The beginning of our 40s is a very important time in our lives. Ken Fox, a professor of exercise and health science at Bristol University, says that people start to lose muscle mass and gain fat around the time they are in their mid-40s. This can cause obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, stroke, and some types of cancer.
Here are eight exercises you can incorporate into your weekly routine if you’re in your forties to keep yourself fit, happy, and looking as good as you feel.
Don’t let your metabolism slow down, do BURPEES
High-intensity cardio boosts our metabolism, which is more than enough to keep us motivated after a certain age. So, we should do this exercise once or twice a week to keep our metabolism from slowing down. Start with one set of three reps, and each time add one more rep.
Burpees are a type of HIIT cardio fitness workout that requires intense movement with little rest. It can help you burn fat, especially around your stomach and abdomen. There are also other benefits, like a stronger heart and lungs, better brain function, and a lower chance of getting heart disease.
You don’t need any equipment to do this exercise. Just use your own body and make sure your workout area is big enough. If you want, you can always add weights. To make this exercise easier, skip the part where you do pushups and jump. If you want to make it harder, make sure there is a bench close by. To do a pushup, just stand in front of it and put your hands on it. Then, instead of jumping in the air, jump on top of the bench. Do these steps again.
Keep it firm, do SQUATS
Every woman wants a round backside, but even the lucky ones who were born with one and didn’t do anything to keep it that way will start to lose it after they turn 40. This is because their muscle mass starts to go down. Squats done right (with a straight back and knees right above the feet) can strengthen your whole body and help you become more flexible.
Squats are also good for your body in a lot of other ways. If you’re a busy woman who moves around a lot, squats can help you avoid injuries, especially to your knees and ankles.
To combat and prevent back pain, do a PLANK
Doing this exercise for 90 seconds, three times a week is a great way to strengthen all of our core muscles. It makes our ab muscles, chest muscles, and the muscles around the spine stronger. Our whole midsection gets tighter, which helps support our lower back.
Planks work almost the whole body, so if you add them to your workout routine, your whole body may get stronger. They make your bones stronger, help you pay attention and concentrate better, and can make it easier to breathe. Core strength is very important for keeping your spine straight, and you need to work on it often.
You shouldn’t skip core exercises because if you don’t work on them and only work on other muscles, your body will become unbalanced, and you’ll probably get hurt after 40. Planks can also improve your posture, get rid of back pain, make you more coordinated, speed up your metabolism, and make you feel better.
Protect yourself from arthritis, push DUMBBELLS
Adults of any age can get chronic joint pain, so it’s never too early to start preventing it, and strength training is one of the best ways to do that. You don’t have to spend hours lifting heavy weights.. Doing deadlifts or overhead presses 2-3 times a week with 1-3 kg in each hand can do wonders for your body.
It’s important to keep your flexibility as you get older, and this workout can help you do that. If your shoulder and wrist are less flexible, this can help you move them more easily. As you get stronger, you should add more weight to your dumbbells. This workout can strengthen not just your upper body, but also your lower body. If you squat down and then lift the dumbbell, you are working both your lower and upper body.
Relax your buttocks, do a GLUTE BRIDGE
Sitting at a desk all day can stop our glutes from working, which slows down the rate at which our metabolism burns calories. In the glute bridge exercise, extending the hips works the buttocks and can also loosen up tight spots caused by sitting for long periods of time.
Leave your arms at your sides and squeeze your buttocks to lift your hips up. Squeeze them again at the top, and then slowly lower your hips back down.
Don’t let sarcopenia take away your muscles, do Y-TO-T RAISES
Sarcopenia is a loss of skeletal muscle that gets worse over time and is linked to getting older. So, strengthening your back and shoulder muscles is very important if you want to avoid bad posture and back and shoulder pain.
This is an exercise for your upper body, including your shoulders, that can make them stronger. Most upper body workouts don’t really focus on these muscles, so it’s important to include them in your routine. It is suggested that you do this fitness move at least twice a week. It can improve your posture, make you less likely to get hurt, and fix muscle imbalances.
Keep your heart healthy, train on an ELLIPTICAL MACHINE
Cardio with low impact is a great way for women over 40 to keep their hearts healthy. But if you really want to help your heart health, you need to exercise for at least 30 minutes, three times a week.
If you don’t like running or other common cardio exercises, you can use an elliptical instead. It is good for your overall health and can make you stronger, burn a lot of calories, put less stress on your joints, burn body fat, improve your balance, and work both your upper and lower body.
Stay active, WALK
Walking is the easiest and best way for anyone to work out. While it burns calories, tones our bodies, and boosts our mood, it also does not wear down our delicate joints, which is especially important as we get older.
If you like the water and would rather be in it than on the ground, swimming can be a part of your exercise routine. To swim, you have to use your whole body to fight against the resistance of the water. It keeps your heart rate up, gives you more stamina, and makes your muscles stronger. It can even slow down how fast you age and make you more flexible.
