I want food that’s nutritious and convenient, which helps me hit my protein and fiber goals so I stay fuller for longer after eating, but doesn’t require me to spend hours in the kitchen using lots of different ingredients.

So, I asked registered dietitian Johannah Katz RD, who works as a dietitian for coffee brand Kaffico, for some tips. What does she reach for again and again on her weekly grocery run to make healthy meals at home?

“Whole Foods is one of my go-to grocery stores,” Katz tells Fit&Well. “As a registered dietitian and mom-of-two, I look for foods that are nutritious and versatile but also realistic for busy family life.”

These five food staples make it easier to create balanced meals without needing lots of different ingredients.

Here are Katz’s Whole Foods staples.

1. Frozen fruit

“Berries and bananas are favorites in our house because they are naturally sweet, kid-friendly, and incredibly versatile,” Katz says.

“I often buy frozen berries because they last longer, help reduce food waste, and are always ready for smoothies.”

Frozen fruit is rich in fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants, helping support gut health, skin health and immune function.

As well as being more convenient, frozen fruit is frozen shortly after it’s been harvested, which means its nutrients are preserved until you eat them. No more overripe fruit left festering in the back of the fridge!

2. Frozen cauliflower rice

“Frozen cauliflower rice is one of my favorite shortcuts. It has a mild flavor, cooks quickly, and makes it easy to add another vegetable to meals,” Katz says.

“I even blend a small amount into smoothies because it adds creaminess without significantly changing the flavor, which is an easy way to get more vegetables into my children’s day,” she adds.

Rich in vitamin C, vitamin K and fiber, Katz also adds cauliflower rice to stir-fries and grain bowls to support immune function, bone health and digestion.

As a bonus, it’s naturally lower in carbs and calories compared with regular rice, making it an easy way to bulk out meals without sacrificing on volume or satiety.

3. Lean ground beef

“Lean ground beef is another practical staple because it cooks quickly and can be used in so many family-friendly meals,” Katz says.

It’s an excellent source of protein, which helps maintain muscle mass and satiety, as well as iron and vitamin B12 which are needed to help you maintain your energy levels.

“We make tacos frequently using lean ground beef because everyone can customize their own with the toppings they enjoy,” says Katz. “I also use the beef in rice bowls, pasta sauce, or simple skillet meals.”

4. Asparagus

“Asparagus is one of the non-starchy vegetables everyone in our household enjoys,” says Katz. “I usually roast it as an easy side for dinner.”

Rich in folate, vitamin K and fiber, asparagus supports cell growth, bone health and digestion. It’s also naturally low in calories, making it an easy way to add volume and nutrients to a plate without impacting your overall calorie intake too much.

5. Greek yogurt

“Greek yogurt provides a convenient source of protein that works for breakfast, snacks, or meals on the go,” says Katz.

As well as protein, Greek yoghurt is also a source of calcium and probiotics, and helps to support muscle maintenance, bone health and gut health.

Because it’s strained to remove excess whey and liquid, Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt and typically contains around double the protein per serving too.

Opt for low-sugar options like Katz, who eats it with fruit, adds it to smoothies, or uses it as a higher-protein substitute for sour cream in savory dishes.

It’s a great way to boost my step count without even leaving the house, which as, a single mom with limited childcare, is a godsend.

I’ve tried plenty of sessions on YouTube, and tried five of the most popular 1,000-step walking workout videos.

I prefer the shorter videos because I can squeeze them into a desk break, or while I’m on lunch.

So I was intrigued when I discovered this 1.0 Mile Happy Walk from Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone, which has racked up over 150 million views over two videos (the original video had a glitch and was reposted).

This makes it the most-watched indoor walking workout on YouTube, and as far as I’m concerned, worth a try.

Watch the 1.0 Mile Happy Walk

My experience trying the 1.0 Mile Happy Walk

I gave the workout a try myself, and here’s what I discovered.

1. The 15-minute format made it very easy to fit in

The workout only takes 15 minutes and you don’t need any equipment, or even much space, making it ideal to do in a lunch break or even between meetings.

It involves four easy steps: walking on the spot, side steps, kicks and a march.

Sansone also makes you do some walking forward and backward as well as side to side, so it’s great for coordination, too.

For someone who struggles to fit activity into my day, I found it was a convenient way to get moving. And because it is all low-impact, it’s well-suited to people new to exercise or returning after a break.

2. It worked more than just my legs

I expected my legs to do all the work but I could feel my whole body getting involved.

Rather than just accumulating steps, the workout ask you to move in different directions and encourages you to move your arms as well.

I went from doing overhead presses to shoulder rolls and lateral side reaches, as well as pumping the arms while power walking.

We did a hamstring curl with arm pull-backs, a standing crunch and even the grapevine—which reminded me of doing my mum’s workout videos as a teenager.

This made it feel like more of a workout than simply marching to hit a step target.

3. It got my heart rate up without feeling too intense

My Apple Watch recorded my heart rate at 93 bpm at the start, peaking at 131 bpm, with an average of 116 bpm.

It also estimated that I burned 98 calories in total.

I have to say, even though it wasn’t as challenging as my normal strength training sessions, and I wasn’t super sweaty, I was still surprised by how much effort it took for something labelled a walk.

The continuous marching, broken up with faster steps and larger movements, made it a gentle cardio session.

4. It was really fun

Exercise doesn’t need to be about getting your personal best or dripping in sweat by the end. It can just be about having fun while moving your body.

I spend a lot of time writing on my laptop, so taking a desk break to move—particularly doing something fun and playful, which felt a bit like a line dancing lesson—was a big mood booster.

I’ll definitely do this one again, particularly as it’s so quick and easy to fit into my busy schedule.

Injuries usually happen when you suddenly ask your body to do something it isn’t ready to.

For instance, if you haven’t run for years and suddenly start pounding the sidewalk every day, you’re asking your muscles, tendons, joints and bones to absorb a workload they've not gradually adapted to.

You may also need more time to recover from intense exercise than you did when you were younger.

But if you train smart—gradually progressing your workouts so your muscles and connective tissues get stronger—your body gets better at producing and tolerating force.

Your nervous system also improves its coordination, which further reduces your chance of falling or getting injured.

“An injury can be a major interrupter in someone’s fitness journey, often forcing them to reduce or completely pause activity,” says trainer Bianca Grande from Retro Fitness.

“That makes injury prevention an important part of maintaining a consistent, active lifestyle, particularly as we age.”

Here's the 10-minute routine Grande recommends to build a body that's better equipped for exercise and everyday movement.

“The goal isn’t simply to become stronger, but to build a body that can move efficiently, maintain control and better respond to unexpected stresses.” she says.

How to do the moves

1. Single-leg balance
2. Heel raise
3. Glute bridge
4. Dead bug
5. Resistance band pull-apart
6. Deep squat hold
7. Walking lunge

1. Single-leg balance

Sets: 1 Time: 30sec each side Rest: 30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a wall or sturdy chair for support if needed.
• Shift your weight onto your right foot and raise your left foot in front of you a few inches.
• Keep your hips level, torso upright, core engaged and shoulders relaxed.
• Hold your balance and avoid leaning to one side.
• Lower your foot and repeat on the other side.

2. Heel raise

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart with a wall or sturdy chair for support if needed.
• Shift your weight onto the balls of your feet and raise your heels.
• Contract your calves as you come up onto your toes.
• Pause briefly.
• Slowly lower your heels and repeat.

3. Glute bridge

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart and arms resting by your sides, palms down.
• Engage your core, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Avoid overarching your lower back.
• Pause briefly.
• Slowly lower your hips and repeat.

4. Dead bug (same side variation)

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your lower back pressed into the floor
• Raise your knees and bend them so they’re at 90° angles over your hips.
• Extend your arms toward the ceiling.
• Engage your core and slowly lower your right arm back toward the floor behind you, and extend your right foot down toward the floor in front.
• Only go as far as you can before your lower back arches off the floor.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.

5. Resistance band pull-apart

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a long-loop resistance band at both ends.
• Extend your arms in front of you at shoulder height, keeping a slight bend in your elbow.
• Maintain tension in the band as you pull your hands apart, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Slowly return to the starting position.

6. Squat hold

How to do it:

Sets: 1 Time: Up to 60sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider and turned out slightly.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower.
• Engage your core and keep your chest up.
• Hold the squat position for as long as you can.
• Return to standing and repeat.

7. Walking lunge

How to do it:

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Take a step forward with your right foot.
• Lower your hips and bend your knees until both knees are bent at 90° angles.
• Push through your right foot to stand and then repeat on the other side.

Why the moves work

When we exercise, we place controlled stress on muscles, bones and connective tissues.

“The body responds to that stress by adapting and becoming better equipped to handle similar demands in the future,” says Grande.

“Resistance and weight-bearing exercise can help maintain or improve muscular strength and bone density, while repeated movement can improve neuromuscular coordination—the communication between the brain, nerves and muscles.

“Balance and stability work are particularly valuable because they train the body to recognize changes in position and react quickly. Stronger muscles and improved coordination can help stabilize joints and distribute forces more effectively during movement.”

Grande says people should not avoid using a wall or sturdy surface for support if needed.

“For beginners or people returning to exercise, modifications—such as using a wall during single-leg balance or support during a deep squat—aren’t a sign that the movement is less effective,” says Grande.

“They can allow you to develop control and confidence before progressing.”

“Lower-back pain doesn’t work in isolation,” Najera tells Fit&Well. “The hips, glutes, core and even the way we breathe can influence how our back feels.”

Stretching can help ease tension but isn’t always going to address the problem.

“Instead, try a yoga practice that offers a well-rounded approach combining mobility, strength, breath and body awareness,” Najera says.

For the past few weeks, my lower back has been crying out for some TLC thanks to a combination of sitting for long periods at my desk and a lack of glute strength. So, I asked Najera for her top three yoga poses to release lower-back tension, build strength and improve mobility.

Her first pick is cat-cow, which encourages spinal mobility and can help reduce the stiffness that comes from staying in one position for too long.

Next is the supine figure-four. This pose is held and the stretch creates mobility through the outer hips and glutes, which can become tight and influence how the rest of the body moves.

Finally, bridge pose strengthens and improves the mobility of the glutes and the surrounding muscles that help support the pelvis and spine.

I moved through this sequence at the end of the day and it provided sweet relief, helping me to release tension and unwind from the stress of the day.

To build strength and mobility, I’d need to practice the routine consistently, but I can say that my lower back already feels much better.

If you have a back injury or existing condition, check with your physician before trying this yoga sequence.

Three yoga poses for lower-back pain

1. Cat-cow (Marjaryasana-bitilasana)

Reps: 5-8 guided by the breath

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Inhale as you lower your belly and lift your chest.
• Exhale as you round your back and look towards your belly button.
• Move between these two positions, letting your breath set the rhythm.

2. Supine figure four (Supta kapotasana)

Time: 30-60sec each side

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with both knees bent.
• Inhale as you cross your right ankle over your left thigh and flex your right foot.
• Exhale as you press your right hand into your right knee, or hold the back of your left thigh and gently pull it toward you for a deeper stretch.
• Keep your head, neck, and shoulders relaxed.
• Hold for time, then switch sides.

3. Bridge pose (Setu bandha sarvangasana)

Sets: 5-8 Time: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
• Inhale as you press your feet into the floor and lift your hips.
• Exhale as you tighten your glute muscles and focus on length through the front of your body rather than lifting as high as possible.
• Hold for 15-30 seconds, then lower with control.

Weightlifting can help combat this muscle loss, which is why Holly Fivian founded Holsm, a strength workout platform for midlife women.

If you’re completely new to exercise, Fivian recommends starting with bodyweight movements to help you get used to fundamental movement patterns like squats, push-ups and lunges. But if you’ve tried these movements before, adding a couple of dumbbells to your workouts could make all the difference.

“Once these movement patterns become habitual and you know what good form looks and feels like, you can start playing around with movement,” Fivian explains.

“You can add heavier weights, change your arm or hand position, try different squat, hinge, push, pull and lunge variations or change your tempo or range of movement.

“This is where training becomes fun.”

Below, Fivian has shared the dumbbell workout she always starts beginners with. Choose a pair of medium dumbbells and give it a go.

Holly Fivian’s beginner dumbbell workout

Fivian’s workout consists of five moves:

1. Goblet squat: 3 x 30sec
2. Romanian deadlift: 3 x 30sec
3. Lunge: 3 x 30sec
4. Chest press: 3 x 30sec
5. Bent-over row: 3 x 30sec

Workout timer

Form guides

1. Goblet squat

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Cup the top head of a vertical dumbbell in both hands, holding it in front of your chest.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outwards.
• Engage your core.
• Inhale as you push your hips back and down, and bend your knees, keeping your weight through your heels and gently pushing your knees outwards so they stay in line with your toes.
• Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing, exhaling through pursed lips.

Trainer tip: “Think: knees gently out, heels grounded, glutes on.”

2. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, with your palms facing you and a slight bend in your knees.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back, allowing the dumbbells to lower close to your legs as your torso tips forwards. Keep your head in line with your spine and maintain a long, strong back.
• Stop when you feel a stretch through the backs of your thighs, then exhale and drive your hips forwards and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.

Trainer tip: “This is a hinge rather than a squat. Think about sending the hips backwards.”

3. Lunge

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Cup the top head of a vertical dumbbell in both hands, holding it in front of your chest.
• Stand tall and engage your core.
• Step forwards (or backwards if that feels more comfortable) and bend both knees to lower, maintaining an upright posture and keeping your front knee tracking over your foot, rather than allowing it to collapse inwards.
• Push through your heel to return to standing, exhaling through pursed lips.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: “Use a wall or chair for additional stability if needed.”

4. Dumbbell chest press

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Lie on your back holding dumbbells next to your chest, with your elbows bent to 90° and upper arms resting on the floor.
• Engage your core.
• Press the dumbbells straight up, extending your arms and exhaling through pursed lips.
• Lower the weights slowly and with control as you inhale.

Trainer tip: “Engage the core by tucking the ribs and the pelvis before pressing the dumbbells overhead.”

5. Bent-over dumbbell row

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing you and a slight bend in your knees.
• Push your hips back, allowing the dumbbells to lower close to your legs as your torso tips forwards—this is your starting position.
• Exhale as you lift the weights to your torso, drawing your elbows backwards towards your mid-back or hips, rather than towards the ceiling.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells as you inhale, keeping your torso still and avoiding shrugging your shoulders.

Trainer tip: “Keep your head in line with your spine, shoulders away from your ears and torso strong and still. The movement comes from your arms and back, not from swinging your body to get the weights up.”

When she starts training her clients, she doesn't get them to focus on weight-loss targets or strength goals.

Instead, she encourages them to find a way to move that is enjoyable, works for their body, and has longevity.

With that in mind, she’s shared her simple (and enjoyable) five-move workout for beginners, which is the same routine she programs for her clients.

“They repeat these same fundamental movements alongside their posture, diaphragmatic breathing and deep-core work until they really own them,” Fivian explains.

Holly Fivian’s 10-minute fundamental beginner’s workout

Fivian’s workout consists of five moves:

• Glute Bridge
• Squat
• Press-up
• Mountain climber
• Plank shoulder tap

Do the exercises for the suggested number of sets, timings and rest periods to get yourself a roughly 10-minute workout.

Fivian recommends trying this five-move workout for six to eight weeks, or until you feel very confident with it, before adding weight or moving on to something new.

“Progress doesn't always mean progressing the exercise. Progress might mean performing exactly the same squat with better posture,” Fivian says.

1. Glute bridge

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet hip-width apart and your heels relatively close to your body and flat on the floor.
• Inhale and engage the core.
• Exhale, push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips from the floor. Keep the body in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Lower slowly and repeat.

Trainer tip: “If you predominantly feel the movement in your lower back rather than your glutes, reduce the height of your bridge and re-establish your core connection.”

2. Squat

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15 sec

• Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, your toes pointing slightly outwards and engage your core.
• Inhale as you send your hips back and down, as though you're sitting into a chair.
• Exhale slowly through pursed lips as you drive back up to standing, pressing through the heels and squeezing the glutes.

Trainer tip: “Keep your weight through your heels and, as you lower, think about gently pushing your knees outwards so they track in the same direction as your toes. Keep your chest open and maintain your core connection.”

3. Press-up

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Start on your hands and knees on the floor, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your fingertips spread.
• Step your legs back so your body is in a straight line.
• Inhale and lower your chest towards the ground, keeping your elbows at a 45°angle to your body.
• Exhale through pursed lips as you push up to the start position.

Trainer tip: “Don't sacrifice your body position simply to get lower. A beautifully controlled wall or incline press-up is far more valuable than a floor press-up where you've lost your form.”

4. Mountain climbers

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders directly over your wrists.
• Step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
• Bring one knee up toward your chest then step it back.
• Continue, alternating sides.
• Start slowly and concentrate on maintaining your plank and core connection. Once you feel confident, increase the pace to add a cardiovascular challenge.

Trainer tip: “Your legs are moving, but your trunk should remain strong and controlled. If you start losing that position, slow down or move onto an incline. Quality over quantity, every time.”

5. Plank shoulder taps

Sets: 3 Time: 30 secs Rest: 15 secs

• Come to your hands and knees on the floor, with shoulders directly over your wrists and fingertips spread.
• Step your legs back so your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Don't allow your hips to lift.
• Slowly lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder.
• Repeat on the opposite side.

Trainer tip: Choose a variation that allows you to maintain good form. You might need to perform the move with your hands against a wall or on an elevated surface instead of the floor.

