Exercise is a non-negotiable for women in midlife. It can make a material difference to bone density and muscle tone which both decline significantly during and post-menopause, and of course it’s also crucial for heart health, mental health and stress management. And with self-isolation now part of our daily lives, it’s more important than ever at the moment, for our overall well-being. In this episode I speak to Baz Moffat, former Team GB rower and women’s health & fitness coach, who thinks we all need to move more and she’s absolutely right!

The UK is in Corona virus lockdown right now, so I speak to Baz remotely from her She Shed! She’s an exercise specialist and all-round inspiration with a fascinating story and she’s made it her business to support women in midlife with her Strong To The Core exercise programmes. A lifelong fan of sport, she put the groundwork in with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science, followed by a Masters at Bristol University, where she became fascinated by the psychology of health-related behaviour change, in other words: how can you get people to do something consistently that they fundamentally don’t want to do, even though they know it’s good for them? Does that sound familiar?! I’m sure we could all benefit from her magic touch in the exercise arena, especially now we’re all stuck at home. Her new online programme, Strong With Baz, could be just what we need in these times of self-isolation!

We discuss the importance of exercise for optimum health in midlife and beyond, and Baz is full of helpful advice about how to motivate yourself to exercise effectively at home during this time of lockdown, as well as looking ahead to a time when we can go back to our gyms, parks and pools. We explore the types of exercise that are most relevant for women in midlife and how to practice “body literacy”, so that you apply the approach that’s most appropriate for you and learn when to push through and when to go easy on yourself.

I really enjoyed chatting to Baz, she’s full of good suggestions and useful insights. One of the things that really chimed with me was her comment that women will be hit especially hard by the Corona virus, taking on more caring responsibilities, home schooling, worrying about food supplies, nutritious meals and the overall well-being of everyone else around them. If that sounds familiar, then there’s no doubt that this episode will be very relevant to you!

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