Keeping yourself fit in your late 40s!

By Samyati Mohanty

You might be wondering if there are any changes you should be making to your diet and exercise routines to improve your health and feel as healthy, vibrant, and young as you would like, whether you are just entering your 40s, are well acquainted with them, or can see them in your rearview mirror. You may be as active and in shape as ever during your 40s. Despite the fact that as we age, our bodies lose function (e.g., bone density declines, metabolism slows, hormone levels fall, etc.), sticking to a regular fitness regimen can help delay the onset of both internal and external ageing.

However, there is contradicting advice regarding how exercises should look in your 40s and what you should and shouldn't be doing. It can be challenging to decide what to emphasise and how to distinguish between the truth and myths and prejudices. We have therefore developed a few ideas to help you achieve your health and fitness objectives in your 40s by arming you with the greatest information. Go on reading!

1. Put Your Mindset First

Although the first one appears simple, it can be challenging in practise. Ignoring any messaging that suggests that such a goal is impossible to achieve after your 20s and 30s is the first step toward feeling and looking the way you want to.

Before a certain age, those who were in excellent form and paid attention to their fitness were often questioned. The rules of the game have changed in terms of how we view ageing, how we may access healthcare and wellness services and goods, and even how we view societal standards.

You shouldn't let your age prevent you from participating in any sporting activity. Unfortunately, because we often receive negative messages about ageing, it might give the impression that you lose value as you get older, which is completely untrue. You can challenge yourself to move in novel ways, attempt new things, and learn more about who you are and what you are capable of as long as you have breath in your body.

2. Try out the HIIT

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training are Stokes' go-to recommendations for a potent one-two punch that will keep your metabolism humming well into your 40s and beyond. Your cardiovascular fitness and strength will increase thanks to HIIT, which also effectively burns calories. Exercise is about much more than just burning calories and losing weight, but as you get older, your metabolism may start to slow down. If you don't make dietary adjustments to compensate, your weight may start to creep up. Since HIIT training places such a high demand on the body, your metabolism is maintained even after the workout.

3. The Key Is Strength Training

The key to preserving strong bones as we age is to build and maintain muscle. Resistance training is quite important because muscle mass starts to decline with advancing age. The more muscle you can create (or at least maintain) the better, as muscle is what drives your metabolic rate.

4. Put Flexibility First

Stretching and flexibility exercises become more crucial as we age because as we become older, our muscles and connective tissues like tendons and ligaments become stiffer. The most vital component of the workout is stretching. Maintaining flexibility and range of motion during your workouts can help you avoid injuries and improve your performance. Make sure that a regular part of your workout regimen consists of stretches and flexibility exercises like yoga. Additionally, spending a lot of time sitting throughout the day makes us stiff, especially in the hips, so it's important to stretch to improve flexibility.

5. Join an Exercise Class

Exercise sessions in a group setting are more enjoyable, social, and engaging. Find a class you really like, and you'll keep coming back for more of it. Additionally, having an instructor means that you have a fitness expert nearby in case you require tweaks or have any queries. There is something for everyone with options including Pilates, CrossFit, and Zumba.

6. Try Rope for Jumping

Jumping rope, or what we often refer to as a terrific way of fitting in "sneaky cardio," is one of the most popular exercises for people over 40. It maintains a higher amount of fat burning and greater stamina by keeping the heart rate up. Jumping rope is a terrific cardio workout to increase your mobility and strengthen joints.

7. Make Workout Social Accountability 

Being consistent and motivated with your exercise regimen requires a lot of effort. A fantastic method to remain on track with an exercise regimen is to invite your partner or friends to join you. Having a buddy gives support, accountability, and a social element that can make the exercise more pleasurable, whether you join your neighbour for an early morning run a few days a week, stream dancing classes at home with your partner, or convince a coworker to attend a monthly yoga class. You are more likely to appear more frequently when other people are counting on you.

8. Each meal with a stroll

In addition to helping you reach your daily step goal, walking for 10 to 30 minutes after each meal promotes healthy metabolism, digestion, and blood sugar control. Because the body produces fewer digestive enzymes as we become older, digestion may become more sluggish. After eating, taking a short stroll can help with regularity and healthy digestion.

9. Observe your body.

It's critical to pay attention to your body's requirements and respect them. With age, you might not be able to get away with some of the training errors and overexertion your body could handle in your younger years without suffering problems, thus this becomes more and more crucial. The more tuned-in we are to our body's signals about what it needs, the better off we will be. It's natural to want to push through pain and discomfort, but it's crucial to understand if your body can handle more repetitions of those kettlebell swings and you should challenge yourself, or whether you are exerting yourself too much and risking damage.

With practise, you can learn to discern your body's demands. Your ability to discriminate between the two and determine whether the movement you are doing is beneficial to you rather than harmful will improve the more active you are. Pause for a moment, evaluate, and pay attention. Remember, it's better to err on the side of caution and give your body a rest than to push yourself too far and run the risk of getting hurt.

10. Keep your younger years out of comparison

After the age of 30, it's typical to see a drop in physical performance due to hormone changes and the ageing process. Comparing your personal bests, workout prowess, and best times can be counterproductive and useless. It's tempting to become fixated on how you looked or felt 20 years ago, but that was then. The idea is to develop an acceptance of your body at all stages. Spend some time considering the qualities of your physique at 40 and beyond. Create new objectives or concentrate on fewer numerical measures. For instance, start with a clean slate and establish new marks for each decade, or attempt an obstacle race or a different distance to liven things up instead of trying to beat that lightning-fast 5K pace you ran when you were 31. Learn to love your body and the way it moves and looks to you now rather than the younger version of yourself. Your body has supported you for a long time.

11. Smart Snacking

Healthy snacks are essential for maintaining stable blood sugar levels. When you are going through hormonal changes, it is simple to grab energy. Keep in mind the source of this yearning and resist giving in. The healthiest snacks are low-sugar protein bars with a balanced diet, hard-boiled eggs, veggies (cucumber, celery, and broccoli), almonds (in moderation), hummus, and apple slices with a little almond butter.

12. Respect the procedure

Last but not least, exercise patience and give your body time to adjust to your workouts and show results. The more you can slow down and respect the process—despite the fact that it's human nature to desire a quick fix—the better you'll feel. Age can speed up the process of seeing and feeling growth in the gym, just as atrophy does, but the important thing is to keep going. As you get older, getting in shape may take longer, but if you don't exercise regularly, your fitness may deteriorate more quickly. The major goal should be developing a regular movement habit. We are only constrained by the restrictions we place on ourselves. Turn off the chatter about what you ought to or ought not to be doing at your age. Follow your gut and what seems right to you!