Have you reached the midlife fitness crisis? Obesity or being overweight is slowly turning into a global epidemic, despite advanced medical processes and access to health information like never before.
Being a woman at 40 is yet another stage where your body is undergoing various phases; it is moving towards menopause and you notice small health issues cropping up now and then! Do not be worried.
If you start taking an active interest in personal fitness, you can combat health issues very well. This list of 8 fitness secrets is tailored towards women over 40 years of age.
Women over 40 – How to be Fit?
Here are our fitness secrets for women over 40.
1) Talk to your Mind
We all are products of our own thoughts. We are what we think. So if you’re overweight and not enjoying good health, it’s because you never gave any conscious thought to your health.
Now is the right time to give your brain the motivational talk! Give your brain the order or the declaration that from now on, your health is a major priority. Tell it to yourself a couple of times and see the automatic shift in your actions.
2) Enroll in your Neighborhood Gym
No matter how bad your fitness level is, get enrolled in your neighborhood gym today. Do not worry. The gym trainers don’t make you do anything which you are not comfortable with.
While enrolling, talk to the gym trainer and tell him/her about the current state of health and how you would like to improve in the next couple of months.
3) Get a Health Check Done
Before embarking on the fitness phase, every woman over 40 should get a thorough health check done. If 6 months or more have passed since the last test, get it done before doing anything else.
The health reports show all the existing problems and following the report, you can get in touch with doctors to find a solution.
4) Take Control of your Diet
We are what we eat and that IS a fact of everyone’s life. Imagine when we see a well sculpted body. What is the first thought in our mind? Wow, that person must be following a really good diet. Isn’t it?
Now, stand in front of the mirror. What do you see? It’s nothing too flattering, right? This is because of bad diet choices made in your younger days.
However, there is still hope. The first change to do is to stop dependence on preserved foods. They are low on nutrients and harm our body a lot. Go for fresh food and ideally, food that is cooked in your home. Buy fresh vegetables and fruits and not the frozen ones.
Cut down on carbohydrate intake and increase intake of proteins. If you don’t know much about cooking, endless number of recipes of any cuisine are available online.
5) Eat 5-6 Meals a Day
Ideally, you should eat every 3 or 4 hours. Now, I understand the impracticality of this suggestion, especially if you are a career woman and there is no way to chomp down food at odd hours. But, it is necessary if you want to have good health ten or twenty years down the line.
Ensure to eat small meals throughout the day. It is up to you how you are going to manage it but you have to; there is no choice here. Include a lot of proteins and fresh items in your food.
6) Exercise 5-Days a Week
Start with 30 minutes every day. Try out different exercise forms and see what works for your body. Not all kinds of exercises are recommended for everyone.
Perhaps, this is the first time you are going to exercise in your whole life so take it slowly. You don’t want any muscle injuries because at this age, the recovery time is more. Be comfortable with prescribed exercises and slowly start to increase intensity.
After few months, you can increase time and exercise an hour daily.
7) Do Cardio Workouts
Cardio workouts are good for all ages, especially for women over 40. Why? At your age, metabolism goes downhill. You feel tired and stressed all the time. Your metabolism is super slow and thus, you feel bloated and heavy always.
The best way to improve metabolism is to start cardio workouts. Cardio is a fast paced exercise regime, which is fun and engaging, and really boosts metabolism, leaving you energized and active all the time. Your body increases in strength and functionality.
8) Have an Active Sex Life
Sex isn’t just for procreation or for pleasure; it has numerous health benefits too. It helps you to lose calories and improves the immune system. It improves bladder control in women and helps to lower blood pressure.
Sex lowers the risk of heart attack, gives you better sleep and helps to fight stress…and most importantly, the next time you get a headache, don’t avoid sex because sex actually relieves a person from pain!
Endnote
What are you waiting for? Take the first step TODAY!
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