I'm the fittest I've ever been at 60 – and it only took 90 days
With her 60th birthday on the horizon, Fiona Lambert wanted to reframe her new decade.
"I wanted to prove society's perceptions of a 60-year-old wrong and make it something to celebrate rather than be ashamed of," she told HELLO!
"For me, it was a beginning rather than the beginning of the end and I wanted other people to feel the same way. Telling people you're 60 sounds ageing and I realised I needed to fight that in order to feel proud of my new decade."
In her quest to make 60 feel inspiring, Fiona set about becoming the fittest version of herself, giving herself 90 days to become the fittest and healthiest she'd ever been.
"I'd lived two thirds of my life already, I wanted to make sure I felt healthy, happy and confident in my final third," she says of her motivation.
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Stepping up her game
Fiona was lucky that she had always been relatively fit, already working out once per week with a personal trainer before she set herself her pre-60challenge, but she stepped this up a gear in anticipation of her big birthday.
"With 90 days until my birthday, I started working out twice a week with my trainer and made sure I was walking 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day, which is the easiest way to make a difference to your life."
While Fiona says walking made the biggest difference, she also incorporated three or four 15-minute HIIT sessions per week into her routine – something she has kept up following her birthday. "We've all got 15 minutes in the day we can dedicate to ourselves," she says of the short, effective blasts.
"In 90 days I lost 11 pounds and 5% body fat," Fiona shares of the changes she saw in her body, which she tracked by taking daily photos.
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"Day to day, looking in the mirror I couldn't see a change, but when I compared photos from day one to those taken in week four, the difference was a huge motivation."
Of course, looks weren't the main driver for Fiona, who notes: "Fitness is investing in your future self, helping you live longer, be more mobile and stronger as you get older."
Lifestyle changes
As well as an increase in her training, Fiona made lifestyle changes too. "I cut all sugar out of my diet," she says, sharing that she didn't eat fruit or dairy for 90 days.
She has added a small amount of both back into her diet now, but some habits have stuck – including drinking black coffee. "I hated black coffee before, but now it's part of my lifestyle and it's a habit I have stuck to."
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As for her training, Fiona says she still trains twice a week with her personal trainer and has increased her HIIT sessions to 30 minutes, adding weight training into her routine too.
"Weights are great as we get older as they support our joint health," she says of her decision to begin lifting weights.
Motivation tips
While exercise is embedded into her life now, Fiona does need a helping hand in the motivation department sometimes.
"I often lay my gym kit out by the bed for the morning so I can't make any excuses," she reveals. "If it's looking at me when I wake up, I can exercise right away rather than putting it off."
Fiona notes that getting her daily steps and workouts in has helped her feel confident to jump back into the dating pool, too.
"Exercise helps me mentally. I'm filled with endorphins and that feel-good factor means I'm strong and more body confident when I'm dating.
"Working out takes discipline and consistency, so I'm stronger mentally and this allows me to make positive choices in all areas of my life."
