Whilst it might not seem as easy once you reach a certain age, over forty fitness is more important than when you were younger. Health issues begin to creep in, blood pressure can rise, cholesterol increases and the risk of a heart condition becomes greater too.
But it’s not all doom and gloom!
There are ways you can keep in shape, even in your forties. So let’s check some out with our 6 over forty fitness tips:
#1 – Be Sure To Warm Up
Even before you begin to exercise, you must have a good warm-up first. The last thing you want to do is to injure yourself, so always do a light warm-up session before you start your main fitness routine. Just 10 or 15 minutes of warming up and moving around are enough.
#2 – No Excuses
You might have a busy life, with work and family too. But there are no excuses for finding enough time to exercise. It’s easy to say ‘Oh I’ll start tomorrow‘ or ‘I don’t have time today‘. You need to remove those thoughts and tell yourself ‘I AM going to exercise today‘ and then find the time to do so.
You can even include the family in some kind of exercise routine too. Even if it’s playing football or a sport in the park. If it gets you moving around and out of breath, then it’s doing you some good. Running over 40 is what a lot of men and women take up. Most towns or cities have running clubs you can join and you can also enjoy the social aspect of it too.
#3 – Cooling Period
Just as important as warming up, you must cool down and do some stretching too. This again will prevent you from injury and ensure the muscles stay flexible. Just like warming up, 10 to 15 minutes is enough time for this.
#4 – Build Up Your Strength
Your muscles will get smaller and weaker as you get older. It’s just part of what the body does. It’s crucial you keep some muscle mass to keep you fit and strong. It burns calories and will prevent injury too.
Rather than try and lift heavy weights, instead focus on using lighter weights but concentrate on your form instead. This way you’ll develop lean muscles and it will keep you in good shape for the future.
#5 – Don’t Compete With Anyone
This is especially true if you go to the gym. Trying to be better than the younger people will do you more harm than good. Don’t try and lift the heavier weights to prove yourself. You’ll get end up injuring yourself and that would be more embarrassing.
Instead, just focus on your own workout and don’t pay attention to anyone else.
#6 – Eat Healthily
This one might sound too obvious but you really need to pay attention to what you are eating and drinking. Those odd glasses of wine each night soon add up to a lot of empty calories. And if you don’t burn them off, you’ll put on weight and that will affect your overall health. Over forty weight loss is not quite as easy as when you were younger, so try and avoid putting on too much weight. Check out our Over 40 Hormone Reset Diet review here for more information on what to eat.
A good idea is to keep a food journal of what you consume each day. Then you can look back at the end of the week, work out the calories and see what went right or wrong. You can then adjust this for the next week.
If you keep these 6 over forty fitness tips in mind, then you’ll be able to exercise without injuries, eat healthier, and ultimately be in better shape for the future!
