You’ve heard of the mid-life crisis, but what about the fit-life crisis? Sore knees, an aching back and joint pain are just some of the things associated with getting older.
But while intense cardio, endurance runs and heavy lifting might be off the agenda, you only need a few simple adjustments to your fitness regime to keep you in shape and just as active as when you were smashing PBs in your twenties.
According to a recent Deep Relief report (deep-relief.co.uk), 80 per cent of women in their forties say they have muscular niggles. These are mainly felt in the back (28 per cent), fingers/hands (18 per cent) and knees (14 per cent). In fact, 32 per cent of women say that back pain has stopped them doing their regular activities.
While the first choice treatment for 40 per cent of women is to soothe these aches and pains in a hot bath, Chris Ruxton, personal trainer and an ambassador for Deep Relief, says that any age-related joint stiffness beginning in the forties could initially be down to the need to focus more on warming up before taking exercise.
‘Going straight into exercise from sitting is a sure-fire way to bring on injury and, according to the Deep Relief report, 87 per cent of women don’t stretch regularly before exercise,’ he says.
‘Therefore, taking just five minutes to warm up is a good investment of time. If you do experience muscular and joint pains, a bath is not an effective treatment. Instead, women in their forties need to adapt their training regime because studies show that joint flexibility reduces significantly in the thirties to forties.
Another reason to adapt your training is hormonal changes. Oestrogen begins to decline at 40 and lower oestrogen and testosterone levels means lower muscle mass and a tendency to gain fat. This is why older women need to do more strength training and less cardio to maintain muscle mass, which then drives the metabolism and helps to prevent fat gain.’
But while the online fitness market is saturated with content for youngsters, what about those who have reached mid-life status?
Luke Gray is a performance coach (feelnoo.com) who specialises in providing fitness programmes for the 40-plus market. He aims to help this demographic stay healthy and help with their mental health through low-impact exercise — and is responsible for maintaining the bodies of a long list of A-listers.
‘As we become older our joints can inflame much more easily, so it’s best to remove the harsh impact parts of your routine,’ says Luke. ‘If you’re running on hard pavements, or doing HIIT training on your kitchen tiles every day, you’ll start to pick up injuries in no time.
‘Instead, try running on the treadmill as it has a suspension system, or low-impact HIIT exercises, such as squats or lunges, which can improve body composition as well as physical and cardiovascular fitness.’
‘How yoga changed my life’
Known as Hunter in hit ITV show Gladiators, strength and conditioning coach James Crossley, 47, gained his yoga qualification during lockdown and now has a passion for helping those aged 40-plus stay fit and active.
‘Gladiators was my physical prime,’ he says. ‘I would train twice a day, for two days then have a rest day and I would just bounce back from any injuries. However, in my early forties it started to take much longer to recover.’
James realised that the constant injuries from competing in strongman were a warning, so he decided to change his training. ‘I had been lifting crazy weights since I was 12, but the new mantra was to nourish the body not to just annihilate it. During the first lockdown I decided to do my yoga teacher training and I started practicing Vinyasa and Yin yoga four times a week.’
James says that since he’s taken up yoga, everyday movements are much easier, and he also now teaches gong baths which help with sleep and mindset.
‘There isn’t a one-size-fits-all for over-forties as some individuals have better recovery or are less injury prone,’ he adds. ‘As a rule, be aware of high impact or overly explosive movements. As we age, we need to prioritise rest training. A mixture of strength, mobility, flexibility and mindfulness are a good mix.’
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