Getting in shape to work full-time in your 70s

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"How I got myself in shape to work full-time in my 70s" by Dorothy Byrne, Daily Mail, Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Page 47

Morning exercise. HRT for better sleep. A Swiss ball to support my leg. As the Government asks older people to rejoin the workforce, the former head of C4 News reveals...

What’s it like going back to work when you are 55, 60 or even 65 — or if, like me, you are 70? The Government is keen to get older people back into work because of labour force shortages but if you need or want to work when you are older, how can you make sure that you maintain a healthy lifestyle and don’t in fact damage your wellbeing?

That’s the issue I faced when I was invited to apply to be President of Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge two years ago. I worried about how it would affect my health and whether I would be able to cope physically with working virtually full-time. Like many in their late 60s, I had several medical conditions. In my case, two auto-immune diseases — giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica — and a knee replacement. The auto-immune diseases were in remission but I was concerned that if I overdid it, they might come back. When these diseases are active they require strong drugs to keep the inflammation that they cause — in the blood vessels in my head and my shoulders and hips — under control.

If I sit still for too long, my bad leg (the one with the new knee) swells up and I become generally stiff, because that’s what happens to you when you are 70. I tire more easily than I did even ten years ago. I can’t skip meals or miss out on sleep as I did in my early years as a television journalist.

Murray Edwards is a women’s college and we have a responsibility to care for the wellbeing of our students. In term time, I work full-time and I realised I wouldn’t be much of an example if I made myself ill through work. The current pension age is 66 and it’s proposed that this will rise to 68 within a few years. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has also said the economy needs hundreds of thousands of older people to return to the work-place. We have to accept many older people are not well enough to work, certainly not full-time. So we need a realistic public discussion about how many people can return to the office or shop-floor — but there is also a lack of advice to older people on how to cope if they do return to work.

I’d left my full-time office job at the start of the Covid pandemic so this was going to be a big change. The first thing I did to prepare was take up personal fitness training. I realised that if I was returning to sitting in an office for several hours at a stretch a day, I would need to keep up my strength and flexibility. I wouldn’t have time to go out to gym sessions and I thought online fitness classes looked too strenuous for someone of my age and level of fitness. So I found myself a personal online trainer who had worked with older people. I know it’s not something everyone could afford.

My new trainer, Jack Moon, and I meet over Zoom, having kicked off with some in-person sessions so that he could understand my problems. He points out: ‘Commercial gym programmes are not usually designed for people over 50. One problem is that almost all personal trainers are young [Jack himself is 35, but has worked a lot with older people] and don’t really understand the problems of older people.

‘Older people need to keep moving to maintain muscle mass because, after 50, muscle mass drops by 5 to 10 percent per decade and bone density by 10 to 30 percent in the same timeframe. ‘They are often also out of condition so if they do the wrong sort of exercise they can cause themselves injury,’ he says. ‘Because of the muscle loss and slower reactions, they are more likely to fall over.’ As it happens, three years ago, I fell in a gym, tripping over a piece of equipment, and broke my arm in three places, so he is right there.

A key part of my three weekly sessions is small doses of regular resistance training using rubber bands and my body weight (rather than weights or gym equipment) to strengthen my bones. I also aim, often unsuccessfully, to walk 10,000 steps a day. A major problem with working is carving out the time to do that. But it’s essential for the health of someone older.

To stop my leg swelling up in the office, I put it on a giant Swiss ball. At first I found this embarrassing, but now younger colleagues say they are considering doing the same as it’s so much better for you than sitting for hours with your legs down. Of course, as people get older, sleep can become more difficult so you end up feeling exhausted by early afternoon and even nodding off in long meetings. Since the menopause, I had been waking every two hours on average. But when I was 67 I started HRT (hormone replacement therapy). It isn’t right for every woman but it’s worked wonders for me. I now sleep normally, giving me the energy to work. But there is no doubt that because I am older, I am really tired by the end of the day and don’t feel like doing exercise. So I do it first thing in the morning, starting work later.

