Fitness for women after 40 - why is it important

Natalie Gil, 47 years old

The page of the 47-year-old American is followed by almost half a million people.
This is because she looks like she’s in her thirties at most. The path to this form was not easy for the California resident. The woman decided to lose weight after family drama. During her pregnancy, Natalie, like many, gained excess weight. After this, the husband told the woman that she had become too fat and left her. The husband did not even wait for his wife to give birth to their child.

After the birth of the baby, the abandoned woman did not want to live and even tried to commit suicide. But then she pulled herself together and decided to lose weight to prove to her husband how wrong he was. Before this, Natalie had never gone to the gym in her life.

Today Natalie Gil is 47 years old. She is a successful blogger with a perfect figure. The American started training herself, trained as a nutritionist, constantly appears in magazines and even writes books about fitness training.

View this post on Instagram
Posted by NATALIE JILL Age In Reverse (@nataliejillfit) Aug 21, 2020 at 7:02 am PDT

The blogger publishes recommendations to his followers from all over the world on the social network. She promises that if you follow her recommendations and spend at least half an hour a day training, you can lose excess weight in just three months.

You can follow her advice without leaving home. Many exercises do not require sports equipment. The habits that a woman should have at 40 to remain young will help enhance the effect.

View this post on Instagram
Posted by NATALIE JILL Age In Reverse (@nataliejillfit) Feb 15, 2020 at 6:32 am PST

Fitness after 40. All the pros and cons

Everyone knows that fitness at any age can be a useful pastime. Fitness for women after 40 also brings a lot. These include toned shapes, elastic buttocks, and no cellulite. A woman who leads an active lifestyle is less depressed and tired. Such a woman can be seen from afar, her posture is straight, her gait is confident, she is always positive. The body feels an incredible lift, produces all the components and enzymes to maintain women's health, menopause with fitness will not come soon. However, remember, choosing fitness after 40 years for women must be done with caution. By the age of 40, few people can boast of excellent health. So many types of fitness are unacceptable for some women due to the very heavy load. You should remember that if you decide to take up fitness, consult with a high-level trainer, go to a training session, and try your hand at this.

Remember, you are not a professional athlete, you are no longer 18 years old, there should be no pain in your muscles and body, you should not feel overwhelmed or overloaded. Don't forget that various diets and weight loss supplements can dramatically change your body. Contact a nutritionist, or check out weight loss recommendations on the Internet from experienced, world-famous specialists.

Joan Peters, 43

The 43-year-old Australian also inspires women from all over the world with her will to win. More than 200 thousand people follow the account of teacher and fitness blogger Joan Peters. She gained such popularity after she was able to lose a lot of weight and start a new life.

When Joan was 36 years old, she gave birth to her second child. After giving birth, the woman looked at her reflection in the mirror, discovered extra pounds and fell into depression. In an interview, Peters said that back then she was very embarrassed about her body and hated herself for how much she had neglected herself.

The blogger was encouraged to take up fitness by a friend who lost 10 kilograms. Joan decided to repeat her success, started going to the gym 5 times a week and registered on a social network.

Now the fitness blogger works out in the gym with a trainer, eats right and periodically does short daily fasts. At over forty years old, she looks much younger than at twenty!

The life of an ordinary teacher from Melbourne has changed radically. Joan proved that having children is happiness, and even after that, at 43 years old you can have an ideal sexy figure. Joan gained cubes and lost her cheeks and sides.

View this post on Instagram
Posted by Jo Peters (@joseeksabs) Jul 4, 2020 at 3:22 am PDT

Recently, the fitness girl wrote on her page that there is nothing better than no longer being afraid to step on the scale, becoming even stronger, especially with age. If you still decide to start going to the gym, we suggest reading how to choose fashionable sportswear for fitness classes.

View this post on Instagram
Posted by Jo Peters (@joseeksabs) Aug 14, 2020 at 4:19 am PDT

What sports should a woman do at 40?

