Jayne Kiely hadn’t given much thought to her approaching birthday until the first moments of 2013, when her pilot husband Paul wished her a happy New Year, adding, “Hey, you’ll be 50 next year.”
“I did think, ‘Great, thanks for reminding me’,” laughs Jayne. “It wasn’t something I wanted to think about. Fifty has always seemed so old.”
But when the athlete turned TV presenter thought about it, she realised her 50th (in June next year) isn’t such a big deal.
“I’m not daunted, because I’m in a good space in my life, and age has never bothered me – I think it is really a matter of attitude. Fifty is the new 30 in my book. And I don’t feel old – I often forget how old I am.”
“If you put bad stuff into your body, you are going to feel bad,” says Jayne.
The mum-of-two certainly doesn’t look like she’s nudging half a century. The former Mitre 10 Dream Home presenter is in great shape, but she has noticed age-related changes.
“I do wonder where my waist has gone. I’m definitely not the same shape I was at 30 – I’ve thickened around the middle. I don’t stress too much about it though, because it’s just part of getting older.”
Jayne has always stayed in shape, although she concedes that having good genes, a fast metabolism and a background as an athlete – she represented New Zealand in long jump at two Commonwealth Games – does help. But she also makes a point of eating mostly healthy food.
“If you put bad stuff into your body, you are going to feel bad,” she says. “ If I do notice the weight creeping on and my clothes feel tight, I’ll cut out processed foods and eat more vegetables and foods with fibre, like brown rice. I do like to feel in control of my body.”
Jayne plays cardio tennis twice a week, where players hit the ball to each other non-stop. And for the past couple of months she has been training for the Ports of Auckland Round the Bays run. She’s part of the Variety Red Runners team, who are raising money for Variety – The Children’s Charity.
All the money raised will go towards the organisation’s Laptops for Learning Programme, which will give 100 laptops to five low-decile schools.
“I’ve been involved with Variety for a while now and I love it. A while ago we gave bikes to some children and you should have seen their faces – you would have thought we had given them Lamborghinis.”
Jayne admits that she’s not a natural long-distance runner. “ I don’t usually do a lot of pounding the pavements, and when I run around the streets I get distracted because I’m too busy stickybeaking at the houses. But I’m happy to do the training for Round the Bays – it’s such a good cause.”
Jayne also keeps fit by being on the go all the time. When she’s not being a spokesperson for Postie Plus, coaching high school triple jump athletes or doing charity work, she’s getting on with household chores.
Jayne takes Macca for a walk or run every day.
“I never sit still. I’m always doing something – mowing the lawns, doing the gardening, running up and down stairs. ”
She and Paul also have fun playing touch football with their sons, Tom (14) and Jack (12). The boys help to keep her young, she reckons. “They’ve definitely made a difference to my music choices, and they don’t let me wear anything too fuddy-duddy.”
Although she’d like to look young for as long as possible, Jayne doubts she’ll ever turn to cosmetic surgery. “I’d be too scared that I’d end up looking unnatural. If you could guarantee that I came out of it looking like I did 15 years ago, then I’d consider it, but there are too many things that can go wrong.”
Although Jayne has tried Botox around her eyes, she has her limits. “I would never have it in my forehead. I don’t like that frozen look, and I want to be able to frown. How can you tell your kids off if you can’t frown?”
JAYNE’S SECRETS FOR STAYING IN SHAPE
Keep moving – take the stairs or walk the dog
Exercise in a group. It’s more fun and you’ll feel more motivated
Try events such as Round the Bays. It’ll mean you have to train, and hopefully you’ll get into the habit of exercising
Use your clothes as a guide to maintaining your weight. If they start to feel a bit uncomfortable, adjust what you’re eating
Enjoy food like roast lamb, but instead of serving it with roast potatoes, try a healthier option such as ratatouille
