Quick 4 Minute Exercise Routine for Over 40's

Here's my tip for this:

Although 4 minutes doesn't seem long, this is quite fast paced so I would suggest you start out a bit slower to begin with and gradually up the pace over time. This way you are more likely to stick to it.

What To Expect From Your Body During Your 40's

Libido may be dwindling.

Helen Ford says: 'Libido may be dwindling which could be due to lower hormones or just because we are exhausted with day to day life.'

The nutritionist recommends eating foods with omega 3 and stocking up on vitamins to combat the slump.

She says: 'Think about eating more oily fish and nuts and seeds to provide the anti-inflammatory omega 3 oils. 

'Incorporating phytoestrogens such as fermented soya, lentils and chickpeas, flaxseed which have hormone balancing properties. 

'A multi vitamin and mineral with more magnesium and calcium is important, with fish oil and additional Vitamin D.'

Pre-menopausal symptoms may appear.

Many women don't expect to see symptoms of the menopause until their 50s, but Jane Mitchell says that some can expect them much earlier.

'The fact is that your body only has so many eggs,' she explains. 'As soon as they are used up you will see the signs of menopause.'

'It can come as a shock to some women.' 

The nutritionist adds that the best way to reduce symptoms is to exercise and cut out sugar and alcohol. 

Your facial features change.

Dr Maryam Zamani adds that the structure of our faces can change quite significantly in our 40s.

She says: 'The fat in the face can be lost and this significant volume loss can create jowls and the hallowing of the temples.

'The nose is affected as well, and tends to dip downwards. The lips lose volume. Facial structure can be affected with bone loss and this leaves women with sunken looking eyes and increased sagging.'

Joints may start to crunch and creak.

Arthritis Research UK’s ageing expert Professor Janet Lord, Director MRC-ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research in Birmingham says that women should look out for their bones becoming stiff or crunching as this may be a sign of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.

It is increasingly common for people to suffer it from their late 40s.

Professor Janet says: 'In this condition, the surfaces within your joints become damaged so the joint doesn’t move as smoothly as it should. Risk factors include genetics, obesity, age and previous joint injury. 

'We don’t fully understand why it’s more common in older people, but it might be due to your muscles weakening and your body being less able to heal itself, or your joint slowly wearing out over time.'


Watch out for the next post - What to expect from your body during your 50's

Source: dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3269613/What-expect-body-decade-20s-50s-combat-it.html#ixzz3p17vHeSb

7 Day Workout Completed - Update

After finally completing the intensive workout, my body felt a little bit like it had used muscles I never knew existed. 

As difficult as it was I really enjoyed it. I feel stronger and although it is difficult to tell whether it has made much difference to the look of my body, I certainly feel better (I can feel that my butt muscles are harder!)

I have decided that I would really like to keep on top of pushing myself a little bit harder so will continue to add a days routine into my normal exercise pattern 2-3 times a week. I will continue doing my walking/running and cycling with the addition of one days intensive routine thrown in a few times during the week.

Doing the same routine all the time is not a good idea as the body gets used to it and is not challenged by it. I would suggest changing it every 6 weeks or so and giving yourself a challenge occasionally if you want to get any kind of results.

If you would like to try the 7 Day Challenge or take a look, you will find it at 

http://www.self.com/program/best-bodies-challenge/

Update on 7 Day Intensive Exercise Routine

Well yesterday I did day 4 which was mainly abs. It consisted of floor exercises, some which included the use of dumb bells. Again like the other routines I found myself having to improvise on some movements to get through it. It does however say that some moves are inspired by the Best Bodies Atheletes 2015 so it's no wonder I am struggling with some of it!!

I do feel a sense of achievement in doing this routine though.

Today's session consists of legs and arms with more squats and lunges using weights.

The last few days have been a little bit uncomfortable in that my legs have been overworked making it difficult to go about my daily tasks without some pain and discomfort. So today I have listened to my body and decided to give it a rest. Having a rest day is not part of the course but I have had to take note of how many body feels, plus the fact that I wouldn't have managed many squats or lunges.

