19 Oct Fit for life: tips for your 40s
When you hit your 40s it’s time to focus even more on staying flexible. Once a person loses flexibility and balance they can develop frailty, which really hurts us in old age.
Age starts to catch up with people to one degree or another in their 40s.
Exercise routines you challenged yourself with in earlier years can become painful or even impossible after 40. Many people first feel the effects of age in their joints.
Connective tissue such as cartilage, tendons, and ligaments become less elastic, which can cause increased pain and/or injury if people in their 40s continue to perform high-impact activities such as long-distance running, basketball and aerobics.
However, that certainly does not mean everyone in their 40s needs to stop all high-impact activities, nor you should give up working out.
Simply tweak your fitness routine as needed. For Instance, a woman who took rigorous step aerobics classes, or a man who ran five miles a day in their 20s and 30s, may switch to activities such as cycling, swimming and walking in their 40s and beyond.
Other low-impact fitness choices that can give help you stay fit while conserving the connective tissues are activities such as elliptical trainers, recumbent bikes, yoga and Pilates.
It’s also very important to do strength training to keep muscles and bones strong. Here are some more tips for fitness in your 40s:
* You should be able to do more than 25 sit-ups
* You should be able to do more than 20 pushups.
* Practice good proactive healthcare by getting a cholesterol test every five years, eye exam every two years and each year get a flu shot, physical (test for weight, BMI, blood pressure, etc.) and dentist exam and cleaning.
* Ask your doctor about getting a prostate exam
* Get screened for skin cancer every year
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com