As landmark birthdays go, your 40th is often top of the numbers where you seem to feel that you have reached a point in your life where it is time to reevaluate where you are at and what shape you are in.
There is no need to be down on yourself and think that from forty onwards you are starting to get over the hill and it might all be a bit of a downward spiral from now on. Think again, as you are definitely not over the hill and there is no reason why you can’t get fit at forty and beyond.
By the time “midlife” is upon us, Some people may have had to contend with an addiction and visit Clearbrook Treatment Centers for help, and some of us may have simply got into a routine where their lifestyle and fitness levels need a bit of working on in order to successfully face the many years ahead.
How To Get Fit at 40
If you are over 40, there is absolutely no reasons why you can’t take a positive view and see this perceived new stage in your life, as a great opportunity to reinvent yourself and make yourself fitter for life.
The good news for the majority of us is that thanks to aspects such as medical developments, a greater awareness of health and nutrition and numerous other points, you now have the best chance of any generation before, to live longer and enjoy better health, provided you take steps to look after yourself.
Whether you talk to a nutritionist, a gerontologist or a personal fitness instructor, they will all probably give you cause for optimism by confirming that the next decade or so after your 40th birthday, is still a period of time in your life where you have every chance of giving your body a makeover and developing a healthier lifestyle that could set you up perfectly for later life.
Working on your fitness
There are three factors to specifically concentrate on when you are 40+, that will have an impact on your overall fitness levels.
You will need to work on improving your strength. You can achieve this by doing some resistance exercises, which will help to raise your metabolism and allow you to burn more fat as well as combat age-related muscle loss, which is known as sarcopenia.
Doing resistance exercises will also help you to develop a stronger core , providing good support for your spine and allowing you to hopefully avoid or prevent back problems.
Flexibility is key
Another important aspect to work on is flexibility. By the time you have reached forty, it is feasible that you might experience reduced flexibility, as your muscles can shorten and tighten through lack of use.
This reduced flexibility can make you feel your age, but there is no need to worry, as you can use some stretching exercises as part of your new workout routine, so that you can regain some of this lost flexibility.
It is important to work on improving your flexibility when you are over forty, as a general lack of movement does make you more susceptible to injury and can cause you to suffer symptoms such as lower back pain.
Work on your cardiovascular capacity
There are many different ways to work on improving your cardiovascular capacity, so you should be able to find an exercise or activity that you may already enjoy.
Aerobic exercises like walking and running are popular things to do and biking or swimming are also on the list of fun and rewarding activities for many people who are aged forty or over.
All of these activities on a regular and structured basis will help to improve your lung capacity as well as improve its functionality. You may have the opinion that you may not be able to exercise as vigorously as you did when you were younger, but according to recent research carried out by the University of Colorado, amongst others, the principal reason why you might experience a decline in capacity is more down to reductions in training intensity, rather any age-related limitations.
This means that there is a good chance you should be able to maintain your cardiovascular fitness beyond the age of forty, provided you work on it sufficiently.
The message is loud and clear when it comes to maintaining your fitness, you are definitely not over the hill once you have hit your forties.
