Midlife Is the Time to Move, Strengthen Muscles, and Stretch More
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise a week for adults up to age 64. That works out to about 30 minutes a day, five to seven days a week. It’s also recommended that adults do muscle-strengthening exercises, focusing on all areas of the body, at least two days a week. And in midlife, it’s important to incorporate stretching both before and after physical activity to better prepare the body for a strong workout.
Here are four tips on how to exercise smarter in midlife.
1. Amp Up Aerobic Exercise to Help Decrease the Risk of Heart Disease
As you get older, your risk of having heart disease increases. While men are more likely to have a heart attack than women, it’s important to stay as heart-healthy as possible. One way to do that is to keep doing or build up to doing those recommended amounts of aerobic exercise each week; aerobic activity helps build the heart muscle by getting it to pump faster.
A research study published in 2018 found that people in their fifties who exercised for about 30 minutes on most days for two years improved their fitness levels (they were previously sedentary or exercised just a little) and reduced heart stiffness, which improved heart health.
To mimic this, start or continue to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, running, biking, or dancing. Then build up weekly workouts to the levels of study participants. Their routines included:
One high-intensity aerobic session
Two or three days a week of moderate-intensity exercise
At least one weekly strength-training session
At least one long session of aerobic exercise a week
Participants built up to those activity levels, beginning with three 30-minute moderate exercise sessions for the first three months, after which high intensity exercise was included.
Recent studies show that both moderate and vigorous exercise are effective, but that to lower the risk of death from heart disease, you might need to clock more minutes than what the WHO and CDC recommend.
Note that if you experience any abnormal pain or discomfort while exercising, consult a healthcare professional to avoid further injury.
2. Build Your Bones With Strength Training
Especially after ages 40 to 50, your risk of breaking a bone increases because of bone loss that occurs as estrogen levels drop at menopause. Women, who typically have thinner bones than men, are more likely to deal with osteoporosis, which is weakened bones.
Certain exercises go a long way to strengthen muscles, which can help prevent falls, and therefore broken bones. They also help maintain better posture, strength, flexibility, and movement. These moves should be done along with strength training, which uses weights to build muscles, along with aerobic exercise.
One such move is the toe-heel raise, which makes the lower legs strong and improves balance:
Stand straight; hold on to the back of a chair. Do not bend at the waist or knees.
Rise up on your toes, then lower until your feet are flat; tip back on your heels, then lower until flat again. That’s one repetition. Each time you rise up, imagine the top of your head is being drawn toward the ceiling.
Repeat 10 times.
Hold onto the chair as little as possible to challenge your balance skills.
Repeat toe raises and heel raises once every day.
3. Move More for Mental Health and Mood Benefits
Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you think you are experiencing symptoms of depression. If you aren’t regularly clocking 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on most days, experiment with moving more. Try jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, or dancing for at least 10 minutes and see if your mood improves. Aim to build up to 30 or more minutes a day if you can.
4. Incorporate Interval Training Into Workouts to Ease Menopausal Symptoms
The years leading up to menopause, known as perimenopause, are characterized by hormonal changes that can cause hot flashes, sleeplessness, and irregular periods. While exercise doesn’t prevent these unpleasant symptoms, cardio exercise can help reduce weight or maintain a healthier weight (leading to lowered risks of developing certain cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes), as well as lower stress levels. Menopause is also a time when the body retains more fat in the abdominal area, and regular exercise can help keep belly fat at bay.
Interval training, in which you exercise at a healthy rate, then increase the intensity for a short sprint, then repeat, is often recommended around menopause. One example is walking for five minutes, then jogging for one minute, then walking again, repeating the minute of jogging for several intervals. Research also cites the importance of exercise during and beyond menopause to maintain optimal health during this period.
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