Being forty and fabulous is every man’s dream. We are usually tight-scheduled in our 30s with marriage, family and professional commitments, when we reach 40, things look pretty much settled and idea of getting back to the vigor and valor of 20s hits the mind. If you are like the one thinking in these lines, chances are that you are planning to incorporate a physical activity. But since you are thinking of exercise after 40, there are a few facts to consider.
Over 40 fitness for men – Things to consider.
1. Plan perfectly - You have many exercise options to choose from.
They are
- Gym at home or joining a gym
- Yoga - Doing it yourself or joining a course.
- Walking / jogging
- outdoor games
You can choose any of these, but you should have genuine and thorough interest in it.
2. For Fitness over Forty, be ready for initial painful days -
Because you are taking up physical activity after a long time, the body will take time to adjust. The best way to deal with such pains is
- To start very slowly and gradually
- Not giving it up.
- Resting the particular part of the muscle group that has excess pain
- Applying pain relief herbal oil, as per the advice of your Ayurveda doctor suggests.
3. Start very slowly and never aim for heavy weight lifting initially. You might be an expert in your twenties, but starting the same exercise schedule all of a sudden is never good idea.
4. Only Ground exercise, initially - For at least 2 – 3 months, especially if you are going for gym, I strongly recommend to stick to ground exercises only. Never jump in to dumb bells and bar bells all of a sudden.
Concentrate on stretch exercises rather than weight training. This is the reason, why Yoga looks a better idea than gym. However, the choice is yours. But whatever you do, you will need to concentrate on stretch exercises rather than weight training. At least 70 % of exercises that you do, should involve stretching.
Mix Up Yoga with Gym - This is another good and ideal fitness option. Because, you can enjoy stretching exercises and dumbbells and will be exercising both mind and body at the same time.
5. Take a special care of back. Use lumbo-sacral belt, especially when exercising with weights.
Always end the gym session with back strengthening stretch or
Bhujangasana or Marjari Asana.
6. Whole body Oil massage at least once a week with an appropriate herbal oil, half an hour before hot water bath. at least once or twice a week is must for you.
7. Apply a little oil to the knee joints, elbow, wrist, neck ankle and back just before hitting at gym. Oil acts as joint lubricant and helps you. It also minimizes the pain.
8. water and sleep – Drink plenty of water through out the day. Keep yourself fully hydrated. Sleep at least for 7 hours. Also consider a little afternoon nap. This will help you avoid feeling sleepy at office.
9. watch for initial pains and deal with it carefully. If any one part is paining too much for more than 3 days, then consider resting that particular set of muscles.
10. eat healthy - Concentrate on eating healthy. Include fresh fruits, dry fruits, vegetables, proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.
