10 Fat-Blasting Habits That Keep Chalene Johnson in Her Best Form Ever at 55

Age shouldn’t be your excuse for not being in shape. Just take it from all the over-50 fitness influencers on social media, who serve as living, breathing proof that you can achieve your health goals at any age. Chalene Johnson, 55, is one of the most inspirational over-50 health and wellness experts. She maintains that at her age, she has “more energy and 💪🏼than I had at 35” in her Instagram bio. “You can feel better than ever in this season, but you have to start NOW!” she says. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

Strength Training

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Chalene’s workout of choice? “Strength training is my jam! There’s nothing like feeling strong, empowered, and seeing my body evolve,” she says in a blog post. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. Strength training may also help you:

• Develop strong bones
• Manage your weight
• Enhance your quality of life
• Manage chronic conditions
• Sharpen your thinking skills

Phasing

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When it comes to her strength training workouts, the “secret sauce” behind it all is something called “phasing or periodization,” she says. “Every 4-6 weeks, I shuffle my workout to keep my muscles on their toes—figuratively, of course.”

Here Is Her Workout Breakdown

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Chalene follows the below workout schedule:

• Monday: Chest, shoulders, and triceps
• Tuesday: It’s all about legs
• Wednesday: Back and biceps
• Thursday: Plyometric leg day
• Friday: Again, chest, shoulders, and triceps
• Saturday: Stretch and cardio
• Sunday: Another leg day (because why not?)

Core Strength

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Chalene puts a lot of time into strengthening her abs. “One thing I’m often asked is how I’ve managed to dodge back problems. Simple—I focus on core strength, which includes back muscle development. That means a lot of back extensions and other movements targeting my erector spinae,” she says.

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Steady-State Cardio

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“Though I’m a weight-lifting aficionado, I never skimp on cardio,” Chalene says, explaining that she doesn’t overdo it. “No HIIT, just moderate, steady-state cardio for at least 30 minutes on my strength training days.”

Food Tracking

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She also makes sure to track her food intake. “Shifting gears to my diet, I keep tabs on what goes into using MyFitnessPal,” Chalene explains. “It’s like my virtual food journal, helping me spot when I need to recalibrate.”

Changing Up Her Eating Plan

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“I rotate my eating plans roughly every month and a half. Recently, I sensed that my body was not its vibrant self—hello, inflammation. So, I switched gears and went into what’s known as the ‘target phase,’ where intermittent fasting takes a back seat,” she says. “I aim for a macro split of 35% carbs, 25% fat, and 40% protein. It’s not one-size-fits-all, though—you need to tune these to your body.”

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Here Is What She Eats in an Average Day

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During the target phase, here is what Chalene eats:

• Breakfast: Egg whites, ground turkey stir fry with veggies, and Ezekiel toast
• Lunch: Chicken breast, rice (either brown or cauliflower), and greens
• Dinner: Halibut, again rice, and spinach
• Snacks: An oatmeal mix and hot turmeric drink

Intermittent Fasting

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As she mentioned above, Chalene practices intermittent fasting. However, she stresses the importance of taking breaks from it. “Women, especially over 40, should know when to take a break from intermittent fasting. Warning signs? Increased body fat, irregular eating cycles, and loss of appetite,” she says.

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Walking

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Chalene makes sure to get her steps in. “Did you know for every 2,000 steps, your risk of heart disease, cancer, and premature death decreases by 10%? Did you know Zone 2 Cardio is one of the absolute best ways to restore your energy?” she recently revealed on Instagram. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss these 20 Superfoods for People Over 50.

Liz Hilliard, 70, is living, breathing proof that age is just a number. The pilates instructor, who trains out of her studio Hilliard Studio Method, discovered the workout when she was 48, and completely transformed her approach to health. Over the years she has managed to learn a few things about longevity, revealing her secrets in an interview with Body Network.

Liz Used to Rely on Traditional Workouts

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Liz, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, explains that she was athletic throughout her childhood and enjoyed playing basketball and other team sports. “Traditional workouts always felt boring and offered minimal results for the time and energy put into them, " she says. Until I was in my late 40s, I relied on tennis and walking as my main sources of exercise.

