Exercises to Do in Your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60, and 70s

Things that seemed like a cakewalk during twenties may not be easy as you begin to age. But if there is something that can beat the problems of aging, it is regular exercises. In case you never gave a serious thought about exercising previously, you can start with the same right now. Here are some effective exercises for various stages of your life.

Research studies have revealed that nothing fights ageing like exercising.^{(1, 2)} Experts have hinted at a positive correlation in between exercising and fitness, with reduced chances of illness, injury and other age related ailments. Let us know about the most effective exercises for various stages of your life.

Following are the various forms of exercises that can stimulate proper blood circulation and impart muscle strength along with a host of other benefits:-

When you are in your 30s, your body is at its healthiest best, you are busy with your work and your love life seems to be at its steamiest form. Things just can’t get any better, can they? Well thirties surely are a thrilling time of our life, but it is also the time when we need to lay down the stepping stone for building a long-term relationship with our body fitness. Here are some effective exercises for the thirties stage of your life.

The 30s: High Intensity Circuit Training: High intensity circuit training or cross training with resistance and cardio can enhance your overall fitness and prevent injuries.^(3,4) Research studies have revealed that high intensity interval training offers more effective exercises at this stage of life when compared to cardio-only training. Ladies need to prioritize intense strength training with cardio, as per their requirement. Your exercise regimen should include five days a week with one day earmarked for cardio training of at least 45 minutes. For getting over boredom, you can switch your exercise routine with a rest day once weekly.

The 30s: Flexibility and Balance Training: Flexibility and balance training also needs to be a part of your workout plan when you are in your 30s. Low-impact activities, such as tai chi, yoga and dancing bring along ample stretching and can be easily tried out at home.⁽⁵⁾ Include these exercises for the thirties stage of your life, to relieve pain, stay fit, improve posture and stay relaxed.

The 30s: Burpees: If you are on the lookout for quick and efficient full-body exercises for the thirties stage of your life, burpees is the best option. Burpees do not require any special equipment and can be done anywhere using just a timer.^{(6, 7)} You will need to position your hands in front of you and get into a squat posture. Then, lower yourself down into a push up position and kick back your feet with arms bent in ninety degrees. Push up your torso using your arms and get into your original position by jumping back on your feet. Try to jump straight as high as possible from the squat position with your arms directed towards the ceiling. Repeat this sequence swapping between positions as quick as possible. You can start off with 20 seconds of burpees and repeat it eight times over four minutes with ten seconds of rest time.

Just as you blow your fortieth birthday candle, you are about to officially enroll into the middle age category. Our body undergoes a lot of hormonal changes and probably increased stress during this time. Men have reported a dropping muscle mass of about 5-8% in the post forty stage leading way to potbelly and slower metabolism. This stage is well known to increase the risk of lower back problems, weight accumulation around vital organs, increased chances of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

But the good news is that you still have got time and enough potential left to improve your health and manage your weight. Exercising regularly during this stage of your life can protect you from cardiovascular ailments and metabolic disorders.

The 40s: Cardio Training: The best exercise for the forties stage of your life is cardio training. You can engage in cardio training up to five times in a week. A gym trainer can help you with a detailed cardio plan so as to keep your body fit and flexible. It helps in increasing your aerobic capacity thus imparting stamina to your lungs and muscles.

The 40s: Strength Training: While doing strength training do not forget to weigh quality over quantity. Try to gain optimum control of your movements as you proceed with the same in a slow yet steady manner. These exercises at this stage of your life can keep your muscle strong with a toned and fit body.

The 40s: Stretching: Stretching should top your list of priorities now and must be included in the exercises in your 40s. Stretching exercises or yoga can be done as guided by an expert. You can use a foam roller, which will help in relaxing your muscles and increasing your flexibility when you have crossed 40 and also helps in relieving fatigue and soreness of the muscles.⁽⁸⁾

The 40s: Squats: One of the important exercises for this stage of your life, that is forties, is the squat exercises. Squats improve the muscle portion of our legs, to be more specific, the calves, hamstrings and quads.^(9,10) Squats help in burning fats by promoting overall muscle gain. It also helps in improving the mobility and balance of our body.

