Daily Must-Do Workouts for Women Over 45 to Maintain a Youthful Appearance
Maintaining a strong and healthy body is crucial as we age, and women over 45 can benefit significantly from exercises that focus on building muscle, boosting metabolism, and improving strength, mobility, and posture. Here are the top five exercises recommended for women in this age group:
Top Exercises for Women Over 45
1. Squats
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides. Engage your core and lower your body down by pushing your hips back, keeping your back straight and knees behind your toes. Push back up to the starting position. This exercise strengthens legs, glutes, and improves posture.
2. Romanian Deadlifts (RDL)
Hold dumbbells with your palms facing your thighs. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight, and lower your torso until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Lift back up to the starting position. This targets hamstrings, glutes, and lower back for improved strength and posture.
3. Walking Lunges
Step forward with one foot, lowering your body until both knees are bent at 90 degrees. Push back up to the starting position and alternate legs. This exercise enhances strength, balance, and mobility.
4. Calf Raises
Stand on the edge of a step or platform with your heels hanging off. Raise up onto your toes and then lower back down. Use weights or bodyweight. This strengthens calf muscles and improves mobility.
5. Supine Dumbbell Chest Press
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest level, press the dumbbells upwards, then lower them back down slowly. This supports upper body strength, improves posture, and enhances bone health.
Additional Tips
- Incorporate moderate cardiovascular exercises (2-3 times a week) to complement strength training.
- Ensure adequate protein intake to support muscle growth and recovery.
- Prioritize rest days and quality sleep to aid in muscle repair and overall health.
Combining these exercises with a balanced lifestyle can significantly enhance physical health and overall well-being for women over 45. It's important to remember that physical results from exercise take time and look different for everyone, with nutrition, hormones, genetics, and life phase playing significant roles.
As we age, muscle loss, called sarcopenia, begins in our 40s and requires more intention to maintain. It's crucial not to compare your timeline or results to others. Glute bridges are beneficial for waking up the muscles that support the lower back and improve posture. Modified push-ups are a great way to build upper body strength without strain, especially for women over 45.
Avoid letting hips drop or pike up during the plank position. To perform a plank, place forearms on the floor, elbows under shoulders, legs extended, engaging the core, glutes, and quads to maintain a straight line from head to heels. Avoid stepping too short or too far to maintain balance during walking lunges. Squats are one of the favorite exercises as they keep you strong for real life, work legs and glutes, maintain bone density, and support hips and knees.
Remember, a strong core supports everything you do. To perform walking lunges, step forward with one leg, lowering until both knees are bent at 90 degrees, then push through the front heel to step forward into the next lunge, maintaining a tall chest and engaged core. Exercise #4, Walking lunges, strengthens and improves balance. For walking lunges, aim for 2 to 3 sets of 10 lunges per leg.
Women over 40 often make the mistake of not eating enough protein, skipping strength training, and not lifting heavy enough. Exercise #5, Plank, strengthens the core. Hold the plank position for 20 to 40 seconds for 2 to 3 rounds. It's important not to compare your timeline or results to others.
Physical results from exercise take time and look different for everyone, with nutrition, hormones, genetics, and life phase playing significant roles. It's important to focus on consistency and progress, rather than immediate results. By embracing these exercises and a balanced lifestyle, women over 45 can maintain their strength, vitality, and overall health.
- Incorporate yoga and meditation into your routine for better mental and physical well-being, in addition to the recommended exercises.
- Strengthen and tone your body for weight loss by combining exercises like squats, Romanian deadlifts, walking lunges, calf raises, and the supine dumbbell chest press with a healthy diet.
- Scientific studies suggest that a combination of fitness-and-exercise, good nutrition, and adequate sleep can help combat the effects of aging, such as muscle loss and weakened bones.
- To improve posture and mobility, consider working out with dumbbells and practicing exercises like squats, planks, and glute bridges.
- Adequate protein intake is crucial for health-and-wellness, especially for women over 45, as it supports muscle growth and recovery from workouts.
- Incorporate moderate cardiovascular exercises, like brisk walking or cycling, into your fitness regimen to boost metabolism and promote better sleep.
