Personal trainer and midlife advocate Lavina Mehta on the power of short bursts of exercise and why every woman should be lifting weights

INTERVIEW: KATE LOCKETT.

Lavina Mehta is on a mission to get the nation moving. Awarded an MBE in 2020 for her services to health and fitness, the 46-year-old coach is known for the workout videos she hosts on YouTube with her mother in-law Nishaben, as well launching the Get UK Asians Fit campaign.

Now she’s released her debut book, The Feel Good Fix, in which she shares her personal toolkit of food hacks, workouts and wellness exercises, all designed to boost fitness and mood in the menopause years and beyond.

“I want people to start moving, whatever their age. It’s never too late to start,” she tells hello!. “But midlife is the time that we really need to focus and invest in our health for our long-term wellbeing and future.”

Here, the mum of three shares her guide to exercise snacking and how she’s helping to break the stigmas around women’s health.

Lavina, how did you get into fitness?

“Growing up, I wasn’t into fitness – there isn’t enough awareness about the power of exercise for South Asian women. But 16 years ago, I gave up my job to become a mum and after losing my father-in-law very suddenly to a brain tumour and having some health scares of my own, I started to rethink my health.