Mum-of-four shares key to looking great at 60 – ‘It’s never too late to start’

The 60-year-old first started to take her health and fitness seriously following the birth of her first son in 1989.

In the early 90s, Jacqueline began working out to Jane Fonda, then she gave birth to three more children – with her youngest son being born when she was 40.

Then Jacqueline trained to become a personal trainer, following on from a career as a fitness tutor.

“Many women have a poor relationship with exercise and physical activity,” said Jacqueline.

“This can be as a result of fitness being seen as a means to ‘drop a dress size’, and the pressure women have felt to lose weight or be a certain size.”

Jacqueline told the Daily Star: “Instead, I feel it’s really important to educate women about the long-term health benefits of exercise, and how physical activity supports healthier ageing.”

The mum-of-four explained: “The real key to staying fit and strong is consistency, so finding something you love doing is important.”

Aware of health risks associated with ageing, such as heart disease and osteoporosis, keeping fit throughout life is of the utmost importance.

Jacqueline elaborated: “Changing hormones, associated with menopause, increases our risks to developing heart disease, osteoporosis and other medical issues.

“Physical activity that supports heart health, bone density and promotes balance, flexibility and mobility are essential for women post-menopause.”

Jacqueline stated: “In my experience, women find strength training very empowering.

“There’s something very satisfying about getting stronger and noticing the difference this makes in activities of daily life.”

A lot of Jacqueline’s clients are in their 50s and 60s, who have businesses, careers, jobs, and caring responsibilities.

“So time is often a problem for women in this age group, along with never really being able to put their own needs first,” said Jacqueline.

“I try to get women to work out how to fit activity into their daily life, even going for a walk at lunchtime will be beneficial.

“It’s never too late to start, and there are many ways to get stronger, support the retention of lean muscle and reduce the risk of frailty as you grow older.”

Jacqueline added: “You can do this at home with bodyweight exercises, resistance bands or handheld weights or in a gym setting you can use resistance machines and free weights.”

For more tips from Jacqueline visit her Instagram page.