At 53, I’m in the best shape of my life. Here’s how I did it

Sue Hobson, 53, is a longevity coach for middle-aged women. She lives in Silverdale, Lancashire with her husband Christian and their two sons.

Like many women, I spent much of my adult life worrying about my weight and bouncing between diet extremes. When I was 41 after giving birth to my second son, I had no time or energy for exercise and fueled my days with sugar to stave off sleepless nights. While I was never significantly overweight, I was larger than I should have been for my 5ft 4in frame, and my body felt heavy and uncomfortable. I was convinced that my healthy years were behind me.

Conversing with my husband, Christian, one day about how physically miserable I felt, I realized that I was the only one with the power to change things. I was stuck in a rut, but finally I felt the need to reframe my thinking. That was the moment I decided I was going to change my life completely. I gave it nine years to work with the goal of looking 50 years older and feeling better than ever.

Now, at age 53, I have finally worked out how to stay fit, strong and healthy while eating more and training less. Here’s how I did it.

How carbs became the enemy

In my late 20s I lived alone and ate very badly. Convenience was key in my demanding corporate job as a project manager for a London consultancy firm and I ended most evenings with ready meals, sweet treats and a glass of wine. Despite this I was still very thin as I spent most of my free time running on the treadmill at my local gym. Exercise, back then, was purely about losing weight and burning calories.

The weight slowly increased without me realizing it. I didn’t notice until I tried to buy a dress for my 30th birthday and could no longer fit into my usual size 8. While I was never particularly overweight, I remember absolutely hating how I looked in all the photos that night. I felt heavy and could barely get into size 10 or 12 clothing.

My approach to everything in life was not always “all or nothing” so I decided to start the Atkins diet which was popular in the 2000’s. I demonized carbs and would dive into highly processed and artificially sweetened bars, convinced they were a healthy alternative to sugar. As I lost weight, I decided to stop exercising because I saw it purely as a means to burn calories and felt it was no longer necessary.

I stayed on the Atkins diet for two years, which seems crazy in hindsight, but at the time I thought I looked amazing. I still remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and loving the fact that my ribs and bones were sticking out. Looking back now, I realize that I lacked energy and had zero motivation because my eating was messy and I neglected my fitness.

Common sense eventually prevailed and I began reforming my restricted diet around the time I met Christian. We loved treating ourselves to a date night at a fancy restaurant which probably helped. After we got engaged, I got myself a personal trainer in February 2009 because I wanted to look my best on our wedding day. It paid off—by my mid-30s I was in good shape.

The sugar monster

The following year, I gave birth to our first child, then two years later, we moved across the world to Singapore. While I loved being a new mom and Christian was incredibly supportive and caring, I struggled with the pressures of transitioning while caring for our baby and turned to my old friends—sugar and alcohol—to cope.

My cravings often dictated my mood, and I felt my best when eating a bar of chocolate or drinking a glass of wine. I was a sugar monster.

After I gave birth to our second child in May 2013, I struggled with post-natal depression – my hormones and mood were all over the place, I barely slept and had no time or energy to exercise or cook from scratch. Once again, I felt heavy and uncomfortable in my body.

I look back on my wedding day four years ago and worry that it was my “peak”. Maybe it was all downhill from there? I felt hopeless and exhausted, but a small part of me refused to succumb to a life of discomfort and insecurity. So it was my turn, and my decision to dedicate the next nine years of my life to becoming fitter and healthier than ever.

Joe Wicks and HIIT workouts

Although I was stuck in a rut for a while, I was incredibly determined and once I set my mind to something, I stuck to it. When we left the UK, I left my corporate job and needed to find a new career and decided to qualify as a personal trainer. This will allow me to help others while making sure I hold myself accountable for my fitness goals. While doing this, I discovered Joe Wicks’ YouTube channel and his HIIT workouts. Immediately, I was hooked and started following his online sessions every day.

We moved to Dubai in 2015 and I continued my training. My next priority was to get my sugar diet in order. Instead of a radical overhaul, I started making small and sustainable changes—eating less, tracking my calories, and cutting back on sugar. By doing this and HIIT training almost every day, my body started to change rather quickly. I qualified as a PT, started taking on clients, and started my Instagram page to share our fitness journeys.

Then, in 2017, we moved to Saudi Arabia and there I discovered strength training. I got a job as a head trainer at F45 Fitness Studio and started teaching HIIT classes. While I still liked it, I was itching to try something new. First, I read about the benefits of weightlifting for women in midlife and decided to give it a go.

