Elevate Your Health Colorado: Your Health Information Resource

It’s said that 40 is the new 30. But you also hear “it’s all downhill” after 40. So, which is it?

Would you believe, both?

Regular exercise can help you look younger and feel better as you age, but once you hit the big 4-0, you start to lose muscle mass and your metabolism begins to slow down.

“As women age, weight-bearing exercise helps to prevent osteoporosis and research shows that regular activity can help ward off other diseases like breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes” says Sally Berga, MD, a board-certified obstretrician/gynecologist with Kaiser Permanente Colorado.

For the past four years, this 54-year-old physician and mother of three children has dedicated six hours per week to strength training and cardio. After a 10-minute warm up on the bike, Dr. Berga hits the weights with her trainer. “If life gets crazy, I will make time for exercise—whether it’s 6 a.m. or 9 p.m. —with my patient schedule you never know. I find time to take a spin class or hop on my eliptical machine,” she adds. Dr. Berga recommends that people find exercise outlets they love and weave them into their schedules.

For the 40-plus crowd, the adage “use it or lose it” is true. “You will still lose muscle as you age, but you’ll lose less if you strength train,” says Andrea Groth, MS, Kaiser Permanente prevention specialist. Here’s an over-40 fitness guide.

In addition to preserving muscle mass, strength training also plays a role in maintaining connective tissue. “Over time, your connective tissues weaken. Strength training keeps those tissues as strong as possible and reduces injury risk,” Groth says. For example, regularly incorporating squats into your routine will keep your tendons and other connective tissues strong and resistant to injury.

“Core body strength helps with agility and balance,” Dr. Berga says. “Keeping your body strong and flexible will help prevent falls and common hip and wrist fractures as we age.”

Strength training may also help you meet weight goals. In the Strong, Healthy and Empowered (SHE) Study , University of Pennsylvania researchers found that strength training twice a week helped obese and overweight women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s lose body fat, including abdominal fat.

Some common strength-training techniques include:

• Yoga
• Pilates
• Weight lifting
• Resistance bands and exercise balls
• Push-ups, ab crunches, and squats

Ready to get started? Just keep these facts in mind.

You need rest. Rest is when your body recovers from the rigors of strength training. “It is one of the most overlooked pieces of a workout,” Groth says. “Rest is when your body rebuilds the muscle you’re asking it to build. It’s when the magic happens, so to speak.”

Groth recommends scheduling an off day tomorrow for whatever group of muscles you are working today. And if you’re combining strength and cardio training for a 10K run, for example, don’t be afraid to craft your own over-40 program. Your gym or popular running sites might recommend a training regimen, but you may need to dial it down to avoid fatigue.

Warm up and cool down. It’s especially important to warm up before any activity to prevent injury and stretch afterward to improve flexibility. “This is big as you age, especially if you neglected flexibility when you were younger,” Groth says. “When you get to be 40, your body simply says, ‘I’m sorry, that’s not an option.’”

Go slow. Some muscle soreness, especially if your body is responding to a new activity, is good. But if you’ve never strength trained, you’ll want to start slowly. For example, if your goal is to do three sets of 10 squats, start with one set of 10 at a weight that fatigues the muscle by the last repetition. Add a set every week until you get to three sets. “You can always add weight and add repetitions,” Groth says.

To help you start your fight against aging, follow these do’s and don’ts:
DO

• Read instructions for resistance bands, balls, and weight machines.
• Stay hydrated. As you age, your sense of thirst declines.
• Listen to your body. It will tell you when to stop.

DON’T

• Add too much weight too fast.
• Focus on what you can’t do. If running has taken a toll on your knees, consider cycling or swimming.
• Begin a strength-training regimen without talking to your doctor first.

Want to see proper strength-training techniques? Visit KaiserPermanente.org/fitness. Scroll down to Three’s Company and follow the strength training links. For additional healthy-living tips, visit KaiserPermanente.org.

Dr. Berga received her medical degree and PhD in molecular biology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and performed her residency at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital.