Getting fit over 40 - 8 tips
Exercise is vital for overall health at every age, but it’s especially important as we get older. Here’s how to work out smarter to support your body in your 40s and beyond.
As we age, our bone density tends to decline, especially as we reach age 40 and beyond. Staying active and exercising can help to offset this and also help to preserve muscle mass. Just like a muscle would, the bones respond to exercise in a positive way. Bone is also a living tissue, just like muscles, and can get stronger with exercise.”
Exercise also helps with mental health and mood, lowers the risk for disease, and helps maintain range of motion. Furthermore, you don’t have to commit to high-intensity training to reap the benefits. Any form of exercise to keep your body moving is beneficial.
Beginner and Advanced Fitness Tips for People Over 40
1. Start Slowly
It’s essential to start slowly when you’re just starting your fitness journey, such as with a 20 minute walk or 30 minute gym session a once or twice a week. Then, you can add one additional day each week or tack on 10 minutes to those sessions. The key is to build slowly and add things in at a pace that is realistic.”
2. Don’t Go Too Hard Too Soon
Not pushing yourself too hard too soon is essential. Remember that you don’t have the same body at 40 that you did at 20, so allow your body enough time to recover between workouts.
3. Focus on Exercises You Used to Enjoy
If you don’t know where to start with what type of exercise, go back to activities you enjoyed when you were younger, such as hiking or types of gym workouts. You want to find a way to make movement a pleasurable part of your life in an ongoing way, for all the many mental and physical benefits it provides as you age.
4. Get an Accountability Buddy
Having an accountability buddy can help keep you motivated and consistent in the beginning. Finding someone who is around your same age who are going to relate to the changes you’re feeling in your body at this stage of your life can really help.
5. Track Your Progress
It’s also helpful to track your progress, whether it’s in a fitness notebook or through an app. Doing so helps you see how far you’ve come, which will help you stay motivated. Remember to celebrate your wins along the way and not just the concrete ones like lifting more or running longer. Celebrate all the big and small wins with activities that contribute to your overall well-being such as exploring a new nature trail or going dancing with friends and having a blast.
6. Be Sure to Warm Up and Cool Down
Once you get further along on your fitness journey, there are a few things to remember to help ensure you prevent injury. First, the importance of properly warming up and cooling down. Specifically, warming up with a short walk or some dynamic stretches such as bodyweight squats or a walking quad stretch. Then cool down with static stretches and a few minutes of walking.
7. Be Gentle With Yourself
Even if you’re a frequent exerciser further along on your fitness journey, remember that you don’t have to go as hard with your workouts as you may have done when you were younger. Permit yourself to do less than what you used to do in workouts, don’t feel like you have to push it to your limit with every workout routine now.
8. Double Down on Self-Care
And lastly, recovery can also be more difficult as you age. Get more massages, stretch more, drink more water, sleep better and invest in better gear. All of this is going to contribute to you being able to do what you love longer and your body will greatly appreciate it.
It’s never too late to make movement a priority and cultivate an exercise-focused mindset as a form of self-care, whether you’ve been a lifelong athlete or not.