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Mark Foster: my ten health upgrades for the over-40s

Mark Foster: my ten health upgrades for the over-40s

Britain’s six-time world swimming champion Mark Foster, 46, tells Telegraph Men about the best ways for the over-40s to improve their muscle tone, motivation and mental health 

Stick to the 75pc rule

“I like to stay as lean as possible today because it makes me feel and look healthy, but when I was younger it used to be all about: how much can I lift? Or, how much can I push my body? As I’ve become older I now aim to do everything at 75pc.

Guys don’t find that easy. When we are younger we beat ourselves up, always trying to go to extremes with an ‘all or nothing’ mentality, whereas I don’t feel I have to do that now. I think maybe something might break. I do work hard in the gym and I will occasionally have a real blast, but I aim for a sustainable level of effort that I can really enjoy.”

Make exercise a habit not an exception

“I have built my training into my routine so I always go to the gym on my way into town. My local gym and pool are about 20 minutes away, so if I imagine a 45-minute round trip plus an hour and 15 minutes in the gym that suddenly sounds like a lot of time. It would be too easy to say: ‘not today.’ But if I go on my way into town, when I’m travelling in anyway, it just feels like a natural part of my day. Because of that I get to the gym 3-4 times a week.

If you make your workouts easy and accessible you are more likely to stick to them. I am pretty sure if I had a pool in my back garden I’d go swimming every day.”

Stretch away your stress

“Men tend to spend so much time pushing ourselves that we don’t always stop to slow down. Yoga has been a big help for me. Everything I do is normally done quickly but yoga slows everything down. You are stretching which is very good for your physical health but it is also a form of meditation because you concentrate on your breathing and switch off.

You have to think about wellbeing, not just health, and learning to calm yourself is an essential part of that. I think yoga at least once a week is a great thing for guys.”

Cut the carbs

“My diet is very protein-based and I don’t eat a lot of carbs which helps to keep me lean. I am not a big fan of bread, rice, pasta and potatoes. I am not saying I don’t eat them but I am happy just pinching a few of someone else’s chips.

On a typical day I will have porridge, sometimes with a protein drink on top of my cereal. Lunch might be salad with tuna or chicken. If I have a sandwich I will cut down the bread and go big on the filling so I just have two half slices. Dinner might be fish or meat with vegetables. Snacks might be protein bars, Eat Natural bars, flapjacks or vegetables with dips. 

The main thing is to make healthy eating a habit. If you do something over a period of time, you no longer find you have to make hard choices, it just becomes your natural routine.” 

Swap pub sessions for group classes

“I think it’s helpful to make your exercise sociable. If you find it enjoyable you are more likely to do it and if you have a busy schedule it is good to combine exercise with catching up with mates and family.

I like circuit training classes. I seem to get a lot out of them because you see results instantly in terms of toning up your muscles and losing weight, but they are also quick and a lot of fun. Guys tend to be quite competitive – that doesn’t mean you have to be the best person in the class but everyone in the class pushes each other on a bit.

Really you are just having fun spending time with friends but the health bit is like an extra.”

Mix cardio and weights

“For guys looking to lose a bit of weight but stay toned, a mix of cardio and weights is the best approach. At the gym I will maybe do half an hour of weights and 45 minutes of cardio or 15 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of weights. I like to go when the football is on TV so I can exercise while watching the game.

If you are fit and physically strong, life is easier, whether you are climbing the stairs to work, lifting your shopping bags or picking up your kids.”

Spoil yourself in moderation

“Moderation is the key word with nutrition because we are bad at moderation but very good at extremes. Most guys I know are either really into something or don’t do it at all.

I wouldn’t say don’t ever have chocolate but don’t have it every day. Enjoy a drink, but don’t do it every day. I don’t drink a lot but I might have wine with my meal. Normally I just drink Ribena.

The take-it-or-leave-it approach is unhelpful. For example, I don’t cut sugar out completely because I have a sweet tooth but I don’t have it in my tea, coffee or cereal where it is easily avoidable.”  

Change your training every three weeks

“The body is very clever so if you do the same training for more than three weeks your muscles don’t react in the same way. Your body gets used to the exercise and you can work hard without getting the same gains.

So, change things every three weeks. In the gym I will mix things up between the cross-trainer, the bike, the treadmill and I might sometimes chuck in some time on the rower too. Once or twice a week I will plod up or down in the pool.

Don’t let your body get bored. If you make a change, you’ll feel better for it.”

Try something new every year

“If you take yourself out of your comfort zone every now and again you will challenge your body and mind in new ways. It might just be once a year. I once did a Tough Mudder and I thought I’d just turn up and jog around this thing. All of a sudden I was confronted by huge obstacles and I thought: oh, hang on, I didn’t think about this. Jumping over things and doing the monkey bars were fine but when I was climbing through tunnels it felt very claustrophobic. But I was in a group and it was a good day out with a group of people. It felt like fun but it was a really good workout session. Set yourself a challenge – a triathlon or an open water swim – and just go for it.”

You can still be  competitive

“Just because you aren’t pushing yourself to extremes any more, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a bit of competition. I play as much golf as I can because my competitiveness from the pool has transformed onto the golf course now. It keeps me fit and healthy and outdoors but the competitive side keeps me coming back for more.”

Mark Foster will be launching a new range of swimwear with Zone3 at Triathlon Show: London this week. To book tickets visit Triathlon Show: London