“The challenge is to keep your hips and torso as still as possible rather than rocking from side to side,” says Fivian.

This means that I've had to switch up my core training.

Mostly, I've been following online workouts from my favorite trainer, Amy Kiser Schemper.

Her YouTube channel (Bodyfit by Amy) features lots of equipment-free workouts you can do anywhere.

Her routines are short but effective, with minimal rest times. I like her gentle way of explaining the moves, too.

Here are three of my favorites that you can do at home.

My favorite Bodyfit by Amy workout for beginners

The 25-minute Pilates-inspired core workout is designed for beginners.

It features two of my favorite core moves: dead bug, which fires up deep core muscles and challenges your coordination, and side plank, which works the obliques on the sides of your torso.

Schemper also includes clamshells, which strengthen muscles around your hips and glutes. It's a great move for rebuilding hip strength and mobility if you spend a lot of time sitting down.

My favorite standing abs Bodyfit by Amy workout

Not every core workout has to happen on a mat.

When I don't want to get on the floor, I turn to this 12-minute standing session.

It features just six moves and requires no equipment, but the faster pace will get your heart rate up.

Many of Schemper’s moves are contralateral (moving opposite sides of your body), so they challenge your coordination.

As a lot of the exercises are performed on one leg, they also test your balance—something I’m working on now that I’m approaching 50.

My favorite cardio and core Bodyfit by Amy workout

This fun 25-minute workout begins with a dynamic warm-up followed by two circuits and a mix of standing and mat-based core moves.

Schemper keeps the intensity up and the good vibes high as she guides you through moves such as standing mountain climbers, cross punches and knee-hop punches.

I like this one because it's pacy. I finish it feeling energized and satisfied that I’ve worked hard.

Meggan Berg has been in the health and fitness industry for more than 20 years. In that time, she's worked as a trainer, yoga teacher, and group class leader.

Nowadays, she's in charge of the day-to-day running of Life Time’s Baybrook studio.

While she leads fewer classes than she used to, she still finds time to dedicate to her own health and fitness.

“My biggest priorities are consistency and progression,” she says. “Consistency drives progress and progress keeps me inspired.”

She adds that she tries to keep a goal in mind for every workout, so she’s motivated and working toward something.

Sometimes, that goal is more formal, particularly when she has a competition to work toward, but sometimes it's simply to be stronger than she was yesterday.

She makes a point of keeping her routine varied and fun.

“By the end of each week, I want to feel well-rounded,” she says.

“That means balancing strength training, conditioning, mobility and recovery so I'm not just improving one area of fitness but building a body that is strong, resilient and capable for the long term.”

Meggan Berg's weekly workout routine

Berg works out for 30 minutes to an hour in the late mornings.

“Late mornings are my sweet spot because they fit my schedule best and allow me to show up at my best,” she says.

On her days off, Berg prioritizes walking and practicing yoga to stay active while recovering.

“Not every day has to be high intensity, but every day is an opportunity to move.”

Monday morning
Conditioning workout

Tuesday morning
Strength workout

Wednesday morning
Conditioning workout

Thursday morning
Strength workout

Friday morning
Yoga

Saturday morning
Strength, conditioning and Olympic lifting

Sunday morning
Walk or run

Sunday afternoon
Active recovery

Meggan Berg's tips for developing an exercise routine

1. Set goals

Berg relies on clear goals to keep her motivation up and her workouts progressing.

“Goals don't just give you something to achieve; they give you a reason to show up, even on the days you don't feel like it,” she explains.

“Find something that challenges you, create a plan, trust the process and keep putting in the work.”

Currently, Berg is training for the Life Time LT Games, which take place in October.

“Training has just begun, but working toward this ambitious goal keeps me motivated, focused and gives me a true sense of purpose.”

2. Build consistency

“Progress happens one day, one workout and one choice at a time,” says Berg.

“Find a routine that works for you, stay committed and keep moving. Your body will thank you.”

She explains that this consistency creates lasting results.

“Be consistent, even when you're tired, busy, overwhelmed or life feels chaotic,” she says.

“There will always be obstacles, unexpected challenges and reasons to put yourself last. Choose to show up anyway.”

3. Prioritize variety

“Our bodies are built to move, and consistency doesn't mean doing the same workout every day. It means adapting, staying active and continuing to prioritize your health no matter where life takes you,” says Berg.

“I do it all: strength training, conditioning, mobility and yoga all have a place in my routine.”

That isn’t to say she doesn’t have workouts she prefers.

“If I had to pick a favorite piece of equipment, it would be the barbell,” she says.

“There is something incredibly empowering about lifting heavy. It makes me feel strong, capable and confident.”

She adds that she loves working with kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands and anything that supports functional movement and a full range of motion.

“Every tool has its purpose, and together they help me build strength, improve mobility and stay prepared for whatever challenge comes next.”

4. Set aside dedicated, non-negotiable time

“I intentionally block [workout] time on my calendar and treat it like any other important appointment because my health is a priority,” says Berg.

She adds that having dedicated time for herself allows her to recharge, stay focused and bring more energy to the rest of her day.

“When I take care of myself first, I'm able to better serve my team, my family and those around me,” she adds.

“Prioritizing your wellbeing isn't selfish; it's one of the best investments you can make.”

She is still completing triathlons, going on cycle treks and living a more active life than many people half her age.

What keeps her on track? Mostly, her trusty Garmin Forerunner 255, which she uses to measure all her fitness and health metrics.

Nothing seems to give her more joy than hitting her daily step goal and boasting about her unbelievably low Garmin fitness age (she would like you all to know that it’s regularly in the low 30s).

I was curious about why she—and so many others—love sharing our wearable scores.

According to Philip Gable, a professor of psychology and brain sciences, bragging about our workouts taps into a primal evolutionary drive.

“We're neurologically wired to love sharing information with other people and getting their approval,” says Gable, noting that most of our success as a species is due to our ability to share information and cooperate.

“If I'm proud of something and I think other people will like it, it enhances the reward value to share it.”

Gable says people also love sharing metrics to see how they measure up.

Seeing a score that proves you’re performing better than 50% of your peers feels instantly gratifying.

“There are mechanisms at work that increase the value behind fitness when we share it socially,” he adds.

But you don't actually need to broadcast your fitness age to reap the neurological benefits.

Even the private act of tracking your metrics and logging a workout can keep you motivated.

Gable says ticking those virtual boxes—or seeing your fitness age drop—lights up your brain in the same way as sharing your success with a friend.

“If we're getting feedback from our Garmin, even though it's not a person, it's as though somebody is telling us the same thing,” says Gable.

You don’t even have to fork out for a tracker. Recording your workout in a diary will provide a similar sense of reward,

“You still get the sensation of sharing with others when you log a workout,” says Gable.

So if you’re struggling to stick with an exercise routine, try logging every session on something physical to keep yourself motivated.

It’s true, to be a better runner you need to run, but targeted strength training helps to build a strong foundation to withstand the pressures of running.

“Running involves a lot of repetitive forward movement, so strength workouts are designed to strengthen the muscles that support a strong, efficient stride,” explains Kate Howe, Head Coach at Orangetheory Fitness.

Howe’s five-move strength workout targets your glutes, hamstrings, calves and core to build strength and stability for running.

“The goal is not to completely fatigue your body as you still have miles to get in,” Howe says.

“Instead, these exercises complement your running by helping you build the strength, stability and control you need to feel strong with every stride.”

Try the strength workout for runners

Howe’s strength training workout is designed to build a strong foundation for running with five bodyweight single-leg exercises.

“Running happens one leg at a time, so it makes sense to train strength that way,” Howe says.

The five exercises are:

• Single-leg Romanian deadlift
• Reverse lunge to knee drive
• Lateral step down
• Single-leg calf raise
• Dead bug

1. Single-leg Romanian deadlift

Benefit: Strengthens your glutes and hamstrings while challenging your balance, hip stability and control.

How to do it:
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees.
• Shift your weight onto your right leg, raising your left foot behind you.
• Hinge at your hips, and lower your chest toward the floor. Keep your left leg extended behind you.
• Pause when your chest and left leg are parallel to the floor. Make sure your back is flat and your hips are level.
• Push through your right foot and squeeze your right glute as you return to standing.

Form tip: As you lower toward the floor, keep your raised foot pointing down to help avoid rotation through your hips.

Progression: Once this starts to feel easy, add a kettlebell to the move. Hold it in the hand that's opposite to the leg that's planted on the floor and lower it to mid-shin level.

2. Reverse lunge to knee drive

Benefit: Improves your balance and control. The added knee drive challenges stability and coordination, mimicking the demands or running.

How to do it:
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Step your left foot back, lowering your left knee toward the floor.
• Both knees should be at a 90° angle with your right knee directly over your ankle.
• Push through your right foot to stand.
• Drive your left knee forward and up toward your chest.
• Hold briefly, then repeat.
• Complete all the repetitions on one side, then repeat on the other.

3. Lateral step down

Benefit: Strengthen your gluteus medius (on the side of your buttock/hip), gluteus maximus (the largest muscle across the back of your buttock) and your quadriceps (the front of your thighs) while challenging you to maintain unilateral (single-leg) control through your knee and pelvis.

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each leg
How to do it:

• Stand on a low step with one foot hanging off the side.
• With a slight bend in your standing leg, lower your hanging heel toward the floor.
• Keep your balancing knee tracking in line with your toes, without caving in.
• Keep your hips level, avoiding letting one side drop.
• Press through your standing foot to return to the starting position.

4. Single-leg calf raise

Benefit: Builds calf strength and helps prepare your calves for the repeated demands of landing and pushing off throughout a run.

How to do it:
Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Shift your weight onto one foot, using a wall or sturdy surface for support if needed.
• Press through the ball of your standing foot, raising your heel high without your ankle rolling inward or outward.
• Squeeze your calf muscles at the top of the movement.
• Slower lower back down with control.

5. Dead bug

Benefit: Builds core stability to create a solid foundation for coordinated movements that are needed when running.

How to do it:
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each leg

• Lie on your back with your knees stacked over your hips at 90° angles.
• Extend your arms up over your chest.
• Engage your core and keep your lower back against the floor.
• Slowly extend one leg forward and your opposite arm back behind you.
• Maintain control through your core, avoiding arching in your lower back.
• Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.

“Yoga for sleep helps by relaxing your body and mind, not by tiring you out,” explains yoga teacher Cheryl McColgan.

Unlike other types of yoga like vinyasa or power yoga that raise your energy, bedtime yoga is all about moving gently with your breath to come into a more relaxed, resting state.

“Slow movement paired with intentional breathing shifts your body out of the fight or flight sympathetic state and into the rest and digest parasympathetic state that you need to be in to fall asleep,” explains McColgan, founder of Heal, Nourish, Grow.

I wanted to swap late-night scrolling for something that might actually help me sleep, so I asked McColgan to share her favorite five-minute yoga flow to do before bed.

Try the five-minute bedtime yoga routine

McColgan’s bedtime yoga flow is designed to be done every night. You can do it on your bed or on the floor, and in your pajamas so you’re ready to sleep.

“It’s short enough that consistency is realistic and consistency is what matters for your nervous system learning the pattern,” she explains.

“Over time, the wind-down habit becomes another cue that signals to the body that it’s time for sleep,” Mc Colgan adds.

McColgan uses a free app called Insight Timer with its gong timer to track her poses over the five minutes.

“Every pose should feel relaxing, there should never be an intense stretch where you have to brace or where it feels too strong,” she adds.

The yoga poses are:

1. Child’s pose
2. Supported seated forward fold
3. Reclined spinal twist
4. Legs up the wall
5. Shavasana

1. Child’s pose

Time: 1min

Benefit: The forward fold calms the nervous system and gently releases the lower back and hips, which is where most people hold tension after a day of sitting.

• From a kneeling position, bring your big toes together and widen your knees apart as far as it’s comfortable.
• Sit your hips back toward your heels. If they do not reach, put a pillow or folded blanket between your calves and thighs to rest on.
• Walk your hands forward and let your forehead rest on the floor, pillow or your stacked fists.
• Let your shoulders and abdomen hang toward the floor.
• Pay attention to your breath and body's sensations.

2. Supported seated forward fold

Time: 1min

Benefit: Lengthens the hamstrings and back of the body to release tension and encourage relaxation.

• Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
• Place a pillow or two on top of your thighs.
• Hinge forward from your hips and rest your chest and forehead on the pillows.
• Keep a soft bend in your knees—there’s no need to touch your toes.
• Let your whole upper body relax into the pillows.

Tip: Add a folded blanket or pillow under your buttocks if your lower back rounds during the pose and another under your knees if it’s difficult to fully extend your legs.

3. Reclined spinal twist

Time: 30sec each side

Benefit: Releases tension through the mid back and between the shoulder blades, while stretching the side of your hips.

• Lie on your back and hug both knees toward your chest.
• Drop both knees slowly to your right—place a pillow underneath your knees if they do not reach the other side.
• Extend your left arm out to the side at shoulder height and turn your head to the left if it’s comfortable.
• Keep both shoulders in contact with the floor.
• Hold for three or four slow breaths then repeat on the other side.

4. Legs up the wall

Time: 1min

Benefit: Relieves tired legs and encourages fluid to move out of the ankles and feet to reduce swelling.

• Sit sideways next to a wall or your headboard with your hip touching it.
• Lie back and swing your legs up the wall, bringing your hips close to the base of the wall.
• Have a thin pillow under your hips if your lower back needs support.
• Let your arms rest wide by your sides, palms up or place your hands on your abdomen or chest.
• Practice slow breathing with an extended exhalation.
• If your feet tingle or go numb, bend your knees or come out of the pose.

5. Savasana with extended exhale

Time: 1min

Benefit: The final resting pose where the nervous system fully settles, lowering your heart and breathing rate to support full relaxation.

• Lie on your back in bed.
• Part your legs slightly and lie your arms by your sides with your palms up. Alternatively, place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
• Inhale through your nose for four counts, feeling your ribs and abdomen expand.
• Exhale slowly through your nose or mouth for six to eight counts, letting your ribs and abdomen fall.

Injuries and muscle loss can impact how we move, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

“Losing strength and mobility isn't an inevitable part of aging, but it is something we need to work against,” says Mark Harris, a certified strength and conditioning coach.

“After 40, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass, power and joint mobility if we don't continue challenging our bodies.”

Harris tells Fit&Well that you don't need hours of free time or dozens of complicated exercises to combat these losses.

“Focusing on a handful of functional movements can help you stay strong, mobile and independent for years to come,” says Harris, who is also an ambassador for Mirafit weighted vests.

The instructor has create a quick three-move routine to keep you strong.

He recommends performing the following exercises as a continuous circuit. Rest for 45-60 seconds at the end of each round before starting the next.

The three exercises are:

• Deep squat
• Seated overhead press
• Fast step-up

Below Harris guides you through each move.

1. Deep squat

Rounds: 3 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. If using a weight as demonstrated, hold it close to your chest.
• Engage core, push your hips back and bend your knees as if sitting on a low chair.
• Lower yourself as deep as you comfortably can while keeping your chest lifted and your heels flat on the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand, then repeat.

“The squat is one of the most important movement patterns we perform,” says Harris.

“Whether you're getting off the sofa, standing up from a dining chair or climbing out of the car, you're relying on the same muscles and joints.

“Practicing deep squats or standing up from a low chair without using your hands helps preserve mobility through the hips and ankles while strengthening the glutes and thighs.”

Once bodyweight squats stop feeling challenging, Harris suggests holding a weight or adding a weighted vest.

2. Seated overhead press

Rounds: 3 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

• Sit on a sturdy surface with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward or slightly inward.
• Keep your chest lifted and your back straight. Avoid rounding your shoulders or hunching forward.
• Press the weights straight overhead until your arms are fully extended.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position at shoulder height under control, then repeat.

“As we age, it's common for our shoulders to become stiffer and our posture to become more rounded, particularly if we spend long periods sitting at a desk,” says Harris.

“Regular overhead pressing helps strengthen the shoulders and upper back while encouraging the joints to move through their full range of motion.

“Maintaining overhead strength also makes everyday tasks, such as reaching high shelves or lifting groceries into cupboards, feel much easier.”

3. Fast step-up

Rounds: 3 Time: 20-30sec each side

How to do it:

• Stand in front of a sturdy step or box.
• Place one foot firmly on the step and drive through it to lift yourself onto the box as quickly and explosively as possible.
• Step back down slowly.
• Repeat on one side for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs.

“One of the physical qualities we lose fastest as we age isn't strength, but power [how quickly we can produce force],” explains Harris.

“This quality is particularly important for preventing falls, because recovering from a trip relies on reacting quickly rather than simply being strong.”

He tells Fit&Well that fast step-ups train the fast-twitch muscle fibers we rely on to generate power, while remaining an accessible exercise for most people.

“The aim isn't to jump as high as possible, but to move with intent and stand up quickly before lowering under control.”

But moving your body can be fun—that's the ethos of trainer Lucy Borrie's workout method BeBody, which is inspired by 80s aerobic workouts.

“We’ve combined aerobics, strength training, and Pilates into a single session, giving you the benefits of three workout types in one full-body experience,” she says.

Borrie's method is about enjoying movement without compromising on results, which is why she focuses on moves that provide both a cardio and strength challenge.

Here are two of her favorites that she often includes in BeBody workouts.

Try the two-move strength and cardio workout

This is a circuit-style workout, which means you do the exercises one after another.

Borrie recommends completing the circuit twice with minimal rest.

“Start slow and then speed up your movement,” Borrie says.

She also says doing the mini workout to a good playlist is “essential”, so blast something you enjoy while doing these moves.

