Get In Shape Over 30

Staying in shape over 30 can be a difficult challenge. Family life begins, you may be in an inactive job and the daily pressures of life can begin to compound. It’s very easy to get into a negative cycle. Staying up later than normal, eating convenient junk food, morning alarm waking you up what feels prematurely and then you are reliant on coffee to get you through the day. As a consequence, you go to bed late again, meanwhile exhausted from work and maybe looking after children. How on earth can I find time and energy to stay in shape and be healthy?

I’m here to tell you that actually, it’s quite easy. Once you know what to do. 

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A common critique I’ll receive is, “well you’re a professional athlete, so you’re obviously going to be in shape”. This statement would have been correct when I was in my 20’s and still playing. Now, at 35 and retired from the sport 6 years ago, I still maintain very similar physical attributes. This should tell you it’s not the environment but the behaviours I’ve learned from those environments that have allowed me to have longevity in my personal health and fitness way after my playing days as a professional rugby player. I’ll share them with you. 

Sleep. You must aim for 8 hours sleep per night. This is a rough guide and can be different for some individuals. If you don’t achieve this, you will be reliant on caffeine, your brain will get sugar cravings which encourages poor eating habits and you’ll also experience poorer mood and energy.

Nutrition. It’s very important to eat as many whole foods as possible. By whole foods, I mean foods that are minimally processed. For example fruit, vegetables, meat, nuts, fish. It’s also vitally important to be realistic. Do not feel guilty to enjoy the food you love, 10-20% of the time. This will help you stay motivated and not resent the healthier options and it’s good for your mental health! Just don’t go crazy and over consume ridiculous amounts of junk food when you do treat yourself. It’s all about balance. If I eat a large takeaway one evening, the following morning I may only have a small coffee and banana for breakfast to bring my calories back to a reasonable level. 

Training. The two indicators which are most closely linked to longer life expectancy are VO2 max and strength. VO2 max put simply is how aerobically fit you are. Strength doesn’t mean you have to be a powerlifter, but as long as you’re incorporating resistance training then you’re on the right path. I resistance train 3 x per week for 30-45 mins and then perform one aerobic session per week, 30 minutes in duration. 

Movement. It’s very easy to blame ‘poor metabolism’ or ‘age’ falsely as to why we put on weight. When you’re an adult, you move a lot less than children or teenagers who are walking to and from school, playing at break times, performing PE and other extracurricular sporting activities. Make a conscious effort for move. Go on small walks and take the stairs for example. 

Here’s an example of my daily routine, and I’ll start with going to bed as this is when the cycle begins.

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22.00 - In bed. 

06.30 - Wake up. 

07.00 - Breakfast.

08.00 - Walk with dog.

09.00 - Work.

12.00 - Train & Lunch.

13.30 - Work.

15.30 - Walk to school runs.

16.00 - Finish any remaining work.

18.00 - Dinner.

19.00 - Walk with dog. 

20.00 - Relax.

21.30 - Prepare for bed, read a book. 

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I must confess, work commitments don’t always allow this to happen, but this is more often than not what my day looks like. Plenty of movement despite working. I mentioned at the start you can go into a negative cycle. You also create a positive cycle with less effort than you think. Once you start living by this routine, it becomes addictive. You will see progress and that positive feedback loop increases motivation further. We are not reinventing the wheel. Add some simple habits, consistently and your health and fitness and older self will thank you for it and you will feel young again. 

If I was to add 2 supplements, they would be creatine and AGF-1, both from Pro Athlete Supplementation. Creatine is highly researched and its unanimous in its efficacy for developing strength and musculature as well as cognitive benefits. AGF-1 is a natural testosterone booster. Testosterone slowly diminishes from the age of 30, so maintaining an adequate level will help you massively in your fitness and health journey.

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Why not try our Over 30’s programme?

This plan increases strength and muscle as well as improving your mobility and functionality to help you look and feel younger through intelligent programming.

Have any training questions – no problem, message the SW7 Academy coaches in-app and as part of your membership you’ll also gain access to over 100 high protein recipes!

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