WOMEN: EXERCISE THROUGH YOUR 20′S, 30′S & 40′S

For all round health and fitness your exercise programme needs to contain a mixture of cardiovascular exercise, strength/mobility/flexibility training and stress relief.  To avoid boredom, maintain motivation and guarantee continuity and best results, it needs to be varied.  It will also need to be adjusted at each stage of your life to take into consideration the changes in your body.  

Cardiovascular exercise 

• In your 20’s your body copes fine with high impact/high intensity exercise such as jogging: you are young, fit, with a strong body.
• In your 30’s mixing it up with cycling or swimming will prevent injuries
• In your 40’s low impact and lower intensity exercise for a longer duration would suit your body better, for example, walking and swimming. 

No matter what, your metabolism will slow down as you age, hence increasing duration as intensity reduces.  Varying the pace (interval training) is a very effective way of maintaining a healthy metabolic rate.  You always have to watch your diet, whatever your age, but certainly it will slow down as you get older. 

Strength, mobility, flexibility

I recommend Pilates: you need never get bored if you have an imaginative instructor as there are countless ways of varying the routines to keep the interest.  The Pilates video downloads are ideal as every class is different.

Pilates is perfect for every decade

• Pilates strengthens all the muscles from the core, out and from head to toe, toning the entire body without building bulky muscles. 
  

  Pilates is perfect for women for every decade

• Not only will you look great, but because it is low impact and weight bearing, your joints will be protected and it will help prevent osteoporosis. 
• It will also improve flexibility and mobility,
• It will improve posture (making you look younger in later years),
• It will relieve stress (you need to really focus so it is a form of meditation) and
• It’s safe and effective for every age group.  

20’s:  These days women are tending to have children in their 30’s, so by including Pilates into your exercise regime in your 20’s you are preparing in the perfect way for pregnancy.  Pilates will help prevent backache, prolapse, stress incontinence, SPD and build a strong foundation for recovery after the birth.  

30’s:  It is perfect for the child-bearing years as it aids fast recovery and helps you regain your figure, flattening the abdomen and strengthening the pelvic floor which will help greatly with issues such as stress incontinence.

40’s:  By the time we get to our 40’s and beyond, Pilates allows us to continue to exercise safely, effectively, maintain our posture and health, well into old age.  It is one of the few forms of exercise that can be continued.  It will help reduce the health issues associated with advancing years, eg, high blood pressure because of the controlled breathing and stress relief; back problems because of the strong core; arthritis because of the mobility and weight bearing aspect.

Take a look through a Pilates video downloads and work through at your own pace from your own home.