How to stay fit and healthy is discussed mostly in doctor’s offices, social groups and between friends by men over 40.
Once you hit 40, things don’t tend to work the same compared to when you are 25...you lose muscle mass gradually, your muscle take a longer time to recover, and your aerobic capacity is reduced. Plus you can be complaining that you no longer can climb flight of stairs due to uncomfortable knee, back or hip pain.
You can avoid this physical declination by remaining active as you age. It does not mean you should slow down in the gym, just make a few changes to your exercises and routine and you will be good to go.
Don’t limit yourself from normal activities. Base your fitness program on your goals and fitness level than on how old you are.
1) You need to define your goals and work towards them
What are your goals? How will you achieve them? Do you wish to work on your weight by losing some pounds or you want to run long distances? You may have the goal of working on increasing your endurance capacity, or you might want to increase your muscular strength. No matter the case, goal setting is very important for you to stay fit.
Regardless of your age, your aim is to take a step forward to achieve overall health. Exercise will help you increase your overall energy levels and decrease fatigue.
2) Find activities that are convenient for you
Do what you like, what you enjoy the most. Do what you can at your own schedule time. If you are the type of person that played baseball back in the days, join an adult baseball team close to your home.
And if you are not the type but you love to sing or dance, sign up for a class. Don’t do something you don’t enjoy because it affects you morally and physically. For instance, many people find jogging or walking boring while others like it.
If you’re one of them, planning a running program means setting yourself up to failure. Do what is easy for you, what you like and can also have a positive impact on your health.
As you are getting old, your workout plans might not stable, you need to know the level of your current fitness. It might be cardiovascular fitness, body composition, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, nutrition program with other factors that evaluate these.
It's better to get a personal trainer that can do these things for you. After getting the status of your fitness, the next thing is how you are going to improve on it. You have to ask yourself what do you want to improve about your physique?
What gets you out of bed in the morning and many more. Write everything on paper, don’t just think about it or say it out loud. Look out for what motivates you, write it down and read it day by day. This will help you to achieve your goals, improving your focus and drive little by little.
4) You must live a comfortable life
You must be realistic to yourself on scheduling a workout program and commit to it on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Do you wish to wake up early and get to the gym before you go to work or do you wish to do some lifting in the evening?
Make sure you do all these at your own convenient time without any stress. If you’re new to exercise, don’t start by joining a group of gym-rats that lift 100-pounds dumbbells. Join a low-key group like a walking group to start with.
However, if you are used to an intense level of exercises but you just relocated to a new place you will be bored with any activities going around you. Go out and find like-minded athletes of your category to work with.
5) Filter out the unnecessary activities and increases your recovery time
As you are getting older, you need more recovery time after doing a series of workouts. Give yourself enough time to rest and recover. It will make you stronger and healthier.
Do activities that work moderately for your body and don't over-train. Single-arm high cable curls will do little for your overall physique. Filter out the little fluff exercises and focus on the big, compound, multi-joint lifts that work more muscles in one shot. Bench presses, squats and deadlifts will reshape your body in less time than any machine exercises.
6) Regulate your nutrition program
You need to monitor your diet. There are some things you need to be aware of. Your nutrition program will be different from someone who is younger than you. Not that you will eat less compared to someone who is of younger, but there are certain aspects you need to take care of.
First of all you may need to alter your total sugar intake and other foods that are not suitable for your age. If you are confuse on how to monitor your diet as you are getting old, you can consult a nutritionist or your doctor to prepare a well-planned diet program because eating a lot of junk foods will affect your health negatively.
7) The most important thing is to check with your doctor
As you are getting older, your doctor will tell you that it is time to get active to protect your body from gaining weight or increasing typical health problems that can develop as you grow older.
If you have any existing health conditions or you’ve been inactive for a long time, you need to check with your doctor before you start any workout program.
Bottom line
If you’re over 40, it’s time for you to think on how you can stay fit and healthy with the ability to make the needed changes, including your current nutrition, workout program, supplement program and habits.
Don’t begin with the gym, start with exercise. Doing different kinds of exercises that raise your heartbeat rate for 30 minutes per day is okay. You can walk around your neighborhood, jog, go cycling with the children, bounce on an exercise ball, trampoline, row or many others.
Eat more whole grains, vegetables and fruits, drink 8 to 10 glasses of water per day and avoid the excess of salt, sugar and fats.