and during exercise, meaning it can protect against the midlife spread (an expanding waistline). It can also keep blood sugar levels in check.

For beginners, start with lighter weights and repeat each exercise 12 to 15 times, followed by a one to two minute break. Complete three to four sets, two to three times a week. Over time, select heavier weights with the goal of reducing the number of repetitions you can perform to six. Practised weightlifters can jump to heavier weights and perform fewer reps.

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Fitness

Share your health and fitness questions for Devi Sridhar, Mariella Frostrup, and Joel Snape

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2 hours ago

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January 7, 2026

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Share your health and fitness questions for Devi Sridhar, Mariella Frostrup, and Joel Snape

There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.

To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.

To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?

Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.

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