How to Get into the Best Shape of Your Life after 40

August 4, 2021 / 40 Comments

Society has been telling us for generations that once we hit the age of 40, it’s all downhill, including our ability to maintain healthy levels of fitness.

Clearly, there are people around the globe who have thumbed their noses at this message and made it a mission to get into the best shape of their lives in their 40’s and beyond. There is no age limit on making your health and fitness a priority. When we are in our teens, 20’s, and even 30’s, we often fail to account for the aging process as we establish our diet and exercise routines during that first segment of our lives. But what worked for us decades ago may not be the best course of action in midlife. However, many mid-lifers have made it a priority to commit to healthier diets and improving their overall quality of living even after the age of 40.

There has been a long standing myth that losing weight and maintaining healthy levels of fitness become too difficult and often impossible after we turn 40. But science has shown that this is absolutely not the case. While many people in midlife may struggle to lose weight and improve their cardiovascular fitness, there really is nothing in our biology that prevents improvement in our health regardless of how many birthdays we have celebrated. Very often, all it takes is some minor changes in your daily routine to have a tremendous impact on your lifestyle after the age of 40.

Here a few small changes that you can make which will set you on your way to healthier living in midlife.

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*Contributed Content.

Ditch the Car

If you live within walking distance of your place of work, ditch the car and walk or cycle your beautiful self to the office. This type of daily physical activity can reprogram your body. If you maintain consistency, you will start to notice vast improvement in the way you feel even after just a few weeks. And just as quickly, you will notice desired changes in your physique as your muscles start to tone up with the introduction of light exercise.  

Ease into It

Regardless of your age, whenever you decide to start a new exercise routine, it is very important to ease into it. You really do not want to go hell for leather as part of your health kick especially in the beginning. If you haven’t exercised regularly, you do risk injury. And while we do not necessarily need to put age based limits upon our activities, our bodies do heal slower as we get older and nobody has time to nurse an injury that could have been prevented by starting out slow. Take your time as you begin to increase the intensity of your exercise routines gradually. An injury could set you back days, weeks, or even months in your progress so really try to ease into your new exercise program to avoid overdoing it.

If you have not exercised in a great long while, it is always advised to consult with your doctor first to make sure that you do not have any underlying issues that could be aggravated by certain types of exercise. Implementing new physical activities into an otherwise sedentary lifestyle requires some amount of patience. You can begin with some light aerobic training for a few weeks such as walking for about 30 minutes per day. Gradually, you can increase the intensity to more moderate levels such as walking at a faster pace. If you are able, adding in balance exercise, such as a yoga, a few times a week is highly beneficial for joint and muscle flexibility as well as strengthening.

Train Smart

Not all physical training is created equal. Some routines are simply more effective than others. For example, HIIT (high intensity interval training) elevates your intensity level to the highest possible level but for very short intervals of time. HIIT workouts generally include a high intensity exercise for 10-60 seconds with moments of rest between which allow for your heart rate to normalize before elevating it again. Studies have shown that this form of cardiovascular training is better than conventional exercises of longer duration without intervals. 

Another smart training option is a PPL routine. This style of exercise routine allows you to break up your training sessions by focus area according to body part. The idea is to do pulling exercises in workout 1, pushing in workout 2, and then legs in workout 3 for a well rounded exercise routine.

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Do a Combination of Exercises

The real secret to success for healthy fitness after the age of 40 is to combine a variety of different exercises into your routine. Find activities that you enjoy that focus on all the key dimensions of proper fitness such as speed, power, strength, endurance, and flexibility. If you are able, you may want to focus on major muscle groups three times a week for full body improvement.

Define Your Why

When it comes to getting fit after 40, consider the reasons why you want to get fit. Your why is what will motivate you as you progress through your new fitness journey. For some people, it could be as simple as a sudden and renewed interest in fitness and exercise. For others, it may be the desire to get healthier and feel better in your body. Some may have even been directed by their doctors that it is necessary for specific health improvements. Having a reason that is important to you effects a change in your perspective and how you view exercise.

For many years, I hated exercise with a passion and I convinced myself that it was okay as I lived my happily sedentary life. And then I realized that I really felt like garbage. I was overweight, had high blood pressure, and lacked the energy to keep up with my children. At the age of 46, I shifted my perspective to one where I viewed exercise not as a dreadful chore, but as a means to celebrate and respect my body and myself.

I have become dedicated to my daily yoga practices which only became a consistent routine for me since this January. I began my journey with the simple goal of getting reconnected to myself and I ended up losing 25 pounds over the last 7 months. I have increased flexibility and endurance, toned up lots of muscle groups, and completely eliminated the hip pain that tortured me on a daily basis since the birth of my first son over 10 years ago. My blood pressure is back to normal and I feel better at the age of 47 then I ever have in my entire life.

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So definitely look for your why, your reason to start taking action to improve your health and your lifestyle today. As soon as you shift your perspective away from exercise as a dreadful thing to the wonderful benefits of healthy living, you will be on your way to maximum enjoyment of your midlife years and beyond.

How have you been taking care of your body?