With your shoulders hunching forward and muscles drooping down, fifties can be the turning point in your life as they signal that you aren’t as fit as you once were. Now you should try to maintain a proper posture and strengthen your core muscles, which will help in saving your back in the years to come. It may help to seek medical opinion before beginning with exercises at this stage, to plan a routine considering your health problems.

Here are some exercises for the fifties stage in your life.

The 50s: Pilates: Pilates, yoga or a mix of both can offer plenty of health benefits at this stage of life of your life, which is the fifties. Post workout fatigue and soreness may be common in 50s, so plan accordingly with the help of an expert.

The 50s: Swimming and Cycling: You can try swimming and bike riding if your knee pain is keeping you from running. Engaging in hard workouts may be tiring. Thus, it is advised to be slow and steady while dealing with the same. The core aim should be keep the intensity level moderate and engage in frequent exercises in your 50s stage of life.

Cardio in your 50s: Half-an-hour of cardio training is advisable on a daily basis at the fifties stage of your life. Exercising regularly helps in increasing your aerobic capacity thus improving your stamina also in your 50s.

The 50s: Sun Salutation: Also known as Surya Namaskar (yoga pose) is mostly used in the warm up session. This helps in strengthening and stretching all the important muscle groups. Surya Namaskar also helps in bringing down stress level by linking movements along with our breathing activity.⁽¹¹⁾ This can be a perfect whole body exercise at this stage of your life.

At this stage of your life, your main goal is to prevent or manage ailments like heart diseases, diabetes and prevent yourself from injuries. Exercising regularly is the only way out as it helps in striking the right chord of harmony in between strength and balance at this stage of your life. The exercises for this stage of your life must be planned depending on your medical history and overall health. Hence, it is best to seek medical advice before engaging into exercises.

Light Weight Training in 60s: You can indulge in weight training thrice a week by using light weights to train the body muscles of your upper and lower segment alternatively. However, you need to be very careful as your tendons might have become fragile and the ligaments shall have long lost their supple form. Light Weight Training is a great exercise for the sixties stage of life.

The 60s: Aerobics and Zumba: For effective workout and lesser chances of injury you can hire a professional trainer or enroll into low-impact training imparted in group classes, such as water aerobics and Zumba, which can improve your stamina and muscle strength without straining you out. Aqua or water exercises are a great choice at this stage of your life.

The 60s: Walking and Jogging: In comparison to solo walking, group walks can be more beneficial. If your joints support you, then you can also choose to jog for a better cardio exercise for the ‘sixties’ stage of life.

The 60s: Single-Leg Deadlift: Single leg deadlift exercise concentrates on one part of the body at a time. Such workouts can be done irrespective of injuries, which also help in bringing upon strength symmetry. They are also known to improve equilibrium and general balance in your 60s.

Exercising can help in significantly increasing flexibility, strength and balance of the wrinkled bodies at this stage of your life. A recent study has established that exercising helps in enhancing the retaining power of our memory. Thus, exercises for the seventies stage of your life can be greatly beneficial; however, you need to be careful of your health.

Walk in your in 70s: Walking has great benefits at this stage of your life.⁽¹²⁾ If throughout your early years of life, you have never done any form of exercise, then walking regularly during your seventies shall help you a lot.

The 70s: Light Weight Exercise: Only if you have been indulged in regular exercise regime, throughout your life, try to continue working with resistance bands and only light weights into your daily exercise routine. While working out, if you experience any sort of pain, then it might be an indication of the requirement to change your exercising regime at this stage of your life. Don’t hesitate to consult the doctor if the pain persists even after bringing about such change.

The 70s: Heel-to-Toe Walk: Heel-to-Toe Walk helps in going up and down the stairs by accentuating your level of stability and balance. This is one of the best exercises for this stage of your life, which is the 70s. If you are not much confident about doing this exercise without any support, you can take the help of a nearby wall. Position the heel of a foot right in front of the other feet’s toe so that they are almost touching each other. Take each step by focusing on the spot ahead. Place the heel of your moving foot directly in front of your stationary foot’s toe and you are good to go.

Therefore, it is clear that any age is the best age to start exercising. The sooner you start it; the better is the flexibility during the later stages of life. These simple exercises for various stage of life can be beneficial for all. Also, any specific exercises to be performed or any exercises that are contraindicated for a condition can be best suggested by your physician. So it is advisable to take medical advice before you begin with your exercises, particularly if you have any health concerns.

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