by He was 57 years old and could see 60 on the horizon. Looking in the mirror, all I could see was just another woman fading into the darkness, living a life of “quiet desperation.” We complained about being catcalled in our youth, but totally disinterested silence is much worse, believe me. I felt uncomfortable with everything she was wearing, I was lethargic and just “getting by” with life, she barely woke up and grabbed on to life.
That day I told my reflection, “Alison, you are not where you need to be.” Shopping had become a practice of gratitude, simply hoping to find something above my hips. I knew I didn’t want to live a life of quiet desperation and slow decline. Middle-aged women often have the feeling of becoming invisible. I clearly realized that I had fewer years ahead of me than I had now. But I still wanted those years to be full of potential, possibilities, excitement and enjoyment. I wanted to have the courage and confidence to be photographed in my gym gear looking decent on my 60th birthday.
My love for food is undeniable. When I was 30, I reviewed restaurants for LBC Radio and in 1997 I presented ITV’s Home in the countryside in which I cooked from my cabin in Wales. I enjoyed eating, cooking and discovering new restaurants. The main problem was a general lack of structure. Ad hoc eating ruled my days, depending on my job or what was closest to hand. I had dabbled in diets since Rosemary Connelly in the 1980s, but I knew that, fundamentally, they don’t work. This is exactly what the diet industry feeds on. I had flirted with the gym from time to time, but frankly, I made it to age 57 without exercising regularly.
I knew there was a healthier, fitter Alison inside me, so I researched gyms and trainers. If she hadn’t gotten over it at this stage of life, I thought she would need help. It would take more than three months to undo a lifetime of bad habits, so I wanted an approach that was personalized, gradual, and, crucially, sustainable. I chose a regime called Ultimate Performance, it was not just a gym, but a transformation center for those carrying a few extra stones.
On my first day, I was given the news firmly: you can exercise until you’re tired, but unless you change your diet you won’t lose pounds. I was a terrible snacker and enjoyed a drink. While this is still about the safe amount of alcohol per week for a woman, these are empty calories. If I was hungry, I would grab a Snickers bar and happily erase it from my memory as soon as I ate it. I used to brag about my food knowledge; My trainer broke that bubble when he told me that he was eating 90 percent carbohydrates on a normal day.
It’s about responsibility. So, they gave me an app to enter every gram of food and drink I had consumed. I was told that I should consume a certain amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats per day. Now I spend much less time cooking and shopping because I plan and prepare properly. Once every three months I get up at 4 am and go to Smithfield Market where I buy all my meat, poultry and seafood. Then, every Sunday, I spend time cooking food for the next week.
Next was constant weight training. Maintaining strength and good bone density is very important as we age, especially in postmenopausal women. I invested in a trainer three times a week and made sacrifices to be able to afford it. I gave away my car, I stopped drinking fancy coffees and random sweets, I also stopped buying alcohol (and now I don’t keep it at home) and I very rarely eat out. It sounds sad, but all those calories add up. Surprisingly quickly, when I saw results, I stopped being tempted by sweet things or worrying much about alcohol.
At first the training was tremendously hard because in the gym they demand a lot from you. Despite many moments when I couldn’t follow the plan, I refused to give up. I’ve learned that being good 80 percent of the time is enough; Don’t beat yourself up for the other 20 percent when you eat a pork pie or enjoy that extra glass of wine. In the first few months, it was mandatory to weigh myself every day. But the turning point came when I stopped wearing baggy clothes to the gym and bought a fitted gym kit. That felt amazing.
Now, after three years of consistent exercise and eating no more than 1,500 calories a day, I am undoubtedly in the best shape of my life, even when I was 20 years old. I can bench press 30 kilos. I can do leg press 100/110. I can deadlift over 60kg, more than my own body weight. For my age, I’m reasonably strong. Recently, I started doing Reformer Pilates once or twice a week to “lengthen” my muscles and achieve a more toned look. It’s a great balance to my weight training. Exercise doesn’t dictate my life; It’s not a terror but it does inform my life. In a lightbulb moment, I realized that putting health and fitness at the top of my priority list reflects and benefits my entire life.
I imagine my friends and family thought I wouldn’t make it, they made fun of me for what I ate and drank. But as time went on it was like I was reconfiguring the way I approached food and everyone became quietly respectful. Subsequently, both my children, aged 19 and 22, and my husband, aged 53, have gone through the same process at the same gym. I wanted them to properly learn about nutrition like I had.
I have always believed that a family eats together and stays together, that’s why we have a family dinner on Fridays. That is not negotiable. We may eat slightly different things, but everything is put on the table so people can try it however they want. No one is watched or made to feel different.
There was definitely a visual goal for me. After my time at ITV in the 90s, I landed a few more TV gigs. I currently sell my interior design products on the QVC shopping channel. People often comment on how good I looked on TV, but the reality is that I knew how to work my makeup and hair for maximum impact. That wasn’t my everyday self. Recently someone said, “Are you sure you’re not Benjamin Button? Do you seem to be aging backwards? That felt very good. Last week, I found myself queuing at 4am for H&M’s collaboration with Paco Rabanne. Seeing a beautiful silver dress winking at me, I thought: “I want it.” I’m proud to say that yes, you can wear a backless dress at 60.
But the greatest gift of all this has been the mental benefits. At work someone stopped me and said, “Alison, we’re all talking about you in the director’s gallery. You are so different, you look different, you walk different, you stand different, you give off a total aura and energy. “You’re just a totally different person.” That was the moment I realized a real transformation was taking place.
I have more positivity, optimism and energy levels. I thank the endorphins for this sunny new outlook on life. It has translated into the way I live my life and run my business: Alison at Home. Last year, I launched National Women’s Business Week and also began investing in and advising other companies. This weight loss journey has been like throwing a stone into a pond and enjoying the ripple effect. My new gym friends and I have climbed several mountains over the past few years. I hiked to Everest Base Camp last October and will be snowshoeing in the Romanian Alps in January. Most people don’t expect to make new friends in their 60s. I wish I had known years ago how empowering it is to have physical and mental strength. For me it’s about being able to say yes to the things in life. Grabbing it while I have it.
health tricks
Walking
I walk between 15 and 20,000 steps a day. I get up at 6 in the morning and walk for an hour and a half through Hyde Park, rain, shine or snow. So by eight o’clock I had already taken eight or nine thousand steps.
Caffeine
I drink black coffee until noon and then I don’t drink any coffee.
Alcohol
I limit alcohol to the weekends and usually opt for something sparkling like prosecco or champagne. If I’m going to restrict what I drink, I want to really enjoy what I drink when I decide to indulge.
I avoid ultra-processed foods like the plague. They are full of sugar, salt and ingredients that are impossible to understand.
As told to Delphi Hayes
