3 great exercises to get excited about in midlife

We inherently know that exercise is important and necessary for maintaining health and vitality. And let’s face it, we are also constantly reminded at every turn. Exercise is vital in midlife! Your bones! The loss of muscle-tone! Your mindset! We’ve heard it all before. And we know it’s true. So why are we often unmotivated to have a routine?

Well, finding the time to exercise when you’re already busy with looking after your home and family, working and possibly caring for older parents, and all while experiencing perimenopausal symptoms – is not easy.

I also thought that I was just lazy, but actually, lack of motivation and sheer exhaustion might also come into play.

But here’s the thing – exercise might actually be the solution to our problems!

So firstly, why is exercising important for middle-aged women?

Well, as we know, our bodies start changing in our perimenopausal years. As our hormone levels decrease, our metabolism slows down, our bone density decreases, our joints stiffen and our muscle mass declines. And one of the most important ways to counteract these manifestations of ageing is to maintain a regular exercise routine.

Why? Because exercise can:

• tone our muscles
• play an important role in building and maintaining strong bones and muscles
• boost our metabolism
• keep our joints mobile
• prevent osteoporosis
• lower our risk of falls
• enhance flexibility
• help with heart health
• lower the risk of diabetes and obesity
• help us to sleep better
• improve our balance
• put us in a better mood
• alleviate stress and
• increase our energy levels

So you see, we actually need exercise in our lives – for our sanity and our health.

Which exercises are best for women in midlife?

Okay, so we are acutely aware that during perimenopause and menopause, we are dealing with hormonal changes, bone density issues, achy joints and slowing metabolisms. So it stands to reason that exercising for women 40+ is slightly different than for younger women.

Based on that, what are the best types of exercise for us?

The simple answer? Aerobic exercises, muscle-strengthening and stretching.

Aerobic exercises

Any type of cardiovascular activity is aerobic exercise. In other words, exercises where you’re increasing your breathing and heart rate for a sustained period of time.

Why is this important? Well, in short, aerobic exercise helps keep your heart, lungs and circulatory system healthy.

You could try – walking, jogging, deep water running, cycling, dancing, skipping, kickboxing or swimming.

Benefits – Cardio exercises are a full-body workout that keeps your cardiovascular system in good shape. Also, doing cardio could reduce your risk of developing dementia, and help improve brain functioning and memory.

Strength training

Why is this important? Building and maintaining muscle is important if we want to keep our bones strong, especially as we age. And strength and resistance exercises help with the bone density loss and muscle mass loss that occurs at our age.

You could try – lifting hand weights, using resistance bands, hiking, robust gardening, deep water running and jumping rope.

Benefits – Muscle-strengthening activities keep you toned, help to maintain muscle mass, increased bone strength and density, and overall muscular fitness.

Stretching

Why is this important? Flexibility and stretching also become important because our muscles, tendons and ligaments become stiffer at this age.

You could try – yoga or Pilates.

Benefits – builds core strength, helps with stability and maintains flexibility – all very important in our midlife years and beyond.

3 great ( & fun) exercises you could try in midlife

(that tick many of those boxes)

Deep Water Running

If you have access to a pool, you could consider doing deep water running (water jogging). Water-based workouts are gentler on your joints while still offering a good workout. Also, the resistance provided by the water, means you get a strengthening and cardio workout at the same time. I go to deep water running classes twice a week at our local gym pool and I love it! I even bought my own floatation belt so that I don’t have to readjust the belts on the ones they have for use at the pool, every time.

Nordic Walking

Nordic walking is essentially walking which is enhanced by using poles that turn it into a full-body workout. You basically use a cross-country skiing technique pushing the poles into the ground and then pushing them backwards, which propels you forward. So not only are you getting an aerobic workout, but you’re also using your core and upper body. Using poles also reduces the impact on your knee joints which is appealing as you older. What’s not to love? Tip: How to choose the right size Nordic walking poles.

Rebounding / Trampolining

Rebounding is an aerobic exercise done on a mini-trampoline. Apparently, NASA discovered that rebounding helped astronauts who’d been in space for a while, to regain muscle mass and bone density. So this type of exercise would also make a lot of sense for perimenopausal women.

It’s a high-intensity workout, but unlike running on a hard surface, the rebounder absorbs the jolts so it’s low-impact on your joints. Other benefits are that it’s fun, can improve your coordination and balance, and can stimulate your lymphatic system (flushing out toxins) and boost your circulation (which could also help with cellulite). These are all great benefits for us.

And if you’re worried that you might get bored just jumping up and down, do not fear because there are many online classes available to keep you going.

You might also want to read: How to deal with perimenopausal weight gain

In conclusion

So those are some exercise options for you to try out if you need some inspiration. As I mentioned, I’m now doing deep water running twice a week and at the beginning of this year, I started Pilates again. I also go for one long walk every week, so I’m feeling all sorts of virtuous right now! But I’m also feeling so much stronger, fitter and happier; oh and the aching in my joints has definitely subsided.

I think what has made all the difference to me continuing with my exercising this time around is that I now know that I actually need to exercise to look after my body as it ages. What’s that saying? “Use it or lose it.” Because I definitely don’t want to end up being unfit, stiff and weak as I age.

Also, I’ve realised that I need to have accountability when it comes to exercising. I have friends in my deep water running classes and it’s always good to catch up with them during class, and sometimes after class for a coffee. I feel more inclined to go when I know my friends will be there. And my Pilates class is held in a small local hall which makes it easy to attend. The classes are full of middle-aged women and the instructor is aware of our needs and tailors the classes to focus on those needs.

I think we all need to find the type of exercises we enjoy and that give us what we need during this time of our lives. In my case, I like to mix it up a bit to keep things interesting, and if friends are involved, even better.

Feature photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

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