At the beginning of 2026, presenter Emma Forbes posted a picture of herself on Instagram, saying that she was going into the new year finally feeling her best.
Beneath a photograph where she looked toned and happy in a black swimsuit on the beach, Forbes wrote ‘It’s been one hell of a journey to get here’, before mentioning the ‘nutrition and exercise’ overhaul she’d been through age 60.
This was a ‘lifestyle change not a passing fad’, said Forbes. ‘I feel better at 60 than I did at 40 or 50. The aim is to… set realistic but high goals to keep moving, gaining muscle strength, toning and keeping a healthy weight’.
So just how does Emma Forbes look so fabulous at 60? Here she explains the lifestyle tweaks that made her feel her best going into her seventh decade…
I improved my understanding of nutrition
I wasn’t overweight before and I hate the word ‘diet’. It wasn’t like I had 100lbs to lose. I don’t want to look emaciated. I want to keep collagen in my face. But I had weight that I felt was very unjustified, given that I was not waking up and eating six doughnuts for breakfast. I was thinking why does this weight around my middle never, ever budge? It was annoying me. So I studied nutrition via an online course and treated myself to three months with a great nutritionist as a 60th birthday present to myself. It made me realise I was eating slightly the wrong foods and slightly the wrong time of day.
I quit ‘healthy’ eating fads
I have always been mindful of what I eat and avoided junk. However, I’d very much jump on the bandwagon if I read that something was sold as healthy. Whatever the latest fad was, I’d be eating it. I wasn’t really thinking of the bigger picture, which you learn about in nutrition [Forbes completed an online nutrition course as part of her health kick], which is ‘Does it suit my body? Am I the right age? How do I feel after it? Does it work for me?’
Emma Forbes’ Instagram photo from January 2026
I wised up on food labels
Prior to having more education on nutrition, I would buy things that said ‘healthy’, ‘organic’, ‘clean’ and ‘gluten-free’. The bottom line is if something is gluten-free, it’s going to have a shelf life of about 10 years. That has to be processed food. I was eating things I thought were healthy, like a granola bar. They are always cleverly placed in the shop and the label would say it was healthy with fruit and nuts – but if you look at the ingredients those things are massively calorific and full of sugar. I get comments like ‘Oh it’s okay for you, eating healthily is so expensive’. But actually it isn’t expensive to eat fruit and vegetables that are in season, which makes them cheaper, and not buying processed food. Those granola bars aren’t cheap!
I switched from a plant-based diet to a high-protein one
I got very into plant-based food during Covid, when we were all at home making things. I read a lot about that way of eating and got very into it – lots of chickpeas, lots of lentils. But chickpea pasta is still pasta. I was eating a lot of meals that were pretty heavy and a lot of carbs and, while they were delicious, it was not really how I should have been eating. Now I’m eating much more lean protein. I don’t eat meat, but I do drink a lot of bone broth. I also eat good quality wild, sustainable fish, plus tinned fish like sardines and mackerel. I eat a lot of salad, but I’ve cut down on fruit, especially bananas. I eat berries instead.
I overhauled my breakfast
The biggest change in what I eat has been breakfast. I saw a nutritionist as a 60th birthday present to myself, and that was a real game changer. She asked what I ate for breakfast and I said ‘I do overnight oats with chia, flaxseed, dates and bananas.’ She pointed out that this was a very calorie-dense, full-on breakfast. She also asked if I was actually hungry when I woke up. It was an interesting question, because my immediate response was ‘yes, I wake up hungry’. But the next day, I after having my coffee, which I make with collagen and cashew milk, I realised I wasn’t actually hungry. Breakfast is such a habit – you think ‘I need to get up and eat breakfast’. I would get up and eat breakfast straight away, with everything that I thought was healthy in it. But then I would feel quite tired and heavy. Now I find I have much more energy pushing breakfast time later, and I tend to make a protein smoothie or another high-protein form of breakfast.
My lunches and dinners changed too
Before for lunch I would have something like lentil soup and crackers. They’d be healthy crackers, but I’d have a lot. So the food I was choosing was generally healthy, but with lots of fat and carbs. Whereas now I’d have something more protein-based, like a smoked salmon salad, or scrambled eggs and salad.
I never scrimped on portions
I eat in big quantities – I’m not having a single lettuce leaf for my meal. People who eat with me are often pretty shocked. They’re like ‘Wow you’ve got a big plate of food there’. I love food and cooking, so I could never go on a stringent diet. I’m a terrible hungry person, you don’t want to be anywhere near me when I’m hungry!
Forbes 20 years ago; after learning about nutrition and finding a form of exercise she loves, she says she feels better now than she did at 40.
I introduced an extra mini meal
The nutritionist I worked with had this great concept which is a mini meal at 4pm. It’s that point in the afternoon where you feel like you really want a chocolate bar, so instead you have a hard-boiled egg and crudites, crackers and hummus or Greek yoghurt. It means you don’t go into the evening ravenous. Otherwise you end up having a huge meal late at night and think ‘Why did I do that?’ So I eat something around 4pm, and then I tend to have dinner early.
I stopped eating past 8pm
My golden rule is that the kitchen is shut after 8pm, and I try to stick to that so I have a good two hours before I go to bed with no snacking.