Walking into the weight section of the gym was scary at first (although I never let it show!) Despite being a PT, I felt a little nervous being a middle-aged woman in unknown territory. At first, I stuck to machines and dumbbells but, once I gained some confidence, started experimenting with barbell exercises.

Creatine and high protein diet

Instead of doing a HIIT workout every day, I dropped to two sessions and started lifting weights three times a week. While my workout regime was much less intense, it had the biggest impact on my fitness and body. I quickly learned that less is more.

I prioritized protein and soon I was eating more than before. At first, I relied on protein bars and other processed sources, however, over time, I realized that they weren’t doing my gut health any favors. So, I started eating a whole foods diet with fresh protein sources like chicken and fish. I still have a huge sweet tooth but instead of relying on ice cream and cake, I started trying healthier options like dark chocolate and yogurt bowls.

Creatine (a supplement that improves muscle strength) has become a bit of a buzzword around the gym, so I read up on it and its potential benefits for midlife women. I decided to start taking it and it had a great effect on my body. The results didn’t come overnight – I worked hard for them – but two and a half years later I had visible muscles and abs that I was incredibly proud of.

Christian has supported me the whole way and is very proud of my transformation. He is always telling people about my work and improving my lifestyle. In 2021, I returned to the UK to settle the boys at school, but Christian had to spend two more years in Saudi Arabia which was stressful and difficult at times.

The last step

However, by my 50th birthday I had achieved my goal and was in the best shape and health of my life. It was an incredible feeling. I feel stronger with defined muscles and have also managed to kick my sugar addiction and fix my diet by implementing small and sustainable habits instead of a dramatic overhaul.

There was one more step to take: kicking my addiction to alcohol. I have had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol since I was a teenager. I drank for bad reasons—at first for confidence and later as a coping strategy—and always overdid it, most nights ending with memory loss and embarrassing myself.

As my children grew older, they began to comment on my alcohol use and regularly told me that they did not like drinking. It was really upsetting, but also the motivation I needed to finally give up completely, with that “all or nothing” approach to get me through once again.

I have wanted to quit drinking many times in the past, but never could. However, when I finally decided to quit on my 50th birthday, it was like flicking a switch. I never relapsed – and have been sober for over three years.

Up until that point, my focus had always been on aesthetics. Once I reached my goals and fully embedded my health habits, I decided to shift my focus to aging slowly and healthily. While I love a toned physique, I realize that my body and health are more important in the future.

Walk less and eat more

These days, my workouts are pretty short. Instead of endless hours of cardio, I train with dumbbells in my home gym for about half an hour, four times a week.

Most of my workouts use compound movements to work multiple muscle groups at once, purely because they’re time-efficient and good at getting the heart rate up. From a longevity perspective, these exercises are incredibly effective as they help build functional strength for everyday living.

My favorite exercises include dumbbell snatches and presses (which work the legs, back, core, and arms), kettlebell swings, and hip thrusts.

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While I used to meticulously track my calories, now I eat casually and focus on both protein and fiber in my diet (ensuring at least 25 grams of the latter a day). I estimate that I eat more than 2,000 calories most days – mostly whole foods, although I still enjoy a sweet treat.s. Life is too short.

At 41, I didn’t have much muscle; Now I carry about 25 kg of skeletal muscle mass, which is a significant amount for my size and age. Meanwhile, my body fat has dropped from 28 percent to about 19 percent. And, more importantly, my bone density has increased rather than decreased, while my biological age is 15 years younger than my actual age.

Like many women, I grew up believing that being thin was necessary to feel beautiful. I restricted my food intake and ran for hours to “burn fat”, believing that a smaller body would make me happier. Now, I know that shrinking is more important than growing and getting stronger. By sharing my work and my story, I hope I can help other midlife women feel the same way.

Now, at age 53, I have energy, flexibility and strength—physically and mentally—that I never had in my 40s.

As Ella told the nun

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Sue’s top three tips for success

1. Don’t stop having fun. If an afternoon run or the occasional sweet treat makes you happy, please don’t pass it up for the sake of your fitness transformation. If you enjoy it you are more likely to stick with your journey.

2. Weight lifting is very important for healthy aging and longevity. If you can fit in two to three sessions a week — even if you’re lifting weights in your front room — it makes such a difference.

3. Do not over exercise. Prioritizing rest and recovery is important to your long-term health. In midlife, there is little benefit to exercising yourself six to seven days each week. Aim for two to four workouts a week and pay attention to how well you’re sleeping and recovering in between.

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