As a woman over 40, you need to think differently about exercise and health. Why? You spent years exercising (or forcing yourself to) to earn and burn calories. Now it’s time to create a joyful relationship with movement. Especially if your body feels stiff or sluggish as you try to exercise the way you used to in your 20s and 30s. This can leave you frustrated and feeling your midlife age. This is why we need to look at exercise and fitness after 40 from a new perspective.
How much exercise do you need to be healthy after 40?
The American Heart Association recommends 75-150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise for most adults.
That can look like going for a brisk 30-minute walk. Vigorously deep cleaning your house for 30 minutes. High-intensity interval training. Or a rigorous flow yoga class.
The most important mindset shift around exercise for women in midlife is to focus on how your body feels rather than what it looks like (i.e. losing weight, looking ripped, or trying to shrink your stomach/butt/thighs, etc.).
When you focus on how exercise makes you feel (more energized, better focus, less anxiety, better moods, etc) you’ll feel motivated to keep moving your body consistently. Humans are drawn to things that make us feel good (during or after).
In the book Burnout by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski MA, they talk about how 20 minutes of vigorous movement helps move stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine through your body allowing your body to complete the stress cycle.
This is especially important if you’re a woman in perimenopause juggling lots of balls and dealing with fluctuating estrogen levels which decreases your ability to cope with stress. In other words, getting in some exercise most days can help you deal with the emotional overwhelm of perimenopause and menopause.
What about exercise and heart health? How does exercise impact cholesterol levels and blood pressure?
In general, the research agrees exercise improves cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL and increasing HDL cholesterol. It appears that time matters more than what type of exercise you do.
Moderate-intensity cardio like a brisk walk or vigorous yard work for 30 minutes shows the same benefits as high-intensity cardio like running. Strength training also shows a correlation to improved cholesterol levels. One review study showed a correlation between gentle movement like stretching or yoga to improve blood pressure.
“the literature suggests that, when performed chronically, this modality can improve endothelial function by reducing vessel stiffness and blood pressure. The explanation for such effects also involves the increase in NO bioavailability promoted by this type of activity.”
PMID: 28780647
Is 30 minutes of exercise enough for women over 40?
According to the American Heart Association, yes! If getting 30 minutes of exercise at one time doesn’t fit with your schedule, check out this Savor Food and Body Podcast interview with Jamie Carbaugh for 5-minute exercise ideas and routines. Do the movement you enjoy for around 30 minutes most days and your heart will thank you!
Additional resources for exercise after 40:
Savor Food and Body Podcast interview with Julie Newbry
Savor Food and Body Podcast interview with Steph Gaudreau
Online personal training:
Hello Fitness, Christine Chessman
My Peak Challenge online strength training, yoga, meditation, and gentle nutrition
Kruse NT, Scheuermann BW. Cardiovascular Responses to Skeletal Muscle Stretching: “Stretching” the Truth or a New Exercise Paradigm for Cardiovascular Medicine? Sports Med. 2017 Dec;47(12):2507-2520. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0768-1. PMID: 28780647.
