How to motivate yourself to exercise at 40?
To believe that the physical training stage has been completed at 40 is a mistake. If you feel tired and cannot finish a hypertrophy routine in the gym, It can be as much because you haven’t had enough rest or a drop in your testosterone levels. However, it’s best to put excuses aside, start your engines, and follow the tips for getting fit in your 40s outlined below.
To regain that desire to train hard and recover the muscle mass you once had, or why not, starting the gym for the first time, the main thing is the mental factor. Having desire, perseverance, and attitude is fundamental to getting in shape at 40 years of age. Correct training accompanied by proper nutrition is the key to recharging enough energy to achieve an athletic body at any stage of life.
Seven tips to transform the body at forty
The rules to get in shape and transform your body at 40 are:
- Forget everything you knew about fitness
If you have trained for years and have not managed to get in shape in your 40s (with no good muscle volume, no defined muscles), something is likely wrong. The first thing to do is update your knowledge about sports, fitness, and bodybuilding.
Be critical of your current situation and the objectives you want to achieve. You start by assessing the physical condition you are in. Define your body type: endomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph to boost your results.
Incorporate basic multi-joint exercises into your routine. These activities are ideal for getting in shape at age 40 since they allow the work of several muscle groups simultaneously. Adapt your diet according to your genetics. The new generations are very clear about it and manage to improve results when training.
- Correct your posture
It takes at least six months to get in shape at 40. One of the easiest ways to quickly make your body look more athletic is correct posture. The visual effects of simply correcting your posture will be apparent in just a few weeks of work.
By hypertrophying the back, large muscles are obtained, but these may be hidden behind a hunchback posture. The exercises for back and work the middle are the first targets there attack to have an upright, elegant posture at age 40.
- Swap running for another type of cardio
Despite the positive effects of running, it is common to see people run incorrectly. What can bring more harm than good in the long term? In addition, while jogging is possible to get fit in your 40s, it will require many hours of work.
To lower the typical 40-year-old belly, cardio must be combined with food. For reference, running 40 minutes will burn the same amount of calories as a can of Coke.
When choosing a type of cardio, you can opt for other options such as swimming. Swimming has no impact on the joints, so it is considered one of the best sports to get in shape in your 40s.
- Exercise using bodyweight
If you’ve trained in the gym for several years, you are probably already bored with the traditional exercises of the routine. The bench press and simulator machines are already a classic that has you burdened.
Trying new variants and alternatives such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training ) is an excellent option to get in shape quickly. The advantage of HIIT is that you will save time, something more than precious in your 40s.
If you feel up to this challenge, try a session. Stretching does not lose anything. We remind you that barbell weights at high intensities are only recommended with professional assistance and emphasis on technique.
- Give up bad habits
Bad habits are the first thing to correct if you want to get in shape in your 40s. If you eat poorly, are a smoker, and drink alcohol every weekend, it is impossible for the typical 40-year-old belly not to grow.
Ridiculous-looking practices like exercising in the office, keeping your abdomen tight in front of the TV, opting for electronic cigarettes, and walking 6000 steps a day in the morning; can gradually get a person in shape. If you’re determined to get in shape in your 40s, consider swapping your NetFlix nights for a late-night jog.
- Be attentive to what you eat.
Even though society considers that diets are for women, according to science, these are even more effective in the masculine gender than in the feminine one. Let’s face it, having the will to say no to a can of soda or junk food is more effective than training for two hours.
Get in the habit of including complex carbohydrate foods like oatmeal, quinoa, and buckwheat in your meals. It is essential to eliminate the practice of always having a package of sweet cookies or chocolates on hand before going to sleep.
The excessive consumption of these foods high in simple carbohydrates is one of the leading causes of overweight and type 2 diabetes. Even more than excess fat. This is explained because they are foods capable of causing hormonal imbalances.
Sweets do not provide long-term satiety. They provide an energy boom and; with the same intensity. They are also believed to have a positive impact on lowering testosterone. According to the WHO, excess sugar is the leading cause of type 2 diabetes. (4)
- Genetics are not to blame
One of the biggest mistakes in getting fit in your 40s is to blame genetics alone. Although it is a factor to consider, the reality is that the metabolism of an 18-year-old teenager is only 15-20% different from that of a 35-year-old man. (1)
In adolescence, you tend to move more and therefore increase physical activity. The loss of muscle mass and the accumulation of abdominal fat are consequences of years of bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle.
What is essential to keep in mind is that not all types of body fat are the same. To lose weight, science has confirmed that some types of body fat are best attacked by diet and others by exercise.
ABSTRACT
- To get in shape at age 40, you must change bad eating habits and start moving more.
- A gym routine for 40 years should be of the same intensity as for 25, with the difference of incorporating exercises that do not have substantial impacts on the joints.
- To achieve better results in getting in shape, it is recommended to study the type of body genetics and adapt nutrition to this parameter.
- Doing dynamic bodyweight exercises that target multiple muscle groups simultaneously is a good strategy for getting fit in your 40s.
- Avoiding sweet foods and junk food is essential for balancing hormone levels and building muscle in your 20s and 40s.
