I’m a personal trainer and my clients think I am in my 30s – when I tell them the truth they can’t believe their eyes. These are my secrets for ageing well
Nikki Ellis is often mistaken for being in her early thirties – and with her toned physique, long blonde hair and wrinkle-free complexion, it’s not hard to see why.
But the energetic mother of two and personal trainer is actually three years away from her 60th birthday.
“I feel better at 57 than I did at 27 and I really feel like we can describe menopause as an absolutely amazing time in women’s lives – it’s a new beginning, not an end,” the Melbourne coach said to FEMAIL.
‘Someone thought I was in my late twenties and it’s always very flattering when people think I’m younger than I am.
“But getting older is funny, because we judge age not just by wrinkles, but also by energy and how a person moves.”
Nikki Ellis, from Melbourne, will turn 60 in three years, but many assume she is in her early 30s
The 57-year-old has always had a passion for fitness. Nikki dished her aging secrets to FEMAIL and shared how to maintain a youthful complexion (pictured at age 30, left and at 57, right)
Nikki pictured with her family
‘Looking young means feeling young and staying alive and being quick to laugh, have fun and connect with people.’
When she turned fifty, she was “ridiculously devastated” and felt sad about getting older.
‘I didn’t want to celebrate. Now I celebrate birthdays and really recognize that growing older is a privilege that not everyone has – bring it on I say!’ she said.
‘Now I’m 57. I like to tell people I’m almost 60, just to get a real shock reaction! It’s always fun when people are amazed, but of course we all have days when we look better than others.’
When she turned fifty, she was “ridiculously devastated” and felt sad about getting older. ‘I didn’t want to celebrate. Now I celebrate birthdays and really recognize that growing older is a privilege that not everyone has – bring it on I say!’ she said
As a teenager she struggled with diet, but at the age of 20 her life took a turn when she became a personal trainer. Now she swears by lifting weights to maintain her toned physique
Nikki has always been interested in health and fitness and started running in primary school.
Her father, an athlete, was a ‘fantastic’ role model for staying fit and active, while her mother was obese.
“Seeing both sides of the fitness spectrum has really shaped me,” she said.
‘As a young teenager my mother passed away and all nutritional guidance disappeared – with no one saying ‘no’ to me, I loved eating chips, fast food, milkshakes and unsurprisingly the body fat was gaining weight (even though I was still exercising).
‘I never really recovered and was told by a gym instructor that I was clinically obese at the age of 20. I was shocked, hurt and angry – I promised myself that I would never say these words to anyone who came to me as a personal trainer.
‘When I was twenty, I became a personal trainer. I was always in good shape, but eating was always harder for me, despite how much I was exercising. I started rowing and eating to fuel my body by eating lots of carbs and lifting weights.”
It wasn’t until she had my kids that she started to understand the “not-so-secret secrets” to getting in top shape.
Nikki takes at least 10,000 steps a day
More specifically, she swears by “consistent, progressive resistance training.” ‘As we age, we naturally lose muscle (especially fast twitch muscle fibers). This loss begins at age 30 and is called sarcopenia,” Nikki explains.
Nikki said a secret to eternal youth is to ditch excessive amounts of cardio and instead do more weights.
More specifically, she swears by “consistent, progressive resistance training”—a structured routine that is built upon and improved over time, plus good nutrition with plenty of protein.
‘As we age, we naturally lose muscle (especially fast twitch muscle fibers). This loss begins at age 30 and is called sarcopenia,” she explained.
‘When we lose muscle, we lose strength, power, metabolic health and functionality.
‘By lifting weights in a progressive way, we can combat all this natural loss and improve our bone strength, balance, connective tissue strength, brain health and mood.’
She also never takes fewer than 10,000 steps a day.
‘I don’t sit for too long and walk 10,000 steps a day. “I’m a PT, so let’s be honest: It’s easier for me than it is for people who work long hours in the office,” she said.
She teaches spinning classes three times a week and “consciously keeps the high-intensity intervals hard but short” for herself and her perimenopausal clients.
She also attends four to five strength sessions per week, consisting of a three-day split focusing on ‘serious lifting’ with the goal of ‘heavy lifting’.
“My goal is to get stronger and get PBs (personal bests) for as long as possible,” she said.
The training is also periodized throughout each school year so that her body has a recovery period.
Nikki’s workout routine is impressive and she never takes less than 10,000 steps a day
Nikki also described herself as a “girly girl” who swears by good skin care to maintain her beautiful skin.
Her first non-negotiable is to wear sunscreen daily and she carries a bottle “everywhere” after a melanoma scare five years ago.
In the morning, she cleanses her face before applying glycolic acid and facial oil, vitamin C serum, sunscreen and a BB cream.
She gets a facial every four weeks – at home or done professionally – and although she gets Botox regularly, she has never touched fillers.
Nikki also described herself as a “girly girl” who swears by skin care to maintain her beautiful skin. Her first non-negotiable is to wear sunscreen daily
Nikki aims to eat six servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit and at least 100 grams of protein every day.
She starts her day by waking up at 4:40 a.m. and drinks an herbal tea from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., followed by egg white water and a latte.
For breakfast at 8 a.m. she often eats protein-rich yogurt, nectarine, blueberries, LSA or porridge with cottage cheese.
At 11 a.m. she eats a John West tuna meal with pasta and extra salad, then some Babybel cheeses, and a post-workout protein shake at 3 p.m.
Dinner is at 6pm, followed by protein jelly at 7pm and then bedtime tea at 9pm.
During the day, she constantly refills her water bottle and one to two cups of coffee per day because she “hates feeling nervous.”
Nikki also educates others about the positive impact fitness and health can have on your mental health
Above all, she said to remember to have fun and take care of your body — because no one else will.
“Wear sunscreen, lift weights, eat optimally 80 percent of the time, get up and move, find your tribe and love them,” she said.