Exercise

Towards the end of last year, I started a small fitness routine that I’m happily still engaged in up to now.  Every once in a while, I get these bursts of vigor and vitality from I don’t even know where and I find myself going to the gym for as many as four continuous months, after which I completely burn out and stay away from the gym for the next two years.  I know, this is obviously not the recommended way to exercise, but this is what I am able to do with my busy schedule working full time and caring for my kids.  The good news is that those few months of intense physical activity that I engage in are not totally wasted.  The next time I get the energy to restart the cycle, I find that it’s much easier to build up my muscles as whatever had been there before is usually not too far underneath the surface.  I have come to conclude that this is my natural cycle and so I try to work with it rather than fighting it.  When I have the energy, I engage in exercising.  When the energy runs out, I stop knowing that sooner or later it will come back. 

As a woman in my forties, what I am currently focusing on is strengthening the muscles on my legs, my stomach, my core and my bust.  If you like, you could focus on other areas such as your back, your arms, your shoulders, etc. 

My routine is very simple.   I work out three times a week and do two sets of 15 repetitions each of the following exercises:

As a woman in my forties, what I am currently focusing on is strengthening the muscles on my legs, my stomach, my core and my bust. 

• Squats
• Lunges
• Planks
• Leg raises
• Upright push-ups

Squats and lunges are useful in keeping thighs and butts firm but in my case, I’ve noticed an additional benefit in that I have a tendency to get knee pains every once in a while, and doing squats and lunges seems to work in alleviating the pain and keeping it at bay for long periods of time.  A common complaint many people have as they grow older is that the muscles around the knee area start atrophying, leaving the knee looking as if it’s jutting out (this is common in both women and men as they get older).  I had started noticing this particular problem myself, but I’m happy to report that after a few weeks of squats and lunges, this is starting to improve.

Planks and leg raises are wonderful for keeping the stomach area toned.  I’ve always had this little ‘pouch’ on my lower stomach which I know a lot of women have (and this is made worse by childbirth); by doing planks and leg raises, this has reduced considerably.  Planks are also good at strengthening your core, which is important for good posture and balance – very important as we start to age.

The upright push-ups are good for keeping the bust toned, which is obviously a concern for women as they age.  If you want more attention on this area, bench presses would be a good idea but you would need to go to a gym for proper equipment.  I am currently working out from home and so I prefer the upright push-ups as they are easy to perform and don’t require any equipment.

You can modify this routine to whatever works best for you.  You could reduce or increase the number of times per week you work out, you could increase the sets or reduce the reps especially in the beginning when it might be a bit harder to manage.  I find though that 15 reps are the best for getting quick results.

Diet

What I find most effective in keeping my weight stable is to eat three meals a day without snacking in between while keeping the last meal of the day as light as possible. I’m not an advocate of dieting because diets are hard to maintain over the long term simply because you are working against your body’s natural desires.  You have to keep fighting to avoid eating this or that thing that your body really desires.  And we all know that the more you tell your body no, the more it wants that very thing you are trying to deny it.  Keeping fit in your forties needs you to have very simple practices that you can maintain over the long term without stressing yourself.  I don’t cut out anything from my diet, I just eat in sensible portions, enough to make me feel full and no more.  I also tend to eat only when I’m hungry.  In other words, I don’t eat lunch just because it’s 1pm.  I wait until I feel hungry then eat, whether that’s at 2 or 3 pm.  That way, whatever I eat is quickly used up as energy by the body.  If you’re able to, eat your last meal of the day early i.e. around 6-7p.m..  Don’t eat late at night as the body burns calories much slower when you’re asleep, meaning whatever you eat late at night will likely end up being stored as fat in the places you don’t want it to be stored.  Last but not least, reduce or cut out your alcohol intake and stop smoking if you do.  These two are major culprits in making us age much faster than we need to.

I would love to hear what things you do to keep fit in your forties, especially those things that are simple yet work well and would benefit other people as well.  Feel free to write back and let me know!