Work hard on your fitness and you may just be able to turn back your biological clock....
HEALTH
When I see women in their 40s, working out and leading a healthy and active lifestyle, I’m left in awe of their fit and healthy bodies. These physically strong and energetic women are challenging our pre-conceived notions about middle-aged women. Unfortunately, Pakistani society still hasn’t been used to seeing a 40+ woman working out and talking about leading an active lifestyle. Osteoporosis, slow metabolism, decreased muscle tone and hitting menopause is usually associated with 40 plus women. But researches in the medical and science fields are showing that the seemingly impossible is possible: Work hard on your fitness and you may just be able to turn back your biological clock.
According to WHO guidelines for optimal health, people aged 18-64+ should do at least a total of 150-300 mins of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity in a week and should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity twice or thrice weekly. Spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week or every day. Imagine exercising less than an hour every day to be lean, fit, active, lively and robust for decades to come. Aerobic exercises work on the cardio respiratory (Heart and lungs) system whereas strength training improves the musculoskeletal (muscles, bones, joints) system. Each should be performed as part of a comprehensive fitness program keeping in mind the current fitness level that a person has. If someone has never exercised in their life, they shouldn’t be worry. The great news is that it’s not impossible to start training after 40s. Getting up every day to exercise is something you need to work on. Once you start, nothing should stop you from getting active. Talking to a fitness professional is a great way to embark on this journey and then maintain on your own for life.
Aging is inevitable. Everyone has to age but you can be fit and look good at any age. Do you know that a number of common illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, blood pressure, brittle bones, and fractures are lifestyle-related? They can be controlled if we include exercise in our daily regimen. When we exercise, it triggers repair, renewal and growth at the cellular level in our bodies.
The more we exert our bodies with healthy physical stress, the more our muscles and tissues are rejuvenated. The gains of working out are magnificent! It’s not just a win-win situation for the physical body but it also harmonises the mental health. Exercising sends chemical signals to our brain through which our bodies become lean, powerful and agile. The happy hormones – endorphins lightens our mood and de-stresses our mind. No wonder, a strong body has a strong mind.
Being a fitness trainer I have observed that women usually flock to the gyms during wedding season. They even join programmes like 42 day challenges and restore to crash diets to fit into wedding clothes and survive the never ending, back to back events. However, as soon as the wedding season is over, they go back to their old habits. I believe that if women are consistent in their fitness training and mindful eating daily, there’s absolutely no need to delve into extreme measures or crash dieting at any given time.
For middle aged women, resistance or strength training is the key to feeling younger and healthy. It increases your muscle mass, stamina, improves mobility and functionality, increases bone density, improves cognitive function, boosts metabolism and maintains hormonal balance in the body. Squats, Lunges, push-ups, pull ups, deadlifts, planks are some of the movements performed in a typical strength training plan. A proper periodised programme, including movement sequences for different muscle groups, must be followed keeping your current fitness level in mind. Strength training improves muscular endurance and makes you powerful. However, it is a myth that women must not lift weights. Lifting weights and doing resistance exercises does not turn a woman into a body builder but it makes her body stronger and gives it a good shape. If you make strength training a part of your regular fitness regimen and follow it with consistency then be prepared to have a toner, leaner and a stronger body to show off.
As much as joining a gym would be a great opportunity to include multiple training modalities for both strength and cardio, it shouldn’t stop someone to be active without a gym membership. Brisk walking, jogging or running outdoors/indoors takes your heart rate up and is an excellent form of cardio. Climbing 4-5 flight of stairs at least thrice a day is another aerobic activity which is easily doable. If one doesn’t have stairs at home, a regular stool can be used to climb up and down and accelerate your heart rate. Biking, swimming, jumping rope, heavy cleaning or gardening are some of the examples of aerobic exercises, if done daily for 20 -30 mins, will improve your cardio respiratory health. Regular cardio lowers your blood pressure, maintains your cholesterol, reduces asthma symptoms, aids sleep and improves agility which reduces the risk of falling. Trust me, incorporating cardio in your fitness regimen after hitting 40s is a key to turn back the dial of your biological clock. And who doesn't want that?
My give away message for all 40+ women is to start taking your fitness journey seriously. Instead of getting old and wobbly with bad joints, weak heart and sluggish muscles, start looking after yourselves from today. Set your bodies to a default mode by doing aerobic exercises four days a week and strength training two days a week for the rest of your lives. If hiring a personal trainer is impossible then subscribe to any YouTube channel run by trained fitness professionals and you would be able to exercise in the comforts of your homes. The one thing that pandemic has taught us is to effectively and efficiently work from home. So no excuses, start moving from today and age backwards… All the best!
*Asma Kamran is a professional fitness trainer. She can be reached at asma-kamranhotmail.com