Fitness for women over 50 is not only a way to look better, but also a way to maintain your youth for a long time. Already at an early age, physically less active people experience problems with muscles. Some muscles are overloaded, others are atrophied. Back pain, tension and lack of mobility are the result of all this.
As age increases, complaints accumulate. Anyone who keeps their body in shape has a good chance of avoiding these negative consequences for a long time and remaining mobile. Therefore, regular exercise is important even in old age.
What should workouts be like after 50 years?
Most of us know intuitively that exercise is beneficial, but once you find the right workout routine, it's critical to stick to it. Jordan D. Metzel, a sports physician who specializes in endurance training, says that instead of prescribing a specific training regimen, he encourages his patients to find what works for them personally. “The ideal exercise for you is actually what you do!” Experts say that you can get the most benefit from your workouts by doing 150 minutes a week moderately or 75 minutes a week vigorously. If you are just starting to exercise, first check your health and consult with your doctor, but otherwise everyone can remain active and feel good as they age.
Here are 10 facts about exercising after 50 that may help you rethink your approach to health and weight loss.
Exercise for obese women
Exercises for obese women after 40 years of age do not differ in their structure and set of exercises from a similar set of exercises for people with a standard body constitution. It is possible to reduce the level of subcutaneous fat by performing classic athletic and gymnastic movements.
The main feature of complexes for losing weight at home is the psychological factor. Women need to find and maintain strong motivation from the first workouts so as not to quit playing sports.
- Press crunches. These can be straight or reverse crunches. With a high level of training, you can perform a combined version.
- Hyperextension while lying on your stomach. The legs and chest are lifted off the floor surface and fixed at the top point for 1-2 seconds.
- Squats. You can use additional weights.
- Knee push-ups from the floor.
Build muscle to avoid injury.
Adults over 20 years old lose 2 to 3 kg of muscle mass during each of the following decades. Recent studies have shown that most of the muscle loss associated with age is actually caused by physical inactivity. Fortunately, resistance training can reverse this process by increasing the size of muscle fibers. Strength training increases bone mass and density, protecting against osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones more fragile and prone to fracture. The American Journal of Medicine recently reported that people with higher muscle mass index live longer. So go out and pump up your muscles!
Features and benefits of morning exercises for health, mood and weight loss
Exercise is an integral part of the morning ritual for women over 40 who want to minimize the impact of age-related changes on their well-being and appearance. Morning physical activity cannot completely eliminate the factor of age-related changes, but with regular performance of special exercises, you can achieve a significant improvement in health, mood and body shape.
Improving the quality of life in women after 40 years of age through physical exercise is expressed in the following:
- Increased muscle tone. Gymnastics helps maintain the elasticity of muscle fibers.
- Acceleration and normalization of metabolism. It is possible to maintain optimal metabolism in the female body by following the rules of nutrition and physical activity.
- Improved blood flow. Aerobic exercise helps develop capillary networks in human soft tissues. This contributes to a high-quality supply of oxygen to the organs and systems of the body.
- Reducing the risk of slouching.
Morning exercise promotes the production of the hormone endorphin. It has a positive effect on the emotional and psychophysical state of a person. Exercising in the morning improves overall well-being, helps you wake up faster, and gives you a boost of vivacity and energy for the whole day.
Do stretching exercises to maintain flexibility.
On days when you're recovering from intense workouts, enjoy exercise that keeps your body flexible. Ruthie Fraser, structural integration specialist and author of Stack Your Bones, emphasizes that stretching is extremely important. “ As we age, we become shorter, so it is useful to do this exercise every day: place a roller under your shoulders and stretch your back on it, increasing the flexibility of your shoulders and spine
" Aging doesn't have to be painful; if you're strong and flexible, you'll always feel like you're 35 or even 20!
Chinese gymnastics
Among the areas of morning exercises for women after 40 years, a special place is occupied by methods of training the body and spirit from China.
tai chi
Thai Chi is a type of static-dynamic load.
The main principles of the exercise are:
- Smoothness of movement.
- High level of coordination.
- Continuity.
- Softness.
Chinese Tai Chi gymnastics does not burden the human cardiovascular system. It is necessary to perform a set of exercises in the morning and on an empty stomach.
| Breathing exercises 20-25 repetitions | Sitting on the floor with your legs crossed. Hands on knees. The back is straight. In this position, take a deep breath and exhale. As you inhale, the belly rounds and the diaphragm relaxes. As you exhale, the diaphragm is tense and the stomach is retracted. |
| Development of the shoulder girdle 15-20 times | Performed while standing. The body is straight. The hands are joined behind the back in a lock. It is necessary to alternately stretch the corresponding limbs to the right upward and to the left upward. |
| Lower back 15-20 repetitions | The body is slightly tilted forward. Hands on the lower back. If there is static tension in the muscles of the lower back, it is necessary to massage the area along the spine from top to bottom. |
| Legs, buttocks, chest and arms 15-25 times | Squats with circular movements of the arms. Feet shoulder width apart. Hands in front of the chest, palms open and facing away from the body. The downward movement is combined with straightening your arms in front of you. The upper and lower limbs move synchronously and reach the final point at the same moment. |
Qigong
Chinese gymnastics Qigong is a type of static load. It allows you to strengthen the muscles of the whole body without loading the joints and cardiovascular system of a person. For this reason, Qigong is often recommended for older people. Breathing practices occupy a special place in the training methodology.
