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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]40s is a difficult age for women – growing children, ageing parents and a career to take care of. And our physiological clocks keep ticking, we are continuously losing muscle mass, strength stamina, endurance and balance. And these are the inching years towards menopause as well.
Women are doing many things wrong which makes a difficult situation worse. Women of this age group often exercise less. There is significant weight gain in population entering menopause as they exercise less. As metabolism drops women are not adjusting their calorie intake properly.
Fitness during 40s not only helps deal with present day challenges but also prepares body and mind for future towards a smoother transition into menopause.
Here are the three things which are a must do for women in their 40s:
1.Exercise : Exercising regularly is a no brainer. However, women are struggling to identify the right exercises to do. Many women of this age group resort to walking in India. Though I have nothing against walking, it does not give all the benefits one needs. A good exercise program must include components of Endurance, Strength, Balance, Flexibility and Posture.
a) Endurance thrice a week for 30 – 45 mins : swimming, cycling, zumba, step aerobics.
b) Strength : Any kind of resistance training – either using body weight or external weights twice a week for 30 – 45 mins. For beginners I would suggest body weight exercises. Few good exercises for beginners are Glute bridge, Plank, wall squats, flying cobra pose, wall pushups and leg curls.
Leg muscles and back muscles provide balance and stability against gravity. Hence, one will automatiwhatsappy see improvement in balance with increase in strength of leg muscles.
c) Posture – Stick ups are a great way to get a good spinal alignment. Do them regularly.
d) Flexibility – Yoga once a week for 30 – 45 mins or stretches are the best ways to enhance flexibility. After every strength routine, stretches can be incorporated to improve flexibility.
A suggested routine – Monday, Wednesday,: Strength followed by Stretches Thursday, Saturday – Endurance Friday – Yoga Sunday – Rest.
2.Calorie control – As we age, our calorie requirement decreases. So reducing the portion size while on a balanced diet helps keep weight under check. As an example, if you are used to eating one meal with 2 chapatis, 2 sabji, 1 bowl salad, 1 bowl curd, 1 bowl daal. Ideal thing to do would be to split this meal into 2 and have at a gap of 2-3 hours.
One great way to control calories and improve digestion is by eating smaller portions every 3-4 hours.
One mistake I commonly witness among women is not eating enough for the fear of putting on weight. Counter intuitive it may sound but this hinders the fatloss process.
3.Rest enough: Sleep deprivation leads to many complications that affect the physical and the mental well being. Target atleast 8-10 hours of sleep daily.
40s is a new beginning and the reset button is in your control. Help spread this message in the interest of the women in their 40s.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]