Fitness After Forty

I like tracking my fitness metrics through my Apple watch. Not that it's an exact science, but it's fun to see if things are improving or declining over time, especially as I age. I want to do as much as I can to keep my body in good shape but also recognizing I'm in my middle years.

My current trends

I've had some things I've wanted to work on over the past couple of years - standing more throughout the day and flexibility/mobility being 2 of the more recent ones. 

My workouts have been pretty consistent over the past 4-5 years:

• Body Pump - 1-2 times/week {usually just 1 - when I teach}
• Pilates or Yoga - 1 time/week {usually Pilates}
• Jazzercise - 1-2 times/week {which is always a mix of cardio and strength training - about 2/3 cardio}
• Walking - 1-2 times/week was my norm, now it's almost every day {if only a mile} since I'm walking Gus consistently

But I do feel like there is a lot of conflicting information about what is most important for women as we age, and it's frustrating!

• Strength training - super important for women, especially for bone health and counteracting muscle mass losses
• Flexibility - injury prevention, balance/fall prevention, posture, pain reduction
• VO2 Max - this is a newer one to me - and I only knew about it because of my Apple watch {see image above} but this number is a 'key' indicator in cardio fitness and overall health - for my age, 32 is in the 'good' range

Like how many things can we manage at a time that are all 'critical' to our health as we age?!

I ran for the first time in FOREVER this week [2 separate times for 1 mile each time] because I do want to see if I can get my VO2 Max number up {it's only measured when walking or running outdoors} - I don't want to get back into running because I've realized I do NOT enjoy it like I enjoy the exercise formats I mentioned above, and I think if you don't like it, you won't do it - so better to be doing something that isn't THE BEST over doing nothing...but it can kind of all make your head spin when you try to do everything! And let's not talk about sleep and diet and sun protection and hormones...SO MUCH!

What are your thoughts on staying fit as you age?!