Fitness is one of the most buzzed-around topics. Everybody wants to get fit and get fitter for their upcoming life and whatnot. Though, being healthy and getting fitter is hard, as it needs a lot of dedication and consistency.
For women, it’s harder to gain and build muscles, because of different hormones but what’s harder is for women in their 40s to get fit. As mentioned, it’s already big of a deal for women to get fit, and the hormonal changes that take place after 40 years old, make it even harder for them to do so. You need to have an overall lifestyle change and exercise regularly, especially for your age. You need to make a balanced diet of every nutrient that will help you in being strong and essential for your upcoming 4th decade of life.
It is necessary to have a better lifestyle in your 40s because as you grow old you can see visible changes in yourself and thus you need to have planned meals to feel vibrant, young. Though you look fine as wine during your 40s or even mid-40s, the inner scenario of your body is quite different. Things like a decrease in bone density, a slowing down of metabolism, and lots of hormonal changes take place frequently. So, don’t make plans for your external appearance only. Think about the overall fulfillment of your internal organs too.
There are certain stereotypical sayings of what workout should be done and which one should be, in your initial, mid, and late 40s. So it’s on you to see what body type you have and how many hormonal changes you are going through, to find what’s perfect for you. Getting older doesn’t only mean getting wrinkles and understanding life’s concepts a little better, it means it’s high time to respect and take care of that body. In this article we will let you know all the points you must consider during your 40s regarding fitness.
Have a clear mindset to start with:
This sounds like some crazy advice, but it’s one of the most difficult parts of your fitness journey, to START. To have a foundation, and start with your lifelong journey. Though the foundation should have been started a while ago, in your 30s especially. Earlier people used to be skeptical about whether or not one must be fit or were even questioned negatively about following a strict diet or any routine, but now the scenarios have changed and everybody wants to be their better self, both physically and mentally.
Your age shouldn’t ever be a barrier between what you want to achieve physically and you must break that stereotypical mindset of yours that one should be in their comfort zone and should not try new things in their 40s.
HIIT:
High-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, works like magic with strength training. It’s essential and very much beneficial for boosting up your metabolism during your 40s. It’s because it improves your cardiovascular fitness and helps in burning maximum calories too.
Being fit in your 40s doesn’t only mean being in great shape and size, but it means taking proper care of yourself, like your metabolism as it slows down when you enter your 40s. HIIT even makes you lose weight even when you are not working out and just resting.
Strength training is a must:
“Shelton one of a great expert says, building and maintaining muscle as we age is a key component to keeping ourselves strong.” When we grow older, we tend to lose our muscle mass. That’s why one must include weight, resistance training in their general cardio exercises. Muscles keep our metabolic rate stable, so it is better to build muscles as you grow older.
Be flexible:
Flexibility is important for every age group of people, and even more essential for the people who are getting bigger responsibilities in their life. It is also important for people getting older because as we grow our muscles and connective tissues like ligaments, tendons get stiffer and you need to increase your flexibility to maintain your health.
Stretching is one of the most important parts of a workout. We need to prepare our muscles before putting any kind of strain on them, otherwise, there will be a sprain in your joints. Doing yoga, moving some muscles, staying loose and limber, enhance the quality of your workouts.
Join a workout Class:
Being regular at exercising is tough, but when you see others grinding for keeping the body healthy, it automatically motivates you. Join an exercise class, be it Zumba, cardio, yoga, or any weight training class. Just choose something that you will look forward to going to, in the upcoming day. Find classes that give you joy from within when you complete them.
Jumping rope:
What a 30-minute jumping rope can do, a 1 hour of the gym, cardio will do the same. Yes, it’s true that jumping rope, skipping can make you lose a lot of weight a lot faster, only if done consistently. It involves whole-body movement and puts pressure on the legs while doing. Your heart rate is maximized while doing jumping ropes, your body becomes a fat-burning machine, especially your core . As it’s fully engaged during jumping rope, and thus increases your stamina too. It’s one of the best cardio exercises to strengthen your core and boost your overall metabolism.
Extend Your Warmup:
If you haven’t taken your fitness journey seriously for a long time, then it’s high time to do so now. You cannot expect your body to act like a machine and do all the exercises, sets in one go. You have to prepare your body little by little to make it into a regular habit of moving or even exercising.
The warmup is the foundation of any kind of workout, no matter how simple or intense it is. And a proper workout is even more essential as we grow older. You cannot just hit your body with sudden movements. Blood flow and blood perfusion processes of various tissues like muscles and tendons decrease with age. Understand your body, and give it some time to actually get into the habit of exercising. Start with long stretches and slowly move to some light cardiovascular exercises. This will not only prepare your body to get into the habit of exercising but also help your skin to glow and shred some extra pounds.
