You probably know that if you're middle aged or older, you should be going to the gym and lifting weights to protect your muscles from age-related decline. But how many of us actually do that? If you find the gym a challenge, you're in good company. Cat Deeley has revealed how she stays in great shape at 49, and there's not a treadmill or weights machine in sight.

So how does she do it? In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she said: 'I think you have to find exactly what suits you – and quiet the external voices. We’re pushed these different regimes that are incredibly complicated, incredibly time-consuming, and incredibly expensive, but fundamentally we're set up to fail ­– because you can't do it all.' Instead, she takes 'little pockets of time' whenever she can.

Cat reveals she has practiced yoga for years, and fits it into her busy life with the help of a handy app. 'Yoga really works for me because you have to concentrate on your breathing and your movement at the same time, so it stops my brain from going a million miles an hour,' she says. 'I use this amazing website called glo, which means I can do it whenever and wherever. I bookmark certain classes – like one that's half an hour, one that's 45 minutes, and one that's an hour, and I just slot it in.'

The presenter has previously posted snaps of her hikes on Instagram, and spoken about her love of the great outdoors. She told Cosmopolitan: 'I try to go on a hike every day. Even if you can just do twenty minutes it makes all the difference.' As Cat knows, walking is one of the best forms of all-round exercise for better health. Why? ‘It lowers your blood pressure. It improves your heart health. It reduces risk of stroke, it decreases your risk of cognitive decline, it reduces anxiety, it improves your mood,’ says Good Housekeeping’s fitness expert, Kim Hawley.

Then there's tennis. Cat has posted about her tennis lessons in the past - and learning racket sports is an excellent way to increase your fitness. In fact, a recent Danish study found that people who played tennis lived almost 10 years longer than their sedentary peers. They also survived longer than those who played football, swam, ran or trained in the gym.

Food-wise, ‘a Mediterranean diet suits me,' said Cat. 'I like a little bit of everything – predominantly fruits and vegetables and a bit of protein – but I love French bread, red wine and a coffee. Like fitness, diet is about finding what works for you, and that way you can do it on a regular basis.'