5 sports that will be especially useful for women after 45 years

Women who decide to engage in sports after 45 years are faced with choosing a fitness direction and finding the optimal load. If you decide to train in the gym, you need to familiarize yourself with the specifics of strength training after 45 years and follow some recommendations. First, let's look at what happens in a woman's body and how age affects susceptibility to stress.

Pilates

All exercises of this type of fitness are done slowly, without overexertion, controlling the depth and rhythm of breathing. Pilates is not a way to quickly lose weight, but a method of restoring muscle balance in the body.

Benefits of functional training:

• restoration of elasticity of the muscles of the back, abdominals, legs;
• normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• deep breathing, which is the basis of Pilates, helps saturate the blood with oxygen, eliminate insomnia, and get rid of feelings of anxiety and restlessness.

“Slow” gymnastics helps maintain weight and helps you lose extra pounds. The training is carried out 2-3 times a week (45-60 minutes each).

Movements can be performed on the back (bridge, leg circles, etc.), stomach (raising the upper body from the floor with emphasis on the palms, plank), standing or in a sitting position. Some exercises require special equipment: an expander, a fitball.

Gymnastic complexes for weight loss and strengthening

What is the beauty of complex gymnastics at home? It is aimed at all muscle groups that women over 40 need to train. If the right complex has been chosen, there is no need to look for new exercises, complex gymnastics can be “done” from time to time, it will not become less effective.

We bring to your attention one of the most effective exercise complexes for women over 40 years old:

1. Warm-up stage. We raise our straight arms above our heads and stretch our bodies upward, as if we want to reach something. We freeze for 10 seconds. We lower our hands down and take a deep breath. We move on to head rotations, doing 15 circles in each direction. We perform circular movements with the body, the pelvis remains in place. Having finished with the rotations, we bend forward, it is advisable to reach the floor with our fingers. We lean forward, then back. Repeating 10-15 times, we bend on the sides. If you experience any unpleasant or painful sensations while performing any exercise from the gymnastics complex for warming up, replace it with another one. Gymnastics should be fun and not bring negative emotions.
2. Let's move on to leg exercises. You need to sit in a half squat and begin to shift your weight from one leg to the other. The knees in a squat should not go beyond the line of the tips of the toes. The next exercise is to perform long steps. We walk as far as possible, without hunching our back, keeping it perfectly straight. After this, we grab the back of the chair for support and swing our legs back, forward and to the sides.
3. For a complex to strengthen your arms, you will need small weights or dumbbells. Choose a weight that you can lift three times for 12 repetitions without severe discomfort. We place our feet shoulder-width apart and hold dumbbells in our hands. We lift them up and bend them at the elbow, moving them back a little. The brush needs to touch the opposite shoulder. This will help tighten the inner surface of the arm, which sag unsightly with age. For the next exercise from the gymnastics complex, you need to sit on a stool, lower your fists with clamped weights down. As you exhale, bend the arm and touch the shoulder with the dumbbell. After 10-12 repetitions, we do not bend the elbow, but raise the straight upper limb to the level of the collarbone.
4. We move on to the stage of strengthening the spine. First of all, we perform energetic bends forward, keeping our back perfectly straight. If you can’t bend too low, don’t worry, the main thing is not to hunch over. For the next exercise, you need to lie on your stomach, arms and legs straight, then begin to sharply raise your extended limbs up. After 10-15 repetitions, hold for 10-20 seconds. Then we sit on the floor, stretch our legs forward and bend forward. For exercises on the floor, you must purchase a gymnastic mat or lay down a blanket; sitting on a cold, hard surface is harmful to women’s health, which is especially vulnerable after 40 years.

Exercises in the gymnastic complex can be varied to achieve maximum results. The main thing is to consistently work out the arms, legs, and back. This complex is aimed at burning fat, which increases with age due to hormonal changes in the body. Its advantage is its simplicity; the complex can be performed at any time and anywhere.

A ride on the bicycle

A daily bike ride (or exercise on an exercise bike) has a restorative effect on the entire body. Rotational movements of the legs, performed in the process of pedaling, are ensured by the work of the muscles of the buttocks, inner and back surfaces of the thighs, and calves.

