Exercise is vital for overall health at every age, but it’s especially important as we get older. Here’s how to work out smarter to support your body in your 40s and beyond.
Here’s why it’s so important to create time for exercise as we hit our 40s: “As we age, our bone density tends to decline, especially as we reach age 40 and beyond,” explains Alexa Javens, a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)–certified personal trainer and coach and fitness manager at Session NYC. “Staying active and exercising can help to offset this and also help to preserve muscle mass. Just like a muscle would, the bones respond to exercise in a positive way. Bone is also a living tissue, just like muscles, and can get stronger with exercise.”
Brittany Noelle, a NASM-certified personal trainer, tells DailyOM that exercise also helps with mental health and mood, lowers the risk for disease, and helps maintain range of motion. Furthermore, Noelle notes that you don’t have to commit to high-intensity training to reap the benefits. Any form of exercise to keep your body moving is beneficial.
Below, Javens and Noelle answer some over-40 fitness FAQs, including how often you should exercise, if it’s harder to stay in shape after 40, and the best exercises to incorporate into your routine.
How Often Should a 40-Plus-Year-Old Exercise?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that adults get at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, but many of us fall short. The pros we spoke with said ideally you’ll find time for purposeful exercise three to five days per week for 30 to 45 minutes on a consistent basis.
Both Noelle and Javens recommend a mix of moderate activities, such as walking and strength training to help maintain bone density and muscle strength. And if your schedule allows it, Javens suggests daily movement that you like doing for 20 to 30 minutes a day.
If finding time is difficult, getting in some “exercise snacks” can still offer big benefits. Short bursts of physical activity such as a brisk walk or a mini HIIT workout can be beneficial for overall health and mood.
Interested in learning more? Check out Fit and Fierce Over 40
Is It Harder to Stay in Shape After 40?
The short answer: It can be, but not necessarily. “Energy levels are lower than when you’re younger, and recovery takes longer,” Noelle says. “Also, hormones are different.” She believes that the right mindset here is key, and it’s never too late to make movement a priority and cultivate an exercise-focused mindset as a form of self-care, whether you’ve been a lifelong athlete or not.
Javens agrees that it’s not “harder” to stay in shape after age 40. “It just depends on how consistent the person is and the type of training/exercise they’re choosing to do,” she says. What is often harder to do as an adult than when you’re younger is find the time to stay active. But regardless of age, Javens says, “we need to be mindful of our lifestyle ... I don’t think that ever lacks value.”
The Best Exercises for People Over 40
At any age, the “best” exercise for you will be the type you enjoy and have fun doing, Javens says, because that’s the style you’re more likely to stick with long-term.
Noelle seconds this advice and adds that it’s important to be mindful of impact. “Everyone’s body is different and the amount of impact you can withstand is going to vary based on your workout history, familiarity with the activity, and how well you recover,” she says.
For instance, low-impact activities like walking and swimming may be more suitable for some people over 40, while some may do just fine with high-impact activities such as skiing, tennis, or snowboarding. So be sure to listen to what feels good for your body. Generally, though, Noelle recommends focusing on low-impact exercise most of the time, which includes low-impact strength training.
Focus on getting stronger by doing functional strength and resistance training such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, and push-ups. “There are so many functional strength exercises out there. This means these movements translate into the way we move our bodies on a daily basis — picking up our kids, carrying our groceries, walking up and down stairs, reaching behind us in the backseat to grab a bag, even bending to brush our teeth and sitting on the toilet,” Javens says.
Beginner and Advanced Fitness Tips for People Over 40
1. Start Slowly
Javens says it’s essential to start slowly when you’re just starting your fitness journey, such as with a 20-minute walk once a week. Then, you can add one additional day each week or tack on 10 minutes to those walks. “Once you feel like you’re consistent and succeeding at that, seek out more resources [such as] online sites, platforms, coaches, etc., which can guide you to a tailored routine that works for you,” she says. “The key is to build slowly and add things in at a pace that is realistic.”
It’s never too late to make movement a priority and cultivate an exercise-focused mindset as a form of self-care, whether you’ve been a lifelong athlete or not.
2. Don’t Go Too Hard Too Soon
Not pushing yourself too hard too soon is essential, Noelle seconds. Remember that you don’t have the same body at 40 that you did at 20, so allow your body enough time to recover between workouts. “It is possible to get back to the fitness level you once had, but you’re likely more injury prone with age due to a decrease in mobility and the natural degeneration happening with muscles and joints,” she says. “So take it easy with low-impact movements and work your way back into things.”
3. Focus on Exercises You Used to Enjoy
If you don’t know where to start with what type of exercise, Noelle suggests going back to activities you enjoyed when you were younger, such as playing a sport, taking a dance class, or even digging out those old VHS workout videos you once loved. “Whatever motivated you and worked for you back then will probably be a great start for you now,” she says. You want to find a way to make movement a pleasurable part of your life in an ongoing way, for all the many mental and physical benefits it provides as you age.
4. Get an Accountability Buddy
Having an accountability buddy can help keep you motivated and consistent in the beginning. Noelle recommends finding someone who is around your same age. “They’re going to relate to the changes you’re feeling in your body at this stage of your life,” she says. “It will be nice to compare what your experience is to theirs and see what adjustments can be made.”
5. Track Your Progress
It’s also helpful to track your progress, whether it’s in a fitness notebook or through an app. Doing so, Javens says, helps you see how far you’ve come, which will help you stay motivated. Remember to celebrate your wins along the way, and not just the concrete ones like lifting more or running longer. Celebrate all the big and small wins with activities that contribute to your overall well-being such as exploring a new nature trail or going dancing with friends and having a blast.
6. Be Sure to Warm Up and Cool Down
Once you get further along on your fitness journey, there are a few things to remember to help ensure you prevent injury. First, Noelle emphasizes the importance of properly warming up and cooling down. “Even if it’s an exercise you’ve done a hundred times in the past, you still want to warm up and cool down,” she says. “It’s a great way to just make sure your body is prepared, and it decreases your chance of injury.” Specifically, she recommends warming up with a short walk or some dynamic stretches such as bodyweight squats or a walking quad stretch. Then cool down with static stretches and a few minutes of walking.
7. Be Gentle With Yourself
Even if you’re a frequent exerciser further along on your fitness journey, remember that you don’t have to go as hard with your workouts as you may have done when you were younger, says Noelle. Permit yourself to do less than what you used to do in workouts. “I like to think of exercising like retirement,” Noelle says. “The more you put in when you’re younger, the less you need to put in when you’re older to maintain your lifestyle. So don’t feel like you have to push it to your limit with every workout routine now.”
8. Double Down on Self-Care
And lastly, recovery can also be more difficult as you age, so Noelle advises spending extra time on self-care. “Get more messages, stretch more, drink more water, sleep better, and invest in better gear,” she says. “All of this is going to contribute to you being able to do what you love longer” and your body will greatly appreciate it.
