Fitness can be a distant fading dream to attain if you are going through your 40s and are missing major points mentioned in the reading. Despite, so many beneficial perks coming with fitness, thinking to keep fitness or kickstarting fitness after 40 years can be a little daunting if you have not maintained some basic physical fitness during your 20s or 30s.
ESSENSE OF FITNESS POST 40
It is a universal fact that as we grow old, the human body starts losing essential hormones, bone density, skin flexibility and other physical attributes including skin texture, hair colors, etc. However, according to a study, regular workouts help to insulate you from several age-related ailments including heart diseases, Alzheimer’s, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
Besides, it minimizes blood pressure, boosts blood flow and helps in keeping the colon healthy regulating key hormones in the body.
It should be noted, once you are 40-years-old, you need to understand that you are carrying a 40-year-old bone structure, ever-changing hormonal balance, dwindling testosterone level as well as corroding joints.
Whatever motivates you for inculcating fitness to your life, the bottom-line of the fitness after 40 years old should always be keeping your hearts healthy, bone strong, mind sharp and skin glowing.
Know your body before grilling it
There are three types of body viz. ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph that determines how easily and how much you can gain muscle.
Ectomorph: These are the ones who remain slim trim carrying small body frames, all across their life. Their body type usually features long stature with lean and little fat accumulated on their body. Marathon Runners of Ethiopia and other African countries are ubiquitous examples of such body frames.
Mesomorph: It’s a type of body that comes under an average category and is neither very large nor round or fat either. The real difference between an ecto and meso body type is the ability to gain fat and muscles. People with ecto kind of body find it quite hard to gain fat as well as muscles, while Mesos on the other hand can accumulate fat faster if they follow an inactive lifestyle, do overeating and get solid muscular built if they workout consistently and follow a diet.
Endomorph: This body type usually characterize huge round belly, hips(for women) and double chins. Being large, they have all good reasons to try their hands in bodybuilding if they follow the right workout regime with clean eating. Many huge bodybuilders are endomorph and whenever they had any bodybuilding competition, they restrict their calorie intake to speculate massive lean muscles they have sculpted in the gym. Once you know your body type, you can take either have a personal or online consultation to map out your fitness post 40 years.
Kickstart Post 40 Fitness Program
In the not so distant past, kick-starting a post 40 fitness program was considered to be a sheer waste of time. People used to think that once they age 40, it becomes too late for them to get in shape. However, some scientists have suggested that there is no age that has been defined for anyone to stay fit, which means one can be fit at any age.
It should be noted that muscle loss, obesity and decreased cardiovascular fitness don’t show up as age-related issues, but primarily as a result of sedentary lifestyle. For instance, once an average person living a sedentary lifestyle reaches the age of 65, he or she lose up to 40% of their muscle mass and aerobic capacity in relation to young adults. One can prevent this deprivation of muscle by remaining active as they age. Your 40s are the perfect period in your life to start trying your hands over a healthy lifestyle. It’s a period that comes to everyone’s life when you don’t need to focus on your careers like your 20s and 30s and you are so much into taking care of your family. If you are still confused about how to break the ice for your post 40 workout schedule, we will help you out in dealing with this dilemma.
What to do?
- Try a new workout regime
These days, there is a plethora of things that you can do to meet your fitness goals after 40 years’. Once, you decide to bring in fitness in your life, you need to consult a trainer (online or offline) and share your goals of fitness. Usually, trainers start with light exercises and gradually will increase the intensity of your workouts.
- If You don’t then go for basics
If you are still confused whether to join gym or do homework, it is never a bad idea to start from home with some basic workouts. Devoid of enough time, it happens that people tend to end up nowhere on their purported plan to ‘join a gym very soon’ resolution. For those busy persons, it is a good decision to get back to basics and start doing rope jumping, jumping jacks, burpees, squats, pull up and push-ups, since it will be a great beginning for them.
- Take a brisk Walk during Your Lunch hour
One of the easiest things that you can do is to take a brisk walk during your lunch hour. Movement is the most important thing to do that people in their 40s can do as much as they can to stay fit. It will be great for your body, if you could take a break off your computer and consider a small walk. Moreover, according to Harvard Medical School, it just takes 20 minutes of walk to clear up your mind and make you feel like a million bucks.
- Keep Hydrating yourself
Water is the most important fluid that we have on the earth and what we can have across our lifespan without any guilt. Water is crucial for us and two-thirds of our body weight is made up of water. Water can play a role in helping you build your muscle as well as to recover from any sore muscle, provided you combine all of these with a sound sleep for at least 7-8 hours. Besides, water helps in lubricating your joints, rejuvenate your muscles and improves your digestion.
- Start Traveling by Cycle
If you don’t live too much far from your workstation, why don’t you take a cycle to reach your office? According to a report during the COVID-19 triggered lockdown, there has been a tremendous upbeat in the sale of cycles, people from across all ages and classes have preferred to own a bicycle, rather than using public transport or taking a motor vehicle. Actually, the phenomenon may be a natural tendency for people to avoid rush amid (social distancing norms) as well as it can also make them fit and active. Going with the latter benefit i.e fit and active, switching to a bicycle is a great thing to do if you want to stay fit in your 40s.
- Try fasting
Doing a workout on an empty stomach could show more effective results than doing it after having food. Doing fasting can help you to lose weight, help to develop mitochondrion that gives your cells and muscle tissue the required energy.
- Have a balanced diet
Diet plays an important role in keeping you fit and active. You must have heard that ‘you are what you eat’. Therefore, eat healthily and be healthy all through your lifetime. In case, you have never cared about your macros, 40s would be the time, as it is never too late to start even today, by keeping an eye over the nutritional value of your food. So, these were a few things that you can consider to bring back your fitness during your 40s.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