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She Discovered Pilates at Age 48

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“At age 48, I attended my first Pilates class and immediately felt incredibly challenged. I even had fun, which led me to become certified in Pilates,” she says. In 2002, she opened her first personal Pilates training studio. “It was a successful business, and my clients were seeing real results. However, at age 51, while going through menopause, I noticed despite my Pilates workout, my belly fat was increasing, and my overall strength was decreasing as well, aka flabby arms and sagging bottom."

Fusing Strength Training with Pilates Was a Game-Changer

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"Inspired by my daughter, who was getting married and sculpting up for her wedding, I began researching heavy resistance training and hired my own personal trainer to try to sculpt my 51-year-old, menopausal body. We implemented heavy weight training, and I was determined to debunk the ‘bulking’ myth that most women feel about weightlifting," Liz says.

"The short story is that adding heavier resistance training to my core-centric Pilates workout began to sculpt my body in ways I hadn’t seen before using only traditional Pilates. That’s when I devised my Method. By incorporating heavy resistance with the core-centric exercises of Pilates, the Hilliard Studio Method was born."

She Shaved Inches Off Her Waistline

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Hillard, who has since authored the book "Be Powerful: Find Your Strength at Any Age" and co-hosts the Be Powerful Podcast, has remained 135 pounds throughout most of her life. “Muscle weighs more than fat, so I was replacing adipose tissue with muscle. My body was sculpting and changing at a rapid rate, especially given that I was in the throes of menopause. I lost inches around my waist, my arms became strong and sculpted, my abs flattened, and my glutes lifted. My entire body changed over the course of a year or less,” she says.

She Works Out 4 to 5 Times a Week

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What are the most important things she learned about getting in shape? “Find a workout that you enjoy, or you won’t stick with it. Our lives are busy, so finding a workout that efficiently provides resistance combined with stretch and enough cardio is essential. I do my workout at Hilliard Studio Method 4 to 5 times a week because we change the workout daily, moving through compound exercising and utilizing different resistance tools like balls, gliders, and bands to continuously cause muscle confusion and avoid the dreadful plateau, both mentally and physically. We keep the work fun and evolving, low impact yet high intensity. The amazing side effect of getting in physical shape is that one’s mental and emotional outlook becomes far more positive. Strength training like I do at HSM is the fountain of youth,” she continues.

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Get Your Steps In

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Her top workout suggestions? “Walk every day and everywhere. Get outside as often as possible to walk in nature. Bonus points if you walk with a friend. It’s built-in mental and physical therapy, which will not only help keep you fit but also lift your mood and keep your mind creative,” she says.

Strength Train Four Times a Week

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Also, strength training 4 times per week. “Strength training is an absolute requirement for healthy aging and simply means load-bearing exercises that require your muscles to engage. This can include anything from hand weights, resistance bands, weighted balls or any weighted object that taxes and builds skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscle strength allows the body to burn calories and maintain a healthy weight while setting the body up for success when inevitable accidents happen, so you are far less likely to avoid falling and breaking bones,” she says.

It’s Never Too Late to Get in Shape

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What is her message for women out there who are struggling to get in shape? “It’s never too late, and you’re never too old or out of shape to start exercising. By simply getting out of your chair and going for a 20-minute walk, you’ll have the immediate feedback of feeling better physically, mentally, and emotionally,” she says.

Make Exercise Social

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She also recommends connecting with friends to walk, workout, “and just talk every day,” she says. “Walking and talking with a friend or acquaintance is the perfect combo for both physical and mental health! Add resistance training to your workout, which can be as simple as a plank for as long as you can hold it until you work for up to a minute. Then go for 2 minutes or more. This is resistance training and incredible for your core and overall fitness! Then add a pushup on your knees, which is basically a moving plank that strengthens your arms, back, and core, not to mention flattens your abs. Do as many as you can, and try to work up to 20 or more. Mostly, just keep moving every single day. Our bodies are designed to move. The fastest way to early aging is to stop moving. The move it or lose it cliché is true.”

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Try the Hilliard Studio Method at Home

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She says she “takes working out to the next level to produce results that are nothing short of a total mind-body transformation for women and men of all ages and stages,” she says. “Hilliard Studio Method group classes are designed to be taken on a regular basis. Each class is different from the day before. Our energetic and encouraging trainers utilize a variety of powerful movements and workout tools in a high intensity, low impact method driven by empowering, beat-driven music; think personal training in a group setting.” Her classes can also be done virtually via an online streaming platform and live Zoom classes. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 20 Superfoods for People Over 50.