In addition to weight loss, the benefits of cycling for women are as follows:

• is the prevention of cardiac diseases;
• normalizes the activity of the digestive tract, accelerates metabolism;
• improves lung function, blood circulation (including in the pelvic organs) and the condition of the skin;
• prevents the development of varicose veins, and also stimulates the production of collagen in the body, which ensures elasticity, firmness of the skin and prevents the appearance of wrinkles.

Same, monotonous movements stop the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, so cycling can be considered one of the ways to strengthen the nervous system.

Training is carried out in the morning or evening, starting 4 times a week for 30 minutes, gradually increasing the riding time to 60 minutes (5-6 times every 7 days).

Two sides of fitness

You can talk about the benefits of playing sports for hours. These are toned muscles, a beautiful complexion, elastic buttocks and the absence of orange peel on the thighs. When a woman leads an active lifestyle, she gets tired less and gets more done, and her beautiful posture is always easy to notice from the outside. In addition, the body continues to feel young, actively produces hormones necessary for women’s health, and the period of menopause is postponed for a long time.

But the choice of type of fitness at this age must be taken seriously. Absolutely healthy people over 40 are very rare today. And practicing some types of fitness is a very heavy load on the entire body, which not everyone can do. Therefore, before settling on a specific direction, it is better to find out more about it from a professional trainer and go to a trial training session.

After classes there should not be severe fatigue, and the next day there should be no pain or soreness.

Swimming in the pool

Performing physical exercises in an aquatic environment and swimming in various styles have a beneficial effect on a woman’s psychological state, reducing the likelihood of attacks of depression and causeless mood swings.

Benefits of swimming:

• strengthening the muscle corset;
• normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• increased lung tone and increased ventilation.

Water has a massaging effect on the body, improves blood circulation and lymph flow, due to which the skin becomes elastic, toned, and lipodystrophy (cellulite) gradually “recedes.” Swimming speeds up your metabolism, so this sport helps you lose weight.

They train in the pool at least 2 times a week (session duration – 40 minutes).

55+

This age period is characterized by:

• decreased aerobic capacity;
• decreased performance;
• slowing down the rate of recovery period after physical activity.

Bone fragility develops, movements slow down. But the most unpleasant sign of age is a decrease in the function of muscle fibers, a decrease in their mass and strength.

Stretching

Stretching exercises for all muscle groups of the body are perfect for both women who have been involved in sports throughout their lives, and for representatives of the fairer sex who are far from fitness.

During stretching, metabolic processes are accelerated, the activity of internal organs is normalized, and joint mobility is increased.

This type of fitness helps reduce muscle mass in volume. Stretching perfectly eliminates muscle tension, spasms, and relieves menstrual pain. Performing the exercises does not require special training or special conditions: you can do functional training at home.

Gymnastics are done in the morning, 3-5 times a week (for 30-40 minutes). They begin the exercises with a simple complex, which includes slowly performing various movements (tilting the head, body forward with hands clasping the shins, etc.) while holding the adopted poses for 10-30 seconds.

Why is it important to stay active after 40?

Many people who start exercising after 40 doubt that it will give real results. But research shows that it's never too late to start exercising, and here's why:

• Regular exercise is associated with a reduced risk or delayed development of many diseases, including: heart and blood pressure problems, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, lung, breast and colon cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, joint and muscle pain, etc.
• Exercises increase strength and flexibility, improve coordination and balance. The longer a person stays in good physical shape, the longer they can remain mobile and independent.
• Physical activity has a positive effect on stress levels, improving your mood and increasing the level of endorphins in the body. It's good for the brain because it's associated with a reduced risk of memory loss, dementia, and cognitive decline.
• Because metabolism slows with age, exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight range, which has a significant impact on your quality of life.

How to play sports after forty and what loads to choose? Let's consider several optimal options.

When to expect the first results

An excellent result of a month of persistent strength training is about 400 g of new muscle mass. By building no more than 100 grams of muscle per week, women should not expect immediate visual effects when gaining weight.

