If you are in, or near, your midlife, then you are probably beginning to feel the effects of aging on your body. We are much more active than our parents and want to feel fit, strong, and healthy as we go through midlife. With our ability to enjoy a longer life expectancy than previous generations, comes the responsibility to make healthy choices that enable us to continue life with a bit of spunk and vitality.

How to stay fit, strong, and healthy through midlife

Many people work hard throughout their lives to provide for their families, advance in their careers, and create stability for retirement. Often, they are waiting for midlife to relax and enjoy life on their own terms. But too often, those extra years living longer are not spent in good health. About 75% of middle-aged men and two-thirds of middle-aged women are overweight or obese because of poor diet and lack of exercise.

Some facts that may surprise you!

“Aging in the United States“, examines recent trends and disparities among adults ages 65 and older and how baby boomers will reshape America’s older population. The report notes that the number of Americans ages 65 and older is increasing from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060.
Midlife and onwards come with a whole set of challenges to navigate. As well as dealing with hormone changes, it becomes common to experience backache, joint pains, lack of energy, and weight gain. I don’t know about you, but now that I’m almost 59 years old, I can feel my body telling me, “Girl, you’re getting older. You need to slow down a bit!”
And as if all of that isn’t enough, it’s time to show a little more concern about developing conditions such as Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Arthritis, Heart Disease, Dementia, Depression, and Breast Cancer. It’s a potential minefield. That is to say, it’s time to be more active in the life strategies you employ, which will, in part, determine whether your health maintains a good balance or plummets as your age rises.

Benefits of staying fit, strong, and healthy in midlife

Here are some of the main reasons that affect your daily life and highlight why you should be focusing on your strength and health.

1. So you can keep up with your kids and grandkids, sharing fun, making memories, and creating bonds because you are able to be actively involved with them.
2. To do the things you love doing. I love to travel, and if I don’t keep on top of my fitness levels, I won’t be able to take on the kind of adventures I do – like climbing Machu Picchu!) What do you love that you don’t want to give up just because you’re aging?
3. Stronger muscles make you able to do everyday things, like lifting groceries or gardening. Your age is no reason to lose your independence.
4. Keeping a healthy weight helps avoid that middle-age spread that forms across your belly as your metabolism slows down.
5. Improved bone density, achieved through diet and exercise, slows down and reduces osteoporosis risk.
6. It keeps you mentally active and connected with other people.

Tips on how to get started to get stronger and healthier each day

You can easily break your midlife health journey into four components to help you cross-check that you are achieving your goals in each area. These are cardio, strength training, flexibility, and community.

Overall you should work out 3-5 times per week with strength training and cardio to maintain a healthy balance. Try implementing some of these tips and see if you notice a difference in your health and energy:

1. Walking or any other cardio activity like running, cycling, Zumba, etc, for 30 – 40 minutes per day 2-3 or 4-5 times per week). Cardio activity should get your heart rate pumping or get you sweating, but you should never be so out of breath that you can’t maintain a conversation whilst exercising.
2. Strength training in simple terms is putting muscle against resistance. For example, making a fist and lifting it towards your shoulder in a bicep curl. Resistance bands are a great way to build strength and often more favored than the push-up! Doing this for 30 minutes, 2-3 times per week is enough. You can find plenty of videos demonstrating how to lift, and how to build strength on my YouTube channel, including my 3-minute workout!
3. Pilates is one of my favorite practices. It is fantastic for maintaining balance, which we lose as our hearing and sight deteriorate with age. 1-2 times per week will help your balance, posture, lung capacity, and lean muscle mass.
4. Balance training (aka functional training). Losing your sight or hearing impacts your body more than you realize. As these start to go, we become unable to determine how close or far away an object is, or how high we need to lift our foot to step over the curb or onto the stair. Simple exercises like standing on one foot for one minute at a time, working up to it if necessary, is a great start balance training.
5. Create a supportive community. It is so much more fun to be in a group of happy, healthy, and active people. You can reach out to any local communities that you might enjoy to combat loneliness in midlife.

What You Need in Your Healthy Midlife Diet

A healthy diet is broken into small steps that you can easily work into your daily routines.

• Eat more protein to build muscles and keep your body strong and able to repair itself. 1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a healthy goal to aim for and you can find it in foods like eggs, fish, quinoa, and leafy greens. You could also Make a super shake using my delicious recipe.
• Boost your Calcium to keep your bones strong and reduce the risk of Osteoporosis. Find it in milk (and fortified plant milk) or salmon.
• Healthy Fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil. 1 serving per day lowers your risk of weight gain and obesity, whilst also reducing inflammation and heart disease.
• Protect your gut health. Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes. It plays a very important role by helping control digestion and benefiting your immune system and many other aspects of health. So, ditch the red meat, sodas, and refined foods.
• Consider “Intermittent Fasting (IF) as it has been shown to decrease inflammation, promote weight loss, and boost testosterone. You can check out the Pursue Your Spark Blueprint for more information on this.

Exercise can offset the effects of menopause

Hormone changes during menopause cause a loss of estrogen, making women prone to osteoporosis and weight gain during menopause. During menopause and perimenopause, in our late 40s and 50s, we can gain up to 1lb per year. You can offset this decline in estrogen by doing weight-bearing exercises like running and weights. Plus a combination of those to keep that weight off and build strength. But what steps can you take to stay healthy through midlife?

How to get started if you’ve never exercised before

There is a saying that “you’re never too old” and this is true for exercise. Even if you have never been particularly active, you can still take action to improve your health and fitness in midlife. If you’re not sure where or how to start you can consider these options to get you started.

• Join a gym
• Hire a trainer
• Join an exercise class
• Ask in your local list serve to find a walking partner
• Or join a friend that is already active

If you prefer to have a video to follow along to or instructions on how to do certain exercises or even just some more tips and ideas on creating a fit and healthy midlife, you can go to my YouTube channel and choose some videos that work for your needs.

Your midlife is here or approaching, but it doesn’t need to cost you your health. What actions have you taken to make sure your body feels as young and vibrant as your heart does?