How To Get In Shape After 40

Never Too Old

Staying in shape and maintaining your fitness after 40 is a daunting task.  After 40 years of age, your body starts to become weak, if you do not keep up with your fitness level.  This includes weak joints, lack of muscles and increase in cellulite.  This makes it tough to get in shape.  But if you decide to enter into a healthier lifestyle, then it’s never too late.

 

Just as in your younger years, the condition of your body would determine the workouts that you have to do and the diet that you have to follow.  Exercise and diet are the two major contributors to fitness.

 

After 40, you have to concentrate more on core strengthening to keep your muscle mass intact.  You have to do aerobic and strengthening exercises to gain the lost muscle mass.  Aerobic exercises can be of many types depending on your comfort zone.  You could choose to run on a treadmill, or you could go for HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), or Zumba.  The increase in aerobic exercises will help you with increasing our stamina level and your capacity to work out.  The strengthening exercises will help develop strong joints and muscle mass.  As the joints are weak after 40, you will have to start with light weight lifting.  You can gradually increase the weights and intensity of your strengthening exercises.

fitness

 

Proper stretching, before and after a workout is essential for everyone; especially after the age of 40.  Proper stretching will help you in relieving the soreness or pain present in joints or muscles.  Also, proper stretching will increase your flexibility.  After the age of 40, it is better to workout under the guidance of a trained instructor.  This will help in the prevention of physical injuries.

 

Long duration workouts are not recommended for you.  It is better to workout for about an hour; five days a week.  The two days of rest will help your body to recover from the previous week and increase your strength.

 

 

Your diet is another important part of staying fit.  Finding the proper diet for your body may take some time.  There are a lot of different diets and meal plans out there, and it might be confusing.  It is better to try different diets over periods of 30-45 days and observe the results.  Diets that require long periods of fasting is not recommended for people above the age of 40 as it may lead to digestion problems.  A balanced diet will help you with our muscle strengthening and weight loss.

healthy food

After the age of 40, proper intake of micro-nutrients (Such as sodium, potassium, and iron) is very necessary to stay fit.  Prescribed supplements can be taken along with a balanced diet.

So, to conclude, to stay fit after the age of 40, you need to have a proper workout routine and diet suitable for your body type.  These can be determined by a professional instructor.  Too much workout is not recommended at this age.  You need to also have proper sleep (minimum 8 hours) every day.  It is also recommended that you visit a nutritionist on a regular basis to have a better understanding of the requirements for your body.