My Daily Wellness & Fitness Favorites at 52: What I Actually Use

Somewhere in my late 40s, the way I thought about health and fitness started to change. I wasn’t trying to lose weight—I had spent most of my life naturally thin. What I realized was that being thin and being strong were two very different things. I wanted muscle. I wanted strength. And I wanted to start paying more attention to what my body would need to carry me through my 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.

At 52, I’m still figuring out what works best for me, but I’ve found a handful of things that have become regular parts of my routine. Some I’ve used for years, some are newer discoveries, and some simply make it easier for me to hit my nutrition and fitness goals when real life gets busy.

These are the wellness and fitness products I actually use—and why they’ve earned a place in my routine.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I’m sharing my personal experience only; nothing in this post is intended as medical advice.

The One I’ve Used the Longest: Collagen

I started taking Vital Proteins Collagen in 2021 after I went down the rabbit hole researching aging, thinning hair, joint health and some of the things women start paying more attention to after 40.

I’ve taken it pretty consistently ever since. Every morning, I put it right in my coffee. At this point, it’s just part of making my coffee—I don’t really think about it anymore.

In all these years, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve run out and gone four or five days without it. And maybe it’s completely in my head, but every single time I’ve thought, Okay…I can tell I’m not taking my collagen. I notice it particularly in how my joints feel, and I swear I notice a difference.

What I use: Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides — Shop it on Amazon

Creatine Is More of a Long-Game Thing for Me

I started taking creatine about two years ago. As I became more intentional about strength training, I also started doing more research into muscle health, aging and what I could do to support the work I was already putting into my workouts. Creatine kept coming up, especially in conversations about women over 40, so I decided to add it to my routine.

I use Thorne’s unflavored creatine powder and normally take about 5 grams a day. During periods when I’m training harder, I’ve sometimes taken more, but 5 grams is pretty much my everyday routine. I’ll either put it in my morning coffee or mix it into a bottle of water. Since it’s unflavored, I can put it in almost anything as long as I can stir or shake it well.

Have I noticed some huge, obvious difference that I can directly attribute to creatine? Nope. And I’m not going to pretend I have.

For me, this one is more about the long game. I originally became interested in it because of what I was learning about creatine and muscle health, and I’ve also become interested in the research looking at creatine and cognitive health as we age.

At 52, I’m thinking about more than what my body looks like right now. I’m interested in what I can reasonably do today to support my strength and overall health as I get older. Creatine is easy to add to my routine, I’ve tolerated it well, and that’s been enough for me to keep using it.

What I use: Thorne Creatine — Shop it on Amazon

Vitamin D3 + K2 Is Seasonal for Me

I added vitamin D to my routine last fall. A couple of years earlier, I’d had a DEXA scan that showed some loss of bone density, so bone health was already something I’d started paying more attention to. As I learned more about the role vitamin D plays in bone health, I decided it was something I wanted to consider as part of my routine.

I chose a liquid vitamin D3 with K2 after reading more about the roles these nutrients play in calcium and bone metabolism. I also really like the liquid simply because it’s easy. It comes with a dropper, the dose is simple to measure, and it takes just a few seconds to add to my routine.

Unlike my collagen and creatine, though, this isn’t something I personally take year-round. I tend to use it during the fall and winter, when I’m spending a lot more time indoors—either at home or at the café—and we’re dealing with shorter days and less sunlight. During spring and summer, I’m outside considerably more, so I typically stop taking it.

That’s simply the routine I’ve chosen for myself, not a recommendation for how anyone else should supplement vitamin D. It’s one of those supplements where I don’t assume more is automatically better, so I’m much more comfortable being intentional about when and why I’m taking it.

What I use: Pure Therapro Rx Vegan D3 + K2, 5000 IU — Shop it on Amazon

Protein: I’m Trying to Build Muscle, Not Lose Weight

For most of my life, losing weight hasn’t been something I’ve needed to worry about. I’ve actually spent periods of my life underweight. I’ve never been particularly food-driven, and I’ve never been someone who spends much time dieting.

But I’ve learned that being thin and being strong are two very different things.

As I got into my late 40s, I started thinking much more seriously about muscle. I didn’t need to make the number on the scale smaller. I needed to build strength and muscle that could help carry me through my 50s, 60s, 70s and hopefully well beyond that.