Since I am not an athelete or trying to getting a body like one then I will adjust the routine accordingly.

It is not to say that I will not be doing any form of exercise today. I shall still go for my daily walk with the dog and do some Yoga stretches to stop me from stiffening up totally.

Normal business will resume tomorrow :)

7 Day Intensive Exercise Routine

Two days ago I decided to try an intensive 7 day all over body workout. I am currently on day 3.

Why am I doing this you may ask?

I have always enjoyed exercise and still enjoy it to this day. However, I do enjoy upping the stakes every now and again and thought I would challenge myself a little more. Also I wanted to know if it would make any difference to my body shape after only 7 days.

My thoughts so far are that it is VERY intense. So much so I have had to improvise some of the movements to enable me to get through it. I have not always managed to complete the full amount of circuits they have suggested (but have tried to do as much as my body would allow me to).

This is not for the faint hearted and would take someone of immense fitness, in my opinion, to complete it all to the exact scale they are suggesting.

Having said that I find the challenge enjoyable and are hoping that the end results will be worth the pain. Yes that's right pain! It doesn't come without some aching my muscles are feeling right now.

Having a change in your exercise routine is good. I change my own routine every 6 weeks at least so that my muscles have to work harder and so I am working different muscles too.

This current routine comes with a 7 day food menu to follow. I must confess that I have not been following it as I feel my diet is healthy already. I have been making sure I take in extra healthy calories to feed my muscles along with taking beetroot juice which I know from personal experience is good for stamina and energy.

Along with this routine, I also do my daily Yoga stretches just to help keep the pain in my muscles to a minimum. After showering I finish off with a cold rinse to help with lactic acid (the stuff that causes the pain of over working the muscles).

My final conclusion is that these routines are not for the newbie to exercise and not to be used as a quick last minute fix before a holiday.

I will keep you informed of my progress and final thoughts after the 7 days are complete.

3 Ways To Burn More Calories On Your Next Walk

While a regular walking routine is a great way to stay in shape, nearly all fitness experts agree that mixing up your workout is crucial if you want to keep seeing results in the mirror and on the scale. An obvious way to increase your aerobic activity and challenge your body in new ways? Pick up the pace!

Want to take your walking workout to the next level? Follow this advice from celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, author of 5 Pounds:

1. Brisk walking, meaning a speed of about 4 miles an hour, clearly burns more calories and increases oxygen intake more than a 2-miles-an-hour stroll. Gradually build up your speed by increasing the pace for a minute or two, reverting to your accustomed rate for 5 minutes, and so on. Over time, increase the length of the faster-walking periods until you're maintaining that rate overall. Compared with jogging, faster walking is easier on the hips and knees and diminishes the risk of injury.

2. Jogging isn't the best choice for everyone. Unlike brisk walking and running, which are more horizontal in nature and therefore not as likely to jar your torso, jogging involves moving your body up and down, which taxes your joints more. For some people, if done too long or too often, it can lead to injury. On the other hand, if you like to jog, be sure to wear shoes that give you the right support. If you're a runner, feel free to continue and/or blend it with walking.

3. Short bursts of fast running burn the most calories of all these activities. Research shows that a combination of sprinting and walking is even more effective than jogging. Like walking, sprinting is more likely to encourage good posture than jogging. Sprint interval training is a subcategory of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which alternates low-intensity (walking or jogging) and high-intensity (sprinting) aerobic activity. As you get stronger and fitter, you can try a single 30-second burst a day, then two bursts a day, and finally three a day. Then you can increase the bursts to 45 seconds and later 60 seconds long. Always warm up before sprinting by taking a short walk or run. Again, listen to your body.

Source:prevention.com/food/cook/healthy-recipes-runners-world-cookbook

10 Minute High Intensity Workout for Fat Burning

                                       Have a bottle of water to hand and pause if you need to.