Getting fit in your 40s and beyond is absolutely achievable — but it does require a slightly different approach than it did when you were younger. After 18 years as a personal trainer, working with hundreds of clients in their 40s, 50s and 60s, I see the same mistakes come up time and again. The great news is that every single one of them is fixable. Here’s what to watch out for.
Mistake 1: Doing Too Much Cardio and Not Enough Strength Work
This is probably the most common mistake I see, particularly among women. The instinct when you want to lose weight or get fitter is to jump on the treadmill or go to endless spin classes — and while cardio has its place, if it’s all you’re doing, you’re missing the most powerful tool available to you after 40.
Strength training — lifting weights, using resistance machines, bodyweight exercises — is what preserves and builds muscle mass. And as we covered in a previous post, muscle mass is directly linked to your metabolic rate. More muscle means your body burns more calories around the clock, not just during your workout.
The fix: Aim for at least two strength training sessions per week alongside any cardio you enjoy. You don’t need to give up your favourite classes — just make sure lifting is part of the picture too.
Mistake 2: Not Recovering Properly Between Sessions
In your 20s, you could train hard every day and bounce back quickly. After 40, your body needs more time to recover — and ignoring that leads to fatigue, injury and burnout. Many people either train too frequently without adequate rest, or they push through signs that their body is telling them to slow down.
Recovery isn’t laziness. It’s where the actual results happen. Your muscles repair and grow stronger during rest, not during the workout itself.
The fix: Build proper rest days into your programme. Prioritise sleep, stay hydrated, and consider adding active recovery — a gentle walk, stretching or yoga — on your off days. A good personal trainer will programme your sessions with recovery built in.
Mistake 3: Eating the Same Way You Did in Your 30s
Your nutritional needs shift as you get older. As mentioned above, you need more protein to support muscle maintenance. You may also find that foods you previously tolerated well now cause bloating or discomfort as your digestive system changes. And the calorie intake that kept you at a healthy weight at 35 may now be slightly too high.
The fix: Take an honest look at your diet. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods, increase your protein intake, and reduce ultra-processed foods. You don’t need to follow a strict diet — you need sustainable habits that work for your life.
Mistake 4: Avoiding Exercise Because of Aches and Pains
Joint discomfort, old injuries, a bad back — these are real issues for many people over 40, and they can understandably put people off exercising. But in most cases, the right kind of movement is exactly what the body needs. Inactivity tends to make joint pain worse over time, not better.
The fix: Don’t let discomfort become an excuse to do nothing. Work with a trainer who can design sessions around your limitations, strengthen the muscles that support your vulnerable joints and help you move more confidently and pain-free. Most of my clients who come to me with niggles find that within a few months of training they experience significantly less discomfort day to day.
Mistake 5: Going It Alone With No Real Plan
Walking into a gym without a structured plan is one of the biggest reasons people don’t see results. They do a bit of this, a bit of that, never really push themselves in the right way, and after a few months wonder why nothing has changed. Or worse, they get injured because they’ve been doing exercises incorrectly.
The fix: Have a plan. Whether that’s working with a personal trainer, following a properly designed programme, or at the very least educating yourself on what a balanced training week should look like. Consistency with a smart plan will always beat random effort.
Ready to Get It Right?
If any of these mistakes sound familiar, you’re in exactly the right place. At NMG Fitness, I work specifically with men and women over 40 to build training programmes that are intelligent, effective and genuinely enjoyable. Your first session is completely free — so there’s nothing to lose.
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Neil McGuigan is a London-based personal trainer with 18 years experience, specialising in fitness for men and women over 40. He trains clients at UNTIL gym in Soho and Marylebone, and online.