British TV star Davina McCall combined two of her favorite things—exercise and helping those in need—by taking part in a charity cycling event. McCall, 56, shared a video of herself dressed in cycling gear, taking part in the ride. “Relive the excitement of Davina’s Sussex Ride! On June 2nd, we rode for a reason, raising funds for sick babies and children alongside our amazing celebrity ambassador, Davina McCall. Whether you tackled the Cool 27 miles or the Epic 100, every pedal stroke made a difference,” reads the caption on the post. McCall is in the best shape of her life in her 50s—here’s how she does it.
McCall practices intermittent fasting. “I do intermittent fasting, so I don’t start eating until 10 a.m.,” she told Closer. “I’ll go to the gym then break my fast with a Foodspring protein drink, it has vitamins and ginseng which gives me a pep. For lunch, I have bangers, mash and veg, or chicken breast with little roast potatoes and steamed veg. For dinner I like something a bit lighter. Michael [Davina’s partner] does a delicious ramen, where you chuck in cabbage, peppers, beansprouts, noodles, beef stock, garlic, chili and soy. We put grilled salmon on top.”
McCall walks as much as possible. “I live in the middle of the countryside, where people use their cars for everything,” she told Prima. “I spend most of my time being ‘Dav’s Cab’s, ferrying my children around, so taking 20 minutes to go for a run or a fast walk is a welcome break from sitting. I use my Polar A360 fitness tracker to make sure I do at least the recommended amount of 10,000 steps each day.”
McCall cut out sugar from her diet and loves the health benefits. “It definitely had an impact on my energy levels and my skin looks loads better,” she told BBC Good Food. “I also felt a sense of freedom and wasn’t expecting that – I stopped feeling that I had to go to the fridge and scan for something sweet every evening. It took a while to get to that point, but was worth the wait.”
McCall has good advice for people starting on their fitness journey. “Find a different type of exercise, one you actually enjoy,” she told Prima. “That way, it won’t be a chore, and if you build it into your day-to-day life, you’ll barely think about it. Oh, and if you do go to the gym, remember this – if you’re able to read a magazine on the cross trainer, you’re not working hard enough! My personal trainer, Ed, taught me that the hard way. Exercising with other people keeps me motivated. I’m at a lovely stage where my children really want to train with me, so we often go for family bike rides or long walks.”
McCall believes in portion control, not crazy diets. “While losing weight is 20% exercise, the other 80% is controlled by what you eat,” she told Prima. “I have no diet secrets, other than portion control and eating healthily. I eat tons of fruit and vegetables, and my favorite food is a crunchy rainbow salad, with spiralized beetroot and avocado. We all know what we should and shouldn’t eat – it’s motivation that’s the problem!”