Act now, age better is my current life philosophy.

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I exercise because I love it, it gives me a great feeling when I do it, I like being able to play lots of different sports and move well, but I’m also doing it to futureproof myself so that, when I’m in my 70s and 80s, I’m still as active as I can be. My motivation is to be able to play tennis with the grandchildren I haven’t got yet.

Keeping fit in midlife is really important to me because if we don’t use it, we lose it. That is one of the best truisms I’ve learnt from my podcast, The Midpoint. All the exercise experts come on and talk not just about exercising, but about pushing yourself and not slowing down. So, when I do weights, it’s about trying to get stronger – not plateauing – and that’s really important for midlife women in particular because that strength in our bones, joints, and the way we move just means that we’re able to do so many more things for longer.

I have been pushing the weights a bit more recently and the Pilates, so I can stay flexible, and then I can go for a run or a bike ride. It’s a holistic thing, but it is not about a dress size or whether or not I look good in a pair of trousers; it’s about feeling great and being strong.

My advice to anybody in midlife who wants to increase the amount of exercise they’re doing or doesn’t feel like they’re doing enough – which is different for everybody – is that even a tiny bit can make a huge difference.

There have been studies showing that just 10 minutes of exercise a day can improve your longevity and prospects in old age compared to doing nothing, so once you start, you become more motivated.

Just say to yourself, ‘I’m going to build to 10 push-ups, 10 squats or go for a walk for a couple of kilometres’. From that start, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. It’s just committing to it and finding the time which we’ve all got.

Everybody gets lost scrolling on their phone, everybody finds themselves doing things that aren’t really that important, it’s just about saying to yourself, ‘I value myself in old age and this is really important to fit into my week', and you will feel so much better for it.

Gabby Logan is the co-host of The Sports Agents podcast and a supporter of Age UK.

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