Turn to these best workouts for women over 40 to help you stay in tip-top shape and avoid the dreaded “middle age spread.”
Getting in shape after 40 is not easy, and there comes a time when realistically, we will find that we are no longer keeping up with those 10 and 15 years younger than us.
This does not mean that we can’t be fit. It just means that we need to look at being fit in a less frantic way by working- out differently, by slowing down, and by paying attention to the areas of our body requiring the most work.
So we will take a look at those areas, and how to work on them, while boosting our energy helping us to feel less tired and lethargic.
Give these workouts a try
1.Try Yoga
Yoga is slower and requires deep breathing, and it can change your body shape. It teaches you to focus on the exercise and concentrate on each movement.
Practice it twice a week and do a form of cardio exercise like, cycling, power walking, or swimming twice a week as well.
2.Shape your Stomach, Planks.
Lie on the floor with elbows bent and running along the floor. Keeping your elbows on the floor, raise your feet up onto your toes, staying in your plank position for 20 seconds, gradually increase the time to 60 seconds, and repeat. Helps to strengthen your core.
3.Squats
Lower yourself into a squat, positioning your arms out in front of you, raise your body back up while tucking your bottom back in and placing your arms at your sides, repeat working up to 15 repeats per day. This will make your thighs firm and strong.
4.Walking
Try to walk for half an hour per day. Go with a friend and then it doesn’t feel like exercise. Increase the speed of your walk once you get fit. Walking is one of the simplest and best workouts for women over 40 regardless of your current physical condition.
Some people, but not all (due to joint pain) will be able to jog. Jogging burns more calories than walking. If you are walking or jogging alone plug in some music, this will help you to speed up a bit.
5.Go Swimming
If you have joint problems swimming is the exercise for you. It is kind to the joints and you can build up gradually, going along to the local pool every day. Try to swim for 20 to 30 minutes both in Summer and Winter.
6. Resistance Bands
If you want to exercise without leaving the house, go to online Amazon and purchase a set of resistance bands. These Fit Simplify bands are a highly-rated and popular choice for women over 40.
A recent study carried out in Spain showed that they are as effective as going to the gym to shed pounds and to get fit.
Start with a medium band, they are color-coded usually yellow is the lightest resistance, and there should be a chart with the order indicating which band is least resistant to the greatest resistance.
If you can get a set of bands with a swivel handle, and then you can work out more effectively transitioning from one muscle group to another. When you attach the band, attach to something that won’t move like a door or a bar.
If you pay a bit more for bands that come with a DVD, this is useful in taking you through different exercises and routines and makes working out at home much more fun.
The bands give you resistance both ways and you will benefit from contraction causing muscles to shorten and then elongate again. and to adjust the level of difficulty.
7. Zumba
It is important to keep your bones strong and many women over 40 go to a Zumba class three times a week.
Zumba is a high-energy aerobic exercise adapted from Latin Dancing. Going to a structured class is fun, and a great way to meet others. It will also help to keep your weight down.
Weight-baring exercise is very important to women approaching menopause as it is needed to keep the bones strong and healthy, and many women with brittle bones later in life, have simply not done enough weight-bearing exercise.
Healthline says that during a Zumba class women burn between 300 and 400 calories, three times a week. It not only strengthens the bones, but builds your core strength as well, is good for heart health, and improves the mood by releasing endorphins in the brain.
8. Aqua Aerobics
If you are over 40 with arthritis or other joint condition, Aqua Aerobics will be a better choice for you.
A good teacher will conduct a class with a focus on resistance and cardio exercises to help you achieve the greatest fitness levels. When you first start out the exercises will be easy, and then build in a degree of difficulty. It is better to do a structured class to keep you on track in achieving your fitness goals.
It is surprising that this is not only an effective and one of the best workouts for women over 40, but is also fun. And once again you will meet other people who love to do the same thing to get fit.
9. Guided Trail Walking
Once you become fitter you can take up some guided trail walking or even running. Often these walks are done to raise money for different charities, using sponsored walkers to walk or run different routes.
In fact, you can have a complete walking holiday allowing you not only to exercise but be guided into places that are inaccessible to cars and vehicles. To do this the main equipment is a couple of pairs of good walking or jogging shoes.
Often these walks are held over a weekend, making them accessible to people working Monday to Friday.
There are so many workouts for women over 40, that getting in shape after 40 has never been more fun!
If you are time-poor you can exercise from home, or go to Zumba after work, and get out on the weekend where you can link up with others outside.
Once you attain a good basic level of fitness, you will feel more energetic and less tired, having more energy to get through the day, and hopefully into the night.
0 Comments