There’s no one perfect exercise. The best exercise for you, is the one that you do.
However… if you are a woman >40 and you’re finding yourself frustrated that you’re doing the same things that have always worked for you, with none of the results…
Then listen up 👂
It might be time for a change. Or at least a re-evaluation of the things ike:
🏃🏻♀️LOOOOONG CARDIO SESSIONS – there’s nothing wrong with endurance training. It can help to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and mood & brain health… BUT these sessions take up a lot of time! Which means there’s little time left for much else. Frankly, you’re likely to get more benefit in less time by replacing some of these long cardio sessions with resistance training & short bursts of high intensity cardio / power sessions.
🥵BACK-TO-BACK HIIT – If 5-6 hour long HIIT sessions / week has stopped working for you…it’s probably because it’s too damn much! HIIT in women over 40 (or postnatal women) is fantastic and important, but but at a time when the body is already under increased stress (through fluctuating hormones) the need for more rest & recovery is also greater. Keep the sessions short and powerful, and aim for 2-3 /week instead of 6.
🙅♀️INTERMITTENT FASTING / KETO DIET – most of the studies on these were done on sedentary men. This style of dieting can actually backfire for women , especially peri/menopausal, menstruating or active women, and can mess with our glucose levels, appetite regulation, and body composition.
So to summarise…
YES to the long cardio, just make room for some of the other good stuff.
YES to HIIT, just shorten the sessions and give yourself enough recovery time
And YES YES HELL YES to Strength/Resistance training, because (just in case you need the reminder):
💪 your muscles will start to lose mass after 30 if you’re not training them
💪 your bones are losing mass after 30 too and resistance training can help to minimise your risk of developing osteoporosis
💪 having more muscle helps to support your metabolism, giving you a better chance of managing your weight
💪 strength training can help to support better hormone balance, improved joint stability AND flexibility
💪 strength training reduces your risk of diabetes and heart disease
💪Strength training can protect brain areas especially vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease