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When was the last time you challenged your workout routine or body toning exercises, women? Chances are you stay within your comfort zone, doing the same workout and/or classes at a low to moderate intensity level. “That isn’t good,” said Lady of America’s fitness trainer Natalie Brabner. “After a while you could become bored with the class, and that leads to not going. You need to challenge your body every six to eight weeks. If you are doing the same routine at the same level all the time, your body conditions itself to stop working hard. Basically, it plateaus and you won’t see results.” What to do? Don’t drop the classes you enjoy. Instead, challenge yourself to perform more advanced workout routines. Read on for ways to transform your favorite workouts into more challenging ones you will enjoy.  
Spinning: Besides being a great form of quick toning aerobic exercise (burning between 400-600 calories in 40 minutes), spinning is also beneficial in strengthening the muscles of the lower body, as it tones the quadriceps and hamstrings, and works the back and hips. The goal of spinning is to reach your target heart rate and target cadence. Because of that, it can be difficult to stay at a moderate level in a class that is geared toward more intensity. “You need to have resistance. If you don’t work with resistance you aren’t getting any real benefit,” said master instructor Josh Taylor of Spin Fitness. For women over 50, spinning is an excellent opportunity to not only build muscle but build cardio. “Resistance is your friend, don’t be afraid of it,” Taylor suggested. Another factor to consider is the type of shoe you are wearing. For more benefit, invest in a pair of spin shoes that have a velcro strap. “The spin shoe becomes part of your body and allows for a full circle stroke, and you will use your muscles more. When you wear a gym shoe there is more flexibility on the petal and no real support on the sole,” said Taylor. Taylor suggests avoiding the sandal-type spin shoe, as it offers no support on top of the foot.
Walking: We were born to walk, so it is a natural workout routine. A new Harvard study of 40,000 female health professionals found that walking an hour a week at any pace reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. Longer and more vigorous walking produced a greater risk reduction. Brisk walking (3.5 to 4 miles per hour) burns nearly as many calories as running a mile at a moderate pace. Even strolling or slow walking (about 2 miles per hour) offers some benefits. To get more out of your walking workout, walk briskly for at least half an hour every day, or one hour four times a week. If you can’t get that in at one time, break it down to smaller, more frequent walks. Always wear a heart rate monitor to make sure you are hitting your target heart rate and a pedometer to track your steps; the goal is 10,000 steps a day. Make an effort to walk as much as possible — skip elevators and escalators and take the stairs, park the car further away and walk. Instead of taking longer steps, take faster steps and add some interval training by speeding up for 2 minutes every 5 minutes. Also, challenge yourself with a varied terrain. Walking on sand or grass burns more calories than walking on a track. And if possible, add uphill and downhill climbs. For a real challenge, try walking backward, or “retro” walking. It’s challenging and requires balance and coordination. Even a slow pace will give you a great workout.
Weights: Lifting weights not only burns fat, it shapes and tones your body. Weight training is a body toning exercise that uses weights for resistance and is great for women. It challenges your muscles by forcing them to adapt to the stress of the weights. According to www.mayoclininc.com, research shows that a single set of 12 repetitions with the proper weight can build muscle just as efficiently as can three sets of the same exercise. “Use a weight heavy enough to tire your muscles after 12 repetitions,” said Dr. Edward Laskowski, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. “At the proper weight, you should be just barely able to finish the twelfth repetition.” To avoid plateaus, increase intensity on a regular basis by increasing the amount of weight you are lifting, changing the exercise and type of resistance. A strength training workout routine for women over 50 can provide the muscle power needed to perform daily activities more easily. According to Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition and associate professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, as people age they lose muscle and bone, and since women have less to begin with, they’re at greater risk for some of the problems associated with aging, such as osteoporosis, deteriorating balance and skeletal fragility. Nelson and her colleagues published a study several years ago that showed that after a year of body toning exercises with strength training twice a week, healthy post-menopausal women’s bodies were 15 to 20 years younger. The women who participated in the program regained bone and muscle while losing fat. They became stronger— in most cases even stronger than when they were young. For women over 50, exercises in strength training can halt or restore bone loss, improve balance and help prevent bone fractures from osteoporosis. |
Yoga: There are a few things you can do to take your yoga to the next level. “One of the best ways is to add fitness moves — push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats — from your yoga position. For example, from a warrior’s position, you can move in and out of the pose into a lunge,” said Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit in Torrance, CA. You also want to change your workout program every so often so that you challenge both your body and mind. You can challenge yourself by trying more advanced moves, or poses. And don’t forget about your breathing. “It mentally allows you to focus; it’s really good practice because you are able to find yourself flowing pose to pose, not struggling too much,” Shaw said.