Below are three of the best workouts for 40s that will help keep you feeling healthy. In your 40s, you are at a crucial time as hormones change, metabolism slows and lean muscle mass decreases. Your entire body composition begins to change, and you will probably see it first in the midsection.
It is a time to focus on strength and bone health. You may find that you have to slow down and that is okay. Focus on holding positions in exercise for longer and with more intensity.
Exercise regimen 1: Weight-bearing Exercises
Weight-bearing exercises make you move against gravity while staying upright. Some of the best exercises include hiking, training on the elliptical and using resistance bands.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation in the US, about half of women over 50 will break a bone as a result of the disease. Because of this, prevention is the best medicine.
“Famous” Physical Therapists Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck present the 10 Best Exercises for Osteoporosis or “Weak Bones” in the video above. See video for instructions on the following exercies:
– Walking
– Squats
– High marching
– Forward lunges (do not allow knee to go past foot)
– Side lunges
– Step ups
– Wall push-ups
– Add Thera-Band to squats, add arms
– Side steps with Thera-Band
Exercise regimen 2: Low Intensity Cardiovascular Activities
Keep up with the cardio to keep your heart healthy, but go easy on your joints. Try doing lower impact activities for a longer period of time, such as going for long power walks, rather than short, high-intensity ones like sprints. If you have access to a pool, then opt for doing a few laps each morning. Below is video is a fun, low impact exercise that you can also try out.
Exercise regimen 3: Planking
While planks and plank modifications are great exercises to do at any age, they become extra important when you are fending off early signs of back pains.
Strengthen your abs, back and glutes to protect your back. While exercises such as crunches or Russian twists target specific parts of the midsection, planks engage your entire core.
Below are my other related articles that can help you in this journey.
– Watch This On How To Use Smith Machine
– Pros and Cons About the Popular Smith Machine For Your Home Gym
– Here’s The 10 Best Weight Racks
Note: This article was adapted from that in Shape (www.shape.com.sg)