That’s when I started paying much more attention to protein. Right now, I aim for around 120 grams a day.

Ideally, I’d rather get most of that from real food. I love seafood—salmon, shrimp, tuna and fresh fish—and I also like turkey, grilled chicken and a good lean sirloin. But I’ve never been a big meat eater, especially when it comes to heavier or fattier meats.

And then there’s real life. I live alone. I work long hours. Sometimes I simply don’t want to cook an entire meal for one person, and I don’t want to go all day without eating only to sit down to one huge meal late in the evening.

That’s why convenient sources of protein have become genuinely useful for me. I keep protein shakes and higher-protein snacks around so that when life gets busy, I have something easy to grab that still helps me work toward my goal.

I’m Not Giving Up Snacks—I Just Read the Label Now

I’m still going to want chips. I’m still going to want something chocolatey. And sometimes I want cake.

The difference now is that I pay more attention to what I’m buying. If I’m choosing an everyday snack anyway, I look for something that gives me some protein without a ton of added sugar and unnecessary extras. I’m not trying to make every bite of food nutritionally perfect. I’m trying to find things I actually enjoy that also make sense for the goals I’m working toward.

The Kodiak cups are a perfect example. I found them a couple of years ago, and they’re ridiculously easy. Add a little water, microwave one, and I’ve got the sweet treat I was looking for. Sometimes I’ll add yogurt and turn it into more of a dessert.

And then there are the Quest bars, which I found almost by accident.

I was traveling and stopped at a gas station looking for something to snack on while I drove. I was standing there looking at the usual candy bars and originally thought about grabbing a Snickers. Then I spotted one of the Quest bars—a chocolate, caramel and peanut kind of situation that looked an awful lot like the candy bar I actually wanted.

I compared the labels, saw that I could get more protein with much less sugar, and thought, Well shoot, let me give this a try.

I ended up buying a box and took them on vacation with me. They became one of my sweet treats for the trip.

That’s pretty much how I approach these foods now. I’m not trying to eliminate everything I enjoy. I’m looking for ways to make the things I already want work a little harder for me.

Shop This Post

Electrolytes Somehow Became an Everyday Thing

My introduction to Liquid I.V. actually had nothing to do with fitness. Someone told me they liked to drink one before going out for the evening and another when they got home because alcohol tended to leave them feeling dehydrated the next day.

And listen, I’m not a heavy drinker, but I’ve definitely learned that my body at 52 does not handle a couple of drinks the way it once did. 😂 That was actually what convinced me to buy my first box.

But once I had them around, I started finding all kinds of other times when I liked having them. After a sweaty workout. On a ridiculously hot summer day. After spending the afternoon swimming. And I almost always take some with me when I travel.

I already drink a lot of water, so getting water in during the day isn’t usually a struggle for me. Most of what I drink these days is water and coffee, along with protein shakes. Sometimes adding an electrolyte packet is honestly just a way to make another bottle of water taste like something other than…water.

I buy the sugar-free Liquid I.V., throw a packet into a bottle, shake it up and I’m done. At this point, it’s one of those things I keep around without really thinking about it.

What I use: Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Hydration Multiplier — Shop it on Amazon

What This Looks Like for Me in Midlife

None of this is about trying to create a perfect wellness routine. Mine certainly isn’t.

What has changed for me as I’ve gotten older is that I’m much more intentional about taking care of the body I want to live in for a very long time. I’m strength training. I’m paying attention to protein. I’m thinking about muscle, bone health, hydration and the little everyday choices that add up over time.

Some days that looks like grilled salmon and a good workout. Other days it looks like a protein shake because I’m running out the door, or eating Quest chips in bed while I’m working on my laptop.

I’m not trying to become smaller. I’m trying to become stronger—and to build a body that lets me keep doing the things I want to do for as long as possible.

These are simply some of the things that are helping me do that right now. My routine will probably continue to change as I learn more, try new things and figure out what works for me. And I’m okay with that.

Shop My Daily Wellness & Fitness Favorites

I’ve put everything from this post—plus my protein shakes, shaker bottle, pill organizer and a few other everyday favorites—in one place on my Amazon storefront.