How To Start Playing Sports At 40

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to start playing sports at 40 and how exactly

After 40 years, life does not end at all. Unfortunately, the aging process is irreversible. To maintain your own health, it is recommended that you start exercising, even if this is a completely new experience for you.

Content

• 1 Is it worth starting sports after forty

  1.1 Video: is sport useful for middle-aged people

• 2 How to prepare yourself for physical activity

  2.1 Video: Callanetics for Beginners

• 3 Sports Suitable for People 40 and Over

  3.1 Video: the benefits of Nordic walking

• 4 Reviews and opinions of people involved in sports

Is it worth starting sports after forty

The peak of the activity of most processes in the human body falls on 30-40 years. After this age, a decline begins, which manifests itself in the following:

• decreased muscle tone;
• deterioration in the conduction of nerve fibers;
• problems with joint flexibility;
• loss in bone mass;
• deteriorating vision and hearing;
• the growing volume of adipose tissue.

All this leads to the fact that the usual climbing stairs or tying shoelaces turn into an almost impossible task. It is also important for women that the figure becomes far from ideal. Sports after 40 will help maintain the body in good condition, improve the condition of muscles, ligaments, joints.

What you did without any problems in your youth is given more and more difficult in middle age, because muscle tone inevitably falls

Video: is sport useful for middle-aged people

How to prepare yourself for physical activity

In the presence of any chronic diseases, people aged 40 years and older should consult with the attending physician before starting sports training, and in their absence, with the therapist. Be sure to take blood and urine tests to determine the level of hemoglobin, leukocytes, and exclude inflammatory processes. An ECG is needed to exclude pathologies of the heart, MRI - of internal organs. Based on research findings, a physician may prohibit training in a fitness club or any sport and recommend an appropriate exercise therapy exercise.

If you are going to go in for sports at the age of 40, without having any experience, you must first consult with a therapist or attending physician, otherwise you can seriously harm your health

In an effort to achieve results as quickly as possible, many begin to practice haphazardly and zealously with loads. This is the worst thing that can be done without even minimal experience. Take advantage of the help of a professional trainer who can provide you with loads on the right muscle groups and teach you how to perform the exercises. Failure to do so could result in serious injury and health problems.

If you have never been involved in sports, starting only after 40, "accustom" the body to unusual loads gradually. This will help you:

• Callanetics. Exercises based on yoga poses, the purpose of the complex is to restore muscle tone and increase joint flexibility. In the process, all muscle groups are involved, metabolism is activated. No special equipment needed. Contraindications - asthma and other problems with the bronchopulmonary system.

  

  Callanetics classes are excluded for any problems with the bronchi and lungs

• Pilates. It has a positive effect on the general tone of the body and metabolism, helps to cope with stress. The necessary equipment is a sports mat. The emphasis is on the interaction of body and mind, "mindfulness" during exercise and correct breathing. The likelihood of injury during the lesson is minimal. Pilates will not help you lose weight and improve endurance.

  

  Pilates can be practiced at any age and in the absence of even an initial level of physical fitness

• Qigong. An ancient Chinese practice, a mixture of religion, yoga and martial arts. Provides general recovery of the body, helps to maintain physical activity for a long time. There are many different techniques that focus on static postures, dynamic exercises, and meditation. It is quite difficult to study them on your own.

  

  Qigong is a complex method of healing the body and spirit, which has proven its effectiveness over several thousand years

• Exercise therapy. A special section of medicine, aimed specifically at rehabilitation after various diseases and their prevention. The techniques are scientifically based. But the exercise complexes are still gentle, designed for people with serious health problems. If you don't have them, heavy loads will suit you.

  

  Exercise therapy classes are a suitable option for those for whom more serious physical activity is contraindicated for health reasons

Video: callanetics for beginners

Moral preparation is also important. It makes sense to start playing sports after 40 only if you clearly understand that physical activity should be regular. At this age, beginners are advised to train in the morning for a maximum of one hour. Enough 2-3 lessons per week. And don't expect quick results - it will take at least 6-8 months before you notice positive changes.

