Fitness Over 40 - Why It's Important

In the UK, 75% of people over the age of 45 are considered overweight or obese.

When compared to a man of healthy weight, an obese man is:

• 3x more likely to develop colon cancer
• 2.5x more likely to have high blood pressure, which puts them at a major risk of stroke and heart disease.
• At 5x the risk of developing type 2 diabetes- since 2005, there has been a 65% increase in adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes[1]

When compared to a woman of healthy weight, an obese woman is:

• At 13x the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• 4x more likely to develop high blood pressure
• More than 3x more likely to have a heart attack
• At 20-40% increased risk of developing breast cancer if post-menopausal[2]

With such shocking statistics, it has become more critical than ever that we reflect on our lifestyle choices and make simple changes that can majorly minimise our risk of developing such debilitating and often life threatening diseases.

What can you do about it?

Start with your diet

The first thing you should focus on when trying to lose weight/maintain a healthy weight is your diet. With the convenience of tasty and high calorific fast foods, it can be easy to over eat. It’s best to cook your own food from scratch, and be mindful about how many calories you are eating on a day to day basis. The bare minimum you should be doing is checking the nutritional label of the foods you eat. Ideally you should be tracking how many calories you are eating each day to ensure you are not over eating. Using an app like Myfitnesspal is a great way to get started with this.

Be more active

You’re never too old, out of shape, unfit, or tired to exercise. Adding just 1 hour of exercise 3x a week into your routine can aid with weight loss/maintenance of a healthy weight, as well as increase your strength, minimise osteoporosis, improve balance and co-ordination, lift your mood, make your day to day activities easier, and help alleviate the symptoms of chronic conditions such as back pain or fatigue.

Find a physical activity you enjoy

Doing a physical activity that you actually enjoy makes exercise seem much easier. Many people enjoy cycling, learning how to box, or swimming so if you can’t think of anything off the top of your head, give one of those a go.

Walk more

With no thanks to technological advances, the UK has become increasingly lazy. Working from a desk, apps which bring a driver to wherever you are, food deliveries to your door all contribute to the obesity epidemic. You may not think it, but walking is a brilliant way to help with your weight loss journey. Simply walking 10,000 steps a day can burn up to 500 calories. To help you reach that target, start walking to the shop for your lunch, go for a walk on your breaks, and get out the taxi 10 minutes from the destination. These small changes can make a massive difference to your waist line.

Start weight training

Somewhere between late 30’s and mid 40’s, our muscle mass slowly starts to deteriorate. This is known as sarcopenia, and it happens to everyone, but an inactive person can lose up to 3-5% each decade[3]. This loss in muscle mass also comes with a loss in strength, which can drastically reduce quality of life, and put you at risk of injury. But don’t worry, sarcopenia can actually be reduced or reversed by simply doing some form of weight training. Along with preserving muscle mass, weight baring exercises have been proven to increase bone density, which puts us at a lower risk of developing osteoporosis.

Multi joint movements, such as the deadlift, squat, and bench press are the most beneficial weight baring exercise for increasing muscle mass and bone density. These exercises can be difficult, so if you are inexperienced with weight training, it is best to find a personal trainer to help you perform them correctly.