Chris Brooks, head of policy at the charity Age UK, says that if the Government wants more older people to work, they need to encourage employers to permit flexible working, such as starting later when public transport is less busy. Currently, an employee has the right to ask for flexible working after six months, but a Private Members’ bill, supported by the Government, proposes the right to flexible working from day one. I believe we need flexible working if we oldies are to remain... flexible. As Chris Brooks says: ‘Lots of older people want to work, it makes them feel valued because they are helping the community, but we need a step change in employers’ attitudes towards employment flexibility. ‘They should embrace it as a positive because a diverse workforce is proven to be the most effective workforce.’

I think I am proof of that. In 2019, I commissioned a Channel 4 programme about the menopause with Davina McCall. It helped bring a great change in attitudes towards HRT. I would never have commissioned that programme had I not been an older woman. Dr Victoria Keevil, a consultant geriatrician at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says: ‘We have different strengths at different times of our lives. ‘You might have less energy but you have loads of experience. You have a different sort of strength.’ She looks back to her time as a junior doctor working 12 to 14- hour shifts. Now in her mid-40s, she wouldn’t want to work like that again, but with her more than 20 years of expertise and experience as a doctor, she can give more in other ways.

‘By age 65 plus, few people are taking no medication and lots are taking more than one,’ she says. ‘People might have a bit of arthritis, their vision is not so good, balance starts to deteriorate and there is a greater likelihood they will fall over. ‘But it doesn’t mean they can’t go back to work; it’s just likely that they will work in a different way. And there are so many positive health benefits from feeling valued, purposeful and less lonely. We need society to be more flexible in attitudes so that people can work if they want to.’ Dr Keevil has a patient in their 90s who is still doing some work as an academic. I don’t plan to carry on that long, but if I keep up my daily walks, and carry on pulling my rubber bands in the morning, then who knows.

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Running Goals for Beginners

From a ‘non-sporty’ lawyer suffering with asthma to someone who enjoys exploring the world through long-distance running.

As a coach, a big part of my job is helping clients navigate a busy lifestyle, giving them the space to improve their health and fitness. A demanding career and family life is enough to make even the most passionate fitness fanatic feel like they don’t have the time to keep on top of their health. But with a bit of careful planning, it is possible to create a sustainable schedule that can help you achieve amazing physical feats.

My client, Naomi, demonstrated this when she transformed from a ‘non-sporty’ lawyer suffering with asthma to someone who enjoys exploring the world through long-distance running. In just a couple of years, Naomi went from a standing start to a competitor in the Hampton Court Half Marathon, Mull Half Marathon, Amsterdam Marathon, Thunder Dragon Half Marathon in Bhutan and the Reykjavik Half Marathon. As a partner in a law firm, a mum, and the wife of an entrepreneur, Naomi is a testament to what one can achieve within the confines of a demanding schedule. 

“I have always defined myself mainly by my work and my career, and it was a pleasure to have a new achievement to celebrate from an entirely different perspective, especially one that has so many side benefits in terms of physical and mental health.”

The mighty mountains of Bhutan

Naomi recalls she had, “set out to lose 20 kg during 2016 – I was using a mixture of gym twice a week plus a calorie tracking app to measure my food intake, and by December that year I had achieved my goal. I was mulling over how I could keep up momentum and thinking I needed a new challenge, when I found out that a team was being entered at work for the Hampton Court Half Marathon. A few colleagues were pressuring me to join, and although I didn’t really have any idea if it was possible, it seemed like a good way to maintain my weight and try something new.” At the time, Naomi was in her mid-fifties and hadn't run since “enforced" cross-country at school when she was about thirteen. "I did my first run in December 2016,” she says, “1.82 kilometres to be precise – and I immediately encountered issues with my asthma.” 

