On this week’s show, I’m talking all about healthy aging, the myths around it, and why it’s important to keep exercising as we get older.

I’m joined by personal trainer and fitness expert Jacqueline Hooton, who specialises in how to stay active in your 50s and 60s. She’s all about promoting active ageing, while helping to avoid physical decline in midlife.

Jacqueline is an expert on knowing the importance of exercise, especially for women after menopause: “Bone health can massively decrease because of the menopause. Weight training and loading the bones can improve their strength, helping to avoid osteoporosis.”

Jacqueline says it's not just about keeping fit, but making sure we retain as much movement as possible, so we can do the basics when we’re older, like brushing our hair or putting something in the kitchen press: “We do lose muscle mass with each decade. If we don’t promote the retention of muscle mass with movement through exercise, we’ll lose it.”

Even if you haven’t exercised properly in years, Jacqueline says it's never too late to start: “You are never too old and you never have too many underlying medical conditions or injuries, that you can do nothing. There is always a work around. We need to challenge the idea that you can be too old. We know we can get stronger at any age.”

We also talk about motivation and goals, and Jacqueline gives loads of great tips on how to start your fitness journey at any age. You can find Jacqueline on instagram at @hergardengym

For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/

And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and [email protected].

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The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

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