Womens after 40 and weight loss
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Are You Turning 40 and Looking for a Profound Life Change?
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It’s hard to believe that you could be fitter in your 40s than in your 20s, but it’s true.
For some women, turning 40 is a milestone that causes them to take a long look in the mirror and realize they are at a fork in the road.
Choose the sedentary path and expect to lose more bone density, muscle, strength, balance and flexibility while gaining another 10 pounds in the next decade. Or step out of your comfort zone and onto the road to fitness.
Jill Gibson and Linda Simmons are two women who took the road less traveled.
While the women approached fitness in different ways, they reached their goals. And you can, too. But there’s a catch - you’ll have to work on it for the rest of your life.
It can be done “When I turned 40, I just realized that if I wanted to maintain a certain health condition, it was no longer going to be bestowed upon me; I’d have to work for it,” said Gibson, 47.
“I wasn’t happy with the way my stomach and arms looked. I didn’t like the sagging of the skin. You could grab it. My belly had expanded and contracted over the years, and I wasn’t sure how to get rid of it.”
On the plus side, Gibson’s three children were adults by then. “I was able to refocus a lot of energy on myself,” she said.She started with a stability ball and a few exercises demonstrated by her daughters, and worked on it every day for 45 minutes. Within a few months, she joined a health club and received weight-training instruction from her athletic daughters.
Turning 40 was also a landmark for Simmons.
On her 40th birthday, she asked her family to hire a personal trainer for her.
“I had been going to Jazzercise and raising three kids, and I was intimidated by the weight room,” Simmons said.
After several sessions, the trainer suggested Simmons teach group fitness. She was surprised, but took her trainer up on the offer and, within a year, was teaching step aerobics.
Now Simmons teaches step aerobics, dance, aqua, spinning, yoga, kickboxing and Pilates for Pima Community College and Tucson Parks and Recreation. She also has a personal training business at Desert Sports and Fitness.
Give yourself time
One thing to remember is that you didn’t put on weight or lose your shape overnight. You must give yourself ample time to reach your goals.
Even if it takes months or years, you have to ask yourself whether you would rather be fitter or in the same place you are now.
Gibson felt better almost immediately after starting exercising and had more energy. “But it was probably six to eight months before I looked in the mirror and said, ‘Wow, I actually like what I see.
While her schedule fluctuates weekly, Gibson is diligent about getting daily exercise.
“I’m not superscheduled about it; I just make sure I get something in every day.”
At 48, Simmons began doing natural bodybuilding competitions with the International Natural Bodybuilding Association, which focuses on natural drug-free body building.
Now 53, she is vying for a spot on Team USA to compete in Greece.
“I recently competed this year in March and April here in Tucson and placed in the top three. Generally, I have come in second place, but I usually lose to 20- and 30-year-olds, which is great,” Simmons said.
Habits for life
A couple of things that lead to success are diligence and discipline.
“In your 20s, you can get by with not being diligent and eating junk and it not end up on your rear end,” Simmons said.
But that’s not the case in your 40s.
“My advice to people is to eat as close to the ground as possible,” Simmons said. “Food that’s in its whole natural state is better for you. Anything that comes in a package, box or cellophane, you don’t want.”
Though she eats nutritiously, Gibson said she’s not a fanatic about her diet.
“I don’t eat fast food, I don’t drink soda and I do try to stay away from empty calories. I eat a lot of wholesome food,” she said.
She does drink coffee - understandable, considering she’s a manager at Starbucks.
“I also don’t focus on weight. I think scales are negative reinforcement. I focus more on how my clothes fit and how I feel,” she said.
The fear of starting a new program is the thing Simmons says she hears most from mature women, especially those with medical conditions.
“They are scared about their health and about changing what they are doing,” she said.
But proper exercise and nutrition helps, rather than hurts, the body.
“In general, anybody at any age can get fitter,” said Tim Lohman, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at the University of Arizona.
“You may have to work hard and, yes, there will be some aches and pains, but you are still young enough as a woman to be able to adapt well.”
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