The 4 exercises that are best for you if you have already turned 40

Many people believe that physical exercise it is the short-term and long-term solution to all your health problems, even it can keep us young for longer. Of course, no physical activity can prevent us from aging, since it is inevitable, but there is evidence that certain activities can increase life expectancy by producing a growth of the length of telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes responsible for us getting older and disease appearing.

In this sense, there is an age in men and women that is decisive: 40 years. First of all, be aware that you are no longer as young as before: back pain multiplies, your joints work worse or you feel much more tired than when you were much younger. “There comes a time when we realize that we are no longer invincible “, assures Holly Perkins, American personal trainer, in ‘Prevention’. “Believe it or not, the body begins to lose strength and endurance after age 30, and that decline becomes more progressive as the years go by.”

Go into small batches of high to low effort to strengthen bones and muscles

Next, we will see a series of very useful exercises to curb the chronic diseases that usually appear in this fourth decade of age. These workouts will not only prevent you from these health problems, but also they will also help you feel better and have more energy to face your day to day.

Cardio

If you want to improve your cardiovascular health, the most recommended exercises are the cardio ones, so called because they strengthen the most important muscle in the body: the heart. If you are worried or fear that over the years your arteries will fill with cholesterol, the best thing you can do is running, dancing, rowing or swimming. Everything that involves a slight but continuous effort. Perkins recommends doing one of these activities for at least 30 minutes and three to four times a week.

“Cardio workouts take effort”, recognize the trainer. “But if you take it slowly and with aptitude, little by little you will be able to increase the frequency with which you practice them and accelerate the pace. Your body and heart will appreciate it.

High intensity exercises

Osteoporosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system that causes a decrease in bone mass. Bones become more porous and the number or size of the cavities that exist inside it grows, they become more fragile and therefore resist blows worse, increasing the risk of breakage. To fight against this evil that affects hundreds of people in our country once they are over 40 years old, it is best to practice high intensity exercises once or twice a week.

How? “Through dancing, rope jumping, tennis or interval running”, advise Perkins. The point is to subject your body to small consecutive batches of high to low effort to keep both bones and muscles always strong.

Strength training

In this case, another of the diseases that can begin to develop from the age of 40 it is arthritis. Chronic joint pain and stiffness can affect adults of all ages, especially those who are overweight or have had a previous joint injury. as reported by the Arthritis Foundation. That being said, it is never too late to start protecting your body.

Yoga is very good for reducing anxiety and regulating moods

Strength training is one of the best ways to prevent joint aches and pains. “It has been proven that it reduces the pain associated with arthritis and delays its onset,” explains the coach. You don’t have to spend hours and hours in the gym. “All you need are simple exercises, like squats or lifting weights by the arms every day. “, concludes.

The Yoga

Women between the ages of 45 and 64 are the most at risk of depression, according to ‘John Hopkins Medicine’. Although any form of physical exercise is already worth it to reduce anxiety and combat depression, several recent investigations They point to the great benefits of yoga in reducing stress and regulating mood.

“We know that yoga is very good for reducing anxiety and that there is a correlation between it and moods,” Perkins assumes. “And not only that, certain styles of yoga are a variation of strength exercises in which you lift and bear weight, and even improve cardiovascular health, which makes it the perfect exercise. ”

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