Keep in mind that physical activity is ineffective (or ineffective at all) without proper nutrition. Most of the diet (about 60%) should be proteins, about 30% - "slow" complex carbohydrates, and only 10% - fats. It is equally important to observe the drinking regime. High-calorie fast food, sweet, fatty, spicy, smoked, is banned; salt and sugar consumption is minimized if possible.

Without a radical revision of your own diet in accordance with the principles of a healthy diet, sports will not give a noticeable result.

Sports suitable for people 40 and over

In the absence of contraindications, people over 40 years old are not contraindicated in any kind of sports, the choice is limited only by your personal preferences. Most often, professional trainers recommend at this age:

• Swimming (best crawl and breaststroke). Provides a complex effect, strengthening and healing the body as a whole, providing hardening and increasing immunity. During swimming, almost all muscle groups are loaded, helping the body to maintain the desired posture. Water resistance, which must be overcome, improves the condition of the bronchopulmonary system, activates blood circulation (but at the same time, the horizontal position reduces the load on the heart), and restores the flexibility of the joints. Swimming is not traumatic, but it is impossible to build muscles and lose a lot of weight without additional loads.

  

  Swimming is a general improvement of the body, especially regular exercises have a positive effect on the state of the bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular systems

• Run. Provides relatively quick results, very useful for strengthening the heart muscle. You do not even need to sign up for the gym, you can independently choose the pace and dose the load. In the process of running, the supply of oxygen to the lungs is activated, general endurance increases, and adipose tissue is burned. But before training, a high-quality warm-up is imperative - running does not affect the flexibility of joints and ligaments in any way, sprains are possible.

  

  Nobody expects from you in middle age and in the absence of record experience - go in for jogging so that it is a pleasure, gradually increasing the load

• Cycling. Very high-quality cardio load, which provides effective prevention of cardiovascular diseases, including varicose veins and the development of the bronchopulmonary system. Of course, it is best to ride a bike in the fresh air (it also has a positive effect on the state of mind), but an exercise bike will do. In the process of training, you can quickly lose weight. A significant drawback is the risk of injury.

  

  Riding a regular bike is a rather traumatic sport, so many people prefer an equally effective exercise bike

• Stretching. Stretching exercises significantly improve the condition of muscles, ligaments and joints, help to gain plasticity of movements and flexibility, beautiful posture, activate blood circulation and supply organs and tissues with oxygen. Women especially appreciate stretching for the opportunity to gain a beautiful, graceful figure and "slow down" the aging process. But it will not work to lose much weight only with its help.

  

  Stretching exercises help restore and maintain flexibility of ligaments and joints, but with a sharp increase in stress can lead to injury

• Nordic walking. Regular walking will also be useful, but special sticks are used here, allowing in the process to involve almost all muscle groups with minimal stress on the joints and to activate the burning of adipose tissue. Such training does not have age restrictions and contraindications.

  

  Try to combine business with pleasure: sometimes a Nordic walking lesson is at the same time an excursion to picturesque places or sights

• Rock climbing. On the climbing walls there are tracks for different levels of fitness, coaches help to master the basics and deal with safety equipment. “Conquering” walls is a stress on all major muscle groups and strengthening joints. And the compression load on the spine, on the contrary, is minimized. Positive emotions are a pleasant bonus.

  

  Climbing will always provide you with a good mood and positive emotions.

• Curling. A very addicting game that combines physical activity with the need to work your head. If you wish, you can play curling with almost zero preparation. It promotes the development of coordination and attention, tones up most muscle groups, provides the body with hardening.

  

  Curling is not without reason called "chess on ice" - such training requires not only physical but also mental activity

• Golf. An elite sport. If you have the opportunity to do it, this is a win-win investment in your own health. Golf is an effective way to restore and maintain flexibility of joints, prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system, improve coordination, strengthen the muscles of the back, abs, hips. And walking on rough terrain between the holes puts a strain on the leg muscles. Consider also the fact that the game takes place outdoors.

  

  The benefits of golfing are greatly enhanced by walking between holes rather than on a square

Video: the benefits of Scandinavian walking

Reviews and opinions of people involved in sports

It's never too late to start playing sports and leading a healthy lifestyle, 40 years is also not a critical milestone. But the process of decreasing the body's performance is already underway, so it is important to choose the right kind of sport and organize classes.