Females over 40 are Weight Training

Why 40? You don't need to show me your birth certificate, you could be in your late thirties and relate to what I'm saying but it's the approximate age where your body feels like it's getting out of control.

Let's just look at age first, your life may have become more sedentary, sitting on the bus/train, then sitting at work all day, then sitting on the couch at night. In your twenties and thirties this may not have been so much of an issue, but your body was different then and you were probably more active than now.

Your metabolism is slowing, fat is appearing you didn't have before, especially around the middle and if you're not working out regularly (and even if you are) your arms, thighs and mid section are becoming flabby. If you are dieting and not exercising this could be even worse, regardless of what the scales tell you.

As we get older we lose muscle, around 3-5% and I want you to really think about this; a pound of fat equals a pound of muscle, it won't make you heavier, it will make you leaner.

Why? Fat is a blubbery consistency that wobbles under your skin and where cellulite thrives. Muscle is a tougher, leaner material that keeps your body strong and slim. Replace a pound of fat with a pound of muscle and you're on the right track

Age 40 also signifies the time period of change a woman's body goes through, you become pre menopausal, then menopausal then post menopausal and all hell breaks loose with bigger boobs, night sweats, day sweats, aggression, forgetfulness and confusion.

The symptoms are like a mixture of being hit by a tornado, PMT and Pregnancy rolled into one with a cherry on top

It's also a strong reminder that we are getting older and we don't like that, we want to stay younger for as long as possible and you can do that with the right exercise! Weight training doesn't just help sculpt your body, curves in the right places, it makes you stronger too, handy for showing off in the office when you get that water cooler changed on your own :-)

Muscle burns more than fat at rest so even when you're sleeping you can be burning that extra fat off, sounds good.

Back to the menopausal stuff, when the tornado hits on top of ageing, for women, it's the hormones that seem to fight against the good things you are doing for yourself and confusion sets in. Am I doing enough? Should I be doing something, where can I go for help?

I don't know about you but if my fat tummy is dismissed as menopause, I want more of an answer to that, have I just to put up with it and say 'don't worry everyone I have a menopausal tummy' I want to do something about it or at least make it look better.

We want to look better don't we? Younger, fitter and not so old.

More bad news for this age group of women, we don't just have to worry about what we look like, our risk factors of certain illnesses increase, quite dramatically; heart disease, cancers, osteoporosis, weight gain and incontinence. If only there were a magic pill?

Well, there is... it's exercise and I've only just got started and haven't even mentioned diet, yet!

When we were younger, we ran around everywhere and fat, calories and disease were far from our minds. Now being over 40 we might not want to grow up, but we have to face it and do something to live longer and comfortably

It doesn't mean you become a fitness addict either or obsessed, that's my job, I pass the interesting bits into you. I would say two to three of my sessions is more than enough...

Please get in touch or leave a comment if you need some help and if you've read this far and like my post, please follow my Fit Strong Females page on Linkedin and you won't miss a future post. Also come in for a consultation and one week free trial to see if it suits you.

#fitstrongfemales #womensfitness #womanover40 #womensdiet #womenandweights

Carolyne is the owner of Fit Strong Females with a Studio in Glasgow City Centre and an Online Business, coaching nutrition and exercise. She is also a regular Blogger and Writer and you can contact her at[email protected] or find more information atfitstrongfemales.com