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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40 Comments

  • Suzy

    August 4, 2021 at 9:18 am Reply

    Some good advice here, Shelbee. I really need to start doing more cardio exercise but otherwise I think I’m in pretty good shape!
    HUgs
    Suzy xx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 4, 2021 at 9:37 am Reply

      Thanks, Suzy! I definitely need to add some more cardio back into my routine as well. But some of the yoga practices I do kick my butt and then I am too tired for cardio! You look like you are in great shape to me, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Suzy

    August 4, 2021 at 9:41 am Reply

    Aww thanks Shelbee! I’m quite a lazy yoga gal myself lol…. twenty to thirty minutes of calm, relaxing yoga every morning lol! I do a few sun salutations but then I just want to do floor exercises lol
    xx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 4, 2021 at 10:24 am Reply

      Haha, I do like when a yoga practice is all on the floor! I have been trying to do a few vin to yin practices each week so I get some more of the strengthening in. Although I would be content only working on the flexibility part. Ha.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 4, 2021 at 10:21 am Reply

      Thanks, Kathrine! I need to start incorporating some other types of exercises into my routine. I mostly stick with yoga. I don’t know if I would like hot yoga though. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to breathe! But I do enjoy stoned yoga. I feel like the pot acts the same way as the heat and humidity in hot yoga. It helps me relax more and melt into the poses. It also helps my brain to settle in and makes the meditative part of yoga much easier as well. Enjoy your yoga class!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Sheila (of Ephemera)

    August 5, 2021 at 4:03 pm Reply

    I walk everywhere! One of the benefits of not ever having a driver’s licence, although now that we have a car again (after 4 years) I do walk less. I also play Ultimate Frisbee (our season has resumed after 2 years) and that is a joy for me. Finding exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise can be hugely important.

    I think as we get older, into our forties and beyond, we’re more connected, mind and body. We realize what we need to do to bring them into harmony, and we’re more attuned to the effects of our life on our physicality as well as our mental/emotional health.

    I enjoy these articles, Shelbee – they make me think! Thank you. 🙂

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 5, 2021 at 4:32 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Sheila! I agree with you completely that we are better able to harmonize our bodies, minds, and souls as we gain more life experience through the years. And I am all for exercise that feels more like a fun activity than actual exercise! You see, it is just that tiny little shift in perspective that makes yoga so enjoyable for me. I also try to walk my kids to and from school when the weather permits it, but I could probably add even more walking into my routine. But I do get lazy! I love that you play ultimate frisbee as part of your exercise routine! And good on you for walking more and driving less, not only for the personal health benefits, but for the environmental benefits as well.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Linda S

    August 6, 2021 at 1:37 am Reply

    Great advice, Shelbee! I am way past 40, but it’s never to late to begin improving your quality of life, right?
    I will read through again as I set goals for getting healthier as summer comes to a close.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 6, 2021 at 9:39 am Reply

      Linda, thanks so much! It really is never too late to begin any new healthy journey in life! The only thing I feel too old for at 47 is pulling an all-nighter! Haha. But I was never great at those when I was younger either. I am so glad that you found this article to be a helpful resource. Have a lovely weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 7, 2021 at 10:41 am Reply

      Ratnamurti, thank you so very much for this lovely comment! For years and years, people encouraged me to start yoga and I resisted for so long thinking that I just couldn’t do it. But I started out very slowly and continue to build and now I can’t imagine my life without it!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Niki

    August 9, 2021 at 12:50 am Reply

    Great ideas and tips! Keeping WHY you’re trying to get in shape is so important. I noticed a huge difference in my willpower when I keep why I want to get skinny again in the forefront of my mind! Thanks for sharing on Traffic Jam Weekend at Life as a LEO Wife!

    Niki
    https://LifeasaLEOWife.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 9, 2021 at 11:13 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Niki! The why that drives us is so important! When I looked at exercise as something that I had to do to because the doctor said so, it was dreadful and I never wanted to do it. Because I wasn’t doing it for me. Once I shifted my why, it really does make all the difference in the world! The right reasons generally generate the right outcomes, I think.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Michelle Kellogg

    August 9, 2021 at 2:51 pm Reply

    This was exactly what I needed to see. I’m 44 and this past year definitely threw out all of my daily activity (as they were all outside) plus homeschooling two kids took time away from exercise. Now that things are starting to get back to somewhat normal I have been starting to take walks every morning like I used to and once a week I go for a hike on my favorite trails. It’s hard to get motivated though after so long stuck at home so it’s been a process. But I needed to read this post here to help with my motivation and inspiration. thank you! #AnythingGoes

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 9, 2021 at 3:35 pm Reply

      Oh wow, Michelle, thanks so much! I am so glad that you found inspiration in this post. I totally relate to your struggle, being 47 and having home schooled my two little ones for the past two years. It really does take away from our very important self care activities. I just make sure to make time for at least 40 minutes of yoga nearly every day whenever I can fit it in. And it really has worked wonders for my both my physical and mental health. I figure any little bit that I can add in is more than I have been doing…it’s a slow and steady process, for sure. I hope you have an amazing week ahead and I wish you a renewed motivation in your exercise journey!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Chickenruby

    August 11, 2021 at 5:51 am Reply

    Well done with the weight loss. I managed to loose 8lb during lockdown, then I stopped smoking, put on 16lb and managed to get back down to my original weight and have got stuck, then my cholestoral went up. I gave up. Am ready to start looking after myself again and it will prodiminately involve dog walking. Thanks for linking with #pocolo

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      August 11, 2021 at 10:35 am Reply

      My weight has been a similar up and down thing for quite a few years, Suzanne. But as long as I keep doing something on a regular schedule, I have been able to drop a few pounds, then maintain for a while, drop a few more, gain a few, drop a few, gain a few…you know how it goes! I think dog walking is an excellent way to incorporate some exercise into your routine! And the way I see it, it’s better than not moving at all! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your journey!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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