1. Squat to lunge

Reps: 5-10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and turned out slightly.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel with the floor or lower.
• Return to standing.
• Step your right foot back, lowering your back knee toward the floor.
• Return to standing.
• Repeat the squat and then repeat the lunge on the opposite side.

Plank combination

Reps: 5-10 each side

• Come to your hands and knees, with your arms straight and your hands beneath your shoulders.
• Step your feet back so you're in a high-plank position, with your body in a straight line.
• Raise your right hand and tap your left shoulder.
• Return to the high plank position and repeat on the other side.
• Bring your right knee to your left elbow.
• Return to the high plank position and repeat on the other side.
• Complete this two-move combination 10 times.

Courtney Fitzpatrick, physical therapist at Hinge Health, sees these mobility changes regularly with her clients.

“The movements that often become more difficult first are the ones that require balance, power, quick reactions, strength, coordination, and mobility,” she says.

According to Courtney, the movements and attributes that are most likely to disappear first as we age are:

• Floor transfers (the ability to get on and off the floor)
• Movements reliant on leg strength (like squatting up and down)
• Eccentric control (the active lengthening of a muscle under load)
• Thoracic and cervical rotation (for example, turning your head to look over your shoulder)
• Hip mobility
• Balance

But we don’t have to accept that these movements are lost to us once we reach a certain age.

Below, Courtney shares a short strength routine that can be done a couple of times a week to slow the loss of these movements, and keep us moving healthily as we age.

1. Seated thoracic twist

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

How to do it:

• Sit upright toward the front of a chair with both feet flat.
• Place your hands across your chest.
• Exhale and rotate your upper body to one side, keeping your hips and knees facing forward.
• Inhale and rotate your torso back to facing forward.
• Exhale and repeat on the other side.
• Avoid forcing the movement through your neck.

How it helps: This one improves upper-back rotation for everyday movements like reaching, turning and looking behind you.

2. Sit to stand

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 Rest: 30–60sec

How to do it:

• Sit in a chair with your feet hip-width apart.
• Lean forward from your hips, keeping your back long.
• Press through your feet to stand.
• Slowly lower back into the chair.

How it helps: Sit-to-stand helps build the leg and hip strength needed for things like getting out of a chair and climbing stairs.

3. Standing hip flexor stretch

Sets: 1 Reps: 2 each side Time: 30sec

How to do it:

• Stand beside a chair or counter for support.
• Step one foot back, keeping the heel lifted and both toes facing forward (if you don't need support, it can also be done by stepping forward, as in the video).
• Gently tuck your pelvis and shift your weight forward.
• Stop when you feel a mild stretch at the front of the back hip.
• Hold for 30sec and then switch sides.

How it helps: Stretches the front of the hip, which can support upright posture and a more comfortable stride.

4. Supported standing child’s pose

Sets: 1 Reps: 2 Time: 20–30sec

How to do it:

• Face a counter or wall and place both hands on it.
• Bend your knees slightly and push your hips back.
• Lengthen your arms as your torso lowers between them.
• Keep your neck and spine relaxed and hold for 20-30sec.

How it helps: This one gently stretches the back, shoulders and hips while encouraging comfortable movement.

5. Shoulder squeeze

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 Time: 3–5sec

How to do it:

• Sit or stand with your arms relaxed.
• Draw your shoulder blades gently together and down.
• Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
• Hold, then release and repeat.

How it helps: Shoulder squeezes encourage better upper-back positioning and comfortable posture.

“Balance is one of the most underestimated components of physical health,” says Ashley Katzenback, doctor of physical therapy and owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy.

“Your ability to stand on one foot requires stance strength, hip stability, ankle control, core engagement, and neurological coordination.”

Your 40s are a good time to give balance more attention, as staying steady relies on muscle strength, coordination and sensory information from your eyes, joints and inner ear—all of which are still functioning well.

“These systems play a vitally important role in balance—but removing one of these adds strain to the others,” says chartered physical therapist Hassan Mohamoud from Clearcut Physiotherapy.

Practicing balance drills now will ensure that if one of these systems falters, the others can still support you.

The balance drills

These three balance snacks take just two minutes to complete.

They challenge your stability and coordination, helping you stay confident on your feet whether you’re running, hiking, playing sport or navigating an uneven sidewalk.

The moves are:

• Single leg stand
• Heel-to-toe walk
• Clock reaches

“Between them, these three drills cover all aspects of our balance system,” explains Mohamoud.

He suggests that you practice these drills three times a week.

Do each drill for 30 seconds or 30 seconds per side—taking you two minutes in total.

1. Single leg stand

Set: 1 Time: 30sec each side

• Stand near a counter or sturdy chair in case you need it.
• Lift your right foot slightly off the ground and hold for 30 seconds.
• Lower your right foot, swap legs and repeat.
• Make it harder by turning your head slowly side-to-side.

2. Heel-to-toe walk

Set: 1 Time: 30sec

• Stand near a wall for support.
• Walk slowly in a straight line, putting the heel of your right foot directly in front of the toes of the left one, like you are walking a tightrope.

3. Clock reaches

Set: 1 Time: 30 sec

• Stand on your left leg and imagine you are in the middle of a clock.
• Lightly tap the floor in front of you with your right foot.
• Tap the floor to your right side with your right foot.
• Tap the floor behind you with your right foot.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Corrections matter

Remember, the goal isn’t to be perfectly still and never wobble.

The little corrections you’ll make while you try to stay balanced are part of the training.

“Balance is really a series of small, constant corrections, and we make nearly all of them while we’re moving,” explains Katzenback.

“Another common mistake is holding on throughout the exercise. If you grip the worktop from start to finish, you get very little benefit from the drill as the muscles never have to work.”

He adds: “Start with a support, progress to using just your fingertips, then try letting go altogether.”

These are fantastic milestones to aim for but I also try to look beyond the short-term and inspire my clients to train with the future in mind.

The stronger you can be as you enter your 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, the better equipped you’ll be for healthy, independent aging.

So no matter how old my clients are, I insist they do these three strength-based exercises to maintain power, stability and balance.

Three future-proofing moves everybody needs

You’ll need a moderately-heavy dumbbell or kettlebell and an exercise mat to do these moves.

If you’re new to exercise, perform one set of eight to 10 repetitions (reps) for each exercise, two to three times per week.

Once the exercises start feeling easy, add another set and increase your reps to 12.

Aim for three sets of 12 reps, three to four times per week.

Always consult a doctor before starting a new workout.

If you feel a sharp pain when doing the moves, stop and speak with a medical professional.

1. Goblet squat

How to do it

Reps: 8-12

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, feet pointing outward slightly.
• Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Bend your knees, push your hips back and lower your hips toward the floor.
• Pause briefly, then stand back up.

Trainer tips: Avoid arching or rounding your back. Use a chair or bench behind you as a target, if needed. Keep your feet flat on the floor. and chest upright.

2. Plank with knee drive

How to do it:

Reps: 8-12

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your hands.
• Engage your core and step your feet behind you, so your body forms a straight line.
• Bend your left knee and drive it toward your chest.
• Pause briefly.
• Return it to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating your reps.

Trainer tips: Avoid excessive arching in your lower back or letting your hips sink toward the floor—keep them level.

Make it easier: Place your hands on an elevated surface like a table, chair or wall.

3. Push-up

How to do it

Reps: 8-12

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your hands.
• Engage your core and step your feet behind you so your body forms a straight line.
• Bend your elbows and lower your chest, torso and hips toward the floor.
• Push yourself back up to the starting position.

Trainer tips: When you’re pushing back up from the floor, don’t allow your chest to rise before your torso and hips. Keep your spine straight and avoid letting your hips sink toward the floor.

Make it easier: Place your hands on an elevated surface like a table, chair or wall.

It's home to the steepest residential street in England, with a whopping 22° incline.

Thankfully, my house isn't on a road that steep, but getting anywhere around the city requires walking up and downhill.

My hour-long morning walk now takes in around 250 feet of elevation, which is much more challenging than the flat route in my old city.

Despite the fact that I'm used to strength training and Pilates, this uphill walk left me feeling breathless at first.

However, after doing it for a few months, I can now tackle it with ease—a sure sign that my fitness has improved.

Only short parts of my usual walk are uphill, while the rest is flat, so I was curious whether this 10-minute climb had really made that much of a difference.

To find out, I asked physical therapist and exercise physiologist Dr Milica McDowell, who confirmed that even short bursts of climbing can have a significant impact.

“Adding just five to 10 minutes of uphill walking to a general walk is very beneficial,” she says.

It certainly improved my cardiovascular fitness—but McDowell says that there are other benefits to gain from hill walking, too, particularly if you're new to fitness.

“Because of the angle change in your ankles, knees, hips and spine, you have to problem-solve how to be efficient when walking with the additional load of going uphill,” McDowell says.

Basically, it forces you to think about how to move your body better.

“Walking uphill challenges you to swing your arms more, rotate your torso more and work on your calf strength and endurance more than walking on flat ground,” says McDowell.

While I can't say I've noticed significant changes to my proprioception or muscular strength, I'll certainly stick with my new route so I can challenge my heart and lungs.

McDowell says that most people can copy my methods, too.

“If you already have an established walking habit and can walk for at least 10 to 15 minutes without stopping, incorporating some small inclines can create variety in your workout as well as more cardiovascular and musculoskeletal demand,” she explains.

However, it's best to incrementally build up and not do longer stretches of uphill walking too soon.

“Sustained walks uphill should be considered with caution because it does require increased range of motion at the lower extremity joint, such as your ankle in order to do it safely,” McDowell explains.

But depending on your health history, a few moderate-impact exercises could actually be beneficial for your body, specifically for building bone strength.

“Bone is living tissue that adapts to what you ask of it,” says Kelton Cullenberg, a physical therapist, running coach and co-founder and CEO of Steady State Health.

“When you load it with impact and quick changes of direction that are more than it's used to, it responds by building more density and getting stronger over time.”

He notes that doing three moderate-impact exercises—heel drops, skater jumps and jogging in place—can proactively protect vulnerable areas.

“[These moves] send force up through your legs, hips and spine, which are the exact places osteoporosis tends to cause issues,” says Cullenberg.

These exercises don’t require any equipment, so give them a try during your next workout.

How to do three bone-building exercises

“If you already have diagnosed osteoporosis or a history of fragility fractures, it's best to first get cleared by your doctor or a physical therapist,” notes Cullenberg.

He also says that these exercises may not be appropriate for more advanced fitness levels.

“Bone only adapts to a load that is greater than what it already handles,” he says.

“For a regular runner, jogging in place is already less than a normal run, so it likely won't add anything for their bones. If that's you, you would need to progress to something more demanding.”

For this routine, complete two sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise, three to four times per week. Increase to three sets and to five to seven times per week as you get stronger.

Cullenberg says that doing these moves nearly every day is much more beneficial than doing them a couple of times a week.

“And you need to stay with it for at least a few months before your bones have made significant changes,” he adds.

You should also be prepared to increase the challenge after a few months, if you want to continue building bone strength and density.

“These impact exercises should be a part of a larger routine that includes progressive strength training a couple days a week,” Cullenberg adds.

1. Heel drop

How to do it:
Sets: 2 Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip width apart.
• Place your hands on the back of a chair for support if needed.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Raise your heels, coming up to balance on your toes.
• Pause briefly at the top.
• Quickly drop your heels back down.

Tips: “The bone benefit comes from the drop itself, that firm thud traveling up through your legs, so let gravity bring your heels down quickly rather than lowering them slow and controlled,” says Cullenberg.

“If you lower them slowly, you've turned it into a calf raise, which is good for your calves but does much less for your bones. Keep your posture stacked and tall so the force can reach your hips and spine. Build the force of the drop up over a few weeks rather than going full-force on day one."

2. Skater jump

How to do it:
Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hinge at your hips to push your buttocks back, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
• Jump onto your right foot, bringing your left foot behind you. Swing your arms to counterbalance, bringing your left arm in front and your right arm behind.
• Repeat on the other side and continue alternating.

Tips: “Push off sideways from one leg and land softly on the other, letting your hip and knee bend to absorb the landing,” Cullenberg advises.

“Start with small hops close together and build the distance as you get comfortable.”

3. Jogging in place

How to do it:
Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Place your hands on the back of a chair for support if needed.
• Raise your left foot, balancing on your right.
• Quickly switch feet to balance on the opposite side.
• Continue alternating quickly.

Tips: “Stay light and springy,” says Cullenberg. “Keep your posture tall, let your arms swing, and go for quick, easy turnover.”

But when I spoke to two dietitians about their approach to pre-workout fuel, they both agreed that there are better ways to fuel for exercise than using pre-workout supplements.

“It’s one of the biggest mistakes I see when it comes to pre-workout nutrition,” says registered dietitian and strength coach Val Warner.

Pre-workout supplements are typically sold as powders that are mixed with water and taken before exercise.

Many contain ingredients such as caffeine and creatine, and are reported to increase energy, improve performance and enhance mental clarity.

“They usually overpromise with these claims and tell consumers that taking this powder will get rid of their fatigue ahead of their workout,” Warner tells Fit&Well.

Some pre-workout formulas contain artificial sweeteners, and many don’t list exact ingredient amounts in the blend.

“Pre-workout powders usually have proprietary blends which don’t tell you how much of each ingredient is in there and only list the total dose, which is usually not an effective dose,” Warner adds.

Angie Asche, registered dietitian and founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition, agrees that there’s a better way to fuel.

“People rely on pre-workout supplements instead of building a solid pre-workout meal or snack,” Asche tells Fit&Well.

“Supplements just do not replace the energy and nutrients that whole foods provide.”

Both dietitians say fueling with foods rather than powders should come first.

“Real, whole foods provide you with macronutrients such as protein, carbs and fat; and micronutrients including vitamins and minerals that are supporting your exercise performance, energy, and overall health,” explains Warner.

“A balanced pre-workout meal with carbohydrates and protein helps top off glycogen stores, provides sustained energy, and supports muscle function,” Asche adds.

Her advice is to build a balanced pre-workout meal by pairing a protein source like eggs with oatmeal, fruit, or bread,

“It creates a much more effective pre-workout meal versus relying on powders alone."

Supplements have their place, but Warner advises being selective as not all supplements are made equal.

"I always educate my clients on what to look out for,” she adds.

“Always opt for a product that is third-party tested, has minimal ingredients and additives, and has the therapeutic dose of the nutrient [the amount needed for your requirements], which you can work 1:1 with a sports dietitian to find out.”

Lucy Borrie is the founder of BeBody, a workout app that combines aerobics, Pilates and strength training.

Her method draws on various workout styles, but she says that squats, lunges and planks feature in nearly every session she does.

“Everything formulates from these basic movements,” says the trainer and Pilates instructor.

It's important to execute these exercises correctly before adding load or trying out variations. Here's how to do them.

1. Squat

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 10

• Stand tall with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, your toes pointing slightly outward and your core engaged.
• Slowly lower your hips as far as you can while keeping your weight on your heels and your knees pointing outward.
• Pause when your thighs are parallel to the ground, or lower.
• Push through your feet to return to standing.

Trainer tip: “Keep your weight in the heels and lift the chest up. Think about keeping your chest proud.”

2. Lunge

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 10 on each leg

• Start by standing with your feet hip-distance apart.
• Step forward with your left leg and slowly lower your body until your right knee is almost touching the floor.
• Push yourself back to the starting position and repeat on the other leg.

Trainer tip: “Think about getting both knees in a 90° angle when one knee is lowered.”

3. Plank

Sets: 1-3 Time: 30sec

• Lie on your front, resting on your hands, which should be directly underneath your shoulders.
• Push up to straighten the arms. Your hips should be level with the rest of the body.
• Engage the core and squeeze the glutes slightly.
• Hold.

That all changed after an IT band syndrome diagnosis, which revealed a host of imbalances in my chain of movement.

Wanting to address the issues, I turned to Tai Chi walking.

This style of movement involves walking with purpose and intention, replacing fast forward momentum with slow, controlled weight shifting.

The aim is to improve balance, stability, body awareness and breath control.

At first, I was sceptical. I’ve never practiced any form of martial arts, and as I tend to walk fast, I knew slowing down would be a challenge.

But after spending 30 days practicing the method, I'm convinced of its benefits.

How to do Tai Chi walking

There are different variations of Tai Chi walking depending on the style of Tai Chi you practice, but the basic principles are to move slowly and intentionally, with more awareness of how your body shifts and connects with the ground.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and a soft bend in the knees.
• Relax your shoulders and lightly engage your core, keeping your head and chest upright.
• Take a slow step forward, landing on your heel and rolling through your foot, feeling the connection with the ground as your weight shifts forward.
• Gradually transfer your weight to your other side as you take another step forward and repeat.
• Align your knees and toes as you move. The aim is to feel your body glide, rather than falling into each step.

To help master the basics, I copied the methods from the above video and attended a local Tai Chi class.

I practiced five minutes of Tai Chi walking every day, either during my morning walk or at home while the kettle was boiling.

I found it easier to do it at home without shoes, so this became my standard routine.

These are the effects I noticed after 30 days.

1. My walking alignment and posture improved

I often lean forward when I walk due to an anterior pelvic tilt, which tips my pelvis downward and arches my lower back

Because of this, I initially struggled to maintain a perfectly upright stance in Tai Chi walking, but after a few weeks, I was walking with a more vertical alignment.

Slowing down my steps made me more aware of imbalances and improved my movement patterns, too.

In the mirror, I noticed that my head, shoulders and hips were stacked properly during movement.

2. I sat better at my desk

My desk job is probably the primary cause of my poor posture.

