In your 40s
"Everything is pretty good until about 35," says Karen Hambly, senior lecturer in sports therapy at London Metropolitan University.
After that, it gets that much more challenging to keep fit, maintain perfect health without sore joints, or to build bodily endurance. Therefore, it's important to do some short and intense bursts of activity throughout your 40s.
The curse of being 40 appears even for middle-aged men, as many of them have lots going on with their families (teenage children) and jobs (younger employees flooding into the company). Therefore, many usually skip the workout program. They kill time after work by turning into couch potatoes with beers in hand, and watching sports on TV instead of doing them. But, this is one of the most important times to invest in exercising.
To make sure that you take the workout thing seriously and do productive exercises, organize some group activities with friends or collogues. Whether it is rowing in a city park, regular swimming, or a triathlon, don't forget to do some strength training. This way, you can lose weight and develop the whole body.
In your 50s
This is a decade of worries, when a slowed metabolism increases body fat. "After 40 and certainly after 50, virtually all women find that they gain fat more easily in the torso—below the bra, through the tricep area, on the back, and in the belly," says Pamela Peeke, MD and author of Body for Life for Women. "You're not doing anything wrong; your body composition is just changing."
Given that lung function declines with age, especially in your 50s, it is uniquely important to maintain cardiovascular fitness. Swim, cycle, or use an indoor rower if your knees are painful. Also, this is an age to undergo gait analysis. This involves running on a treadmill aided by computer software and assessing postural abnormalities.
Strength training is necessary with rubber resistance bands repeated 20 to 30 times or lighter weights instead.
As we approach retirement age, this investment into later life is a must. Signing up for a morning exercise class or hiring a specialist for weekend training is also recommended.
