I’m fit at 52 – don’t underestimate an easy exercise, plus my other workout tips

FIT At 52, a personal trainer claims you don’t have to spend hours in the gym to stay in shape.

Caroline Idiens revealed her secrets to staying strong in middle age – including the step her clients say will make a ‘real difference’.

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Idiens (@carolinescircuits) is a British-based personal trainer and the founder of the online exercise platform Caroline’s Circuits.

When her daughter was in prep school, she taught classes for the mothers to enjoy after they were dropped off.

“We did circuit-based exercises, which is where the name for my company came from,” she told The US Sun.

“So people always said on the WhatsApp Group: ‘Are you going to Caroline Circuits?’

“I really enjoyed the group element, but when we went into lockdown I did it online.”

She now has almost two million followers on Instagram, where she shares fitness inspiration.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Idiens warned against overthinking fitness, saying workouts can start from as little as 15 minutes a day.

“You can be fitter at this age than you were in your 30s or 40s,” she said.

She said people the advantages walk, even if it’s only 30 minutes.

But embracing strength and resistance exercises instead of just focusing on cardio is also important.

She always reminds clients to do squats in particular, because these movements will make a “real difference” later in life.

Idiens said her enviable physique is a result of the online classes she conducts with her 4,500 clients.

She targets all muscle groups in her 30-minute sessions, which take place four days a week.

When you train the upper body, not only can you really feel the benefits, but you can also see the benefits in the arms quite quickly.

Caroline Idiens

“I walk with mine dogs an hour every day, and I do the classes,” she said.

“I also make sure that when I tell people online to challenge themselves, I do exactly what I tell them to do.

“We move forward together. It sounds kind of cheesy, but we’re all on this journey.”

SUCCESS STORIES

Idiens said it is “so satisfying” when people tell her about their results.

One recently bragged about going to a wedding and wearing a sleeveless dress that showed off her arms for the first time.

“People also take the classes on vacation,” she added.

‘I had a few Nice photos of someone doing the leg lesson on a boat in Croatia.”

FLEXIBLE FUTURE

Idiens said all of her classes are focused on longevity, but she is most looking forward to working her upper body.

“When you train the upper body, not only can you really feel the benefits, but you can also see the benefits in the arms quite quickly,” she said.

“Working on the upper body also involves the core.

“We do a lot focused on posture and balance and anything that will really help you on a day-to-day basis.

‘Things that will help you as you get older.

“I try not to do static exercises in the gym, but to use accessible exercises that you can do at home with or without weights.”

She also likes functional exercises, such as squatting to pick something up and reaching overhead, which are similar to movements you make in everyday life.

Idiens said online workouts can be less “overwhelming” than walking into a gym with no prior knowledge of strength training, especially because you can work at your own pace and in your own home.

“From the age of 30 we lose bone density and muscle mass. That’s why this type of fitness is so essential – especially for women during pregnancy menopause.

“To build muscle mass and renew bone cell growth, we need to lift weights and this is the entire basis of my business and passion.”

Without strength-based exercise, she warned, women are more susceptible to injuries, falls and osteoporosis as they age.

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