Despite trying plenty of posture exercises, I would still sit with the classic shrimp-like posture: shoulders slumped, neck strained and spine rounded.

After some time of practicing Tai Chi walking, I noticed that my sitting posture started to improve too.

Engaging my core during my morning routine created a muscle memory that seemed to kick in during the rest of my day.

While I certainly still slouch from time to time, the positive effect on my posture has led to less tension in my neck, shoulders and lower back, even making other everyday movements easier.

3. I felt less stressed

I knew Tai Chi walking was a mindful movement, but I was still surprised to notice my stress levels had improved.

“Tai Chi walking brings the full mind and breath to the walking experience,” says Brian Thompson, Tai Chi and mobility expert at BNew4Life.

“At its core, it's simply walking. But if we dig a bit deeper, we see that Tai Chi's mindfulness principles lead to increased relaxation, less stress and a better overall experience of life.”

By practicing in the mornings, my body and mind felt more relaxed throughout the day.

That’s why I like Yoga With Adriene, the YouTube channel from Adriene Mishler.

Mishler has been sharing yoga routines online for over a decade and I always turn to them as a way to soothe my body and my mind.

With over 13 million followers, I’m certainly not the only person who enjoys her routines.

Her practices are always beginner-friendly, with modifications and step-by-step guidance.

I decided to try one of her recent fortnightly releases to fit some stretching into my day.

What I thought of the 10-minute hamstrings and lower-back routine

Mishler’s routine came at the perfect time after waking up with sore muscles following a lower-body dumbbell workout.

As always, Mishler starts the practice with a couple of minutes of grounding that helps you connect to your body, breath and mind—the whole premise of yoga.

Sometimes I want to jump right into the more dynamic yoga poses but this guided section always helps me relax.

Although the routine’s focus is on hamstrings and lower back, several postures also felt great on my shoulders and upper back.

Lizard pose provided a deep stretch through my hips and the runner’s lunge released tension through my hamstrings.

I also found that Mishler's tip to keep my knees bent during a forward fold helped me get a deeper stretch in my upper back and neck.

After 10 minutes with Mishler, my legs felt a lot lighter and less sore.

It'll certainly be a routine I come back to in the future to improve my post-workout recovery.

But we're missing out on a much healthier alternative: the deep squat

“A deep squat is a human rest position,” says Dr Zaki Afzal, a physical therapist and owner of Optimize Physical Therapy and Performance.

He explains that regularly resting in this position will maintain mobility in your hips, knees and ankles, while also ensuring you have the strength to get up and down from the floor.

That's a useful skill to have, as research from the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology tells us that the ability to get from a floor-sitting position to a standing position without aid is a predictor of longevity.

“It isn't that squatting magically adds years; it's that the ability to squat and rise is a readout of the mobility and strength that keep you independent,” says Afzal.

But if you don't have the mobility to do a deep squat, you're not alone.

“Most people have lost it,” says Afzal.

The upside is that most people can get it back, too. Here's how.

Exercises to help you access a deep squat

Afzal suggests the following three exercises to build your squatting mobility.

1. Supported deep squat

Hold: 30-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold onto a sturdy post or rack and bend your knees to sink into your deepest comfortable squat, keeping your heels on the floor, if you can.
• Breathe deeply while holding the position for 30-60 seconds.
• Stand back up using the support of the post.
• Repeat several times a day.

2. Heel-elevated goblet squat

Reps: 10-15

“Holding a light kettlebell at your chest acts as a counterbalance that lets you sit straight down and stay upright instead of tipping backward,” says Afzal.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a light kettlebell to your chest.
• Place a small weight plate under your heels to elevate them.
• Bend your knees, lowering to your best depth.
• Push through your feet to stand up and repeat.
• As it gets easy, lower your heel elevation over a few weeks until your feet are flat on the floor.

3. Ankle and foot mobility drill

Reps: 8-10 each side

Afzal says this move will help with ankle mobility, making a deep squat feel more comfortable.

How to do it:

• Start in a half-kneeling position facing a wall, with your front foot a few inches from the base. Use the wall for support if needed.
• Maintaining pressure in your heel, bring your knee to the wall so your shin forms a diagonal line from knee to ankle.
• Still maintaining heel pressure, return to the starting position so your shin is parallel to the wall again.
• Rock back and forth through your full range of motion, then switch sides.

Deep squat form tips

If you can already perform a deep squat but can't hold it for very long, Afzal suggests tweaking your foot position.

“Widen your stance and turn your toes out a bit,” he says.

This makes it easier to maintain an upright chest.

“Most people miss the deep squat by going chest-up and butt-back, which sends the hips backward when you want them going straight down,” says Afzal.

“Sit down between your feet, not behind them,” he explains.

I also asked Afzal what to do if your heels lift when squatting.

“If your heels pop up, that's almost always an ankle and mid-foot mobility limitation, not a sign you're broken,” he says.

Afzal says that placing a lift under your heel while you build up your range of motion is fine and something he does all the time in his practice.

He caveats that he would still prioritize getting to the point where your heels stay on the floor through the whole movement.

“Flat heels mean your ankles and feet can do the range, and that carries over to stairs, hiking and getting off the floor,” he says.

“Just don't force it. You earn it.”

Strength training and single-leg exercises can help, but building stability starts with trusting your body.

“If someone believes they can’t balance or aren’t flexible, their body may brace, grip or hesitate,” says yoga teacher Veronique Ory.

The instructor explains that you can boost your bodily awareness and balance confidence with practices like yoga.

“Many of my clients are over 55 and in our sessions we practice dynamic mobility, functional range of motion, balancing and creative variations of classic poses,” she adds.

This means that rather than holding static poses, she teaches her clients to move around, playfully exploring their balance in a safe way.

Here are three poses you can try at home.

1. Balancing tabletop

“This pose builds core stability, cross-body coordination, spinal mobility and balance,” says Ory.

“Moving slowly invites the stabilizing muscles to engage, which is essential for everyday movement and fall prevention.”

How to do it:

Hold: 3-5 breaths

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Extend your right leg straight behind you and your left arm forward.
• For extra stability, keep your right toes and left fingertips touching the floor.
• Gently rock forward and back, moving slowly and mindfully with your breath.
• Hold for three to five slow breaths, then swap sides.

Make it harder:

• When you feel steady, raise your right toes and left fingertips.
• Extend your spine by lifting your arm and leg higher as you inhale.
• Exhale and draw your elbow and knee toward each other under your torso as you round your spine upward.
• Repeat this three to five times.

2. Thread the needle

“This variation combines thoracic mobility, spinal rotation, breath and balance,” says Ory.

The pose challenges you to counteract uneven weight distribution, which forces your stabilizing muscles to switch on.

How to do it:

Hold: 1-2 breaths

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Inhale, raise your right arm overhead, rotating your torso to look at your hand.
• Exhale, lower your right arm under your chest and left arm, resting your right shoulder and the side of your head on the floor.
• Hold for a few rounds of breath, then repeat.
• Perform a few rounds of cat-cow, then repeat on the other side.

Make it harder:

• Extend your left leg straight back behind you, keeping your toes on the floor at first.
• Once steady, gently raise your left foot and hold for three to five breaths.
• Raise your unthreaded arm up, balancing on your shoulder, if you’re stable enough.

3. Tree pose

“Tree pose helps translate floor-based stability into upright balance. It strengthens the feet, ankles, hips, and core while improving focus and confidence,” says Ory.

How to do it:

Hold: 3-5 breaths

• Stand beside a wall or chair for support if you need, with your feet hip-width apart.
• Shift your weight side to side, front and back through the soles of your feet to find your balance.
• Focus on a point on the floor in front of you.
• Shift your weight onto your left foot, placing your right toes on the floor and your right heel against your left ankle.
• If you feel steady, place the sole of your right foot on your inner left calf or thigh.
• Keep one hand on the wall or chair, or bring your hands palms together at your chest.
• Hold for three to five breaths.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Make it harder:

• Try slowly turning your head from side to side.
• Try lifting your arms overhead like you’re growing your branches.
• Try closing your eyes briefly while staying near support for an extra balance challenge.

But if you’re nearing—or already into—your senior years, it should be a big part of your movement routine.

Our hips get weaker as we get older, because of a natural decline in bone density and muscle mass.

If you want to keep moving confidently (and lower your chance of hip fractures), then you need to fight back with dedicated exercises

That's why I teach this banded hip abduction exercise to all my senior personal training clients.

They strengthen important hip-stabilizing muscles and support full-body balance.

How to do banded hip abduction

A short-loop resistance band is best for this exercise.

Begin with one round of 10 repetitions, two to three times per week. As you get stronger, increase to two or three rounds and up your repetitions to 12-15.

You can perform this move three to four times per week, but be sure to stretch after your sets and take a rest day between efforts.

As you do the move, you should feel it working on the outside of your hips. If you feel any sharp pain, stop the exercise immediately and consult your doctor.

Clear any new activity or workout with your medical team first. Your doctor may recommend alternatives based on your specific health history, or advise you to skip the exercise

How to do it:
Reps: 10-15

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a short-looped resistance band around your ankles.
• Engage your core muscles and keep your chest lifted.
• Raise your left leg to the side, keeping it straight.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower your leg back to the starting position.
• Complete all the repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

Trainer tips: Avoid turning your toes out, which will externally rotate your hip. Instead, make sure you keep your hips and toes facing forward. Hold onto a sturdy surface like a wall or chair for balance if needed. Avoid any excessive arching in your lower back.

If you can’t do the move standing up: You can do banded hip abductions lying on the floor (or a bed, couch or massage table) or in a seated position.

“Around the age of 40, our natural bone remodeling process shifts,” explains Mark Harris, a certified strength and conditioning coach and ambassador for strength training equipment brand Mirafit.

“The body begins to absorb old bone tissue faster than it creates new bone, leading to a steady decline in bone density.”

He explains that this loss of bone tissue continues to accelerate significantly as we age, particularly for women during and after menopause.

“If we do nothing, our bones become more fragile,” says Harris, who recommends regular exercise to combat this.

“Bones respond to two main things: mechanical tension—where muscles pull against the bone during strength exercises—and impact, where forces travel through the skeleton as your feet strike the ground,” he says.

“By including both in your training, you give your body the stimulus it needs to help maintain stronger bones.”

He has chosen the following three exercises because, when performed in sequence, they apply both mechanical tension and ground reaction forces.

“These physical stressors act as an alarm system, signaling the body's bone-building cells [osteoblasts] to spring into action, lay down new tissue, and actively reverse that accelerated bone loss,” he says.

The full workout should take around 15 minutes if you do three rounds of the three exercises:

• Kettlebell goblet squat x10-12
• Standing dumbbell overhead press x10-12
• Pogo hop x20-30sec

Below Harris guides you through each move.

1. Goblet squat

Rounds: 3 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold a kettlebell by its rounded body, close to your chest.
• Brace your core, push your hips back and bend your knees.
• Lower yourself as deep as you comfortably can while keeping your chest up and heels flat on the floor.
• Push through your feet to come back to a standing position.

“The hips and femur are among the areas most vulnerable to bone density loss with age, so lower-body strength work should be a priority,” says Harris.

“Holding a weight close to your chest while squatting increases the load through these bones, encouraging the body to maintain bone strength while also building stronger legs and glutes.”

2. Standing dumbbell overhead press

Rounds: 3 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

• Stand with a straight back and your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward or slightly inward.
• Lift the weights overhead, keeping your back straight.
• When your arms are fully extended, the weight will put pressure downwards through the arms and into the spine, so pause here briefly.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.

“Bone health isn't just about the lower body,” says Harris.

“Pressing a weight overhead creates what's known as axial loading, where the weight travels down through the arms and into the spine.

“This loading encourages the body to maintain upper-body bone density while also improving shoulder strength and core stability.”

3. Pogo hop

Rounds: 3 Time: 20-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
• Bring your weight onto the balls of your feet and push off the floor into a jump.
• Do the movement rapidly, as though you are jumping without a rope.

“Impact is another key ingredient for healthy bones, but that doesn't mean you need to perform high-intensity jumps,” says Harris.

“Simple pogo hops—where you bounce quickly on the balls of your feet—create repeated ground reaction forces through the ankles, legs, hips and spine.”

The trainer says you should keep your movement rhythmic and low to the ground; the goal isn't to hit maximum height, but rather to create repeated ground reaction forces through the ankles, legs, hips, and spine.

If it’s the latter, it might be time to shake up your routine.

Working out with a partner is not only a fun way to do it, but—according to this 2019 study—could even boost your mood.

“Engaging in exercise with others could be effective in improving mental wellbeing relative to engaging in exercise alone,” the authors noted.

It's a belief similarly shared by Matt Van Mol and Cyan Koay, co-founders of Strong Band.

“I love partner workouts because you’re not only showing up for yourself, you’re showing up for someone you care about too,” says Van Mol.

“You go through the challenge together, you push each other through and that sense of accomplishment at the end is amplified because you are sharing it.”

Even if you don't want to keep going for yourself, he adds, "you keep going for them".

Here the CIMSPA-qualified personal trainers share one of their go-to full-body partner workouts using bands, meaning this workout can be performed anywhere.

All you need is a long-loop resistance band and a willing workout buddy.

How to perform the 20-minute partner workout

The routine
The routine combines two supersets, alternating lower- and upper-body exercises, before wrapping up with a mountain climber finisher.

The supersets
Perform exercises A and B back-to-back, with minimal rest between, then pause for 30 seconds before the next superset.

The mountain climber finisher
For the finisher, one partner will hold a plank while the other does mountain climbers. Perform 20 mountain climbers for the first round, then 16, 12, eight and finally four. Switch roles after every round.

Frequency and exertion
“We recommend completing this full-body workout one to three times per week,” says Koay.

Van Mol adds that if it's your first time doing these exercises, aim to work to a perceived rate of exertion of six out of 10, allowing yourself to “really understand the form and learn the movement patterns” first.

If it's not your first rodeo, “push this to an eight out of 10 effort to challenge yourself and encourage progressive overload,” which will see you getting stronger over time.

Assign yourselves as partner one or two and let’s get going.

1A. Partner reverse lunge

Sets: 2 Reps: 12 each side

• Start with partner one and partner two standing next to each other.
• Loop the resistance band around partner one’s right leg and partner two’s left leg just above your knees.
• Maintain enough distance to create tension in the band. You should both feel your adductor muscles (on the inside of your thighs) resisting the pull of the band toward your partner.
• Together, take a big step back with your unbanded legs, lowering your back knees toward the floor.
• Push through your front feet to return to standing.
• Complete all the repetitions on one side, then repeat on the other.

1B Partner decline chest press

Sets: 2 Reps: 12 each

• Start with partner one in front and partner two standing behind, both facing forward.
• Loop the resistance band around partner one’s chest.
• Partner two turns to face the other way and presses the band away from their chest in an upward motion and holds this position.
• Partner one steps one foot forward for stability and presses the band away from their chest in a downward motion toward the floor.
• Partner one performs 12 repetitions with control.
• Swap roles and repeat.

2A Partner seated row

Sets: 2 Reps: 12

• Partners one and two sit on the floor facing each other, legs outstretched and feet touching.
• Both partners hold the resistance band taut, so it forms a rectangle.
• Partner two pulls the band toward their waist to create tension and holds the position, keeping elbows tucked into their sides.
• Partner one pulls the band into their waist, squeezing their shoulder blades and keeping elbows tucked, in a rowing motion.
• Partner one releases the band toward partner two and repeats this 12 times.
• Swap roles and repeat.

2B Partner pancake hinge

Sets: 2 Reps: 12-15

• Partner one and two sit on the floor facing each other, legs outstretched and wide in a V shape—bend your knees slightly if you need.
• Partner two pulls the band toward their waist to create tension and holds this position, keeping elbows tucked into their sides.
• Partner one hinges at their hips to lower their chest toward the floor, keeping a flat back.
• Partner one raises their torso again, keeping arms extended, then repeats this 12 times.
• Swap roles and repeat.

Trainer tip: Keep your knees slightly bent to move through a deeper range of motion. A heavier resistance band or sitting on a cushion can also help.

3. Partner mountain climber

Sets: 1 Reps: 20-16-12-8-4 (10-8-6-4-2 each side)

• Partner one and two assume a high-plank position facing away from each other.
• Loop the resistance band around your feet to create tension.
• Partner two holds this position as the anchor, with core engaged and palms pressed into the floor.
• Partner one drives one knee toward their elbow, then returns to the starting position and repeats on the other side to perform mountain climbers.
• Partner one completes 20 repetitions, then partner two completes 20 repetitions.
• Continue alternating roles to complete the descending ladder of repetitions (20, 16, 12, 8, then 4).

She's been training for more than 30 years—but it took a long time for her to perfect her push-ups.

“It's hard for both men and women, and especially difficult for those who haven't had as much exposure to upper-body strength training,” she says.

She explained that she could do a few push-ups in a row when she first started working out, but always wanted to get past 20.

“I'm now at about 50 push-ups and I was able to get more than double by realizing a push-up isn't an arm exercise; it's a full-body and mind exercise,” says Schloessman.

She tells Fit&Well that the change occurred when she learned to use core strength rather than relying solely on arm strength.

“I envision the [core] muscles engaging, bracing my abs and focusing on not letting my lower back collapse,” she says.

Here she breaks down exactly how she conquered the move.

Form cues for a traditional push-up

Every time she does a push-up, Schloessman gets into a high plank position and mentally follows these form cues:

• Imagine zipping up your abdominal muscles like a corset.
• Engage your glutes.
• Focus on actively using your chest, shoulders, triceps and back.
• Inhale as you lower and exhale to push up.

