Fitness Advise for Women over 40

There are many ways women over the age of 40 can look and feel great, contrary to the myths being spread around.

It is clear that women after age 40 are do significantly increase the risk of contracting high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, obesity and prone to losing muscle mass and even bone density.

It has been scientifically proven that exercise does help reduce these risks and even slow your body's natural aging process, hence looking much younger.

You can achieve greater fitness by simply exercising three or more times a week for just 30 minutes, which will help lower your risk of contracting these life-threatening diseases.  By exercising you can increase your good cholesterol, reduce your bad cholesterol, burn body fat, boost your immune system, build healthy muscle, shed unwanted kilos and look young.

If you are going through menopause, exercise can actually reduce the symptoms of hot flashes, joint pain, mood swings, anxiety, depression and even insomnia.

Staying fit has positive effects on every physiological system in your body. For best results you should consider the following:

Weight training - Lift free weights (hand weights) to build muscle and strength, increase bone density, improve posture, reduce the risk of lower back injury and tone your arms. You can increase your metabolic rate by as much as 15% by simply building muscle. By increasing your metabolism, you will end up burning more calories throughout the day.

Yoga – You may now be laughing, but Yoga is definitely worth considering. Remember that at one time yoga was the only exercise singer Madonna used for fitness, according to media reports. If you're over 40 and have not exercised since high school, you won't be able to do the strenuous yoga that worked for Madonna. By undertaking stretching and practice yoga (or even Pilates), you will improve your flexibility, core body strength and balance. It is worth noting that stretching does also help your joints maintain their range of motion.

Aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise - Power walk, dance, jog, exercise bike or even fast pace gardening (ie. Mowing the lawn) helps increase your heart rate, which helps widen your blood vessels, deliver more oxygen to your muscles and it remove toxins. Your brain then releases endorphins (chemicals that enhance your mood) and you burn calories and fat.

Remember, even small amounts of exercise contribute to your health. Carrying grocery bags, climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator all add up. You do however need to remember that before you begin a fitness routine, speak to your doctor about any risk factors you may have.

Fitness exercises do help improve your overall health, but you have to eat correctly too. Drink plenty of water. Eat several small meals a day (instead of the traditional three meals) to boost your metabolism. Follow a healthy diet that's rich in foods with vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamins A, C and E, and selenium and zinc.

As you can see there are many ways to improve fitness for women over 40, all you need is to make the first move!!!