Being slim and fit after 35

[JulieD123]

Hi all! I am looking for advice from women 35+ who manage to maintain a healthy weight and good level of fitness into their late 30s, 40s and beyond.

I am 34 and finally starting to look at nutrition and exercise from the POV of health and aging well vs aesthetic. I would like to take care of myself to feel great throughout the next decades of my life.

What works well for me currently is:

• whole food diet with loads of veggies, cooking from scratch as much as possible
• yoga + pilates + strength training 3/4 times a week

Curious to hear what other women recommended!

i don’t think there is a secret to this. Eat well and keep moving. Don’t drink too much alcohol and don’t smoke.

i don’t think doing heaps of formal exercise is the most important. I have had periods of time when I have been unable to dedicate time to go to the gym or go running etc BUT I have always had an ok diet.

I think having consistent habits with exercise and a healthy, moderate approach to eating and alcohol throughout life are the key. Unfortunately this is easier said than done.

Moderation! Eat sensibly, lots of fibre and protein. Regular exercise. Stay away from the cakes and sugar. Boring, possibly, and definitely predictable advice but it has worked for the last 67 years. Pilates is a very good shout, especially if you can afford the odd Reformer class. I ran about 30 miles a week until I was 50, but my knees complained thereafter, so now I walk them.

'I think having consistent habits with exercise and a healthy, moderate approach to eating and alcohol throughout life are the key. Unfortunately this is easier said than done.'

Completely agree. There is no magic secret. Just all of the above and being consistent with it, forever. It's not easy, but it really works and its so worth it

Like you OP, I got properly into health and fitness in my early 30s. I feel and look better than I did when I was 25, and I'm in better shape mentally and physically than ever

Mega healthy eating all the time
Loads of sleep
Little alcohol
Loads of water
Plenty of exercise
Sunscreen

Consistency is key
Weight training
no faddy diets like weight watchers

The best exercise you can do for mental and physical health is walking.
Everyone I know who are fit and active in later life walked a lot (and still do) and didn’t rely on cars. The people whose body’s are in best shape are the people who walk places instead of drive.

Different things work for different people. I'm 48, perimenopausal and easily maintaining my weight in 2 simple ways - intermittent fasting (16/8) and walking at least 10,000 steps a day. I'm staying slim with no effort in my opinion (I enjoy walking and fasting so it's very easy for me).
Others will enjoy the gym or low carbing, neither of which suit me. I think their are many different ways and you just have to find what suits you.
I've always been in to nutrition and love to eat lots of fruit and veg and other healthy things like nuts and pulses. I think the more healthy stuff you eat the less you want to eat rubbish.

I’m mid 40s and reasonably slim and fit. I do a lot of walking and yoga and am starting to get into weights. I eat what I want, but I try to eat plenty of protein & veg and drink lots of water.

I look at my mother, in her late 70s now, who has always been slim and fit. The main lesson I’ve learned from her is to stay as active as possible. She’s never done weight training or gone to a gym in her life, but she walks loads every day, cycled everywhere until she was about 70 (?), swims and does tai chi, gets public transport rather than driving. She’s an active person on a daily basis.

I would add stress management. The more I read, the more I'm convinced that if you can keep stress levels down (or at least have low stress periods regularly to balance the higher stress times) then all the body systems work better - exercise is more effective, food intake is better managed by the body, your hormones are less likely to get out of whack, etc.

Much easier said than done though

Yes to lots of walking. I also swim when I can.
No smoking.
I'd also say no faddy diets but a consistent diet of home cooked food as much as possible.

I would add meditation as well, stress is a killer so anything to relax is beneficial 😊

I am 36 and I made a complete life overhaul about 6 months ago to try and pave the way for health now and into my 40's. My aim primarily is to get the hormonal PCOS rollercoaster under control and any weight loss / aesthetic improvement is a bonus.

I do strength training twice a week, sometimes three times. I got a personal trainer to teach me correct form. I upped my protein intake and have protein at every meal / snack. I have minimal sugar and generally low carb, but I do eat some potatoes in small quantities (as they don't seem to affect me in the way that say pasta does). I need to do more walking - that's a goal.

I've started taking a multivitamin, fish oils and probiotic bacteria. Been doing lots of reading about gut health and fermented foods. I also sit out in the sun as much as I can for the vitamin D.

I go to bed usually at 9.30 now instead of 10pm+.

I now wear six 14 pants not 16! I can do full press-ups now, not just on my knees. I'm feeling way stronger and my body fat percentage is coming down. Still struggling with PMT / Ovulation rage / irregular periods so there is work to do, but I'm headed in the right direction.