If you’re not ready to attack your first full push-up yet, Schloessman recommends starting with one of the regressions listed below.

“Focus on good technique,” she advises. “Proper technique builds strength; poor technique builds bad habits.”

She suggests the following two options, which can be done together or as a combination.

1. Incline push-up

“This exercise is great because it works the same muscle groups as a traditional push-up,” says Schloessman.

“It is much more achievable because it reduces the percentage of body weight you're pushing.

“Most importantly, you learn proper alignment and you can focus on core engagement, total body focus and breathing.”

To progress, simply lower the height over time.

How to do it:

• Stand in front of a wall, counter, box or bench with your hands braced against it a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Step back so that your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Inhale, bend your elbows and lower your chest toward your chosen surface, keeping your upper arms tight to your torso.
• Exhale and press your chest away from your chosen surface until you return to the starting position.

2. Knee push-up

“This exercise is another great way to make progress, but only when done correctly,” says Schloessman.

“Just like the incline push-up, it works the same muscle groups as a traditional push-up and reduces the weight while allowing you to complete the exercise.”

She explains that for good form, you must ensure that your elbows stay slightly back and angled at 45° away from your body.

This will keep your hips low to the floor and prevent your back from caving.

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart..
• Move your knees back so that your torso is in a straight line.
• Shift your weight forward so you are resting on your upper knee, not directly on top of your kneecap.
• Inhale, bend your elbows and lower your chest.
• Exhale and press your chest away.

I assumed that was because of general wear and tear in the joint—then I consulted a physical therapist who specializes in treating patients experiencing chronic pain.

“The reason most runners keep getting knee pain—and this is where I want to be clear—is that they treat the knee as the problem,” says Dr Andrew Gorecki of Superior Physical Therapy.

“It usually isn't.”

The knee is where the pain shows up, he tells Fit&Well, “but the actual driver is almost always somewhere else in the chain”.

Common culprits are weak glutes (buttocks), stiff hips, poor ankle mobility or a movement pattern that overloads the knee.

“Fix the knee, symptoms come back. Fix the chain, they don't,” he says.

Gorecki breaks down five interventions with the strongest supporting evidence to prevent runner's knee pain.

Five ways to protect your knees when you walk or run

1. Strengthen your glutes

Weak glutes can cause your knee to slightly collapse inward with every step.

“This mechanism is responsible for most patellofemoral pain and iliotibial [IT] band problems,” says Gorecki.

There are three major muscles in your glutes and strengthening the gluteus medius will help realign and control how your hip and knee track with each stride.

“Single-leg glute bridge, side-lying leg lift and clamshell performed three times a week will make a real difference,” says Gorecki.

2. Restore your ankle mobility

Limited range of motion, particularly dorsiflexion (bending your foot back toward you), in your ankles can force your knee to compensate mid-run.

A simple solution is to perform a half-kneeling ankle rock.

“Daily ankle mobility work helps directly reduce the load on the knee,” says Gorecki.

“With this exercise [above], keep your front knee over your toes and heel down.”

3. Build calf strength

Your calves act as shock absorbers when you run.

“Weak calves mean the knee has to take on more of the load,” explains Gorecki.

An often overlooked exercise for runners and hikers are bent- and straight-knee calf raises.

“Perform 15 reps of each a few times a week, adding load with a weight once that feels easy.”

4. Cross train

Gorecki recommends giving your joints and muscles a break from the repetitive strain of running or walking by switching up your routine.

That could mean including some bike or cross trainer sessions instead, joining a group exercise class or playing a sport like padel or tennis that involves new different movement patterns.

“Adding lateral and rotational movement to your week with exercises like side lunges, single-leg work in three directions, and gentle rotational work helps counter the single-plane repetitive stress of running,” he says.

5. Increase mileage slowly

Lastly—and perhaps most obviously—Gorecki recommends building up your running distances gradually.

“The classic rule is no more than a 10% increase in weekly mileage per week,” he says.

“Most knee issues in runners trace back to a training block where mileage jumped too fast. Even advanced runners fall into this trap.”

Take your time, be patient and you should be able to keep knee pain at bay.

When to see a physical therapist

If knee pain persists after two to three weeks of self-management, Gorecki says you should probably see a physical therapist.

“In most US states you can see a physical therapist directly without a physician referral and a focused evaluation will help identify which part of the chain is driving the problem.”

The upside: it'll save you months of guesswork so you can get back to walking, hiking or running pain-free in the near future.

Isometric exercises—where you hold a position for a period of time—are among the best ways to lower your blood pressure, according to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The large-scale systematic review and meta-analysis found that isometric holds lower blood pressure more effectively than aerobic exercise, high-intensity interval training, dynamic resistance training and combined training.

Beyond the cardiovascular benefits, trainer Rosie Borchert of REP Fitness US explains that isometric exercises are a great choice for those working out with injuries.

“Isometric exercises help build strength and stability in joints without the repeated rep-based motion that can sometimes aggravate symptoms,” she says.

She recommends the following three exercises for your leg, shoulder and core strength.

1. Wall sit

“I love a wall sit because it’s a simple move you can do anywhere to build strength and endurance in your quadriceps, while giving some love to your glutes, core and stabilizer muscles,” says Borchert.

How to do it:

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 15-30sec Rest: 30-60sec

• Position your back against a wall with your feet flat on the floor in front of you, and shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees and slide your back down the wall as though you are sitting down in an imaginary chair.
• Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor and adjust your feet if needed to make sure your knees do not extend past your feet.
• Hold for 15-30 seconds to start, then slide back up the wall to come back to standing.

Form tip: Engage your core and don’t let your knees cave inward.

2. Active dead hang

“An active dead hang is my go-to for shoulder health, increased grip strength and endurance,” says Borchert.

“This exercise primarily targets the muscles in your forearm as your grip fights to hold on, as well as your delts, lats and lower traps, which engage as you pull your shoulder blades down and back.”

How to do it:

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 15-30sec Rest: 30-60sec

• Grasp a pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your palms facing away from your body.
• Bend your knees slightly to lift your feet off the floor so your body hangs under the bar.
• Allow your elbows to straighten under the load and pull your shoulders down and back.
• Maintain tension in your core, shoulders and upper back as you hang.
• Put your feet back on the ground to come out of the hold.

Modification: You can cycle between an active and passive dead hang to add some spinal decompression.

• After your active dead hang (above), release the tension from your shoulders, allowing your body to hang limp from the bar.
• Hold for a few seconds, then re-engage your shoulders, pulling yourself back up into an active dead hang.
• Cycle between these two moves as long as your form remains solid.

3. Plank

“We typically think of a plank as core work, which it is since it’s primarily targeting your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques and erector spinae, but it also gives your shoulders, chest, upper back, arms, glutes and legs a workout—as they work to maintain balance and alignment,” says Borchert.

“It can help you build core strength, improve posture and help with lower back pain.”

She adds: “I love to drop down into a plank during a commercial break to see if I can hold it until my show comes back on.”

How to do it:

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 15-30sec Rest: 30-60sec

• Start on your hands and knees on the floor with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Lower onto your elbows, positioned directly beneath your shoulders and extend your legs behind you.
• Come onto the balls of your feet so your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Engage your core, squeeze your glutes and slightly tuck your tailbone to eliminate any rounding or arching in your back.
• Hold for 15-30 seconds, then drop your knees to the floor to come out of the position.

Form tip: Keep your head and neck relaxed by looking down at the floor.

However, relying solely on walking for exercise has some downsides, explains Melissa Leach, a yoga instructor and strength and conditioning coach with Yoga-Go.

“Walking and running are repetitive linear movements, with the body moving almost exclusively forward, loading the same muscles and joints over and over,” she says.

“With time, this builds strength in a narrow range of motion, but for some, it also creates tightness and imbalances.”

She explains that practicing yoga can help by working the body through multiple planes of motion.

She suggests trying three particular moves: runner's lunge with twist, pyramid pose and seated twist.

“These three poses target the exact areas hiking and walking stress most,” says Leach.

“Together, they retrain the hips, hamstrings and spine to move through their full range, which helps improve balance, as balance depends as much on joint mobility as it does on strength.”

Three yoga poses for walkers:

The three poses that Leach suggests are:

• Runner's lunge with twist
• Pyramid pose
• Seated twist

She advises running through them one after another and if you have time, doing two rounds. She also offers a couple of tips:

• Rest 10-15 seconds between sides and rounds, just enough to reset your posture, but not a full recovery break.
• All poses are best performed post-hike, when your muscles are still warm.

Below she breaks down how to do the three poses.

1. Runner’s lunge with twist

Hold: 30-45sec each side

This move can soothe and stretch out tight hip flexors, which can be a side effect of long walks and runs.

How to do it:

• Start in a low lunge position with your right foot forward, your right knee bent and your left leg extended behind.
• Place your left hand on the floor under your shoulder.
• Rotate your chest to the right and reach your right arm towards the ceiling. Look toward your raised hand if comfortable.
• Hold the rotation for 30-45 seconds, then release and switch sides.

Form tip: Keep your front knee over your ankle and your back leg stable. This can be a dynamic movement such as in the video but for this move try the static version first.

2. Pyramid pose

Hold: 30-45sec each side

If you've tackled a few hills during your walk, this should help.

“Pyramid pose lengthens the hamstrings and calves, which absorb most of the eccentric load on descents,” says Leach.

How to do it:

• Stand with one foot forward and the other about 2-3ft behind it. Keep both legs straight and your hips facing forward.
• Hinge at your hips and fold over your leading leg.
• Place your hands on the floor or on yoga blocks on either side of your forward foot, or on the shin of that leg.
• Pull your shoulders back and straighten your spine, then inhale and deepen the fold as you exhale.
• Hold for 30-45 seconds, rise slowly and switch sides.

3. Seated twist

Hold: 20-30sec each side

“Although spine rotations are barely used when walking or hiking, reintroducing them post-hike helps prevent stiffness,” says Leach.

How to do it:

• Sit with a straight back and both legs extended in front of you.
• Bend your right knee and place your right foot outside of your left thigh.
• If comfortable, you can bend your left knee too and bring your left foot close to your glutes.
• Drop your shoulders and straighten your back as you inhale.
• Twist to the right as you exhale, placing your right hand behind you and your left elbow against your right knee.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, deepening slightly on each exhale, then release with control.

So I was intrigued but skeptical when mobility expert John Lindsey shared a move he described as the greatest hamstring stretch of all time.

“If your goal is to touch your toes or get your palms to the floor on a forward fold, this is the drill you need,” he says in a recent Instagram post.

The move in question is the elephant walk, presumably because it mimics the alternating straight and bent-knee gait of an elephant's hind legs when it walks.

Since spotting Lindsey’s post, I've been doing the elephant walk daily to promote recovery after workouts—especially after marathon training sessions—to see what difference it would make.

I've also been using the stretch on rest days to offset tightness built up after a long day at my desk and before bed.

Here is what I discovered after a week of walking like the biggest beast in the jungle.

How to do the elephant walk

First, let's take a look at the exercise.

If you don't have the flexibility to touch your toes with a straight leg, Lindsey suggests using an elevated surface like yoga blocks or a bench for this move.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hinge forward at your hips, while keeping your legs straight.
• Place your hands on your support surface.
• Bend one knee slightly, allowing your hamstrings (muscles in the back of your thighs) to relax.
• On your straightened leg, drive your hip back and tense your quadriceps muscles (at the front of your thigh) to intensify the stretch down your hamstrings.
• Maintain this tension for two to three seconds, then switch sides.
• Lower your hands closer to the floor as your mobility allows.

Lindsey recommends performing 50 reps in total every day, keeping the movement slow and intentional.

“If you want to improve your hamstring mobility, commit to 25 reps per side, daily, for a month and see what changes,” he says.

“As you're able, you'll lower the surface. It probably won't happen in one session but as you do this consistently you'll be getting lower and lower and lower.”

Doing 25 per side takes a long time.

I did find that this quickly improved my mobility, but if you're new to movement, I'd suggest winding down the rep count to 10-15 per side and gradually building up.

What happened when I did the elephant walk every day for a week

The first time I tried stretching like Dumbo I found it tricky to tense my quads. Isolating those muscles in a forward fold can take a bit of getting used to.

But once I got the hang of it, while using my breath to deepen the stretch, it became pleasingly meditative.

That said, it's more of a workout than it looks.

I noticed the stretch most deeply just above the back of my knee joint, and 25 reps on each side can make the area heat up quickly.

That's because contracting one muscle to lengthen and relax the opposing muscle, known as active stretching, is an effective way to improve mobility rather than just flexibility.

Rather than passive hamstring stretches (like reaching for your toes), elephant walks will help you acquire the ability to control your knee joint through a fuller range of motion using your own strength.

Working in this way can make your knee and its surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments more robust and less injury-prone.

After a few days of regular practice, I could feel the benefits through my posterior chain (all the back-of-body muscles), easing tightness in my calves after a run and lower back after sitting.

After five days, I was able to place my palms fully on the floor.

It also proved the perfect remedy after an arduous weekend of gardening.

So, what's my verdict?

As with any exercise described as the GOAT—greatest of all time—it's only effective when performed consistently.

It also needs to be part of a full-body workout that targets joints and muscles that the move misses.

That said, it's certainly earned its place in my post-workout wind-down routine.

Building functional core strength means training your body to do more than just crunch up and down; you need to challenge your muscles to twist, reach, and stabilize you from every angle.

Certified personal trainer Matt Bandelier at Eden Health Clubs has created a medicine ball workout to do just that.

The four moves below will keep your core workouts interesting, while also challenging your muscles to adapt to new demands.

1. Medicine ball squeeze and press

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 Rest: 45-60sec

Bandelier says this move forces your core to brace, resist extension, and compress at the same time.

“By squeezing the ball in front of your chest and pressing it [out] while maintaining your stability, you [target] the deep transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and internal obliques more than with a standard press or curl. That midline bracing is exactly what builds a functional, powerful core.”

Choose a light to moderate-weight medicine ball.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands or with closed fists.
• Press your elbows together slightly to squeeze the ball and activate your deep core.
• Slowly extend your arms to press the ball in front of you. You don’t need to extend fully, but you must maintain tension throughout the movement.
• Hold for a few seconds, resisting any swaying, twisting or arching.
• Return the ball to your chest.

2. Standing woodchop

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 45sec

“Your core isn’t just for flexion [bending]—it stabilizes and produces rotation, too,” says Bandelier.

“Woodchops engage the internal and external obliques while integrating the hips and torso in a functional force transfer pattern.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball in both hands with your knees slightly bent.
• Pivot your feet and rotate your torso to start with the ball on the outside of one hip.
• Drive through your feet and rotate your torso to raise the ball diagonally across to your opposite shoulder.
• Reverse the movements back to the starting position with control.
• Complete all the repetitions on one side, then repeat on the other side.

Form tips: Keep your arms straight and eyes on the ball. Pivot your back foot to protect your knee.

3. Medicine ball overhead slam

Sets: 4 Reps: 15 Rest: 60sec

“This dynamic move recruits your core through high-velocity extension and compression,” says Bandelier.

“Slams train both deep stabilizers and superficial ab muscles under power, improving strength and rate of force development more than slow, traditional crunches.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest in both hands.
• Inhale as you press the ball overhead, fully extending your hips and rising onto your toes.
• Exhale as you forcefully throw the ball straight down.
• Catch the ball if it bounces or squat to pick it up to repeat, maintaining a flat back.

4. Unstable medicine ball plank

Sets: 3 Hold: 30-60sec Rest: 60sec

“Adding instability forces your nervous system to recruit deep core stabilizers [including transverse abdominis and serratus anterior] to resist collapse or rotation. This improves core endurance and shoulder stability.”

How to do it:

• Place the medicine ball on the floor and press both hands onto the ball, directly under your chest.
• Step your feet back and hold your body in a straight line from head to heels. The further apart your feet are, the easier it will be to keep your balance.
• Push your hands into the ball, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Engage glutes and quads for stability.

Form tips: Do not let your hips sag or lift.

Quickly falling in love with the sport, her mileage rapidly cranked up to 50 miles a week while she rattled through numerous long-distance races and led daily Peloton classes.

Now 51, and having just completed the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea ultra, she has no intention of giving up the big races—but she is actively training smarter rather than harder these days.

“I’m trying to be a bit more balanced,” Chan tells Fit&Well, from Peloton Studios London.

“I’ve intentionally gone down to less than 40 miles per week to give my legs a rest and make space to work a bit more on strength and mobility.”

That includes strategically scaling her training back once or twice a year, and being a lot more intentional about the harder, tougher sessions.

“I don't force it,” says the four-time Marathon des Sables finisher. “There have been days when I won’t do anything.

“I have one or two months a year when I just dial it right back and keep things ticking over.

“Obviously I work. I have to run for my job. But outside of that, if I’m tired, I’ll leave it for the day or I’ll swap out a run for a fun 30-minute bike ride, or yoga or mobility session.”

With age comes maturity, says Chan. “Your reason for running evolves as you evolve.

“At 51, having done the races that I’ve done, I don’t feel like I need to prove anything to anybody,” she says.

“Not that I ever did. But if I’m getting tired, I will just step back from it because I love my job and right now my priority is showing up for work strong and healthy.”

Outside of the studio, Chan is still determined to keep running for as long as her feet will carry her.

“The 35-year-old Susie would not recognise me,” she says, adding she wishes she had started running earlier in life. “It’s a complete 180° on the sort of person I was in my 20s and early 30s—for the better.