- Shaolin pillar. The initial position is similar to the position of a person sitting on a chair. Legs bent at the knees, thighs parallel to the floor. The feet are slightly turned outward and located slightly wider than the shoulders. The back is straight. Chin raised. Hands are brought together in front of the chest, palms down. The upper arm and forearm are almost parallel to the floor. Exercise allows you to strengthen the muscles of the whole body and helps maintain correct posture.
- The tough guy crouches and gets up. From a standing position, squat down with your feet shoulder-width apart. At the bottom, your thighs should be parallel to the floor. The arms are bent at the elbows. The hands are clenched into a fist.
- Dantian pats. Position of the Shaolin Pillar. Hands are brought together at the bottom of the abdomen. Circular movements are carried out with the arms through the sides. The hands are connected at the top point above the head. All movements of the limbs are carried out slowly on a count of 5.
- Cinnabar Palm Strike. Body position Shaolin pillar or standing vertically on two legs, one of which is brought forward for better balance. The arms are slowly straightened at chest level. The palms are open and facing away from the body. At the end point you need to fix the position within a few seconds.
Pilates
Pilates is a type of static-dynamic exercise. Exercises using this method are performed slowly with strict adherence to the rules of technique for their execution.
The main principles of Pilates are:
- Focus on your own body during training.
- Development and strengthening of core muscles. The abdominal and lumbar spine muscles are involved in most of the exercises in this training method.
- Proper deep breathing. It helps implement other principles such as concentration and control.
| A hundred | Performed while lying on your back. Legs raised and knees bent. Hands along the body are pressed to the floor. It is necessary to simultaneously raise your arms. The body position does not change. |
| Raising arms and legs | Performed from a position on all fours. A woman exercising straightens her opposite leg and arm until it is parallel to the floor. |
| Hyperextension | From a position on your stomach, you need to lift your legs off the floor and fix them in a canopy. The chest and head are also in a suspended state. Movements are carried out with the arms, bringing them together in front of the head and bending the elbows at the sides. |
| Bridge | Lying on your back, bend your legs and rest your feet on the floor. The arms are lowered along the body, palms down. From this position, the pelvis is lifted until a straight line of knees-pelvis-chest is achieved.
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Exercising improves memory.
As a corporate health and fitness program developer, Debi Conoscenti is excited about new research that links physical activity to improved memory and cognitive recovery. Earlier studies of yoga and cycling also show this connection. One study found that regular aerobic exercise appears to increase the size of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in word memory and learning. Moreover, cardio exercise “stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and even the formation and maintenance of new brain cells.” So, when you keep yourself in good shape, not only does your muscle function improve, but your brain function improves as well!
Contraindications
Although the undoubted benefits of physical activity have been proven a long time ago, despite all the possible positive effects on health, fitness should be abandoned in the following cases:
- Hypertension.
- High body temperature, regardless of the cause.
- Menstruation, which is more painful than usual and accompanied by heavy discharge.
- Any period of pregnancy and at least six months after childbirth. In this case, physical activity is not excluded, but requires the development of an individual, carefully thought-out program.
- Bronchial asthma.
- Problems with the cardiovascular system, including previous heart attacks, strokes, congenital heart defects.
- A history of spinal and head injuries. Any fractures and cracks are especially dangerous.
- Previous surgery. You need to wait at least six months for classes.
We also recommend looking at the article: Is it too late to give birth after 40: what doctors say and reviews from women
But this does not mean that the above contraindications doom you to a sedentary, passive lifestyle. You just need to think through physical activity more carefully and first consult with your doctor.
Are there methods to safely lose weight?
With age-related changes, nutritionists strongly recommend not trying to lose weight with radical diets and intense strength training.
The safest, relatively quick and effective way to lose weight after 50 is by adjusting your diet. It is worth switching to eating natural products and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet.
It is recommended to exclude the following foods from your diet:
- water with gases, for example, Coca-Cola contains 10 sugar cubes in 0.33 liters;
- baked goods, for example, pastries contain 400 calories per 100 g, the high carbohydrate content easily turns into fat deposits;
- fried food is difficult for the body to digest and adds extra pounds;
- high fat dairy products;
- sweets.
An equally safe method of losing weight after 50 is physical activity. However, not everyone will experience positive health outcomes at this age.
Trainers recommend low-intensity exercises that are performed at a low pace. They do not injure the body and stimulate the muscles.
It is also recommended to add to the complex for weight loss the use of herbs that will reduce the feeling of hunger, these include:
- flax-seed;
- dried seaweed;
- Caucasian hellebore;
- common dandelion;
- burdock root, etc.
Attention! Before consuming herbs, you should consult a specialist to ensure there is no allergic reaction.
Fat burners help a woman lose belly fat after 50 years. Read more about them in our material at the link.
