How to get fit, whether you’re flirty thirty or fabulous fifty

Unsure of how to train based on your age? Tiffiny Hall tells us the best ways to maximise our workouts in our thirties, forties, fifties and beyond.

Tiffiny Hall shares her tips on how to stay healthy and active at any age. Picture: File.

Have you ever heard the quote, ‘it’s never too late, or too early to be whoever you want to be?’

I think it applies to fitness as well as life in general — wellness is a journey, not a destination.

You can start working out and moving your body at any age.

Falling in love with exercise, in my opinion, is one of the best things you can do to have a long, happy and healthy life.

TIFF HALL 1: WHAT A FITNESS GURU EATS IN A DAY

TIFF HALL 2: HOW TO SQUEEZE A 20 MINUTE WORKOUT OUTDOORS

RACHAEL FINCH’S SIX EXERCISES TO GET MOTIVATED

Tiff Hall and her mum Jeanette, aged 62. Picture: Supplied.

It floods your body with endorphins (the feel-good hormone), as well as aiding total body functioning.

No matter your age, you should aim to move every day — whether that’s a structured workout or a walk with the family.

That being said, there are unique challenges women in their fifties face that are different than

women in their twenties face.

Your body isn’t the same, so your training style shouldn’t be either. By changing your workouts based on your age you’re going to feel more energised and help avoid injury or illness.

I have some top tips for exercising based on your age, whether you’re looking to get fit for the first time or want to maximise your results.

Combine these with long-term healthy lifestyle choices (like eating well, getting plenty of sleep and limiting alcohol intake), and you’ll be feeling fit from now well into old age.

Tiffiny Hall says your body will respond quickly to exercise in your thirties. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

IN YOUR THIRTIES:

At this age your body is still going to respond quickly to exercise and build muscle moderately easily. So, go hard! Be consistent and set the foundation for health and strength later in life.

You should aim to do 4-5 structured workout sessions a week, if you can.

You’ll get the best results from workouts that blend dynamic HIIT movements with resistance training – my TIFFXO FIGHTER workouts are the perfect example.

They are also under 30 minutes which is what you should really be aiming for … you might have noticed life in your thirties is busier than your twenties, so workouts that accomplish more in less time will be perfect for you. Because life is so busy, this is also an important time to start meditating (if you haven’t already).

A healthy body starts with a healthy mind. The same way you’re building muscle mass to prepare your body for later years, work on building mental resilience to take you into your 40s.

Your forties is the most important decade of your life to stay active.

IN YOUR FORTIES:

This is one of the most important decades to stay active. With the triple whammy of gravity, hormones and a slowing metabolism setting in, focus on staying active, eating well and laughing often.

Try and do three structured workout sessions a week — this is more than enough as recovery is key in your forties. Focus a little more on resistance training to maintain muscle and speed up your metabolism. Still incorporate short cardio intervals into your workouts, but not with the same intensity you did in your thirties (your joints might start feeling a little delicate).

A workout that blends the two, like my TIFFXO HYPER sessions will be perfect.

On the mind front make sure you are really enjoying your program.

Your workout is time away from any stress or pressure, but it’s also time away from your family.

Exercise in a deeply satisfying way to make the most of the ‘me time’ and keep a healthy life balance.

Make sure you keep up your resistance training in your fifties and beyond.

IN YOUR FIFTIES AND BEYOND:

Hello, hormones! As you go through menopause, your oestrogen production declines which accelerates bone loss and increases the likelihood of weight gain.

You can expect up to 30 per cent decline in bone mass in your fifties if you skip exercise — so don’t skip it!

Combat hormonal weight gain and bone loss with two to three resistance-based workouts a week.

These sessions will help bone density, muscle mass and even skin elasticity.

As you get older focus on form over lifting heavy … you might find 2kg dumbbells challenge you in a way 5kgs used to, and that’s okay!

This sort of training will help prevent injury (which is key in your later years).

As far as cardio goes, lower the intensity and go for walks instead of doing HIIT.

Walking can be great for fat-burning, as well as a fun social way to catch up with friends.

Keeping a sense of community has proven to help mental health and happiness as you age.

Tiffiny Hall is a Herald Sun contributor and founder of TiffXO