“Not so much for the fitness, though that’s great to have, but for the confidence it’s given me.”

She goes on to explain the positive community aspect of running: “I’ve found the people I enjoy spending time with, the social side of it all. I don’t know how to explain it to non-runners, but once you find running, running becomes your thing.

“It’s almost like a religion. You’ll run with runners. You’ll meet with other runners. It’s a whole community and way of life,” she adds. “I’m just so glad I found it and started doing it.”

While Chan hopes to keep running for a long time to come, she breaks down how to train smarter as you age in three clear points.

1. Swap short-term goals for long-term endurance

With countless personal records and even world records to her name, Chan is now playing the long game.

“When you’re younger, or new to running, it’s all very exciting and you can get PBs because that’s available to you,” she says. “If you’ve been running for a long time, that becomes harder and harder.”

Instead of pushing to shave a few seconds off her time, Chan backs off when feeling tired so she can keep showing up for work, and the people that she loves.

2. Become an all-rounder

In the past, Chan would run and run, sparing little time for strength or mobility.

Now, aware that muscles and bones naturally weaken as you age, she’s committing more time to running-specific strength training and weekly yoga or Pilates classes.

"At least once a week I'll do a Peloton strength class, either a full-body strength workout or one focusing on the glutes and legs," she says. "Just don't dwell on how weak my arms are."

3. Prioritize rest days

Since turning 50, Chan is paying greater respect to rest days and being more selective about the hard sessions in her training schedule.

“I’m a lot more intentional about the hard work that I do now,” she says.

“By that, I mean the faster work. It is absolutely so hard for me now. My pace is very slow and steady.

“I can run all day nice and slow, but I only really push myself like that if there’s a real fitness reason, like a goal-orientated race I'm working toward.”

If that means taking more rest days, she’s all for it.

“I’m much more balanced in my approach to training. Ten years ago I would just keep going and going.”

It could mean you feel energized and strong or tired and fatigued.

But pre-workout nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated.

“It’s about giving your body the fuel it needs to perform at its best but it also has to fit into real life,” says Natalie Rouse, registered nutritionist and head of nutrition at supplements brand Free Soul.

She adds: “I'm busy, so I need options that are quick, practical and backed by science rather than trends.”

So, what should you eat? Or drink? And what’s the best time for pre-nutrition?

I asked dietitians and nutritionists what they personally reach for before they train. Here's what they said.

Natalie Rouse, registered nutritionist

For Rouse, it’s all about keeping her pre-workout snack simple and consistent.

What she eats: “For a gym or strength session, I'll often have rice cakes with jam alongside 0% Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder,” she tells Fit&Well.

Rouse uses Free Soul Sculpt, which combines whey and pea protein to help her meet her protein goals.

For longer endurance sessions, such as running or cross-training, Rouse increases the carbohydrate content depending on the duration and intensity of her session.

She swaps her pre-workout snack for something more substantial such as porridge with a banana, toast with jam, a bagel with honey, or a banana with a protein smoothie.

When she eats it: “If you're eating within 30-60 minutes before training, I recommend choosing something smaller that's easy to digest and relatively low in fat and fibre. That's why rice cakes with jam, yogurt and protein powder work so well,” she says.

Ideally though, Rouse suggests eating a balanced meal around two to three hours before exercise.

“This allows enough time for digestion while ensuring muscle glycogen stores are well topped up, but in reality, as we are all busy, it doesn’t always happen!”

Why she eats it: “Rice cakes with jam and 0% Greek yogurt is simple, convenient and easy to digest, providing rapidly available carbohydrates to fuel the workout alongside protein to provide the essential amino acids needed for muscle repair and adaptation,” she says.

“There isn't a single ‘perfect’ pre-workout snack,” she adds.

“The best choice depends on the individual, the type of sport, the training intensity, the duration of the session and how long you have before exercising.”

Val Warner, registered dietitian and strength coach

Val Warner switches up her pre-workout snack depending on the time of day, but one principle always remains the same for the registered dietitian and strength coach: easy-to-digest carbs.

What she eats: “When I go to the gym at 5am, I love a banana pre-workout,” she tells Fit&Well.

“It sounds so simple, but it works and gives me plenty of energy—whether I’m lifting, running, or doing a hybrid workout.”

If her workout falls later in the day, Warner switches to a bar instead. Her top choices? Larabar (20g carbs), GoMacro (34g carbs), and RXBAR (10g carbs).

When she eats it: In the morning, Warner aims to eat 15 minutes before exercise.

“I have something in my stomach before my workout, and by the time I am warmed up and increasing the intensity, my digestive tract has digested the fruit,” she says.

“For the bars, it may be 20-30 minutes before my workout since I know I will need more time to digest the entire thing. If I don’t have that time, I may only have half the bar.”

Why she eats it: While her pre-workout snack might change depending on the clock, one thing that stays the same is her focus on easy-to-digest carbs—the body's go-to fuel source once exercise intensity picks up.

“Bananas have around 25g of carbs so it's perfect for me," she says.

“It's easy to digest, and your muscles are ready to use that as fuel.” Her go-to bars also contain between 10g and 34g of carbs.

Timing matters too. “The further you are from your workout, the more you can add to your snack because you have more time to digest the food and absorb the carbohydrates,” Warner explains.

If you load up on protein, fiber or fat too close to a session, though, it can backfire and cause stomach cramps.

Angie Asche, registered dietitian

For Angie Asche, registered dietitian and founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition, the focus is on protein.

What she eats: “My personal go-to pre-workout snack is hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, a slice of toasted bread with almond butter and half a banana sliced on top,” she tells Fit&Well.

Asche keeps things simple and doesn’t have a set recipe, but will mix up her carb source between whole grain bread and sourdough, and swap almond butter for peanut butter.

“I’ll occasionally add hemp seeds and honey on top and do a second slice or add an extra egg if I want more of a meal, and I like to change up how I have my eggs for more variety,” she adds.

When she eats it: Eating one hour before a workout is Asche’s sweet spot.

“I find this reduces my risk of stomach upset but also helps keep me full and energized during,” she says.

For longer workouts such as a long run or hour-long weight training session, she’ll have a quick source of carbs, such as dried mango, 15 minutes before exercising.

Why she eats it: For Asche, it’s all about pairing a high-quality protein source with carbohydrates she knows she will tolerate well before a workout.

“With this snack, I know I'm getting a high-quality source of protein with eggs, and carbohydrates that I know I tolerate well pre-workout with the bread and banana, both of which play a significant role in performance,” she says.

Eggs are one of her favorite protein sources, and for good reason.

“They’re a nutritional powerhouse,” she says. “They are a complete protein delivering all nine essential amino acids, and they deliver key nutrients that most Americans don't get enough of, including choline and vitamin D.”

Protein alone isn’t enough, though; carbohydrates are crucial.

“A balanced pre-workout meal with carbohydrates and protein helps top off glycogen stores, provide sustained energy, and support muscle function,” Asche says.

Eggs aren't a major carb source, so pair them with bread, oatmeal, or fruit for fuel—and to support post-workout recovery.

Yes, it involves lots of time on your feet, but to maintain an efficient posture mile after mile, you need to build endurance in your trunk and upper body as much as your legs.

Take it from personal trainer, ultramarathon runner and realbuzz ambassador Sam Tomlinson.

“Running places the greatest demand on the lower body, but you should not neglect your upper body,” he tells Fit&Well.

That said, training the upper body shouldn't hijack valuable time you'll need for your regular running sessions.

So, if you only have capacity for one strength workout a week, Tomlinson has a five-move workout that targets your lower body, upper body and core.

How to do the full-body strength workout for runners

Tomlinson's five-move workout is split into two blocks.

Block one

Complete exercises 1A, 1B and 1C back-to-back with minimal rest between.

Rest 60-90 seconds at the end of the set, then repeat the circuit twice more.

Block two

Perform exercises 2A and 2B back-to-back. Rest for 60-90 seconds, then repeat twice more.

“This full-body session is a time-efficient option if you can only commit to one strength workout per week,” says Tomlinson.

Aim to gradually increase the weights over time—just as you would mileage with your runs—to ensure your muscles get stronger.

If you’re training for a race, taper off your workouts (reduce the intensity and volume) when you're a week to 10 days out from your race. That will keep your body fresh for the event.

Block one

1A Dumbbell split squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides or at your shoulders.
• Take a big step back, then bend at your knees to lower your back knee toward the floor, keeping your front knee over your front ankle and your chest upright.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing.
• Complete all repetitions on one side then switch sides.

Trainer tip: Holding the weights at your shoulders will challenge your core stability more so you might need lighter dumbbells.

1B One-arm dumbbell row

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with a sturdy knee-level surface in front of you, holding a dumbbell in your right hand and placing your left hand on the surface for balance.
• Take a step back with your right foot and engage your core.
• Retract your shoulder blade on your right side to engage your upper back muscles.
• Pull the weight toward your hip, rather than straight up, challenging your back muscles, not just your biceps.
• Lower the weight until your arm is fully extended.
• Repeat all repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

Tomlinson says: “Keep your shoulders away from your ears and avoid rotating your torso.”

1C Push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12

• Come to your hands and knees, with shoulders over your wrists and hands roughly shoulder-width apart.
• Step your feet back and straighten your legs.
• Maintain a line from your shoulders to your heels, keeping your feet together and your core and glutes engaged.
• Inhale, and bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the floor.
• Exhale as you push the floor away, extending your arms straight.

Make it easier: Perform this exercise with your hands elevated on a platform or wall.

Block Two

2A Half-kneeling one-arm dumbbell press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 each side

• Start in a kneeling position with your torso upright.
• Place your left foot flat on the floor in front, knee bent at 90°.
• Hold a dumbbell on your right shoulder.
• Engage your core and press the dumbbell overhead.
• Pause, then slowly lower the weight to tap your shoulder and repeat.
• Complete all repetitions on one side, then switch.

Tomlinson says: “Squeeze your glutes to help avoid arching your lower back.”

2B Farmer's carry

Sets: 3 Distance: 30-40m

• Stand between two dumbbells.
• Hinge forward at your hips, and bend your knees to grasp the weights.
• Push through your feet to stand—avoid rounding your back.
• Engage your shoulder blades and core and maintain an upright chest.
• Walk for 30-40m or 20-30 seconds.

Trainer tip: Choose a weight that will challenge you to maintain a strong upright posture.

For instance, when you pick something heavy off the floor, are you aware of whether you’re lifting with your legs or your back?

Checking in with how you move—your movement quality—is more than just a mindfulness exercise. It’s a crucial way to avoid injury.

And according to Liam Hogan, performance coach and head of fitness at Veyr.fit, the best way to improve your everyday movement quality is by practicing in the gym.

“We push, pull, squat, lunge, bend and resist rotation in everyday life, so an effective training session should reflect those demands,” he says.

Hogan says he likes using exercise bands to work on his clients' movement quality, as the constant tension improves their bodily awareness.

“Bands often require you to anchor into either the floor or your own body, creating direct tactile feedback that encourages proper positioning and technique,” he adds.

Here are five moves you can do at home with a long-loop resistance band.

1. Banded push-up

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 10 Rest: 20-30sec

Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps and core

“Adding a resistance band to your push-up increases the load as you press away from the floor, challenging your chest, shoulders and triceps while requiring the core to maintain stability.”

How to do it:

• Place the resistance band across your upper back and secure the ends under your hands.
• Start in a high-plank position with your hands on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, legs straight and toes on the floor.
• Lower your chest toward the floor.
• Press your hands into the floor until your arms are fully extended.

Make it easier: Perform the movement on your knees.

2. Banded squat

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 10 Rest: 20-30sec

Targets: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and core

“The squat is a foundational lower-body movement that develops strength, mobility and coordination,” says Hogan.

“It mirrors everyday activities such as sitting down and standing up, making it one of the most functional exercises you can perform.”

“With the band under your feet, the tension naturally encourages you to plant your feet firmly, helping to create a strong and stable base for the squat.”

How to do it:

• Stand on the resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart and loop the band over your shoulders.
• Sit your hips back and bend at your knees to lower your glutes toward the floor, keeping your back upright.
• Push through your heels to return to standing.

Form tip: Keep your chest lifted and core engaged throughout.

3. Banded bent-over row

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 10 Rest: 20-30sec

Targets: Upper back, lats, rear deltoids and biceps

“Strong pulling muscles are essential for posture, shoulder health and overall upper-body strength,” says Hogan.

“The bent-over row effectively targets the muscles of the upper and mid-back while balancing the pushing work performed during the push-up [earlier in the workout].”

How to do it:

• Stand on the resistance band with both feet.
• Hold the ends of the band in each hand, a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Hinge forward from your hips to lower your torso to a 45° angle.
• Pull the band toward your ribs by driving your elbows back.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together, then slowly return to the starting position.

Form tip: Maintain a neutral spine and engaged core.

4. Banded Bulgarian split squat

Sets: 2-4 Reps: 10 per leg Rest: 20-30sec between sets

Targets: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and core

“Single-leg exercises are excellent for developing lower-body strength, balance and stability.

“The Bulgarian split squat challenges each leg individually, helping identify and correct muscular imbalances while improving functional movement.”

How to do it:

• Stand with a bench or sturdy chair behind you.
• Place your left foot behind you on the bench and stand on the resistance band with your right foot.
• Loop the other end of the band over your shoulders and stand.
• Bend your right knee to lower your left knee toward the floor.
• When your right thigh is parallel with the floor, drive through your right foot to return to standing.
• Complete all repetitions on one leg, then switch sides.

5. Pallof press

Sets: 3-5 Reps: 10 per side Rest: 20-30sec

Targets: Core, obliques, shoulders and trunk stabilizers

Hogan says one of the core's most important tasks is resisting movement, not just creating it.

“The Pallof press trains anti-rotational [core] strength, teaching your body to remain stable against external forces and improving overall trunk control.”

How to do it:

• Secure the resistance band to a sturdy object at chest height to your side and step away from the anchor point so the band is taught.
• Stand side-on to the anchor point, holding the band at your chest with both hands.
• Push against the band to extend your arms straight out in front of you. Engage your core to resist rotating toward the anchor point.
• Pause, then return to the starting position.
• Complete all repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

What you might not know is that the core can be divided into superficial muscles near the surface and deep-lying muscles that you can’t see.

These muscles work together a lot of the time. But while your superficial muscles do the bulk of the work to move your torso, your deep-lying muscles are primarily responsible for things like spinal stability, organ support and breathing.

Classic core moves like sit-ups and bicycle crunches will target superficial movers, but you'll need a different set of exercises to target those all-important deep-core muscles.

Stephanie Schappert, a member of the ClassPass Wellness Council and an ACE-certified personal trainer, recommends these three equipment-free options.

1. Dead bug

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 30-60sec

How to do it

• Lie on your back with your arms and legs extended upward and knees bent at a 90° angle.
• Engage your core and press your lower back down.
• Inhale and slowly lower your right arm and left leg until they are hovering above the floor.
• Exhale and return to the starting position, then switch sides.
• Alternate sides, moving slowly and keeping your back flat.

Targets: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques

Find dead bugs too hard? Try doing these easier dead bug variations instead.

2. Bird dog

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 30-60sec

How to do it

• Come to your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Engage your core by drawing your belly button toward your spine. Keep your back flat.
• Extend your right arm forward and left leg back so both are parallel to the floor.
• Pause briefly then return to the starting position.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Targets: Core muscles (transverse abdominis and obliques), lower back muscles, glutes, shoulders and hip stabilizers

3. Plank up down

Sets: 2-4 Hold: 20-60sec Rest: 30-60sec

How to do it:

• Come to a push-up position, with hands on the floor, legs straight and feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core and squeeze your glutes.
• Lower one forearm to the floor, then the other, so you're in a forearm plank.
• Push back up into a high plank position.
• Repeat for 20-60 seconds, cycling between high plank and forearm plank.

Targets: Core, shoulders, chest, lower back

Only you can decide what that looks like for you.

“When I look toward my future, I want to be able to run around with my nieces and nephews and my children,” says Jack Bryant, a qualified 500-hour yoga teacher and founder of Wellness With La Rue.

“I don’t need to be balancing on my head; I just need to move with ease,” he adds.

Having a good foundation of balance, coordination, mobility and strength is necessary if you want to age well—whether you want to run marathons in your 80s or just walk around your neighborhood unaided

Bryant has selected the following three poses to help you build these attributes.

Three poses for healthy aging

• Deep squat
• Tree pose
• Locust pose

“You can hold each pose for as long as you like, but three to five breaths is great,” says Bryant.

You can flow between the poses or take breaks between them if you need.

1. Deep squat

Hold: 3-5 breaths

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out slightly.
• Slowly bend your knees and drop your hips, keeping your heels flat on the floor.
• When your glutes are as low as they can be, press your elbows against the insides of your knees and put your palms together.
• Hold here and breathe slowly, keeping your chest lifted and back upright.

Form tips:

• If your heels won’t stay flat on the floor, place a blanket, cushion or block under them.

Regression: If you can't do a deep squat, Bryant recommends butterfly pose as an alternative with similar benefits.

Why it’s good for aging: “The deep squat is often called one of the most functional movements for healthy aging because it mimics the way we naturally sit, stand and move in daily life,” says Bryant.

“Practicing this pose helps maintain mobility in the hips, knees, ankles and lower back, making everyday activities easier and safer.”

2. Tree pose

Hold: 3-5 breaths

How to do it:

• Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and your toes facing forward.
• Shift your weight onto your right foot and place the sole of your left foot on the inside of your right thigh, shin or calf (depending on flexibility).
• Bring your hands to your chest in a prayer position (palms together).
• Focus your eyes on a steady, unmoving point in front of you and hold.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Form tip: Do not press your foot directly on your knee joint.

