All women feel the changes in our bodies as we age. Sometimes we welcome these changes, and other times we groan and complain about them. I believe an important factor in continuing to feel healthy, successful and strong, is to embrace these changes as they come. If we can learn to grow and flex with these changes, we will learn how to train our bodies better. If we can learn to readjust our goals and train our bodies in the state they are in, we will be better equipped to get our desired results out of our bodies. I read an interesting article on WebMD. It spoke about the different fitness needs our bodies have from our 20s through our 70s and beyond. Here are the bullet points.
During your 20's and 30's:
This is the time to focus on building bone density and a health skeleton. We are still building bone in our 20s, so it's important to do weight bearing exercise. That basically means making your body and muscle work against gravity. This could include walking or jogging for 30 minutes twice a week. It's important to maintain at least 20 - 30 minutes of aerobic activity 2-3 times a week. This will reduce your risk of hypertension, high cholesterol and even a heart attack later in life. Also make sure you are doing some form of strength training to continue developing strong muscles. This will help boost your metabolism, burn calories and keep your body strong.
During your 40's:
Most women in their 40's start to see a significant change in their bodies. There can be a decrease in hormones as menopause approaches (or attacks with a vengance :) ). This can lead to changes in weight as well as affect a women's heart health, bone health and sometimes loss of muscle strength. The best place to challenge these issues in your body is in strength training. A woman can lose 5 - 7 pounds of muscle every decade as well as lose bone density. It's important to do exercises that stress your bones in order to encourage new growth, as well as continue to build strength into your muscles. Meet with a personal trainer to learn a few simple exercises with weights to help develop your muscle strenghth. Continue to do cardio exercise such as power walking 2-3 times per week. Strapped for time because of your busy schedule? Do 2-3 short sessions (20 -30 minutes) a week at a higher intensity. Your body will still get the maximum benefit as long as your kicking it up a notch and feeling your blood pumping.
During your 50's:
In your 50's, you may feel the effects of wear and tear on their bodies. You may also start to feel the loss of muscle strength. It's very important to continue to focus on developing your muscle strength and bone strength. A woman can lose between 7 - 14 pounds of muscle in this decade. It's important to continue with a resistance training routine during this decade to reduce the amount of muscle loss and maintain your physical strength. Continue to incorporate low-impact forms of cardio into your routine (such as swimming, walking, hiking, even dancing) as well as resistance training. These exercises can be done with weights or a theraband.
During your 60's, 70's and 80's:
This is the time in your life when you want your fitness routine to be functional. You want your exercises to imitate movements you do in everyday life (whether it's bending down to pick up a grocery bag, or reaching something off the shelf). It can be as simple as practicing standing on one foot to improve balance. It's also important to focus on stretching. If your muscles become stiff, they will limit your range of movement. The most important thing is that you keep moving, even if it's only a small amount. If you stop moving, it will decrease strength and flexibility and make it increasingly difficult to get up and start moving again. This is also a great time in your life to try a fitness program with some more gentle movements such as tai chi, yoga or Pilates.
If you want to read the full article, copy and paste the following link: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/fitness-for-a-lifetime
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