{"id":463255,"date":"2026-05-01T13:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/463255\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T13:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:17:16","slug":"michaela-strachans-longevity-based-fitness-routine-keeps-her-strong-at-60-no-gym-required","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/463255\/","title":{"rendered":"Michaela Strachan\u2019s longevity-based fitness routine keeps her strong at 60 \u2013 no gym required"},"content":{"rendered":"

This month, TV presenting legend Michaela Strachan has been busy touring the UK with her show Not Just A Wild Life<\/a> to celebrate turning 60 and 40 years on screen \u2013 reflecting on her work across 50 different series during that time. From hosting children\u2019s TV shows to becoming one of the most loved wildlife presenters, Michaela has already been on a wealth of adventures \u2013 and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve been charged by elephants in Africa; bitten on the face by a lemur with rabies in Madagascar; and chased by a buffalo in Africa. I was four months pregnant and escaped by climbing onto a brick barbecue,\u2019 she recently told Saga<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, despite living an active, healthy lifestyle, Michaela has faced several health challenges over the years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer<\/a> in 2014 following a routine mammogram and underwent a double mastectomy as part of the treatment. At the time, Michaela told the BBC<\/a> she\u2019d felt unsure about publicly discussing it, not wanting to be \u2018labelled\u2019, particularly after having struggled with anorexia as a teenager: \u2018For years, I’ve carried the label \u201cex-anorexic\u201d; no doubt that will now change to \u201cbreast cancer patient\u201d. But we all have challenges to face in our lives. We all have curve balls thrown at us,\u2019 she said, before explaining that she wanted to share her experience to encourage other women to have regular checks \u2013 ‘If I’d put mine off, my story could have been a very different one.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Now, she sees every year as even more of a bonus. \u2018Half my friends are saying, \u201cOh no, we are 60\u201d. The other half are like me and have had a cancer scare and are cheering, \u201cGreat! We are 60!\u201d,\u2019 Michaela revealed in her Saga interview. <\/p>\n

Have her health challenges changed the way she views fitness and exercise? \u2018Body confidence-wise, I suffered from anorexia when I was a teenager, and since then, I\u2019ve been very into, \u201cLet\u2019s just be fit, let\u2019s look after my body.\u201d I\u2019m not a health freak, but I eat pretty well. I\u2019m not a heavy drinker. I\u2019m quite a disciplined morning exercise person \u2013 hiking<\/a> makes me happy,\u2019 Michaela recently told Radio Times<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"michaelaInstagram \/ @strachan.michaela<\/p>\n

Hiking is an integral part of Michaela’s fitness routine<\/p>\n

Michaela’s weekly fitness routine<\/p>\n

Considering her chosen career, it\u2019s unsurprising that Michaela embraces exercising in the Great Outdoors. Her 60th birthday plans? \u2018Swimming in a dam, hiking with friends and then sundowners on top of a mountain,\u2019 she told Saga. \u2018I\u2019ve never been a gym bunny but I do yoga<\/a> and Pilates<\/a>, train with weights<\/a> and go on two hikes a week.\u2019<\/p>\n

And if longevity<\/a> has always been the foundation of Michaela\u2019s workouts, it\u2019s even more so now following her Dancing on Ice stint \u2013 on which she came second. \u2018I was really toned and fit after ITV\u2019s Dancing On Ice, but sustained an injury three days before the final while doing a lift. I later discovered I\u2019d torn my hamstring and glutes, so I\u2019ve needed physio and rehab to recover.\u2019<\/p>\n

If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, visit Beat<\/a> for support.<\/p>\n

Having a strong core is about far more than sporting a six-pack. Build functional mid-section strength \u2013 while also improving your power, posture, coordination and balance \u2013 with WH COLLECTIVE coach Izy George\u2019s 4-week core challenge. Download the Women\u2019s Health UK app to access the full training plan today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get the app<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"izy<\/a>Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This month, TV presenting legend Michaela Strachan has been busy touring the UK with her show Not Just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463256,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[278],"tags":[152422,150931,150932,150511,341,203617,343,18,525,135,19,17,201411,342,203616,152420],"class_list":{"0":"post-463255","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-collection-celebrity-workouts","9":"tag-collection-fit-at-60","10":"tag-collection-fit-at-any-age","11":"tag-collection-fitness-app","12":"tag-content-type-news","13":"tag-contentid-955c685e-4ba0-479a-bee5-44e71fecfbc1","14":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","15":"tag-eire","16":"tag-fitness","17":"tag-health","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-issyndicated-false","21":"tag-locale-gb","22":"tag-shorttitle-michaela-strachans-longevity-based-fitness-routine","23":"tag-subsection-workouts"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116499516876013132","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=463255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=463255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=463255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=463255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}