The choice of sport depends on your preferences and health status. Any workout has a positive effect on the body, but its direction and intensity affects what results you want to achieve: to maintain the body, aerobic exercise is enough, and to burn fat and lose weight, you need to alternate it with strength exercises.

Sports for a 45 year old woman

Among the sports available to every woman:

Race walking. It is simpler than running, but not inferior in efficiency. In addition to burning calories, blood vessels are strengthened and joint mobility is improved.
Yoga. Despite the apparent passivity of this type, it allows you to develop flexibility, increases metabolism, and maintains all muscle groups in tone.
Cycling. It develops the muscles of the back and legs well, and helps reduce cellulite in the lower body.
Gymnastics. We are talking about stretching and exercises for different muscle groups. You can even do them at home, but you can’t do it without prior consultation with a specialist. They are good for back pain.
Strength exercises. They are best performed in the gym under the supervision of a trainer. He will help you choose the right set of exercises. There are also various exercise machines here.

Training should be fun. If you don't like the chosen direction, you can change it. It is also recommended to alternate exercises you like with those you don’t like. It is recommended to dress comfortably so that nothing gets in the way while moving.

Loads must increase gradually, otherwise you can significantly harm an unprepared body.

In the gym, under the guidance of a trainer, you can perform various exercises correctly, with maximum benefit.

Belinda Benn, 54

This popular American woman, at 54 years old, never leaves the covers of glossy magazines. Fitness trainer Belinda Benn looks at least 20 years younger due to regular training. Although for most of her life she never played sports either. Belinda was constantly hospitalized as a child due to chronic asthma, so she didn’t even think about training until she was 37 years old. The woman was an official, she drank liters of cappuccino and ate kilograms of cookies.

One day an American woman saw herself in a swimsuit, discovered terrible cellulite, and had a nervous breakdown. Divorce from my husband added even more fuel to the fire. Having finally fallen into depression, Belinda sold all her property and went on a trip to the USA. During the trip, the woman tried surfing for the first time and started eating right. Upon her return, Benn went to the gym and began to actively train.

By the age of 44, Belinda decided to compete in a fitness bikini competition. Then the woman’s dreams began to come true. The beautiful athlete was noticed and began to be invited to filming. This is how she became a famous fashion model. In order to quickly lose weight and get in shape, the star advises her fans to give up alcohol and sweet drinks: juice, tea with sugar and coffee. According to Benn, it was because of this that she gained so much weight at one time.

View this post on Instagram
Posted by Belinda Benn (@belindajanebenn) Aug 15, 2020 at 6:02 am PDT

Belinda admits that she found true harmony with her body only at the age of 50. After 40, a woman does not advise exhausting herself with hard training. You need to approach classes very thoughtfully and pump up the most problematic areas. How to build muscles without losing your femininity?

How to start playing sports after 40 years old

Do you know what the bad news is?

If you have turned 40, you can be sure that the process of losing muscle mass (the so-called age-related loss

muscle mass) has already begun. This age period is characterized not only by a loss of muscle mass, but also by a decrease in physical strength, which is the result of the natural course of events (that is, the result of the aging of the body).

To stop this process, it is necessary to develop an individual weight training program (that is, strength training
using dumbbells, barbells and other sports equipment). If such training does not take place, you can safely count on the fact that now every ten years your body will lose from three to five percent of muscle mass.

But there is good news!

Even if you haven’t been involved in sports in all previous years, with the right individual training regimen, which you started after 40
years
, there is every chance of not only stopping the process of losing muscle mass, but also quite quickly reversing it.

Important condition!
For this to happen, your physical health must be conducive to strength training. You also shouldn't have
serious injuries in the past that could interfere with this mode of operation. You should first undergo a medical examination!

Even if you start exercising diligently and regularly right now, no one is saying that you will immediately feel like you are back to your younger days.

and are now ready to run a marathon. You shouldn't try to catch up if you haven't exercised regularly for a long period of time.

The most acceptable training regimen for people over 40 years old is two to three sessions per week. These classes may include individual work with a trainer in the gym

, group classes in your age group or independent work on a training program compiled for you personally. The need for a gradual increase in loads must be determined individually!

