You are here because you are over 40 and your fitness routine has either plateaued or is not providing you with the results you are looking for. Chances are you are committing 5 fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40 but you definitely haven’t. You are in the right place to learn about these mistakes and how to correct them.
In this article, we will take you through the top 5 fitness mistakes men over 40 make and we will also give you the best way to correct those mistakes and put you on the path to better health.
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Top 5 Fitness Mistakes You Should Probably Avoid After 40 But Definitely Haven’t
You are now in the groove and have committed yourself to a healthier lifestyle. But unfortunately, you are not seeing your desired results as fast as you would like. Before you give up and revert to your unhealthy lifestyle let me share with you the top 5 fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40.
After identifying and correcting these 5 fitness mistakes you will see your targeted results take off and your overall health will greatly improve.
The Fitness Mistakes You Should Avoid
I am not going to make you wait so here are the top five fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40.
1. Not warming up or cooling down
2. Skipping weight training
3. Not stretching
4. Overtraining
5. Not taking time to rest and recover
How to Solve The top 5 fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40
Now, that I have given you the top 5 fitness mistakes, let’s go through them one by one and learn the solutions to the problems. I have included informative videos to help correct those 5 fitness mistakes.
1. Not warming up or cooling down
The first fitness mistake you should probably avoid after 40 but definitely haven’t is not warming up or cooling down.
Warming up before or cooling down after exercise is something that men over 40 seldom do or if at all. Warming up before exercise is extremely important as it dilutes your blood vessels and supplies them with oxygen. Warming up before exercise also slowly increases your heart rate helping to minimize the stress put on your heart as you increase your level of physical activity.
Another advantage of warming up before exercise is preventing and minimizing injury. As we get older the risk of injury when exercising increases especially if you do not warm up. The warm-up prior to exercising could and should include stretching which we will discuss later.
According to the American Heart Association, many do not know that cooling down after exercise is very important as it will keep the blood flowing and reduce your chances of feeling lightheaded due to the sudden drop in your heart rate and blood pressure.
Tips to warm up:
Tips to cool down:
2. Skipping weight training
Next on our list of fitness mistakes, you should probably avoid after 40 but definitely haven’t is skipping weight training.
Men, as you get older weight training becomes even more important than it did in your younger days. Weightlifting for men over 40 becomes more important than just building strong-looking muscles. Weight training increases strength, energy, vigor, and testosterone.
Weight training is the best way to fight against aging when it comes to weakness and frailty. These are the main culprits of losing your independence and needing care and assistance as you get older.
According to a report by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), strength training can help fight against arthritis and heart disease.
Tips for weight training:
3. Not stretching
Another one of the five fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40 but definitely haven’t is stretching. We touched on stretching when we talked about warming up and cooling down but let’s dig a little deeper into why stretching is so important after the of age 40.
As we get older our muscles and joints weaken and our range of motion begins to decrease. Stretching is important as it helps to maintain your strength, enhance your flexibility, ease the stress on your joints and tendons, and increase your blood flow while boosting your energy level.
Another great benefit of stretching is that it reduces lower back pain and arthritis. If you suffer from lower back pain and/or arthritis, stretching will not only reduce the pain but provide you with long-lasting relief.
Also, stretching coupled with exercise will greatly reduce your risk of falling. Did you know that one out of every three older adults will fall each year and 2.5 million will need emergency attention? This is according to the site, Lifespan. Stretching will certainly help reduce the risk of falls as well as the need for medical attention.
Tips on Stretching:
4. Overtraining
Fitness mistake #4 you should probably avoid after 40 but definitely haven’t is overtraining.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage “No pain, no gain.” Well, it’s time to put that to rest. And speaking of rest, that is what you and your body need – rest. It is one thing to challenge yourself, but it is another thing to drive yourself to complete failure and exhaustion when exercising after the age of 40.
You may think that taking a day off from working out will make you lose any gains that you have attained. But that’s just not true. In fact, the opposite is true. Resting will allow your body, your mind, and your muscles to recoup and recharge and be ready for the next day of physical activity.
When you overtrain you open yourself up for mental burnout, severe and nagging injuries, and unnecessary pain, in addition to hitting a ceiling and plateau with no additional gains and achieving no health benefits.
According to LifeAfter50, some ways to know if you’re overtraining is that you may have low mood swings, you have no energy, no motivation, and you feel anxious about exercising.
Tips on how not to overtrain:
5. Not taking time to rest and recover
The last of the fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40 but definitely haven’t is perhaps one of the most important, not taking time to rest and recover.
When you rest you allow your body to recover, it decreases your chances of injury and boosts your energy level. As you get older you will need more time to rest than you did when you were younger.
There is no set or predetermined time spent recovering. The article, How Do Our Recovery Needs Change As We Age? quotes Dr. David W. Kruse, a sports medicine specialist at Hoag Orthopedic Institute; Dr. Kruse says, “you may need more recovery time after age 50 because your muscle tissues take longer to heal. Listen to your body, and if you need an extra day off between workouts, take it.”
Importance of rest and recovery:
Wrap Up
There you have it, 5 fitness mistakes you should probably avoid after 40 but definitely haven’t – not warming up or cooling down, skipping weight training, not stretching, overtraining, and not taking time to rest and recover.
It is important to be physically active as you continue to age. But it is also important for you to be smart about your physical fitness routine and avoid these top 5 fitness mistakes. Remember, it is vital that you warm-up and cool down before and after exercising. You should implement weight training into your fitness program. Do not overlook the importance of stretching. And most important, be aware of overtraining and get the proper rest so that you can fully recover.
Now that you know the fitness mistakes you are making and how to fix them, it’s time you did more to improve your health and lifestyle. Go to our Product Page and there you will find brand names with low prices as well as unbeatable sales on quality product solutions.
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