Why it’s good for aging: “Balance naturally declines with age, increasing the risk of falls and injuries,” he says.

“Tree pose is an excellent balance exercise because it strengthens the muscles that stabilize the ankles, knees, hips and core while training the body's proprioception—our ability to sense where it is in space.

“Regular practice improves coordination, concentration and stability, all of which are important for preventing falls and maintaining confidence in movement,” he explains.

He adds that tree pose also promotes mental focus and mindfulness.

“Balancing postures also strengthen acceptance,” he adds. “Some days life is easy and others, we’re wobbly and all over the place!”

3. Locust pose

Reps: 3-5 Hold: 3-5 breaths

How to do it:

• Lie on your front with your arms by your sides and your legs extended.
• Interlace your fingers behind your back or keep your arms by your sides, palms facing up.
• Inhale, raise your chest and legs as high as possible.
• Exhale, return to the starting position.

Why it’s good for aging: “My yoga teacher always told us: “healthy spine, healthy life,” and that’s the mantra I live by!

“This pose strengthens the entire back of your body. A strong back prevents the hunched posture, which can compress your lungs and organs over time.”

He adds that the pose strengthens all the muscles along the back of your body, not just your back.

These muscles are essential for maintaining an upright posture and counteracting the rounded shoulders and forward head position that often develop from prolonged sitting.

“Strengthening the posterior chain also improves functional movements such as walking, climbing stairs, lifting objects and getting up from the floor.”

Having completed CrossFit workouts myself, I know the real proof of his fitness is completing 27 rounds of the notorious Cindy workout in just 20 minutes.

The routine consists of three bodyweight moves—pull-ups, push-ups and squats—repeated as a circuit over 20 minutes.

Holland revealed his all-time best Cindy score in an interview with Men’s Health last year.

That clip has recently gone viral again, as people are recording themselves trying to beat his record, with most people falling short.

The beauty of this routine is anyone can do it—yes, even if you can’t do pull-ups or don’t have Holland’s strength and stamina.

While CrossFit workouts can be notably challenging, they can also be easily modified to individual levels.

Here's how to do it.

How to do Tom Holland’s workout

The goal of this workout is to put a 20-minute timer on and complete as many rounds as possible of the following circuit.

• Pull-up x5
• Push-up x10
• Squat x15

The workout packs in a lot of pulling, pushing and squatting in a relatively short time, so not only is it functional (mimicking the natural demands of everyday life) but it’s a tough cardio workout.

The pull-up is what most people will need to modify and there are many ways to do this, depending on what equipment you have.

If you only have access to dumbbells, then I'd recommend doing the below:

• Bent-over row x5
• Push-up x10
• Squat x15

1. Dumbbell bent-over row

How to do it

Reps: 5

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding heavy dumbbells.
• Hinge from your hips, pushing your buttocks back and lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
• Keep your back flat and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
• Pull the dumbbells toward your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
• Lower the weights back to the starting position.

While it doesn’t replicate the exact movement pattern of a pull-up, this variation will still get you to practice a pulling motion and provide a challenge for your back muscles.

If you only have resistance bands: Use a long-loop resistance band to perform a seated banded row.

If you’re at a gym: You can use the assisted pull-up machine, lat pull-down machine, or use a long-loop resistance band to make the pull-ups achievable.

2. Negative push-ups

How to do it

Reps: 10

• Come to your hands and knees on the floor.
• Position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Step your feet back, so your body is in a straight line.
• Lower your chest to the floor.
• Keep your knees on the floor as you push-up, keeping your upper body straight.
• Step your feet back, raise your hips and repeat.

Doing a negative push-up will challenge you to keep your body in that plank position, targeting your core muscles and getting you used to controlling your weight for the descent.

Make it easier: You can do wall push-ups if the above is too hard, or an elevated push-up, with your hands on a box or chair.

3. Squat

How to do it

Reps: 15

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing out slightly.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips, until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand.

Make it easier: Perform chair squats by positioning a chair, box or bench behind you and squatting down on it.

Tips for completing Tom Holland’s workout

• Choose your pace. You don’t have to go for speed (or even aim to get anywhere near Holland’s time) so choose a pace that you can maintain for the whole 20 minutes without compromising on good form and technique.
• Adjust the workout length. If 20 minutes is too much, then reduce the workout to 15 or 10 minutes until you build your capacity.
• Take breaks if you need them. Holland built his fitness skills over years, so don’t expect superhero results overnight. Take a breather in between sets and reps as you need it.

Siri Chilazi is a group fitness instructor, Pilates teacher and barre trainer based in Boston, Massachusetts.

She's been a trainer for over 20 years and has developed a varied exercise routine of her own that incorporates a range of movement styles.

“I work out because it feels great in the moment, it helps my physical health and mental health and it sets up the foundation to be healthier later on in life,” Chilazi tells Fit&Well.

“It's such an ingrained part of my life that I can't even imagine my life without moving,” she adds.

Here, she's shared what a typical week of exercise looks like for her, as well as the daily movement rituals that help her stay active throughout the day.

Siri Chilazi's weekly workout routine

Chilazi makes sure that she walks, jumps on her mini trampoline, takes the stairs and does some gentle joint mobility work every day.

On top of that, she does the workouts below.

Monday 12pm
50-minute treadmill run and 15-minute core workout

Tuesday 12pm
60-minute Pilates session

Wednesday 12pm
50-minute run and 20-minute core workout

Thursday 12pm
25-minute skipping workout and 35-minute upper-body strength workout

Friday 12pm
Beach run

Saturday 12pm
30-minute yoga routine

Sunday 9am
60-minute yoga class

Sunday 5pm
30-minute HIIT and strength workout

Siri Chilazi's tips for building a consistent workout routine

1. Prioritize everyday movement

“As you can probably see from my routine, I focus on the everyday movements that aren't exercise per se,” says Chilazi.

The trainer prioritizes walking, climbing stairs—she lives on the 15th floor of her apartment building—joint health exercises and trampolining, as part of her daily movement rituals.

“The biggest thing that drives your caloric expenditure isn't actually the 45-minute workout—it's how active you are in those other 16 hours,” she explains.

2. Protect time for exercise

“I try to design my schedule in such a way that I have protected time for exercise,” Chilazi says.

“If people ask me if I can meet at a certain time but I've planned on working out then and that's the only window I can squeeze in a workout, I tell them I'm not available.”

3. Set micro goals

“My high level goals revolve around being healthy, active and setting myself up for a good future,” says Chilazi.

“But at any given moment, I might have some more specific fitness goals.

“Sometimes, I might be working on my cardiovascular endurance. Other times, a few months later, I might be working on consciously building muscle mass.”

According to Chilazi, smaller goals can help you feel more motivated to exercise, as you'll see progress quicker.

4. Set input not outcome goals

“We naturally set goals based upon outcomes. For example, I want to lose 10 pounds or I want to run a 5k,” says Chlazi.

“But when you're starting out, it can be more helpful to set the goal based on the process or the input,” she says.

“For example: “I'm going to commit to going on a walk every day, even if it's just for five minutes,” or “I'm going to commit to doing a strength training workout three times a week”.”

“It doesn't matter how much muscle you gain or how much more weight you can lift, just focus on taking the right steps that will move you in the right direction, without focusing on the outcome,” Chilazi concludes, adding: “You have to get yourself in that consistent flow, and then you can start optimizing around the outcomes.”

My hips were tight, my form felt off, and no matter what adjustments I made, I still felt pain during the movements.

I’m a certified personal trainer and a corrective movement and pre- and postnatal exercise specialist, so I’m well-versed in addressing form and mobility issues, especially during the postpartum period.

When the usual tricks weren’t fixing my squats and lunges, I decided to try something new—I did the 90/90 hip mobility exercise every day for two weeks to see if it would help.

Before I started, I checked in with Dr Michael Wang, a physical therapist with New Care Physical Therapy, for his thoughts on my experiment.

“The 90/90 exercise is an excellent exercise to help the hips move freely,” he says.

He explains that sitting for long periods forces our hips to stay in one position, which can negatively impact their range of movement. This can lead to stiffness, irritation and muscle cramping—so doing some mobility exercises to counteract this is a good idea.

“The 90/90 exercise is safe to do daily if it can be done without sharp pain or if there are no pre-existing conditions,” says Wang.

Though I’d been sitting a lot since my son was born, I was able to do the movement without pain, so I was good to go.

I hoped that a fortnight of 90/90 exercises would be a beneficial addition to my routine.

How to do the 90/90 hip mobility exercise

“People who have hip conditions like hip impingement, sciatica or history of hip surgery should consult an expert before attempting this exercise,” cautions Wang.

If you’re injury-free you can consult a certified personal trainer or physical therapist to ensure you’re doing the move correctly.

How to do the move:

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 5-10 each side

• Sit on the floor with your left knee resting in front at a 90° angle.
• Place your right knee at a 90° angle on the floor to your right side.
• Raise your right knee, then your left, rotating from your hips, until your feet are flat on the floor.
• Continue rotating until your right knee is in front and your left knee to your side.
• Reverse the movement to return to your starting position.

How I built mobility

Knowing my hips were exceptionally tight, I began my two-week experiment with just one set of five reps on each side.

Even this was a struggle at first, but by day four I started to move with more ease.

On day five, I upped my reps to eight, which felt great.

After a week, I was up to 10 reps and performing the exercise easily and smoothly.

Towards the end of the challenge, I decided to pay more attention to my pace.

I moved more slowly and intentionally through each part of the movement. This helped me identify trouble spots in my range that I’d previously missed.

On day 11, I added another set of 10 reps and by day 14, my final day, my hips felt looser and more limber.

Here’s what I observed after doing this 90/90 hip exercise every day for two weeks.

1. Squats and lunges got easier

Poor squats and lunges were what motivated me to try this 90/90 hip mobility challenge, so I’m happy to report that both have improved.

The tightness and discomfort I was experiencing at the bottom of the squat and on the descent were easing by day three. I also noticed I wasn’t shifting my torso forward as much—with more space and comfort in my hips, I was able to sink lower and keep my back more upright and chest lifted.

Lunges felt smoother too and I was able to get my knee closer to the floor.

By day 14, I was even able to use heavier weights during both movements.

2. My back pain improved

Due to a degenerative disk issue, I live with chronic lower-back pain, but by day seven of my experiment, my usual ache wasn’t as bothersome.

While my pain didn’t disappear completely, the improvement was enough to make my lower-body workouts feel easier than they had in a long time.

3. Running felt better

Running is my favorite form of exercise but tight hips can make it feel awkward and painful.

I’m aware my recurring bouts of IT band syndrome—that show up as pain on the outside of my knee when I run—has its root causes in my hips.

I ran on four days during the challenge, and while the first two runs felt typical with some discomfort and pain toward the end, the third and fourth runs were noticeably different.

I ran without the usual tightness at the start and was able to reach my top speed sooner.

On my fourth run, I even finished 10 seconds faster than usual with a pain-free knee.

That’s all the evidence I need to keep doing this exercise regularly.

“The goal should be to move our bodies with autonomy,” says Seung Sun No, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of personal training at Retro Fitness in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

He assigns the following five movements to all his clients to keep them moving well.

“Not only are they great for building muscle in general, but they also imitate real-life movements to prepare us for practical functionality,” he says.

When the goal is longevity and maintaining functional mobility, No recommends doing a high number of repetitions of each exercise with a lighter weight, working through the full range of motion.

“The purpose is to keep performing the movements with control and intent in order to stay free and mobile,” he explains.

Pick a lighter weight to start, then progress to a heavier load once you’re confident in the movement.

The exercises

1. Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Farmer’s carry
4. Push-up
5. Lat pull-down

1. Squat

How to do it:

Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outward.
• Engage your core, bend your knees and push your hips back to lower into a squat.
• Pause when you reach the lowest comfortable position, then reverse the movement to stand.

“The squat mimics the basic human ability of sitting and standing,” says No.

“If you plan on [getting out of] a car or sitting on a toilet without assistance, then this is the type of movement you want to do.

“It primarily targets the quads and the glutes, but it also incorporates your core and even your upper back.”

2. Deadlift

How to do it:

Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Rest: 2min

• Stand in front of a weight with feet hip-width apart.
• Relax your knees and brace your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to grasp the weight’s handle with both hands.
• Inhale, push through your feet and thrust your hips forward to stand, keeping the weight close to your body.
• Reverse the movement to lower the weight back to the floor.

“If the squat teaches our bodies how to sit and stand freely, then the deadlift teaches us another basic function—bending and picking things up,” says No.

“The deadlift targets many different muscles; there’s a reason why it’s commonly referred to as the king of exercise.

“Not only does it target your glutes, your core and even your quads, but it also incorporates your traps, lats, shoulders and even your forearms.”

Form tip: Focus on using your legs and hips to lift the weight, rather than your back.

3. Farmer’s carry

How to do it:

Sets: 4 Time: 30sec Rest: 90sec

• Stand holding weights by your sides.
• Brace your core and walk in a straight line for 30sec.
• Set your weights down in between sets.

No says this exercise forces you to engage your core. If you don’t, then the weights will pull you off-center and you won’t be able to walk in a straight line.

“This teaches us how to stay tight and protect our lower back, while still moving our limbs,” he says.

4. Push-up

How to do it:

Sets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 2min

• Start on your hands and knees, with your hands placed slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Extend your legs behind you.
• Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
• Bend your elbows and lower your chest as far as comfortable.
• Push through your hands to raise your chest to the starting position.

No says your shoulders can weaken and stiffen with age, but push-ups keep them strong and mobile.

He explains that when done with correct form, push-ups should challenge almost every muscle in your upper body.

“A standard push-up primarily targets your chest, triceps and shoulders.

“If you tighten your core and control the movement on the way down, you’ll notice your core and back muscles getting a workout as well,” he says.

Form tips: Your forearms should be at a 45° angle to your torso, so your upper body looks like an arrow from above—not a T shape.

Modification: If standard push-ups are too difficult, drop to your knees or put your hands on an elevated surface, like a bench. If that’s too challenging, do standing push-ups against a wall.

5. Lat pull-down

How to do it:

Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Rest: 2min

• Adjust the machine's thigh pad so your legs will fit snugly underneath when sitting.
• While standing, grasp the bar just wider than shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip.
• Lower into the seat, keeping your arms straight.
• Straighten your back and pull your shoulders back.
• Pull your elbows toward your ribcage until the bar reaches your upper chest or collarbone.
• Squeeze your back muscles at the bottom of the movement, then slowly straighten your elbows to raise the bar.

This is the only exercise that can’t be done at home, as you will need a pull-down machine.

“This machine can be found in virtually every gym in the world and is great for safely training the lats, the traps and even your biceps,” he says.

No explains that this exercise helps you maintain your ability to raise your hands overhead.

While other moves (like the overhead shoulder press) also mimic overhead movements, No prefers this exercise for keeping your shoulders fit and healthy, as it works your large upper-back muscles.

“The muscles involved with stabilizing our shoulders and scapulae are actually upper-back muscles, especially our lats,” he explains.

Form tip: If you need assistance setting yourself up on this machine, ask a member of staff at the gym to help.

That's why stability work is so important. Balance can become an increasing concern as you age, as can joint issues. Stability exercises can help you feel steadier on your feet and reduce your risk of injury by strengthening the smaller muscles around the joints, providing them with more support.

According to physiologist Dr Alyssa Olenick, stability work is particularly important for women once they reach midlife. "The drop in estrogen that occurs during and after menopause has a major impact on muscle and bone health," says Olenick.

"Estrogen helps your body build and maintain muscle and bone, as well as recover from workouts," she says, adding: "Aging is directly associated with declines in muscle strength, power, and mass, which may be further impacted by estrogen loss."

"Strength training helps you stay strong, capable, and resilient enough to do the things you want to do," Olenick explains.

As part of ALO Wellness Club's new female-focused workouts, Olenick has created a series of workouts alongside trainer Jade Smith for women at different stages in their lives.

Below, they've shared a short dumbbell workout for women in their 50s designed to improve strength and stability. If you’d like more of the same, explore ALO Wellness Club's Balanced program for the over-50s.

How to do the ALO Wellness Club stability workout for women over 50

You'll need two sets of dumbbells for this workout between 8-20lb. Choose one lighter weight and a heavier option—both should feel challenging for whatever move you’re doing and if you repeat this workout, make sure to increase the weights you’re lifting as you get stronger to ensure you’re still challenging your muscles.

You might also want an exercise mat, because a lot of the moves are done from a lying position.

Warm-up

1. Jumping jack

Time: 30sec

• Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides.
• Jump and simultaneously raise your arms out to the sides and overhead, and move your feet out to the sides, so you land with your feet wider than hip-width apart.
• Keep a soft bend in your elbows and land lightly on your toes.
• Jump and return to the starting position.
• Continue for time, keeping a steady rhythm.

2. Lateral hop

Time: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Push off your right foot to jump to the left, landing on your left foot and keeping your right foot just off the floor.
• Push your left foot to jump to the right, landing on your right foot and keeping your left foot just off the floor.
• Continue for time, keeping a steady rhythm.

3. Twist hop

Time: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your elbows bent.
• Jump and simultaneously rotate your lower body to the left side and your upper body to the right side.
• Jump and reverse the movements.
• Continue for time, keeping a steady rhythm.

Strength circuit

Do two rounds of the following.