After some careful planning and a GP appointment to review medication Naomi managed to complete her first 10 km run by the end of January 2017. With the Hampton Court Half Marathon approaching in March, Naomi persevered with her training sessions and successfully completed the race, finding it “much easier in practice than it had been in prospect.” Motivated to do more, she set her sights on running a half marathon in the Himalayas – one that her husband's company organises each year. 

“I find that having a schedule for exercise helps, as I would never think I have time for it, but since it’s a routine it somehow fits into place. I also find that it gives me some ‘me’ time, provides a counter-point to lots of sitting, and creates a balance between the mental and physical.”

This is a trail race, at high altitude, over rough, undulating terrain in a remote part of the Himalayas. Running the race in Bhutan, or, as it is known in Bhutanese, Druk Yul (“the land of the Thunder Dragon”), posed an exciting but daunting challenge. "It really seemed out of my reach, but I wanted to give it a go. My plan was to run a full marathon first – I thought that if I could do that then a half marathon at altitude might be possible.”

The Tiger's Nest Monastery, a sacred Buddhist site located near Paro, Bhutan

So we got to work, designing a training schedule of two gym sessions and two-to-three runs that fitted neatly into her week. Naomi's fitness skyrocketed. By sticking to the schedule, and putting in the work, she successfully completed her first marathon. “I felt an enormous sense of achievement at completing the marathon in Amsterdam in October 2017. It felt like I had reached a different level and it gave me the confidence to start training for the challenges of running at altitude, off-road and in the hills."

“I have never thought of myself as a particularly active or sporty person, but by the time I had finished a marathon I felt that I could start to see myself and my capabilities differently.”

With a tantalising achievement on the horizon, together we revisited Naomi’s regime for 2018, introducing cross training and weightlifting so she could build some extra strength before facing her trail run in Bhutan. “Running the Himalayan Half was an incredible experience – the feeling of being fit enough to complete it (and in a decent time), the enjoyment of running in such beautiful surroundings, and the sense of achievement at accomplishing something that a short time before would have been totally out of my reach.” To top off her staggeringly successful year, Naomi went on to complete the Reykjavik Half Marathon.

It's always a privilege to be involved in a client’s journey to realise their physical goals. But what is really rewarding is watching the mental and emotional changes that can come from sustainable exercise.

Happy training!

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Weak Knees to Weight Lifting

An inspirational journey away from injury and to a new perspective.

My client Raymond in Death Valley

Raymond, a talented carpenter from London, was 55 when he entered a gym for the first time. With a physically demanding job, he had never really considered working out before – until his partner convinced him to give it a go. 

For some time, Raymond had been experiencing worrying aches that seemed to be getting worse. Luckily, his partner had first-hand experience of how a gym routine can help with reducing muscle and joint pain. So, after hearing the potential benefits of exercising in a structured way, Raymond set his tools aside and stepped into the gym.

A gym environment can be a daunting space filled with frowning people and confusing equipment. For Raymond he had absolutely no idea where he should start or what he should be doing. So Raymond asked for help and we began planning the shape of his fitness journey.

Raymond head-standing by Lake Tahoe

Raymond was suffering with knee pain. He recalls feeling his “knees were shot”. He was concerned about them worsening, and how this might affect his work. So we began to develop a focused training plan, with the aim of alleviating the pain by strengthening up all the supporting muscles around his knee and improving his flexibility. 

With each new exercise and training regimen Raymond became more and more enthusiastic about his time at the gym. About the experience, Raymond says, “Building a routine gave structure to my day to day and led to setting goals and following a process to achieve them. I started to learn and develop a passion for the process”. As Raymond’s perception of what he was capable of broadened, he started to actively enjoy strength training.

From powerlifting to gymnastics, Raymond has become quite the strength athlete, improving his conditioning year on year. All of Raymond’s favourite exercises seem to involve picking up very heavy things…

RAYMOND LIFTING 170KG

But most importantly, through building strength Raymond has effectively reduced his pain levels, and has safely been able to continue his work as a carpenter. 

