THIS is how you should workout in midlife and beyond

Building lean muscle with strength training

Getting started with a workout routine when there are so many options can feel overwhelming. Based on the science which supports healthy aging for midlife women and building a foundation of health for your future, this list is in order of priority for your overall health and support of menopause symptoms. If you are just getting started, follow the summary at the end.

Strength Training: Your secret weapon against aging.

Strength training should be a key part of any midlife fitness plan. Women typically lose 5-10% of muscle mass per decade post-30, which can slow metabolism and increase the risk of health issues. Engaging in strength training combats this decline and supports bone density and decreases the risk of falls/fractures after menopause.

Recommendations:

• Frequency: Aim for two to three sessions each week to achieve effective results. You can do these workouts from home or the gym.

• Exercises: Focus on compound movements like squats, lunges, push-ups, and deadlifts. For instance, performing three sets of 10-12 squats can effectively engage multiple muscle groups and enhance strength efficiently.

• Beginners: learn HOW to execute movements with bodyweight and lighter weights before progressing to heavier weights. Try this easy to follow STRENGTH TRAINING workout

  
  

Cardiovascular Workouts: Keeping Your Heart and Brain Healthy

Prioritizing cardiovascular workouts is crucial for maintaining heart health and overall mood. The benefits include strengthening your heart, lungs and blood vessels which can lower blood pressure and reduce cariovascular disease risk. Cardio exercise can also help magage weight, boost brain function, emotional wellbeing and longevity.

Recommendations:

• Activities: Include activities like walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing to keep things enjoyable.

• Duration: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity weekly. For example, you could break this into five 30-minute walks throughout the week.

• Beginners: Start by walking 10-20 minutes every other day until you can build up to 5x 30 minute walks or daily walks.

  
  

Flexibility: Moving Freely to stay Mobile.

As we age, it is common for flexibility to diminish. Incorporating exercises that enhance these areas can be beneficial in preventing injuries and maintaining mobility. For instance, a study found that practicing yoga regularly can increase flexibility by 25-30% in just a few months. If you have already noticed that bending over, bending down or trying to look over your shoulder are becoming more difficult, then it's time to add some flexibility training.

Recommendations:

• Activities: Consider integrating yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi into your routine, which provide excellent flexibility and balance benefits.

• Practice: Dedicate at least 10-15 minutes to stretching after every workout to improve flexibility over time.

• Option: Add 10 mins of yoga or stretches before bedtime to release the muscles and prepare for a restful nights sleep. Try this gentle YOGA PRACTICE

  
  

Balance: Stay Steady on your Feet.

One of the greatest risks to womens health as we age is a decrease in bone density and the risk of falling and breaking a bone, or three. Bone density typically decreases from your 40's. Strength training can help and so can practicing your balance.

Recommendations:

• Exercises: Incorporate movements like single-leg stands, step-ups, Tai Chi and balance board work.

• Practice: Add single leg exercises, such as lunges or single leg deadlifts into your strength training program to reap the rewards of both modes of exercise. Add a swiss ball or bosu to your core strengthening exercises to challenge balance.

  
  

Agility: Change direction with ease

Being able to transition quickly between movements speeds up your reaction time, preventing falls and enhancing sports performance. If you are still loving your tennis or have picked up paddleball, this type of training will maintain an enjoyable experience.

Recommendations:

• Activities: Cone drills, rope ladder and jump rope all help to maintain the fast twitch muscle that will keep you agile.

• Beginners: This will be one of the more challenging exercise modes so begin with low impact style movements until you feel yourself increasing speed.

  
  

Power: Stay Explosive and Keep that Muscle

Not only do we lose lean muscle as we age, but we decrease the amount of fast twitch muscle fibres which are essential for explosive movements like getting up quickly and moving with agility/speed.

Recommendations:

• Activities: Once you've mastered the bodyweight squat, try a jump squat with a very short pause between reps. Plyometric activities like box-jumps, broad jumps and air jacks also build and maintain power.

• Beginners: Plyometrics aren't beginner friendly but you can build up to them. If you've always wanted to box-jump, watch this "How to" video

  
  

How to Get Started!

Strength Training: Aim to lift weights or build strength with resistance training 2-3x per week. If you a complete beginner to strength training, start with bodyweight exercises 2x week.

Walk Daily: for cardiovascular and stamina benfits as well as mental wellness.

Stretch or do yoga: 10 minutes daily or every other day. Play: Dance, sports, hiking or any form of "incidental" exercise that moves your body in a way that you enjoy.

Embrace Your Fitness Journey

For many midlife women, exercise has been a means to prevent weight gain. Understanding and appreciating the specific modes of exercise and how they benefit health, longevity and weight management can be the catalyst to a long term relationship with exercise.

If there is one thing I know, it's that some form of movement is better than NO movement so chose an activity that you can stick with. If you are struggling to start, or feel demotivated by your current exercise program, the Sexy Ageing app has all the workouts you need, including a special focus on mobility, balance, agility and core. Try the SEXY AGEING APP for 30 DAYS FREE