1. Reverse lunge with knee drive

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Hold dumbbells by your sides.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower until both knees are bent to 90°.
• Push through your left foot to extend your legs and stand, and bring your right knee in front of you to hip height. Move slowly and prioritize form over speed.
• Continue, using the same side for the first round, then switch to the left side for the second circuit.

2. Romanian deadlift

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back to lower the weights, keeping a flat back and the weights close to your legs throughout.
• When you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings, drive your hips forward to stand upright.

3. Chest press

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells above your chest with your arms extended and palms facing your feet.
• Bend your elbows and lower your arms to bring the weights slowly to either side of your chest.
• Press back up with power, but control too, keeping a slight bend in your elbows at the top.

4. Dead bug

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Lie on your back and lift your knees so they’re directly above your hips and bent to 90°.
• Extend both arms straight up.
• Gently press your lower back into the floor and engage your core—this is your starting position.
• Slowly lower your right arm behind you and lower and extend your left leg in front of you, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating sides, breathing steadily and focusing on stabilizing through your core.

Cool-down

1. Knees to chest

Time: 20-30sec

• Lie on your back and hug both knees into your chest.
• Rock gently from side to side to release tension in your lower back.

2. Standing forward fold

Time: 20-30sec

• Slowly stand up from the mat.
• Hinge forward from your hips, and hold your right elbow in your left hand and vice versa.
• Let your head hang and sway gently from side to side.

3. Slow roll-up

Time: 20-30sec

• From the standing forward fold, bend your knees slightly and slowly stand upright, rolling up through your spine.
• Once standing, swing your arms out to the sides and take a deep breath to finish.

While not everyone is like me—some people just want to work out occasionally for general fitness or weight management—few are completely immune to the satisfaction of achieving a physical feat that was once beyond them. I’ve seen it firsthand with the people I train.

I’ve recently gone through a really satisfying deep core progression that I wanted to share with Fit&Well readers.

Around 18 months ago I started rehabbing a bulging disc in my lower back, working with a specialist.

For the first six months, my routine focused on foundational moves like the dead bug and high-plank positions.

I progressed to more unstable planks, lifting one hand or foot at a time.

Eventually I moved on to the bear hold—the starting point of the progression I want to tell you about.

It’s an isometric (static) exercise on your hands and toes, with your knees held a few inches above the floor, holding your hips steady and keeping your back in a neutral position. It’s an exercise that challenges your pelvic stability and core strength on both sides of your body.

The bear hold proved highly effective in rebuilding my deep core muscles, which are essential in stabilizing the spine for my long-term recovery.

After building this foundation, I added bear hold shoulder taps and stuck with them for another few months.

Now I’ve graduated to unilateral instability: single arm/leg and opposite limb reaches.

It took me months of patient work, but the positive effect it’s had on my deep core is undeniable.

Here’s more detail on what I did, in case it inspires you to progress your core work too. Don’t rush through the progressions, master each one before graduating to the next one.

My bear hold progression plan

Start by mastering the bear hold, working on it until you can comfortably maintain stability for three sets of 30 to 40 seconds.

After that, I recommend progressing to bear hold shoulder taps as an intermediate step, which introduces three points of contact and teaches your body to resist rotation.

From there, you can move onto a unilateral variation. These variations force your core to fight rotational forces—so if you lift your left arm, you’ll feel your right obliques fire up to keep your hips level.

The ultimate test is lifting opposite limbs simultaneously, not only requiring strength and hip stability but neural coordination too—that’s synchronized coordination between your brain, nervous system and muscles for smooth, controlled movement.

1. Bear hold

Sets: 2-3 Time: 30-40sec

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees.
• Tuck your toes and raise your knees a few inches off the floor.
• Press your palms into the floor activating your upper back, and engage your deep core.
• Hold this position for time, maintaining stable hips and a neutral neck throughout.

2. Bear hold shoulder tap

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 12 each side

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees.
• Tuck your toes and raise your knees a few inches off the floor.
• Press your palms into the floor activating your upper back, and engage your deep core.
• Raise your right hand to tap your left shoulder, then return it to the floor.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating shoulder taps while maintaining control and stability through your hips and back.

3. Single arm/leg bear hold

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 5-6 each side Hold: 3-5sec

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Tuck your toes and raise your knees a few inches off the floor.
• Engage your lower core and press your palms into the floor to keep your back and hips stable and level.
• Raise your left arm and extend it in front of you, aiming toward shoulder height.
• Hold briefly, then lower and repeat on the other side.
• Repeat the sequence with your legs, extending each leg behind with control.

Trainer tip: Keep your shoulders directly above your palms—as they tend to slip back—for maximum core and back engagement.

4. Opposite limb bear reach

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 5-6 each side Hold: 2-3sec

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Tuck your toes and raise your knees a few inches off the floor.
• Engage your lower core and press your palms into the floor to keep your back and hips stable and level.
• Once stable, slowly extend your left arm forward and your right leg back.
• Hold for a few seconds.
• Lower with control and repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: If your hips start swaying, return to the single arm/leg bear hold.

In midlife, your muscles, bones and tendons naturally start to change, explains Jill Jones, an ISSA-certified personal trainer, owner of Newark’s Colosseum Gym and co-founder of FitQuo.

This can make us more vulnerable to injuries and strains.

“Here's the thing nobody tells you about turning 40—your body doesn't betray you overnight. It's not one bad step off a curb that does you in. It's years of skipped warm-ups, ignored stiffness and treating your body like it's still 25,” says Jones.

Most people can get rid of their aches and pains with the right approach.

“It's just a different job now and once you know the job, you can absolutely stay strong, active, and injury-free for the long haul.”

Along with Jones, I spoke to Andrew Gorecki, doctor of physical therapy and author, about the best habits to adopt in your 40s and how they improve your longevity.

1. Wake up your tendons

Tendons naturally become less elastic with age, and take longer to adapt to exercise, increasing the risk of stiffness and injury.

But using isometric exercises—where you hold a position under load without moving—can act as a gentle wake-up call for aging tendons, says Gorecki.

“Holding a position—such as a wall sit, calf raise or split squat—under tension helps gently activate the muscles while gradually loading the tendon without the higher impact of dynamic movements,” he says.

“This not only encourages tendons to stay strong by stimulating collagen production and remodelling, but can also temporarily reduce tendon pain, making them an excellent way to prepare your body before strength training or more demanding exercise.

“That's why isometric exercises have become a common first-line intervention for painful tendons.”

Gorecki recommends doing this isometric exercise below.

Calf raise

Sets: 4-5 Hold: 30-45sec Rest: 1min

• Stand on the balls of your feet on a step, heels hanging off the edge.
• Hold something sturdy for balance if needed.
• Raise your heels as high as you can, balancing on the balls of your feet.
• Hold for 30-45 seconds, squeezing your calves.
• Slowly lower. Avoid going too low if your Achilles is sensitive.

Make it harder: Progress to single-leg holds once this feels easy.

2. Build your balance before you need it

Balance training is overlooked as an injury prevention tool, says Gorecki.

“Most people think of balance as fall prevention, which it is, but there's a bigger picture. Every step you take, every reach, every catch, is a small balance challenge.

“When the balance system weakens, the body compensates by moving more cautiously and loading joints unevenly, which creates the small overuse patterns that become injuries for an older population.”

Gorecki adds: “Balance is also a neurological skill more than a muscular one. The nervous system needs practice sending small corrections to small muscles. When you stop practicing, you lose the skill fast.”

He recommends doing this simple balance exercise daily, which also trains your foot to move in different planes of motion.

Three-way single-leg reach

Reps: 5 each direction

• Stand on one leg. You can place your fingers on a sturdy surface for support if needed.
• Extend your raised foot to touch your toes on the floor in front, then return to center.
• Repeat to the side, then behind you.
• Do five reaches in each direction, then switch legs.

Gorecki says this exercise “builds real-world balance. Training the body to control single-leg balance while the other leg moves in multiple directions mimics real life”.

3. Use movement snacks to combat stiffness

Gorecki says the body adapts to what you do the most, so if you spend eight hours a day sitting that’s what it will get used to.

Breaking up sitting with bite-sized moments of movement—what he calls movement snacks—helps to change that.

“Just two to five minutes of intentional movement, done three to eight times a day, can help keep your joints lubricated and your connective tissues elastic.”

“This is one of the highest leverage interventions for people over 40 because it addresses the accumulated stiffness that makes injuries more likely,” he says.

He recommends weaving this movement snack into your day:

Standing thoracic rotation

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms crossed over your chest and your hands on opposite shoulders.
• Slowly rotate your upper body to the right as far as comfortable.
• Hold for a few seconds, return to center then rotate to your left.

Try doing this every 45-60 minutes of sitting, he says.

“The mid-back stiffens with sitting more than almost any other region of the body. This snack keeps it mobile enough that the low back and neck don't have to compensate.”

4. Take a recovery walk

Everyone should have rest days, but they become even more important as you get older.

“At 40 and beyond, recovery just takes longer than it used to. That's biology—we can't argue with it. But we can take proactive steps to getting our bodies closer to their optimal state,” says Jones.

She recommends taking recovery walks on rest days.

“A slow, easy walk the day after a hard workout isn’t wasting a day”, says Jones.

“It’s helping promote recovery by increasing blood flow and reducing stiffness without adding more stress. I build these into every client’s week, no exceptions.”

5. Progress gradually—even if you’re already fit

Once you hit 40 and over, strength training should be a non-negotiable.

It helps preserve and maintain muscle mass and bone density, supports healthy joints and metabolism and builds the strength and stability needed to stay active and reduce injury risk.

But before you increase the weight, add more reps or make exercises more challenging, it’s important to know if your body is ready.

Gorecki recommends using four simple checkpoints before progressing your workouts.

“The first signal I look for is whether the current load feels controlled through the whole range of motion,” he says.

“For example, if you're squatting, you should feel stable whether you're lowering [the weight] a few inches or performing a full squat.”

The second signal that you're ready to move up a weight, according to Gorecki, is if you can perform an exercise both slowly and quickly without losing form.

The third checkpoint is how sore you are after upping the load.

“Some muscle soreness for 24 to 48 hours is normal, but if it lasts longer, it may be a sign you've progressed too quickly,” says Gorecki.

Finally, he says if you’ve been at your current level for at least two to three weeks, it might be time to change things up.

“Consistency at any level is what actually builds tissue capacity. Rushing progression is one of the leading causes of overuse injuries in this population,” he says.

Gorecki adds: “None of these tips require expensive equipment or long workouts. They require paying attention to the small habits every day.

“The people who stay active into their 70s and 80s aren't the ones who trained hardest at 40. They're the ones who built the daily practice.”

Dr Caroline Packard, a doctor of physical therapy and founder of Connect Pelvic Floor Fitness, says that’s a sign that your mind, body and breath are out of sync.

“As we age, we don't just lose muscle; we lose the coordination between the breath, the deep core, the glutes, and the postural system that holds everything together,” she says.

“When that coordination breaks down, even people who are technically strong start to feel unsteady, fatigued and less confident in their own body.”

Before she introduces weighted exercises, Packard's programs focus on restoring that coordination.

“It's the foundation of everything I teach with Connect,” she says.

“The exercises change as you progress. They get more challenging, more loaded, more complex; but the foundation never changes: breath first, coordination restored, then build.”

How to do the workout

To complete this entry-level routine you'll need around 15-20 minutes and a few simple props.

“There is no floor work,” says Packard. “Every exercise is done standing or seated using a chair, a wall, a small pillow, and a low step or bottom stair.”

Packard advises that you should exhale during the most taxing part of an exercise.

“That exhale activates the deep core and pelvic floor, turning every movement into a full system workout—not just the muscles you can see,” she explains.

1. 360˚ diaphragmatic breath

Sets: 3 Reps: 5 Rest: 10sec

• Sit in a chair with feet on the floor.
• Rest your hands on the sides of your ribcage.
• Inhale slowly through your nose for four counts.
• Feel your ribcage expand in the front, sides and back simultaneously.
• Exhale for four counts and feel your ribcage draw inward.
• Pause after the exhale before your next breath.

Packard says: “Don't skip this section. For adults who have spent years chest breathing—which is most of us—this is the reset the body needs before it can load effectively.

“If your hands aren't moving outward on the inhale, keep breathing until you feel them expand.”

2. Seated marches

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Sit at the front edge of your chair, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and lift one knee slowly toward the ceiling, keeping the pelvis level and the spine straight.
• Don't let your hip drop or your torso lean.
• Hold briefly, then lower slowly.
• Repeat on the other side.

Packard says: “The goal is not [knee] height, it's control.

“A small, controlled march with a stable pelvis is worth far more than a high kick with a wobbling trunk. As this becomes easier, add a light dumbbell resting on the thigh for additional load.”

3. Seated pillow adduction

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 with a three-second hold Rest: 30sec

• Sit at the front edge of your chair, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
• Place a small pillow or rolled towel between your knees.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and gently squeeze the pillow between your knees.
• Hold for three seconds.
• Inhale to slowly release.

Packard says: “Think of this as waking up the inner architecture of the hip before you ask it to work hard.

“For [older populations], the adductors are almost always underactivated, and when they're weak, the pelvis loses the stability it needs for safe single-leg loading and balance control.”

4. Standing foot taps

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Stand and face a wall.
• Rest your fingertips on the wall for support.
• Position your feet hip-width apart, with a slight bend in the knees.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and slowly tap one foot out to the side, keeping the pelvis level and the trunk upright.
• Return to standing with control.

Packard says: “Tapping the foot out to the side trains the outer glute muscle that helps with balance to prevent falls.

“When those muscles are weak, the pelvis drops on the standing side with every step, creating the instability that makes older adults vulnerable to falling sideways.

“As this becomes easier, slow the return phase or add a light ankle weight for additional load.”

5. Sit to stand

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 45sec

• Sit at the front edge of your chair, feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Cross your arms over your chest or raise them in front.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and push evenly through your whole foot as you stand, ensuring the knees don't cave in as you stand.
• Inhale and lower, hinging at the hips to sit back down.

Packard says: “This is the most important exercise in this entire routine, and one most people do dozens of times a day without thinking about it.

“Research shows that the ability to perform this movement with control and without assistance is one of the strongest indicators of long-term mobility, fall risk and longevity.

“The exhale on the way up is non-negotiable. That breath coordination automatically activates the deep core and pelvic floor, turning this into a full system exercise rather than just a leg movement.

“As the move becomes easier, slow the lowering phase to three to four counts. That eccentric control is where real strength is built.”

Packard also advises that you watch out for two common compensations: the chest leaning too far forward on the way up, or the knees caving inward. Either means the glutes aren't firing properly.

6. Wall-supported split squat

Sets: 2 Reps: 8 each side Rest: 45sec

• Stand facing the wall, fingertips resting lightly on the surface.
• Step one foot back, about two-thirds of your normal stride length.
• Keep both feet pointing forward.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and slowly lower the back knee toward the floor, only as far as it is comfortable.
• Keep the front knee tracking over the front toes, the trunk upright, and the pelvis level. Don't let the front heel lift.
• Inhale, then exhale and push through the front foot to stand.

Packard says: “The split squat is single leg strength training made accessible.

“By staggering the feet you're loading one leg at a time, which is exactly how the body works in real life.

“Every step you take, every stair you climb, every curb you step off is a single-leg loading event.

“This exercise builds the quad, glute and hip strength that makes those moments feel controlled and confident rather than precarious.”

7. Low step-up

Sets: 2 Reps: 8 each side Rest: 45sec

• Stand facing a low step or bottom stair, with a railing or wall within reach for support.
• Place one foot fully on the step.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and hinge slightly forward from the hips, maintaining a straight spine, as you drive through the heel of the elevated foot to bring yourself up to standing.
• Inhale and lower back down with control, hinging from the hips as you descend.

Packard says: “This is the most functional exercise in the routine, because stairs exist in almost every home, every building, and every sidewalk.

“By leaning slightly forward into a hinge position as you step up, you're loading the posterior chain [the glutes and hamstrings] in a way that protects the low back and builds the kind of hip strength that directly reduces fall risk and supports long-term independence.”

8. Kickstand single-leg stance

Sets: 2 Reps: 3 x 20-30sec hold each side Rest: 20sec between holds, 30sec between sets

• Stand near a wall with fingertips resting lightly on its surface.
• Place the toes of one foot just behind you. This is your kickstand foot—your weight should stay centered over the other foot.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Press through the ball of the kickstand foot, without shifting your weight back.
• Hold that position and breathe.

Packard says: “Most balance exercises ask you to just stand on one leg and hope for the best.

“This one gives you something to actively do, and that makes all the difference for [older] populations.

“By pressing the forefoot of the back foot into the ground while staying centered over the standing leg, you're activating the entire lower leg muscle system: the peroneals, the tibialis anterior, and calf complex.

“These are the muscles that prevent lateral ankle roll and are the last line of defense against a fall.

“As confidence builds, reduce your reliance on the wall—fingertips first, then one finger, then hovering just above the surface.”

9. Wall push-up

Sets: 2 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 45sec

• Stand an arm’s length away from a wall with feet hip-width apart.
• Place both hands on the wall at shoulder height.
• Inhale, bend your elbows and move your body toward the wall.
• Keep the core engaged, the pelvis neutral, and the body in one straight line.
• Exhale and press through both hands to return to standing.

Packard says: “Upper body strength is often overlooked among [older populartions]—yet it shouldn't be.

“Pushing strength directly supports the ability to get up off the floor, push open a heavy door, and catch yourself if you trip.

“It also loads the bones of the wrist, forearm and shoulder in a way that supports upper body bone density over time.

“As this becomes easier, walk your feet further from the wall to increase the challenge.”