Top Santé weight-loss columnist and type 1 diabetic, Alice Dogruyol, has been searching for the motivation to keep fit and healthy, especially in midlife, and she may have just found the perfect solution.
Words: Alice Dogruyol. Image: Shutterstock, Pexels. Headshot: David Venni
I’ve always believed that fitness isn’t about size. I once ran the London Marathon, many moons ago, and I wasn’t slim – but I was strong, determined, and undeniably fit.
That said, staying consistent with exercise in midlife? That’s another story entirely. Over the years I’ve bought the yoga mat, the weights, the treadmill, the TRX, even a rowing machine. I’ve signed up to more gym memberships than I care to admit, paid for personal training sessions – and cancelled most of them because I was “too busy”.
I have absolutely everything I need to move my body. What I don’t always have is the motivation to start. The only person who’s never given up on me is my brilliant friend and fitness guru Kate Rowe-Ham, founder of the Owning Your Menopause app (and one of the experts on page 26). Her warm-up alone felt like a full-blown workout when I started – that’s how unfit I was (am!). I began with the Beginner Daily Plan, and even that challenged me. But Kate has a magical way of encouraging you without making you feel like a failure. The app is empowering, accessible, and most importantly – doable.
Why muscle matters
As we move through midlife, muscle mass declines rapidly, especially after 40. If you’ve been on GLP-1 medications like I have, the loss can be even steeper. Weight may drop, but often muscle drops with it – and that’s not a trade you want to make.
Muscle isn’t just aesthetic, it’s metabolically active tissue. It helps regulate blood sugar by soaking up glucose from the bloodstream and storing it for future use. The more muscle you have, the more insulin-sensitive you become – which is crucial not only for type 2 diabetics, but also for people like me with type 1. My blood-sugar levels are noticeably more stable when I’ve been consistently strength training.
The excuse factory
And yet – I still struggle. I have everything I need, but I often make excuses: I’m too tired. I have work to do. I’ll start tomorrow. I’ve even gone too hard, too soon – I recently threw myself into a TRX session after months off and tore the muscles in my thighs so badly I couldn’t stand up properly for nearly a week. It was agonising and demoralising.
That experience taught me a valuable lesson: slow and steady really does win this race. Long runs aren’t for me. What works is short bursts of movement that combine weights and quick intervals, or simple bodyweight moves that target strength, mobility, and metabolism.
Finding my favourite workouts
If there’s one place I always rediscover my love of exercise, it’s The Body Retreat in Dorset, where I work out under the expert guidance of Julie Brealy. Her 15-minute morning workouts are my absolute favourite. They’re proof that you don’t need a gym or a gruelling regime to feel stronger and more capable in your body.
Julie’s circuits are elegant in their simplicity – wall push-ups, sit-to-stand chair moves, tricep dips on a bench or table, and skipping or jumping on a rebounder (yes, I have one of those too, gathering dust in the garage). Just 15 minutes of focused resistance training – but they work. I leave those sessions feeling energised, proud, and more in control of my health.
Julie’s approach reminds me that fitness doesn’t need to be punishing or performative. It just needs to be consistent and kind to your body.
A shift in perspective
I’m still figuring out why I find it so hard to commit to just 15 minutes a day. Some days, the mental resistance is stronger than the physical. But I’m learning that movement breeds energy, and energy builds motivation. I’ve also stopped thinking of exercise as a way to “earn” food or shrink my body. Now, it’s about building resilience and protecting my healthspan.
That’s why I’ve partnered with Kate and Owning Your Menopause to create THE SHIFT – a one-day workshop born not from a place of perfection, but from lived experience; from the moments we’ve felt stuck, unmotivated, disconnected from our bodies and the slow, sometimes messy, process of finding our way back.
We’ve brought together some of the midlife experts who’ve helped us the most – in mindset, movement, motivation and nutrition – to share what really works. This isn’t about quick fixes or bootcamp promises. It’s about creating a space where women can gently reset and feel more at home in their bodies again. If you’re feeling stuck, unsure where to begin, or simply need a day to focus on you, we hope THE SHIFT feels like a breath of fresh air – and a quiet nudge forward.
You can find out more and join us at theshift.life. We’d love to see you there.
Because the truth is, we’re all just doing our best – and sometimes, the hardest part is simply starting. And if, like me, you’re still stuck on the warm-up, that’s okay. Show up anyway. That’s where the real strength begins.
Connect with Alice at instagram.com/Alice_Dogruyol, and read her past columns weight loss columns here!
