Exercise as a Celebration: How I Found a Routine I Actually Love

I love this quote - “Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment for what you ate.” It completely changed the way I think about moving my body. It took the pressure off, softened the rules, and reminded me that exercise can be joyful, gentle, and something I look forward to.

We’ve always been an active family - maybe that’s what happens when you’ve always owned border collies 🤔😆. Walking was simply part of life: babies in prams, kids on bikes, dogs trotting alongside us.

How It Started: Yoga and a Back Injury

Years ago, I began yoga to strengthen my core after a long‑term back injury. I loved how I felt afterwards - calmer, stronger, more aligned. But as I got older, I realised I needed more: more stretching, more cardio, more strength, and yes… more definition in my arms and shoulders.

Enter Fabulous 50s

That’s when I stumbled across Schellea (Shelly) Fowler on YouTube and her channel, Fabulous 50s. She’s Australian, she’s positive, she’s gentle, and she focuses on health and longevity, not weight loss. Honestly, I don’t need a bronzed, bulging bro telling me what my 50+ body needs 😉

Her workouts are accessible, encouraging, and full of modifications if you’re new, injured, or just easing in. And best of all - there are breaks!

The Border Collie Interval System

Most Fabulous 50s workouts follow a 40‑second burst with a 20‑second walking rest. And this is where Bowie and Jagger (aka the Rolling Bones 👄🤣) come in.

They have soft “inside balls” that won’t destroy the walls, and I’ve trained them into my routine:

• 40 seconds: I exercise

• 20 seconds: I throw the ball down the hallway

• 40 seconds: “Have a rest” - they lie down like perfect little athletes

• 20 seconds: Ball time again

Jagger, our tri‑coloured border collie, has even learned the countdown timer. The moment it beeps, he’s already in position for the first throw 🥰🐶

It makes me the ultimate multitasker - cardio, strength, and dog entertainment all in one.

Getting Stronger on Purpose

In the last couple of months, I’ve added extra arm workouts because I’m determined to have defined arms as I get older. I’m not going to be a woman who hides her arms - if Tina Turner and Michelle Obama can rock theirs, so can I 😀

Why Fabulous 50s Works

There are so many reasons I recommend these workouts:

• Cardio for heart health 🩺

• Cross‑body movement for brain health, stability, and fall prevention

• Weights for maintaining and increasing bone density

• Walking workouts that add ~3,000 steps to your day 🚶

• Strength training to combat the 5–8% muscle loss we experience each decade after 30 💪

• Hormone health and stability

• Weight maintenance

• That incredible “I did it!” feeling afterwards 😊

• And it’s free - or very cheap (dumbbells start at $3.50 at Big W)

Making It Easy: My Playlists

We get up very early in our household, and I cannot make decisions for the first hour of the day. So I’ve created YouTube playlists with two weeks of weekday workouts - a mix of cardio, weights, walking, stretching, and arms.

Here’s an example:

Playlist Day 1

• 5 min daily stretching routine for women over 50

• 30 min full body dumbbell workout

• 10 min toned arms workout (no equipment)

• 8 min stretching routine

Playlist Day 2

• 5 min full body stretch

• 30 min weight‑loss walking workout

• 20 min arm‑toning workout (with weights)

• 15 min full body stretch

The Honest Truth

This recommendation is worth exactly what you paid for it - nothing! But I can honestly say that although my dress size has stayed the same for 20 years, I’ve never felt fitter, healthier, or stronger than I do in my 50s.

If I’ve learned anything about exercise, it’s this: Find the thing that works for you - the thing you want to do every day. For me, that’s not someone barking orders at me. It’s gentle encouragement, achievable movement, and a pair of border collies who think they’re part of the workout team