How to Stay Fit Beyond 40
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How to Stay Fit Beyond 40
Most people believe that once you hit 40, feeling fit and young is long gone. Poor diet and little to no exercise attributes to those feelings as well. Once you reach your senior years, taking care of yourself is important to ensure a good quality of life.
Staying fit beyond 40 is not just something popularized in the media, but it is something you can do by having appropriate expectations.1, 2
- Expect to work on your mental health to stay fit
Your attitude very well can affect how fit you remain. When you go about finding ways to improve your health, especially for health, be open to change, rekindle, or start new passion projects, do not obsess over ideal standards determined by popular media, and never be embarrassed to ask for assistance. Unless you are the only person on earth, you will most definitely have people involved in your life so keep in touch with them, learn from them (you can even do fitness programs together), impart wisdom, and let those who grow apart go.1, 2 - Expect to work on your gut health!
An unhealthy gut is known to cause systemic inflammation, which hinders your fitness level. Regular gut pains, excessive gas, heartburn, and bathroom trips affects other areas of life by taking away time to properly manage them. Gut health can be improved with regimen of probiotic rich foods (fermented foods), prebiotics rich foods, fiber and supplements. Consistency is key here and eat food at the same time everyday so your gut can go through its regular cycles.2 - Expect to have working out as a regular part of your life
It is actually more important now than ever to keep your muscles healthy because adults can lose up to 8% of muscle every ten years after forty. For the long run, even if it is not a full blown workout routine, taking up a weekly aerobic exercise can help you improve your resting metabolism. To motivate yourself, try attaching a certain reward to it. For example, getting up early for a garden walk also allows you to read the paper and talk to neighbours or enjoy a peaceful morning. Or an after dinner walk makes you sleep better at night because of less inflammation and nighttime bloating.1, 2 - Never expect or accept quick fixes
In today’s world, there are many quick fixes and gadgets that claim to keep you fit easily and pain free. Going back to the old saying that goes “No Pain, No Gain”, good results cannot be achieved without work. This is especially true for keeping fit. Save your money and if you have to, go back to basics, like daily power walks, steps, toning weights, resistance exercises, drinking water, eating healthy, and sleeping well to see lasting change. Keep at it, keep it consistent, and reap the results.2
As the saying goes, “Expect the unexpected,” staying fit comes with many things aside from just working on your muscles. Take care of yourself now because whatever work you put in, you reap the benefits later in life. There are no such things as quick fixes with lasting beneficial results and when all else fails, always go back to fitness basics, make changes where you have to, and add on nutritional supplements for extra help. And who knows, you may end up being the senior who everyone thinks you are just making yourself sound older because you are so fit and healthy.3
References:
- https://abbottnutrition.com.my/adult-nutrition/staying-fit-after-40
- https://bestlifeonline.com/fitness-after-40/
- https://abbottnutrition.com.my/products/ensure-gold
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