Sad news for women

Starting to play sports for the first time after 40 years of age is most difficult for the fairer sex. Forty years of age in women is usually the period of so-called perimenopause.

. That is, at this age, irreversible changes occur in the female body, which precede the natural irreversible state called menopause (with infertility and other inevitable consequences).

Rido

Characteristic signs that indicate the onset of perimenopause include a sharp gain in excess weight, the appearance (or increase) of a noticeable fat layer around the waist; Often women experience paroxysmal sensations of heat

, which cannot be controlled. However, regular sports training can help cope with these symptoms (negate or help survive them as painlessly as possible).

What is the best way to start playing sports at this age?

At this age, moderate intensity activity is indicated, which may include:

brisk walks
(use automobile and public transport less often; take advantage of any moments to travel on foot);
n’t strain yourself too much, as if you’re not used to it you can harm your body).

Start with this simple activity - it will help you prepare for more serious training

, which, of course, should include aerobic and strength exercises.

By the way, a little more about aerobic exercises, which are extremely important to do correctly after 40 years in order to bring maximum benefits to the cardiovascular system. There are special techniques for calculating heart rate depending on gender, age, body weight and other things that you can work on with a trainer if you want.

However, here is a simple tip that indicates the correctness of performing the exercise in cardio mode:

If, after performing an aerobic exercise, you can say a relatively long sentence without losing your breath, this means that the benefits for the heart
from such an exercise are not enough, that is, it was performed incorrectly. If the exercise was performed in the correct mode, then your breath will be enough to say 5-6 words before your breath stops.

Be sure to include weight-bearing exercises (lifting barbells, dumbbells, etc.) in your training regimen. Start with the lightest weights to avoid injuries and sprains. The trainer will help you choose the optimal load

taking into account your own weight. Before increasing the load, learn to work correctly with the previous weight.

What does this mean? This means that if the sets are too short, the training results will be minimal. Besides, if you do 3 sets of 10 reps with a certain weight without straining, you are not forcing your body to work

. You should add loads in such a way that you can work with it comfortably and safely, but so that the last two repetitions are difficult for you.

Peggy Gilbert, 71

Some women over 40 don’t need motivation to exercise. Fitness blogger Peggy Gilbert proves it's not too late to exercise at 70! The American first opened a gym for herself at 50. The woman’s husband was diagnosed with a terrible incurable disease - amyotrophic sclerosis. The couple decided to live the remaining days very eventfully, forgetting about years and illnesses, and went to the gym together.

Powerlifting attracted the woman so much that she began to prepare for competitions. The pensioner has repeatedly won prizes. Her life began to sparkle with new colors. By her example, the bodybuilder proves that you can remain beautiful and fit even at age.

Peggy says that no one gives her a real age. Thanks to constant training and proper nutrition, the fitness model has shed several decades, externally and internally. Her health improved very quickly.

Peggy really enjoys lifting weights in the gym; she gets real pleasure and energy from it. The powerlifter feels very vigorous and does not feel at all like she is 70 years old.

And although Peggy’s husband died several years ago, she did not give up and continued her active life and sports. She even began teaching group strength training and aerobics herself.

View this post on Instagram
Posted by Peggy Hilbert (@rockandrollpeggy) Feb 22, 2020 at 11:38 am PST

How to start playing sports after 50 years old

Odua Images

The relentless natural course of events is that after age 50, age-related muscle loss begins to occur even faster than after age 40. In addition, muscle strength and endurance also continue to decline

. As a result of this process, the metabolic rate in our body after 50 years decreases by 10-15 percent.

But that's not all...

On top of this, the strength of bone tissue is reduced. This happens in both men and women. As a consequence of this process, the risk of bone injuries (fractures, cracks)

. Our ligaments, which by this age become less elastic, also do not get younger; the amount of so-called synovial fluid (a kind of lubricant for joint ligaments) decreases.

All this together can sooner result in injuries to our body than, say, ten years ago (that is, at 40 years old). That is why it is recommended not to neglect

advice for those who are planning to start playing sports for the first time at this age.