I cut down on snacking
I was a big snacker. I used to buy ‘healthy’ tortilla chips endlessy; you’d have come round to my house and thought I was advertising them. One way to avoid snacking is simply not to have the food in your house. It’s also really helped me eating at 4pm and then not feeling as hungry later on. Plus when I’m about to snack I ask myself: am I hungry, or is it emotional eating? This made me realise that when I was stressed I could inhale a family bag of tortilla chips. I’d always done it subconsciously.
I ditched refined sugar
I don’t have white sugar in my house. I have honey and, if I’m sweetening food for baking, I’ll use dates or banana. Obviously when my kids were little I made cupcakes and all that, but I haven’t eaten refined sugar for five years now. Cutting it out makes you realise it’s addictive. When you first take sugar out of your diet, it takes a good four to six weeks – like a drug – to get out of your system. You have to be very careful about reading food labels, because sugar is in things that are savoury as well. You can choose a salty snack, and the third ingredient on the label is sugar. What’s really interesting is that when you give up refined sugar, people almost want to ram it down your throat. If you go to a birthday party, they’re like ‘Eat the cake, don’t be boring’. But if I have a bite of it now, it tastes like Barbie food to me – it’s another level of sweet. Once you take something like that away, the craving and taste for it eventually goes.
I left some flexibility and ‘treats’
If I went to someone’s house and they cooked for me, I’d eat everything, because I’m never going to be that person who goes to someone’s house and says ‘Please could you just boil me some broccoli?’ The next day, I’ll just try to be more balanced. And I still eat dark chocolate. I’m always pleased when those health reports come out saying that’s beneficial for you!
I found healthy alternatives to alcohol
I never drink – I don’t like the taste of alcohol. However, if I’m out I try not to have 15 lemonades and diet colas instead. There’s a cocktail I make that is just soda water and bitters, with a slice of orange. Otherwise I’m happy with sparkling water.
I finally found a form of exercise that works for me
Exercise has grown over the years. When I was younger if you went swimming in London it was a big deal. When I was younger I actively loathed exercise. I had a personal trainer I would hide from, and I was a member of a gym in Fulham but only used to go there for lunch. Then a few years ago in New York, I met a girl who taught me a form of yoga called restorative yoga. It’s less about adopting the lotus position, and more about strengthening and toning exercises. It was a sudden switch for me. When you get older you ache and creak, but it started to make me feel better, and then I craved it. Now if I don’t exercise for a week, I feel my joints stiffen and I don’t feel as good. I do restorative yoga four or five times a week, at home via Zoom.
I learnt to combine strength training, cardio and toning exercises
As well as the yoga, I also started weight training. I was nervous about it, because I didn’t want huge muscles and I was worried about hurting my back, because I’ve always had lower back issues. However, then I started weight training with dumbbells and combined with restorative yoga, it was like the icing on the cake. I strength train twice a week at the gym now. In between that I’ll be walking the dog; I try to pound the streets with him at a really fast pace. That’s a combination that works for me. When people contact me about exercise on Instagram, I always say it’s about finding what works for you. Some people love Pilates, whereas it makes me feel really sleepy. I’d get on a reformer machine and just want a massive nap. There’s no one exercise that fits all.
I prioritised sleep
Sleep is one of my non-negotiables. I really work hard on it, which becomes more important as you get older. I used to watch TV in bed, but I never do that now, because it keeps my brain revved up. I can’t keep my phone out of the room because I’ve got family all over the world, but I put in on silent mode and set alerts only for emergencies. I try not to doom scroll or go on Instagram at night. Instead I have a wind-down period where I’ll have a bath or a shower, do my skincare and then listen to music or read for a bit. I live in New York, which is a very high-energy place, so that routine is really a non-negotiable.
I stopped buying every supplement going
Supplements-wise I always used vitamin D and fish oil. I tend to change other supplements with the seasons. It’s winter here in New York, so I am taking zinc and vitamin C. I don’t just take vitamins randomly – I do a blood test to check what I need – because otherwise I’m the type of person who goes into a shop and loves the packaging, and thinks ‘oh I need this’. I’m a marketer’s dream! I have to be very careful.
I continued to stay away from the knife
I haven’t done anything surgical to my face. It’s not that I’m judgmental – Kris Jenner looks amazing – but I’m terrified of being put under anaesthetic unless it’s completely necessary. I’ve got friends who are sick and having anaesthetic for big operations, and I just think why would I do that to myself willingly? I have a daughter and I feel very responsible about not saying ‘If there’s anything you don’t like, get it changed. Don’t like your nose? Get a new one!’ I have regular dermaplaning and facials. I don’t want anything with downtime where I’m going to look like a boiled lobster afterwards.
I focused on a healthy lifestyle for longevity
Turning 60 seemed enormous to me. I told my children that if they bought me anything with a 60 on it, I would disown them! You are much more conscious about your health at this age; I have a sister who’s been battling cancer, and a lot of good friends who’ve been really sick or taken away before their time. I want to be healthy and strong enough to pick my grandchildren up one day; I don’t want to be old and achey. That’s why I decided I wanted to feel better at 60 than I did at 40.
