Importance Of Training In Your 40s

As you get older, it’s important to continue taking care of yourself. If you’ve trained all your life, then we’re sure you understand the importance of training. However, if you’re new to training as you age, let us stress the importance of training in your 40s. 

Body Changes

There are many bodily changes that happen as you age, such as decreased bone density, a loss of lean muscle mass, and a lowered sex drive. There are also mood changes that can occur due to hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone levels changing.

Some of these changes you can’t prevent, like your hormones; however, some you can. If you train into your 40s, you can help prevent the loss of lean muscle mass that occurs as you age and reverse it by working out with the right trainer. 

Bone Density

As you age, you may be extra concerned with your bone density decreasing. Osteoporosis affects 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 5 men who are over the age of 50. This disease is when your bone density and the quality of your bones are reduced.

Osteoporosis translates directly to porous bone and makes bones become more fragile, greatly increasing the risk of fractures. Unfortunately, there are usually no other symptoms until the first fracture occurs.

This is why we’re stressing the importance of training in your 40s, so by the time you reach 50, you’re less likely to be affected by osteoporosis. If you choose to not exercise as you age, you may be negatively affecting your health.  

Lower Metabolism

As you age and slow down, your metabolism slows down as well, which leads to an increase in body fat as well as a redistribution of body fat. This is why we can’t stress the importance of training enough.

If you used to never work out before, and you let your metabolism do all the work, it could start to fail you as you age. This compounds because as you lose lean muscle mass, you burn fewer calories. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. Add this lower muscle mass to an already lowered metabolism, and it’s not a good fit.

Continuous training and the right diet will keep you looking flawless as you, and your metabolism, age.

Sleep Pattern Changes

Sleep can also change as you age and can become more difficult due to changing hormones and life patterns. Exercise can help regulate your sleep pattern, so even with the changes, you’ll still be able to get a good night’s sleep.

Exercise has been proven to improve the sleep you get and helps you sleep more fully throughout the night. If you’re having issues sleeping at night, we recommend trying to exercise for at least 10 minutes during the day and see if you’re getting a better night’s sleep after that.

Job, Kids, & Life Itself

Life can get to you, and it can make you less active as you age into your 40’s. We understand that this period of your life can be overrun and stressful with teenagers, increasing job responsibilities, and a myriad of other circumstances we can’t control.

Something we can control, though, is how we let these things affect our bodies. Exercise is critical to maintain your flexibility and mobility and helps keep your cortisol levels in check. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and as we allow ourselves to get stressed, cortisol causes us to hold on to extra weight, making it harder to get rid of. We want to get that body moving in order to burn calories and beat that stress in order to lower your cortisol levels. 

Trust us when we say we’ve all been there when we really don’t want to work out, but we know exercise will make us feel better, and sure enough, after we’re done we feel great. Personal trainers are a great way to stay motivated to work out. Check out some of the other reasons why you should hire a personal trainer. 

How can you prevent your body changes, lower metabolism, and all the other big life changes from taking over your life? Exercise of course!

Strength Training

Doing strength training with weights will help to build muscles in your 40s and will help to slow down the process of losing muscle mass. Strength training also keeps your metabolism going, as well as preventing osteoporosis. There are many types of strength training, and once you start working out regularly, you’re going to understand why it gets easier as you go. At Peak Physique, we really can’t stress enough the importance of training as you age.

Other Training

Get out and get active. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of an elevator or going for a jog before work, you have to do something. Sign up for that yoga class you’ve been meaning to try out, or try working out at a personal training gym. If you are going to start training on your own, be sure to start slowly, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve last worked out.

Remember, you’re going to be sore, so if you’re planning on working out every day, make a plan and schedule so you’re working on different body parts each day so you give your body a chance to recover. It’s also good to remember, and as we mentioned before, working out alone isn’t enough to stay fit and active. You have to eat right also. Look at the types of foods you’re eating. If they’re overly fat and greasy, your body is going to have a harder time combating that compared to when you were younger.

At Peak Physique, We Know The Importance Of Training

If you’re going to do strength training or any other type of training, we recommend working with a personal trainer. There are many benefits of personal training, and when you don’t know where to start, Peak Physique is here to help!

Contact us today for a free consultation, and let us help you understand the importance of training today! Remember, it’s never too late to start training, whether you’re 18 or 80; we can help you today.