During Raymond’s impressive fitness journey, we also explored nutrition, discussing how different foods could facilitate his training and work life. Having experimented with veganism, high fat, fasting, high protein, high carb – you name it – Raymond came to realise how much of a choice he had in taking control of his body weight and energy levels. As a result of this exploration Raymond has lost an impressive 20KG of bodyweight.

With knee pain and fear of decreasing physical ability a distant memory now, Raymond says he feels, “Chuffed with where I’m at physically. I didn’t think I’d be fit to do what I’m doing now when walking into a gym for the first time. I’ve discovered movements that where never on my radar, and I’m keen to keep learning more about my body.” 

Raymond’s dedication and passion for exercise even led him to become a certified physical trainer himself so he could help other people understand their bodies in his spare time.

Raymond continues to produce impressive woodwork – and headstand selfies from around the world when the opportunity presents itself. Drawing energy and positivity from his fitness, he continues to enjoy learning about the body, and exercises regularly. With a goal to deadlift 200KG on his 65th birthday, and a passion to help others discover their own physical potential, Raymond doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

As someone who has now experienced coaching from both sides of the bench press, Raymond reflects: “If I didn’t have a guide I would have injured myself or given up a long time ago. It’s good to be coached – it’s hard to be guided by someone else, but if I hadn’t let myself I wouldn’t have discovered the place I find myself today.”

Happy training!

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‘Toning Up’ the Simple Way

A big motivation for many people to exercise and eat a healthier diet is to ‘tone up’. Although there is lots of confusing information on the internet you only really need to know two things!

Image: www.jamesclear.com

Hi! My name is Jack. I’ve worked with many clients to design the right exercise and nutrition plans, to help them form the healthy habits to lose weight.

When it comes to ‘toning up’, and the discussions surrounding how best to do it, I can’t think of a topic in health and fitness that contains more contradictory information. It’s a minefield!

So when I started working as a personal trainer, I conducted a focused test on myself to ensure I had practical, first-hand experience with the principles of losing body fat, and their application. 

Now, progress photos are a really handy tool to use when embarking on altering your body body fat levels – I often use them with clients to help guide their progress. They can show you information that scales, and your own emotions, simply won't.

Progress photos are also a useful way to give potential clients an insight into the process, and the methods of the trainer – but let's face it, posting photos of your naked torso online can be a bit embarrassing.

With this in mind, a few of my clients kindly agreed to let me show their progress photos in this post … on the condition I show mine first. So please find the - not intended for public viewing - before and after pictures of my test below …

The images above were taken 8 weeks apart. The only differences between the before and after photos was eating 500 calories less a day for 8 weeks, and making sure I ate 1.7g of protein per kilo of bodyweight. I maintained the same exercise regime, didn’t use any supplements or cut out any food groups. This resulted in my losing 10lbs. The lower the levels of body fat the more ‘toned’ you’ll appear.

Principle 1: create a calorie deficit

Principle 2: check your protein intake

You can find these basic principles on the NHS website and in countless textbooks, they are taught by every strength and conditioning coach around the world. But you’ll also find a lot of confusing, competing and contradictory information out there! If you can apply these simple principles into your lifestyle and build the habits to make the process sustainable you will achieve your ‘toning’ goal.

Applying these principles to create habits that stick can take a bit of trial and error. This is where a coach can come in handy, to help guide you to create healthy habits that last a lifetime. If you have any questions or need a helping hand do feel free to send me a message.

Below are a few of my client’s progress photos. The principles are always the same, but the application is unique to each person and their respective lifestyles.

“I had such a great time, and it really was easy. I wasn’t the most responsive client but Jack was very patient! A simple but effective lifestyle change”

“Jack has been amazing. I lost a lot of fat and gained a huge amount of tone and confidence. Couldn’t have done it without him.”

