Could you get a body like Jennifer Lopez in your 50s?
J.LO has one of the hottest bods in the world at 51, thanks to a strict diet and fitness regime. Could mum-of-two Vanessa Holburn, also 51, from Reading, go from jello to J.Lo by sticking to it too?
“Staring at the deflated Swiss ball on my kitchen floor, I sighed heavily. “I bet J.Lo doesn’t have problems like this,” I moaned to my husband Simon, 52, who’d spent the past 10 minutes pumping up the ball, only for us to realise the plug was missing. Dammit.
“Not for the first time, I thought how much easier it would be to transform my body in lockdown if I were a multimillionaire pop star instead of a suburban mum with an overflowing laundry basket.
“I turned 50 in 2019 and was in pretty good shape. At 5ft 2in, I’ve never been overweight and have enjoyed being able to fit into a size 8-10 most of my adult life.
“However, the first lockdown took its toll. Sipping rosé in the garden by day and eating Percy Pigs on the sofa by night, saw me gain weight, going from 8st 7lb to 9st. The waistband on my size-10 denim shorts felt tight and my thighs were becoming dimpled.
“In the past, women my age were considered “over the hill”, there was no expectation to be body beautiful. In 2021, that’s not the case, thanks to celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Liz Hurley and Halle Berry. All 50-something, they’ve raised the body bar for my age group. As a new year and another lockdown got underway, I resolved it was time to join the fit 50s crew.
“However, while Ms Lopez can work out in her private gym, has nannies to mind her children and a chef to dish up nutritionally balanced meals, I have none of those things. I don’t even have a cleaner (believe me, it shows).
“Undeterred, I told Simon, and our two daughters, aged 12 and 14, that the spare room was now my home gym. I invested in an exercise mat and weights, signed up to Zoom PT sessions and online fitness classes.
“Each week in January, I had a one-hour session with personal trainer Chantal Watts and did her three kettlebell, Insanity and loop band live classes. I also did a 5k run and a dancercise class.
“Just to be more “Jenny From The Block” I followed J.Lo’s (miserable) schedule of a daily ab workout, involving core exercises like sit-ups, side planks and bicycle crunches, repeated for 50, 35 and 21 reps.
“Since the star doesn’t drink, I even did Dry January, too. Diet-wise, although I usually eat quite healthily, with plenty of veg and wholegrains, I stopped the boredom-busting cupboard raids I’d adopted in the first lockdown.
“If I ever felt my resolve wobble, I’d remind myself that J.Lo wouldn’t be seen dead munching Doritos in her jammies.
“I avoided social media, as seeing posts from friends about snuggling on the sofa, with snacks and swapping Netflix recommendations, while I was puffing and panting in the spare room, was demotivating.
“It was a tough month, I won’t lie – 31 days of intense exercise, aching muscles, no booze, rubbish weather and a national lockdown. I didn’t think I had it in me, to be honest.
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“And do you know what? I didn’t get a body like J.Lo’s, but it did make a huge difference. I’ve lost 1in from my waistline, meaning those summer shorts aren’t at risk of ripping open, my arms and shoulders are more defined and, according to the fancy scales I borrowed from my PT, although I’m still 9st, my metabolic age has dropped from 46 to 42 and I’ve shed 1.4 per cent of my body fat. My tummy is visibly tighter and flatter, plus I have much more energy and focus.
“I still don’t look like J.Lo – but I’m OK with that. She’s been working out for years, making sacrifices I’m not prepared to make. The reality is, it’s her job to look good. When I’m back sitting at my desk, nobody will judge me for not having a six-pack.
“But it’s possible to still feel and look my best in my 50s and I plan to carry on working out, albeit not six days a week. I may never get J.Lo’s abs, but I’ll be coming out of lockdown feeling like a fabulous 50-something.
- Vanessa trained with Chantal Watts at Another Level Fitness (Anotherlevelfitness.co.uk)