Over 40? Here are Some tips to follow for Your Fitness Routine!

Over 40? Here are Some tips to follow for Your Fitness Routine!

Starting or maintaining a fitness routine at any age can be a challenge. However as you as, sticking with fitness can become more and more of a challenge. Chances are the mile you may have run when you were 20 may be a little different than the mile you are running today. Even how your body feels after a workout may be a little different. Perhaps at 20 you never experienced any muscle soreness in the days following a rigorous cardio workout, but these days you may be feeling that pain for days. While we can’t stop the aging process, fitness can help the aging process be a much more graceful process. Here are some tips for making exercise over the age of 40 fun, exciting and a routine you can actually stick with!

1. Be sure to incorporate activities that workout all of the muscles of your body in different ways. For instance, running makes a great cardio workouts, yoga is great for balance and some light strength training is great in helping you maintain muscle mass as you age.

2. Beat exercise boredom. Be sure to incorporate a wide-variety of exercises in your workout routine. Running, cycling, swimming, dance classes, elliptical machines, cross fit, yoga, barre, Pilates and more are great ways to try new things and find out what you truly enjoy. Variety can help spice up your workout routine to the point where you won’t be tempted to skip out on a workout. Trying new things is exciting and can help to keep you motivated to workout.

3. Workout harder or for a longer period of time. It’s okay that you may not be as quick as you were when you were in your 20s and 30s, but you need to remember to make up for that during your workouts in order for them to be effective. Older women produce much less estrogen than a younger woman does. As a result, less estrogen is converted into testosterone — which is essential for building strong, healthy muscles. This means you have to work out harder to maintain the same muscle mass you had when you were younger. Workouts that are high in intensity help to reduce your risk of age-related muscle mass and strength loss; also referred to as sarcopenia.

4. Remember to stretch. Stretching is a very important part of all workouts. Proper stretching helps to elongate muscles that are tight. This helps to reduce your risk of developing an injury. As you age, your body may not be as agile as if used to be. Stretching helps to your body to maintain agility as well as elasticity in your limbs. Make it your goal to stretch for 10 minutes prior to engaging in any form of exercise.

5. Make sure that some of your workouts are specific to strength training. Strength training is not only great for muscles, but it helps to build bone density. Improving bone density is key in preventing or reversing the effects of osteoporosis. Aim to strength train for 90 minutes per week. Select 10 exercises that focus on the major muscle groups of your body and perform 8 to 12 repetitions of each.