The start of the middle age is a critical point in life. According to Ken Fox, Professor of Exercise and Health Science at Bristol University, it is in the mid-40s when muscle mass begins to decrease and fat deposits begin to build up. This can lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, stroke, and some forms of cancer.
Here are several exercises you can do every day to reduce those risks.
1. Don’t let your metabolism slow down — do BURPEES.
High-intensity cardio stimulates our metabolism, which is more than necessary to motivate after a certain age. So to prevent metabolism deceleration we should do this exercise once or twice per week. Start with one set of 3 reps and add another repetition each time. Don’t stress yourself too much.
2. Keep it firm — do SQUATS.
Every woman wants to have a round backside but even the luckiest ones who had it naturally without any training will start to lose it after the age of 40 thanks to the decrease of muscle mass. Properly done squats (with a straight back and knees right above the feet) can tone your whole body and prevent injury by improving your flexibility.
3. To fight and prevent back pain — do a PLANK.
Doing this exercise for 90 seconds 3 times a week is a great way to tone all the core muscles of our bodies. It strengths our abs, the muscles of the chest, and the ones surrounding the spine. Our entire midsection tightens and supports our lower back.
4. Protect yourself from arthritis — push DUMBBELLS.
Chronic joint pain can attack adults of all ages, so it’s never too soon to start preventing it and one of the best ways to do it is strength training. You don’t have to spend hours lifting big weights. Doing deadlifts or overhead presses with 1-3 kg in each hand 2-3 times a week can do miracles for your body.
5. Let your glutes rest — do a GLUTE BRIDGE.
Sitting all day in an office can deactivate our glutes which slows down the rate at which our body burns calories — the metabolism. The hip extension in the glute bridge exercise makes the butt work and it can also open up any tightness from long days of sitting. Leave your arms along your sides, squeeze your butt muscles to lift your hips up, and squeeze them once more at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down.
6. Don’t let sarcopenia take your muscles away — do Y-TO-T RAISES.
Sarcopenia is a degenerative loss of skeletal muscle associated with aging. So if you’d like to prevent bad posture and back and shoulder aches, it is very important to strengthen the muscles of your back and shoulders.
7. Protect your heart — train on an ELLIPTICAL MACHINE.
Low-impact cardio is a great way for women over 40 to maintain a healthy heart. But if you really want your heart health to benefit, you need to exercise at 80% of your maximum heart rate for at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week. If 10 is as hard as you can do on a scale of one to 10, then you should work at the level of 8.
8. Live actively — WALK.
Walking is the simplest and the best exercise that anyone can do. While it burns calories, tones our body, and improves our mood, it also doesn’t wear down our fragile joints, which is very important after a certain age.
9. Relax — do YOGA.
Middle-aged women are more prone to becoming depressed, according to John Hopkins Medicine, one of the leading healthcare systems in the United States. Yoga increases a mood-regulating neurotransmitter, which is necessary to fight depression. It also decreases stress and anxiety levels.
