An exclusive Q&A with Sarah Lindsay explores her expert advice on how women can achieve a fitness level that emulates the strength and vitality of Jennifer Lopez at 50.
Sarah Lindsay, a three-time Olympian, is not just any personal trainer; she’s a fitness icon in her own right. With a glittering career as a speed skater, Sarah boasts an impressive track record as a European gold medalist, two-time world silver medalist, and a 10-time British champion. Her athletic prowess has made her one of London’s most sought-after personal trainers, working with celebrities like Ellie Goulding, Mel B, Pixie Lott, Christine Lampard, and many more.
Sarah’s passion for health and fitness is infectious. As a true advocate for a balanced and healthy lifestyle, she combines her years of experience, discipline, and motivation to inspire others to reach their peak potential. Whether it’s helping someone transform their body or supporting them on their fitness journey, Sarah is the epitome of dedication and empowerment.
How Can Women Really Look Like Jennifer Lopez at 50?
Education UAE: What do you think is the most important factor in maintaining a youthful physique as you age?
Sarah: Weight training. The biggest thing you can do for anti-ageing in general is to gain muscle. You naturally lose muscle with age, so you have to fight hard to keep it. When you lose muscle your metabolism slows, your BMR goes down, you lose strength and energy.
Education UAE: Jennifer Lopez is known for her toned physique. What exercises do you recommend for women who want to achieve similar results?
Sarah: You’re going to start seeing a theme here but if someone looks fit and toned and they have a physique then they more than likely lift weights. Muscle is what gives your body the shape and the best way to increase muscle is to progressively overload it with weight.
Education UAE: How much of a role does nutrition play in looking fit and youthful in your 50s?
Sarah: That’s a huge question and we could go down lots of avenues here. So much of your overall health comes from your food as this is where you get your nutrients from. It plays a role in gut health, hormone production, how you sleep and your recovery. This will show on your body in lots of different ways, from muscle tone and body fat to hair and skin elasticity.
Education UAE: What advice would you give to women who are starting their fitness journey later in life?
Sarah: That depends on what their concerns are. We have lots of clients in their 60’s and a few in their 70’s and as time goes on I think more slightly older people will be training in the gym as we all know the benefits now. It’s never too late. You might need to adapt exercise selection for aches and pains and take more recovery between sessions than someone in their 20’s or 30’s, but everyone belongs in the gym as far as I am concerned.
Education UAE: Jennifer Lopez is famous for her dance routines—how beneficial is dance as a form of fitness, and would you recommend it?
Sarah: If you like dancing and you find it fun and you are more likely to stick to a regular routine, then it’s going to be more beneficial than running 10k 1 x per month. It totally depends on your goals and on the type of dance, but it will certainly improve coordination and cardio fitness.
Education UAE: What are the best strength-training exercises for women over 40 to maintain muscle tone?
Sarah: The best actual weight training exercises are the ones that are suitable for your body. The ones you can do with good form so that you can push yourself without high risk of injury. Try to cover all main movement patterns. A push, pull, squat, hip flexion, overhead press and an isometric core move will have a whole body covered.
Education UAE: How important is flexibility and mobility training for women as they age?
Sarah: Personally, I’m not a huge fan of trying to increase flexibility unless it’s for a specific purpose. It’s a lot of time for not a lot of gain or use. Mobilising pre workout is very important to help prepare your body for training and good practice on rest days to help recovery, muscle soreness and avoid tightness.
Education UAE: What should women focus on more—cardio or strength training—to achieve that toned, fit look?
Sarah: I never compromise my weight training. If we are simply talking about what the body looks like, muscle is what gives you the shape and athletic physique. It will also raise your metabolism and BMR so that dropping or maintaining body fat is easier.
Education UAE: How often should women in their 40s and 50s train per week to maintain a healthy, strong body?
Sarah: Maintenance is easier than progress. I train 2-3 x per week which maintains a fairly muscular lean body. If I wanted to increase my muscle I would up this to 3-4. Daily activity of some kind will help keep your body lean and more importantly help you maintain a health focus to your daily life.
Education UAE: What’s your view on intermittent fasting or other dietary strategies that claim to support anti-aging and weight maintenance?
Sarah: I think if you are going to fast then you should really research and understand why you are doing it and what it does and doesn’t do for the body. You can support weight maintenance and anti-ageing with nutrition, but any nutrition plan should be specific for you and not a generic plan plucked off the shelf.
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