The effect of daily exercise on improving tone becomes noticeable after two weeks.

Muscles maintained in constant tension look voluminous and more prominent.

The first results in the gym are achieved most quickly by women who want to lose weight. To do this, you need a training program that combines strength and aerobic exercise, and adherence to a proper diet.

Visible results appear after just a few regular sessions . Reducing your daily calorie intake and high-intensity training can help you lose up to 1 kg of excess weight per week.

The training program in the gym should correspond to the goal that the woman sets for herself. The intensity of classes is selected taking into account the age-related characteristics of the woman’s physiology and physical capabilities.

To ensure that the first results of training are not long in coming, you need to carefully plan and strictly follow your diet. Expert advice will help you avoid mistakes in nutrition and choose the right sports supplements.

Glute bridge to relax the buttocks

Sitting in an office all day can deactivate our glutes, which slows down the body's calorie burning. The hip extension in the glute bridge exercise gets your glutes working and also helps relieve tension after long hours of sitting.

Place your arms at your sides, squeeze your buttocks to lift your hips, and squeeze them at the top again before slowly lowering your hips.

Jennifer Aniston

At 50, the actress is an age-defying queen. She has a strong and toned body and in an interview admits that all this is thanks to boxing classes with her personal trainer.

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Do squats

Let's not hide it, every woman wants to have beautiful rounded shapes in the buttocks area. Even those who got them naturally notice negative changes after forty due to a decrease in muscle mass. If done correctly, squats will strengthen the muscles of the hips, buttocks, back and abs. Moreover, these simple exercises have a beneficial effect on balance and coordination.

Stand straight, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Straighten your shoulders and straighten your back so as not to put unnecessary stress on your lower back. The main rule of squats is that your knees should not protrude beyond your toes. Try to do deep squats. Shift your weight to your heels, only in this case you will work your gluteal muscles well. Start with 20 exercises and gradually increase the number.

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Additional exercises

Not everyone will like the above exercises; sooner or later they will want something new. That's why we provide additional training examples for problem areas.

Legs

Everyone wants to have beautiful legs and a toned butt, especially after 40. The following types of sports exercises will help to get the muscles of the thighs and buttocks in order:

1. Stand up straight, lower your arms. We lunge backwards, bending the front leg strictly at an angle of 90 degrees, the back knee almost touches the floor. Straighten the back leg and bend it again. After 10 repetitions, change legs.
2. Lie on your back, place your feet on the floor. Push off with your feet and lift your pelvis, keeping your back straight. At the same time as you lift your pelvis, extend your straight leg forward. The extended lower limb and back should form one straight line.
3. For the starting position, stand straight with your feet slightly apart. Stand on your left leg and extend your right leg forward. In this position, squat down as deeply as possible. If you have trouble keeping your balance, you can grab the back of the chair, but don’t help yourself up like that. Try to do squats slowly, this will work the muscles better.

Regularly performing these simple exercises will help strengthen your thighs and burn fat. Pelvic lifts will help you form beautiful rounded buttocks.

Other exercises for legs and butts (video):

Hands

Since skin and muscles lose tone with age, it is especially important for women over 40 to exercise them correctly. If you raise your hand at the level of the collarbone and see loose skin, then this area is too relaxed. The following exercises will help you effectively work out the problem area and give your arms a beautiful shape:

1. Working out the wrist joints. We stretch our arms forward and sharply move our clenched fists up and down. The hands move, the forearms and shoulders are in one place. Then you can make circular movements.
2. We stand up straight, put our feet together, raise our hands at the level of the collarbones, press them in the chest and throw them forward with a sharp movement.
3. We lie with our backs on a bench, arms with dumbbells are lowered to the sides, positioned perpendicular to the body. As you exhale, we begin to slowly raise our arms up until both dumbbells touch, then just as slowly lower them down to the starting position.
4. We get into the starting position for push-ups; to work out different muscle groups, you will need to perform two types of exercises in a row. For the first, you need to place your palms on both sides of your chest and press your elbows to your body. We begin to lower ourselves; we must not spread our elbows to the sides, as this will work the wrong muscles. Having completed push-ups with a narrow grip, we move on to a wide one. These are the well-known classic push-ups: arms are spread wide, elbows pointing to the sides. If it’s hard to do push-ups from your toes, get on your knees, the main thing is to go as low as possible; you should feel strong muscle tension.

