Fitness for Women at Every Age

Fitness for Women at Every Age

Discover the benefits of exercise and the best exercises for your body, whatever decade of life you’re in. These are the best workouts for women of all ages.

If you want to live longer, the science is clear: exercise. It’s not just about quantity, either – the best exercises are ones that give you quality of life. Just gentle stretching on a yoga mat could be enough. There are many benefits of exercise, including the important role it plays in maintaining a healthy immune system. As well as helping the body deal with pathogens such as viruses, it slows down changes to the immune system as we age, reducing the risk of infections.

Fitness encompasses an array of different physiological phenomena. In textbook terms, there are 5 components of physical fitness:

  1. Cardiovascular fitness refers to the efficiency with which your lungs and heart can take in and transport oxygen to the rest of your body
  2. Muscular strength is the amount of force your muscles can exert
  3. Muscular endurance is the time your muscles can work for without tiring
  4. Flexibility and mobility are related to the freedom of movement in your muscles and joints
  5. Body composition, which is to do with the percentage of fat, muscle and bone in the body.

‘Getting fit’ happens when you progressively stress these systems at a cellular level so that you adapt, and this manifests in improved performance.

When you’re young, you tend to focus on one or two of these pillars – which you’re able to get away with. But as you age, the full spectrum of fitness becomes increasingly important.. Cardiovascular fitness can help protect you from heart disease, and muscular strength and endurance can keep your bones strong, while both help maintain lean muscle mass, which in turn reduces your risk of other chronic diseases. Meanwhile, good mobility, well, keeps you mobile. In short: all play a role in keeping you well.

It doesn’t matter how or why you keep fit – arguably, the best workouts for women are the ones you enjoy most and feel right for your body. It’s a misconception that you need to change things drastically as you get older. In reality, not a lot has to change.

20’s

Similar to men, women in their 20s should start by getting into an exercise routine — the earlier you create healthy habits, the more likely you will stick to them.

Don’t just do cardio like spinning and running; start building your muscle mass and bone density now so you are less likely to have osteoporosis, muscle loss, and other health concerns later in life.

Your 20s are the perfect age for boot camps that involve adrenaline-pumping cardio workouts that keep things moving (and interesting) with a series of exercises, which can include kicks, lunges, planks, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and squats, as well as weight training and sprints – usually to loud dance music. Boot camps help young women improve their posture and build muscle and strength, which can help to keep osteoporosis at bay in later years.  Classes like Maximum Overdrive and Training Day are good options to try.

30’s

Metabolisms tend to falter as we enter our 30s, so it can be harder to see the benefits of exercise. Weight training is key, as more muscle equals a higher metabolism and you’ll burn more calories at rest. It also helps you to build up strength. The stronger you are, the more efficient you are and the less effort is required. This is especially true for women, as muscle strength starts to drop off as we age. It’s harder (though not impossible) to build muscle after menopause, but start beforehand if you can.

You can also kick your metabolism back into gear with high intensity interval training. HIIT combines short, intense bursts of cardiovascular activity with strength training. Intervals are an efficient yet effective way to blast fat and increase fitness.  Adrenaline or FIIT Fight would be great options at our gym.

Running is a sport that many people struggle to get into, especially as you get older, but don’t let your age stop you. Bone density peaks at 30 and therefore running is the perfect exercise to pick up in your 30s. Don’t like running?  By incorporating high-impact exercises into your workout routine, you can help prevent brittle bones, fractures and illnesses such as osteoporosis.  Try a group fitness class like Box/Step Fusion, Cardio Explosion or #CalorieCrunch.

It’s also beneficial in this age range to start thinking about engaging the pelvic floor and the deep core. Contrary to popular belief, pelvic floor health is not just critical during pregnancy. Many women find themselves incontinent in their 50s and 60s because they did not start to train their pelvic floor early enough. Remember, it is always easier to keep up than to catch up. Pilates is a good way to strengthen this area and we offer these classes at the west location.

40’s

In your 40s, no movement is out of bounds. If it feels good, do it!  Variety should be a priority. If you have been active for years and you are no longer seeing results, it could be in large part because you have to stop doing the same thing. So, if you’ve always taken Pilates, switch to yoga and if you’ve only done cardio workouts, try lifting weights.

Start pumping iron on a regular basis and you’ll gain less belly fat over time and really start seeing the benefits of exercise. Weight training also buffers DNA against age-related damage. This doesn’t mean you should ease off the cardio, however.

One of the biggest reasons women in their 40s start to gain weight is because of a loss of lean muscle mass – this results in a reduction in daily calories burnt. Resistance training is a fantastic way to keep stressing your muscles and it’s easy to do at home using your own bodyweight. The more lean muscle tissue you have, the more efficient your body is with calorie burn at rest.  We offer muscle strength and conditioning classes, like Chisel and Body 360.

50’s and beyond

5 Workouts for Women Over 50 That Will Make a Big Difference | TheThirty

Want to see benefits of exercise but don’t want to put pressure on your joints? You’re not alone. As women in their 50s experience dramatic changes in their hormones, Pilates could well be the ideal exercise to help them feel better during the menopause. A low-impact form of exercise, Pilates is not only safe on the joints, it helps to increase bone and mineral density, as many of its exercises involve strength training.

Yoga is great for people of all ages, but for women older than 50, there are many benefits. The subtle breath work is a great for the nervous system and heart rate, while balancing postures are important because, as we grow older, it’s balance that may lead to a fall. These help us to build strength and teach us how to correct our balance and keep steady. Yoga is also great for mobility and keeps us flexible, not just physically but mentally, too. We have numerous types of yoga classes on our schedules.

Aqua aerobics is another option to help you maintain suppleness, as water resistance is great for fostering flexibility and toning muscles. It also burns calories and offers a cardiovascular workout. What’s more, being suspended in water means additional pressure isn’t put on joints.  Check out our Aqua Aerobics schedule here.

Over a five-year period, regular dancing is associated with a 76% reduction in dementia risk amongst over-75s. Continue into your 80s and you may require up to 40% less pain medication. That’s definitely one of the most amazing benefits of exercise.  We offer Zumba classes at both gyms and a Fit For Life class that is geared toward the 50+ population; it will improve strength, balance and flexibility.

However, that doesn’t mean ditch the dumbbells. What makes the most difference as you age is muscle strength. Lift weights twice a week and you’ll develop fewer white-matter lesions and be less likely to suffer a fall. It might sound like a daunting prospect, especially if you’ve not set foot in a gym before. Don’t be afraid of the gym. Ask for help if you need it. Stretching and form are key to getting the benefits of exercise. Don’t be shy about speaking to a trainer – that’s what they’re there for.

Check out our Group Fitness Schedules HERE.