“It’s been possibly the easiest way of losing a stone in weight, I’ve enjoyed the recipes and have my favourites which I continue to use. The vegetarian option has been fun and very simple to follow, I’ve not eaten any meat since Christmas and will continue to be vegetarian, I wish I’d realised earlier how easy it could be - thank you!”

“I’ve really loved the support from Jack! His plan was very easy to follow and enjoyable and I finally could stop worrying about how to train and what to eat and read different things online but just follow one combined plan of nutrition and excercise. Thank you so much! Will definitely keep in mind the learnings from these 12 weeks!”

“Working with Jack has been great. The workouts are time-wise very doable for a busy person, the nutrition is also very accessible and (unlike many other workout/fitness meal plans). The quickness and simplicity of both the workout and food made it easy to actually stick to it, and therefore very efficient. Jack answered all of my questions, and really tailored the everything to my requirements. As a result, I have lost weight and improved my physique - what a great kick start on my dream body journey. Thank you!”

“Working with Jack has helped my exercise and eating, and notice the difference over a sustained period of time. It’s definitely helped me change my eating habits without being rigid. The exercise routines allowed me to mix the workouts I was doing in a week and fit in a manageable amount each week. It was great to get reminders into my inbox and have everything so accessible.”

“Working with Jack has been amazing as he caters to your lifestyle, your body type, your goals and come up with incredibly easy to make nutritional meals from foods you love complemented by exercise routines which suit you to get you in that lean shape! Working with Jack for 12 weeks has put me in the best shape I have been in recent years. Jack is incredibly helpful, extremely easy to work with and I would highly recommend them for anyone looking to get in shape this summer :) Thank you for all your help and continue to be amazing!”

“Thank you for everything! I really appreciate the time and efforts you put in. I did exercise before, but none of the routines I followed manage to produce such noticeable results - my body got leaner and didn’t take much time. I was surprised at what I achieved in twelve weeks and didn’t take more than a couple of hours a week.”

“Jack has been amazing and so helpful with everything. All my questions were answered so quickly! Extremely good at making things flexible and always there for motivation and advice! Great coach :)”

“Jack has been a massive support throughout the process and has really shown me that I can lose weight but still lead a normal social life. I can’t thank him enough”

“Thanks for your ongoing support, I am learning new things about my body and hopefully I will manage to keep the weight under 60kg without having to do too many sacrifices! Food and weight have often been in the back of my mind and I want that to completely disappear from my thoughts and enjoy whatever I eat without the worry of getting fat :) It’s all thanks to Jack :) Again, thanks for the motivation and learning. I have been into different diets and in the past few years I lost lots of kilos, but it was hard for me to keep it stable. I now have the freedom of eating what i feel like :)

“Jack is great! A well balanced, thorough plan fitted to my lifestyle”

“Working with Jack has helped me improve my body, I have noticed that it has complemented my training and helped me to tone up my body. (My friends have noticed too!) I feel more confident and Jack has been really helpful. Thank you.”

“Jack has been absolutely amazing in supporting me throughout my journey with their regular friendly correspondence and check ups. He really motivated me by showing me my progress at different intervals. I am really appreciative for the help and time spent working with me. Thank you!”

“The nutrition advice provided by Jack was comprehensive and easy to follow. It has changed the way I buy and prepare my food for good. I love eating, and I get through large portions, so I am not willing to spend the rest of my life on a diet of rice crackers and cucumber. Jack has taught me how to make better choices every time I pick an item off a grocery shelf, and how all those little switches make a big difference. I’ve learnt you don’t always have to trade off being tasty and skinny, often you can have both if you simply are more aware. I wasn’t looking to lose a lot of weight, but actually those last 2-3 kg between you and the perfect you, are the hardest. Overall, If you don’t like the idea of dieting Jack will have the plan for you!”

A huge thank you to the clients who have let me post their photos online for the world to see. If you’re looking to ‘tone up’ remember the two principles and create the sustainable habits to make them fit.

Happy training!

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Need a Little Help?

Let me help you analyse and realise your approach to health and fitness.