Additionally, you can try different variations of straight and bent arm raises with dumbbells or weights; all workouts for beautiful biceps and triceps are based on this simple movement.

Even more exercises in the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKG6wNqJ7Co

Spine and back

A sedentary lifestyle leads to the fact that the spine begins to worry in youth, and with age the problem worsens. Proper muscle strengthening will help support the spinal column and prevent it from bending.

1. We lie down on our stomachs and place our hands behind the back of our heads. We begin slow lifts of the body, the chest should come off the floor. At the same time, the muscles of the back and buttocks become tense. Then, keeping your body raised, begin to gradually turn it, trying to get one side as close to the floor as possible.
2. From a lying position on your stomach, you need to rise and bend like a cat, only your fingers and toes touch the floor. After standing in this position for a while, you need to lower yourself back to the original position and repeat the exercise several more times.
3. Stand in the bridge and stand for a while, if everything is fine with a sense of balance, you can gradually transfer the weight from your toes to your palms and vice versa.
4. Starting position on your back. We raise our legs, support our lower back with our palms and stand in a classic birch tree. Then we throw our legs back, it is advisable to touch the floor with our socks. The spine is perfectly stretched and relaxed.

If a woman does not professionally engage in strength sports, she does not need a strong back. The above exercises are aimed not so much at strengthening muscles, but at stretching and relaxing the spinal column. Do them regularly and soon you will forget what back pain is.

We continue to strengthen the back with an effective complex (video):

Press

In the absence of proper training, the abdominal muscles relax; with age, even the flattest tummy begins to sag a little. In women who are predisposed to developing good belly fat, the situation becomes even more dire. The following exercises will help you avoid it:

1. We lie on our backs, bend our legs at the knees and begin the usual lifting of the body. The hands are placed on the back of the head, but you cannot press them too hard from behind, since this will not work the abdominal muscles, but will create a false feeling that the exercise is being performed correctly. You can put your fingers on your temples. We rise so that our head is in line between our knees.
2. Having finished with the usual crunches, we begin to work the oblique muscles. To do this, we turn a little and try to reach the knee with the opposite elbow: the right hand reaches towards the left knee. We alternately twist in one direction and the other.
3. Raise your legs up perpendicular to the floor and begin to slowly lower them. Having reached an angle of 30 degrees, we freeze for a couple of seconds and lower our legs to the end, but the heels do not touch the floor. Hands can be placed either at the back of the head or extended along the body. The second option makes the exercise much easier.
4. The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise, but now we lower not both legs, but one after the other, and stretch our elbows in the opposite direction. If the previous exercise was aimed at working the lower abs, this one trains the obliques.

Gymnastics for the press is performed smoothly and gradually, each movement must be performed correctly. Control your breathing; lift your torso while exhaling.

Another complex for the press (video):

If you train yourself to exercise regularly, your body will become much stronger, muscle pain will disappear, and your figure will tighten up. But regular training alone will not achieve much; control your diet, drink more water, walk in the fresh air and try to be less nervous. Then magical changes will be just around the corner!

Courteney Cox

The actress's personal trainer is Michelle Lovitt, whose clients also include Julianne Moore and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Courtney's workouts include barbell strength training and lots of high-intensity sets.

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Subtleties of female physiology

A woman’s hormonal background affects the results of her workouts in the gym. The female body has low testosterone levels, so gaining muscle mass is slow.

During menopause, women are prohibited from following strict diets that disrupt testosterone production.

Excess estrogen disrupts fat metabolism leading to weight gain and reduces the effectiveness of weight loss programs. Active cardio training, leading to significant loss of body fat, can disrupt the course of menstruation. If they are accompanied by pain, exercise in the gym should be temporarily stopped.