What is the best way to start exercising after 50?

At the age of 50, it is very important to start working out with a personal trainer. The presence of a specialist who will observe you is necessary at least in order to assess the ability

your body to increase loads and intensity before you yourself begin a full-fledged training regimen.

A qualified trainer will definitely prescribe you several exercises (let's call them diagnostic or testing), which will allow him to evaluate your flexibility and endurance in the complex (we are talking about muscles, joints, spine, heart, and so on). It is during this period of time that it is necessary to develop an individual training program.

, including exercises that suit your level of physical fitness and health (taking into account, of course, your injuries and contraindications).

Very important!
Before starting work, even with a trainer, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination, which will rule out the presence of
any pathological conditions or hidden diseases that can interfere with your sports activity.

Taking into account the recommendations and conclusions of the trainer and doctors, you will be offered a cardio training program, which may include working on an exercise bike, swimming, or perhaps you will be limited to intense walking

. Only after this will it be possible to think about gradually increasing the load.

If you're training intensely enough, but still have short rest periods between sets, this means you can gradually increase the intensity of
your cardio. This approach strengthens your cardiovascular system, increasing the benefits of aerobic exercise.

nortonrsx/Getty Images Pro

You can’t do without strength training at this age. Exercises with weights help strengthen the body and increase your strength; it is very important to work on the muscles of the lower limbs and core

, since such training helps improve your balance, and in the future it will help you stay firmly on your feet, which is very important in old age to avoid falls and injuries.

The training regimen after 50 years, as after 40, can include two to three sessions per week. Very useful to turn on regularly

The training complex includes exercises that are important for this age period, such as:

push-ups from the floor while lying down;
squats;
simple abdominal exercises (such as, for example, the plank for the transverse abdominal muscles).

Thanks to these simple exercises, performed regularly, the functional strength of our body (that is, its ability to act and withstand)

physical activity during sports and in other situations) increases gradually, but significantly. In addition, the risks of injury when performing such exercises are minimal.

Evelina Musina, 55 years old

There are motivating examples in Russia as well. Evelina Musina radically changed her life and turned from a curvaceous woman into a fit woman. At 55, she looks 35 or even younger. Her ex-husband pushed her to such a feat. The husband was dissatisfied with Evelina’s shapeless figure, beat her, and then completely left for a younger and slimmer lady.

Evelina was tormented by complexes due to extra pounds, she tried all the diets, but there was no effect until her daughter saw an advertisement for the recruitment of participants for the Miss Bikini competition. This test helped the Russian woman lose weight from size 60 to size 42.

When training began in the gym, Evelina was very shy to train with 20-year-old beauties. She couldn't even sit down normally. Evelina went to the gym 3 times a week. First, I ran on the track for half an hour, then worked out with a trainer. The woman combined all this with work, gardening, children and grandchildren.

After a month of exhausting training, the result was almost not visible, Evelina almost gave up, but still continued her training. And a miracle happened. The woman's swelling and other pain in her legs went away, and she began lifting 50-kilogram weights.

As a result, she lost 16 kilograms, won the championship title and inspired dozens of women to take up sports. Now Evelina still continues to play sports and maintains a page on the social network, where she shares tips on nutrition and training.

Are you ready to take charge of yourself in order to get an ideal figure after 40 years?

Examinations and tests before classes

Before starting classes, you need to undergo an examination: do an ECG, ultrasound of the thyroid gland and abdominal cavity. An ultrasound will show whether you have any serious disorders: ulcers, inflammatory processes, pathological changes in the liver and kidneys. If there are problems with the spine, then you should definitely do an MRI to rule out intervertebral hernia and impingement. You also need to take tests: a general blood and urine test. A blood test will show the amount of hemoglobin, ESR and lymphocytes. A urine test can determine the presence or absence of inflammatory processes, the further development of which can be provoked by training.

If there are no critical changes, welcome to the gym. If there are contraindications for exercise, then you will need to take care of your health and prefer gentle training.