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Following on from my blog about looking 10 years younger, I’d like to tell you about Claudine Benstead, the wonderful lady who helped me to better health and fitness.

I first met Claudine when I moved to Essex way back in 1993. Then I knew her as this amazingly vibrant fitness instructor, who would put us all through our paces at the local gym and, while our body parts were wobbling away, hers never did. A decade later she became my personal trainer. For over 12 years we’ve been running around the Tendring area, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 6.00 and 7.00pm and I’ve never felt fitter. I’m also two dress sizes smaller, but I’ve still got wobbly bits and she still hasn’t. But that’s not all, she always looks bright-eyed and bursting with health while, no matter how early I go to bed, I still look like I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.

Me on the left, the wonderful Claudine on the right.

I have always tended to blame genetics for my inability to do something like turn a cartwheel or solve and algebraic equation so, as my mum had really dark shadows under her eyes, I always put my haunted look down to genetics. In other words, there was nothing I could do about it. But the more I learned about Claudine’s regime, the more I realised you can’t blame genetics for everything. How you look and how you feel is very much under your control.

I used to wonder what secret elixir Claudine had been drinking and whether I could get hold of some. How could anyone have so much energy ALL the time, be in such good humour ALL the time, look fresh-faced ALL the time, have a great figure ALL the time? But, over just a few months of power walking, jogging and interval training with her, I learned a lot about her day-to-day, like how much exercise she did, what food she ate, what she did in her down time. I realised that how she looked was down to the glaringly obvious; she followed a regime that would work for anyone; guaranteed. The only hitch is that this regime would test most mortals, especially those who like to settle down with a gin and slimline at the end of a working day, but all is not lost because doing anything, rather than just thinking about it, is a move in the right direction. If you’d like to spend in week in Claudine’s shoes, read on:

Exercise: it helps if you like it. If you don’t, make it routine

Claudine loves exercise and her life is filled with running weekly fitness classes and personal training sessions. And she’s very competitive, looking forward to cross country competitions and races with a relish I just don’t get. She recently completed the Witham five-mile race in 34 minutes and 28 seconds, that’s just under a seven-minute mile – not too shabby for anyone let alone a 56-year-old woman.

She is also dog-mad! She has six of her own, is a qualified dog behaviourist, co-owns Karma Dog Training and is a guest lecturer at Easton & Otley College on its Animal Management course. So, after running five miles with me the morning, she then goes and runs with her dogs, every day, twice a day. Tired yet? I’m not surprised, it affects me in the same way, but I can see how the routine of exercise has had a positive impact on my energy levels, my shape, my fitness and my sense of well-being. High impact exercise like running won’t suit everybody, but walking and swimming is every bit as good and, as long as you keep the pace up, you’ll burn calories and build muscle. Of course, if you have a dog, then you can be out and about twice a day. The important thing is to make exercise a daily routine, just like brushing your teeth and we wouldn’t dream of not brushing our teeth would we?

Diet: variety is the spice of life – unless it’s alcoholic

As far as eating and drinking is concerned, ‘everything in moderation’ is Claudine’s mantra, and the odd take-away is not off limits, it’s welcomed with open arms! But that is the exception, rather than the rule; generally, she’s a healthy eater who limits sugar and salt in cooking, and never eats a portion of anything on her plate that’s larger than her fist. She sometimes has to eat on the go, so she always starts the day with cereal and toast, and makes sure she has a supply of fruit and nuts to eat during her really busy days.

When it comes to alcohol Claudine believes in abstinence. No, she’s never had a problem with drink, she just can’t stand the taste. But as she’s always stone-cold sober, she’s seen some sights that will ensure she’s teetotal forever.

Skincare ritual: wear sunscreen

Claudine was wearing sunscreen way before US journalist Mary Schmich made it famous and Australian film director Baz Lurhmann made it even more famous. She has fair hair and pale skin and can burn very easily in the sun, so sunscreen has been her daily staple for decades; she adds a baseball hat in summer. This, plus the aforementioned lack of alcohol in her system and the fact that she gets a minimum eight hours of sleep every night, are very possibly the reasons she doesn’t have a line on her face. Or it could be down to genetics.

If this healthy, sensible, dog-lover is coming over as too good to be true, now I have to tell you that she also has an incredibly big heart. She can’t help herself; she’s kind, always greets you with the widest smile and she’s generous to a fault. You’d never ever know if she was having a bad day, because she wouldn’t want to burden you.

Five years ago I was delighted to attend Claudine’s wedding to Ben. She was a 51-year-old mother of two when she divorced her first husband and really wasn’t expecting to find love again. But she did; and guess what? Ben’s 10 years younger. Atta girl Claudine!