I'm over 40, what kind of exercise is right for me?
This is a question we get asked regularly at the clinic and the easy answer is “it depends”. Depends on what?
- It depends on how old you are,
- what your fitness level is like
- etc, etc,
- most importantly it depends on what your goals are.
Any exercise program should be specific to your particular goals and therefore there is no one size fits all exercise programs. *Your primary care physician should be aware and on board with you introducing physical activity in to your routine.*
We do have some thoughts about what types of exercises are available to us who live here in Bay City.
If you are over 40...
If you are over 40 your goals and sensibilities around exercise are probably different then when you were in your 20’s. The time you have to devote to exercise is maybe less than when you were younger, yet you recognize that the importance of making time is greater than when you were younger.
If this sounds like you, then like us, you want to get the best return on your time and effort investment. To do this there are some basic guidelines that we follow for our own exercise regime. These may work for you or they may not, depending on your specific circumstances.
Above all....START SLOW!
Slow is steady, steady is strong!
Have both Resistance and HIIT training in your program.
Resistance
Benefit #1: Maintaining Muscle Tissue
Around when you turn 30 years old, growth hormones decrease dramatically in the body. Because of this, you could lose about 8-10% of your muscle tissue every decade. Muscles are the basis of your metabolism, so if your muscles decrease by 8-10%, your metabolism will also decrease by 8-10% (often leads to weight gain!).
Benefit #2: Increased Strength
Increased strength allows you to lift heavier objects. Shortly after beginning a strength training program, you will find that daily tasks seem much easier.
Benefit #3: Improved Bone Health
Strength training is effective in increasing bone density and strengthening tendons and ligaments. Developing strong bones reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis and decreases the risk of bone fractures.
Benefit #4: Controlled Body Fat
Did you know that muscle burns three times the amount of calories that fat burns?! The more muscle tone you have, the higher your metabolism will become.
Benefit #5: Decreased Risk of Injury
Improving muscle strength decreases the risk of falling and other related injuries. Developing strong bones and muscles can help to reduce the severity of falls. Increased strength will also allow your body to be more resistant to injuries, and general aches and pains.
High Intensity Interval Training HIIT
HIIT training stands for High-Intensity Interval Training and over the past several years it has become the go-to recommendation for exercise for those over 40 and for those who are interested in modifying or maintaining a leaner body composition.
There are several ways to structure a HIIT style of workout but the thing they all have in common are short burst periods of difficult to very difficult of activity followed by a period of rest or recovery. One Common formula is called a Tabata workout.
The Tabata formula is 20 seconds of intense (nearly all out) exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. Do this for 8 rounds which adds up to a total of a 4 min program. Sounds easy right, nope if you are doing it right it is a long 4 min.
The nice thing about this formula is that it doesn’t matter what your 20 seconds of exercise is. Running 20 on 10 off no problem, Stairs? Yup, how about Burpees? Shure thing. Almost any exercise can be incorporated in the HIIT formula.
Remember: “ALL OUT” is according to YOU, and no one else, so don’t be concern about anything other than giving your all!
Where can I go locally to exercise?
In Bay City we are spoiled for choices on where we can go to exercise. There are lots of places and we am certainly not familiar with them all so this list is by no means exhaustive.
This is a list of local options that we are slightly more familiar with.
1. Dow YMCA
2. CrossFit Bay City
3. Iron Gorilla Gym
4. Old Town Gym
5. Planet Fitness
6. Seung-in Fit Club
Stay Home:
Sometimes this is the only option... life is busy and it can be hard to schedule a workout. So what to do? Put the kids to bed and watch an exercise video?
1. Peloton App: https://www.onepeloton.com/app
2. Blogalaties: https://www.blogilates.com/
3. Beachbody Programs:https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/
Let’s Reveiw...
Where you go is not nearly as important as just getting started. Resistant exercises and HIIT style workouts can be, and should be challenging but not scary. Make sure you consult with a health care provider before starting any type of intense exercise. But once start you won’t look back because you will be too busy doing the stuff you want to do and feeling great doing it.
We recognize that you have a choice of who you trust with your Chiropractic care and would like to thank you for placing your trust and confidence in Lake Effect Chiropractic.
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