I'm 44 and would say I am slim. At the end of last year I was the biggest I had ever been when not pregnant and really didn't like how I felt in myself. So in January I started running again - 3 times a week. I cut out all alcohol on weekdays and will only drink on the weekends - my tolerance has gone down and I can't drink much now anyway.
I started my fitness pal again and calorie counted until I had got where I wanted to be and now I don't do that anymore. After two months all my bad habits were broken, I no longer wanted to snack or overeat. My portion sizes naturally got smaller. I still treat myself from time to time and don't feel I am 'dieting' just healthy mindful eating. I've kept the extra weight of all year so far and never felt better. For me it was very much will power in the beginning to break bad habits.
I'm the same weight and clothes size now that I was when I was in my 20's.

I turned 40 this year and I would say I am slim and healthy. Some of this is my natural frame but I also gave up drinking which hugely changed my body shape. I do strength training once a week and a trail run too. I read that strength training is key for women in their 40s. I eat a balanced Mediterranean diet but don't deny myself anything either. And I take ashwanganda & maca for energy, hormonal balance and to help with the stress of a full time job & 3 small children! Can't recommend these enough!

Looking at my MIL who is 65 and in much better shape than me embarrassingly so

No takeaways , cooks from scratch

Walks 4+ miles a most days

Doesn't eat much processed food, if she wants cake she bakes it

Does YouTube weights routine a couple of times a week

She's retired so has a lot of time for all of the above and minimal stresses

I'm 34 in a few months, can I join in too? I enjoy running, walking and healthy eating. Am a teetotal and vegetarian.

So many great ideas!!

I would add that I had to give up alcohol 4 months ago because of long Covid and it had a huge effect on my sleep, skin and energy levels. I lost some weight too.

I calorie count, I run, I cycle to work (saving money as well as keeping fit) and I spend most of my lunchtimes in the gym lifting heavy stuff.

I still drink a lot because I really like drinking and it’s a big part of my social life. My diet is probably better than many, in the sense that I’ve never really had a sweet tooth or eaten fast food / junk, but it certainly isn’t clean eating. For me, it’s a balance: I’m not willing to sacrifice the things I enjoy but I don’t mind working out and find it fairly easy having calorie restrictive days.

I’m in my early 40s and still slim. In some ways I’m amazed as I come from a “fat” family so assumed it would get me at some point but equally being slim is important to me. I struggled being pregnant as I didn’t enjoy the extra weight and as soon as I gave birth I wanted my figure back asap. In my 40s I don’t work hard at it, yet I do what I need to do to maintain it.

I am careful with portion size and don’t snack. I prioritise eating fruit and veg, I’ve cut out UPFs if I want a cake, biscuit or bread I bake it myself. I don’t drink during the week and a treat is a square of organic dark chocolate which always takes the edge off any sugar cravings. I only drink tea and water. I’m naturally active and tend not to sit down unless driving or eating. In winter I do yoga everyday as I have more free time. I want to get into strength training, I’ve tried a bit of Caroline Girvan but it’s a struggle as I don’t enjoy it.

If I start putting on weight I will diet or increase the exercise but so far haven’t had to beyond the above.

I eat off a side plate for every meal, I never drink alcohol and eat between 10am and 6pm. I also have no particular interest in food so that helps keep my weight low! I also walk the dog for an hour every day and walk fast.

agree. I'm quite over weight and after years of struggling I realised its only a symptom of a deeper issue, that is not knowing how to deal with stress. I panic eat til I nearly burst and it keeps the stress at bay. Ive given up trying to lose the weight and beat myself up about my failures and instead focus on being relaxed and healthy mentally and physically. Hopefully the weight will go in time but my stress management has got to come first for a while.

45 here. Slim, fit, and have lots of energy.

• Exercise for your energy levels, better sleep, and mental health (I do something sweaty (HIIT, boxing, running) every day + walking and strength training with progressive overload a few times a week).
• You can't out exercise a bad diet, so: High-quality protein, good fats, no snacking, no processed foods, lots of veg. No alcohol.
• Take key supplements (different for everyone) based on your needs
• Prioritize sleep
• Don't get ideological about diet (vegan, keto, whatever..). Do what works for you. I was vegetarian for 15+ years until in my early 30s, it just didn't work for me anymore. Be prepared to change things as you age.
• Work movement into your daily life. Walking to the gym, the grocery store, taking the stairs, etc...
• We all get stressed, but figure out how to manage it well. Last year, I had 3 friends (with and without kids) who all took months off work for burnout. I have a busy life like everyone else, but my perceived stress is very low.

Great summary

The one are that I am trying to improve is sleep. I go to bed early-ish but then faff around reading and often I don't get enough sleep as a result.