Once you hit the 40’s, apart from the ‘old’ jokes that come trickling in, you will also hear your doctors advising you to engage in some kind of exercise. The mid-life as it is commonly known, the fourth decade is a time when your body undergoes changes, hormonal or otherwise. Chances are, you’ll wake up one day and realize from within that your body is not the same. For women, it might be around the time you hit menopause and for men, the feeling that you’re no more macho will crash down upon you! Either way, mood swings and a general feeling of deterioration will seep in….the best way to get a grip on it- start (or continue) exercising.
One of the main reasons of exercising in your 40s is the tendency to gain weight due to the hormonal and biological changes that are taking place within your body. To avoid losing total control of your body, move as much as you can; in the sense, schedule a walk either outdoors or on the treadmill. Burn off any excess fat. Diets are said to wreck the body’s metabolism and that being said, dieting is not advisable during your 40’s. Eat and exercise should be your new motto. Now, if you’ve been exercising since your younger days, you will notice (rather painfully), that you can’t keep up with your erstwhile regime. It’s important that you don’t push yourself and take a minute and listen to your body. Modify your requirements according to your age. Don’t ignore and pain or problem and don’t hesitate to drown your doctor in a flurry of phone calls over any discomfort you might experience.
The best way to stick to an exercise routine is to choose an activity you like. Be it sweating it out in the gym, or doing a few laps of the pool or even cycling over set distances, it’s important that you exercise because you want to and not because you need to. If you make it more of a compulsion, it’s likely that you won’t stick to it very long and if there’s anything worse that no exercise, it’s an incomplete one! That being said, you can switch from one activity to another, provided it’s to keep you motivated and engaged. Stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while is a good thing, so long as it goes in your favour. Remember to listen to your body.
Two of the best things that you can do while keeping fit in your 40’s is finding people in your age group who are as motivated as you and to refrain from checking emails, answering phone calls or updating statuses when you’re exercising. Set aside an hour or two for exercise daily and within that time cut yourself off from all distractions. When exercising with a group of like-minded people, it’ll be easier to not give in to the urge of checking your phone along with productively working towards a healthy 40’s.
