Are you approaching your 40 or 50? This is how you can stay healthy! Read on! As you age, your VO2 Max starts declining by 10% every 10 years.
What is VO2 Max?
VO2 Max is the maximum or optimum rate at which the heart, lungs, and muscles can effectively use oxygen during exercise. VO2 max is used as a way of measuring a person’s individual aerobic capacity.
Besides this,
 As you age, you start losing muscles and remember
Good mass of muscle = Good quality of life
What does that mean?
It means that if you have a good muscle mass while approaching 40, 50 then you will have less problems with your
- Posture
- Joints
Which means,
- Less pain
- Better movement
In brief, good muscle mass while approaching 40, 50 will preserve your functional capabilities and VO2 max.
Now, we know the problem but what is the solution?
The solution lies in exercise & nutrition.
Let’s talk about exercise.
Rule to stick by when approaching your 40, 50 –Â Â
You must have some form of exercise daily to have good VO2 max. By exercise, I do not mean to say that you have to dedicate an hour for the gym.
If you can do that, great!
But what really suits most people in their 40s and 50s is that they design their lifestyle in such a way that exercise is a part of their everyday life.
For example:
- Using the stairs instead of an elevator
- Walking to the grocery storeÂ
In fact, just by taking stairs everyday, this age group can have lipid profile similar to the people in 20s like:
- Better blood glucose levels
- Lower waist to hip ratio
- More of a healthy cholesterol (HDL)
Achieving just this much is a great start to achieving good VO2 max and fitness journey for those approaching their 40, 50.Â
Now let’s talk about nutrition.
I understand nutrition is directly related to your behaviour, which is difficult to change at the age of 40, 50.Â
But it is actually equally, if not more, important than any other factor in keeping you healthy.
So, if you do not have any quick goals to achieve for a social get-together, then you must stick to a healthy diet.
What is a healthy diet?
A diet that has all the 5 food groups:
- Carbohydrates/starch for energy
- Fruits and vegetables (eat a rainbow)
- Protein
- Fats
- Dairy
Apart from including all the 5 food groups, avoid these:
- Packed foods (Preservatives kill the nutrients in the food)
- Bakery items (Too much sodium will make you feel bloated)
- Trans fats (sweets, biscuits)
- Sugary foods
- Fried food
It’s the cherry on the cake if you can do these in your 40, 50:
- Fast once a week (Under supervision, initially)
- Meditate for a better emotional state (Mind-body connection)
Doing this much will help you loads in keeping you healthy while approaching 40, 50.Â
Remember: The more sustainable your lifestyle is the easier it will be for you to stick to it.
Keep life simple!
Tanay Mandowara
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