Our favourite home fitness gadgets to build strength & maintain weight

Here we go with our weekly round up of talking points & helpful links from the podcast, kicking off with our interview with author Jojo Moyes, followed by fitness tips, tricks & DIY shortcuts...

Feb 20, 2025

The wonderful Jojo Moyes (not lying down on the floor!)

It’s been a bumper week at Postcards from Midlife podcast HQ, as we got to interview one of our favourite authors, Jojo Moyes, for our Sunday episode, as well as try out some affordable at-home fitness gadgets to help us get strong and fit in our midweek How To Win at Midlife episode.

You can hear Jojo read an extract from her hilarious and heartwarming new novel, We All Live Here, which prompted our discussion about midlife mayhem, family, divorce, dating and sex. She also told us how she pushed past rejection when she began writing in her late thirties (her first two novels were turned down by publishers) and then went on to sell over 57 million books, translated into 46 languages, and write the screenplay for her hit novel Me Before You.

Jojo also shared how she’s started to offload responsibility in midlife, moving back to London from the countryside post divorce and empty nest, living happily solo with her dogs and cat for company. She’s also learned a new way to manage stress - by lying down on the floor! (She does throw in a bit of meditation and mindfulness too sometimes).

Meanwhile we were both busy trying out some new DIY fitness gadgets and working them into our weekly exercise routines. Trish tried the Gymproluxe Resistance bands and Thysol Suspension trainer (all links below) while Lorraine got to grips with the LC Gravity Weighted Vest for her runs and walks. We do say this all the time on the show, but doing regular strength training from your 40s onwards is absolutely key to staying strong, building muscle and protecting your bones. Believe us - as women in our late fifties - your joints get stiffer, your muscle mass decreases at an alarming rate and your bones can be seriously compromised by osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. So get started people - lots of links below for equipment and online freebie sessions. And here’s a little video of Trish in action…