Exercise/Training in your 40's and beyond!

Exercise/Training in your 40's and beyond!

This is something important to touch on and why setting goals might be valuable in your fitness journey.

Many people stop setting goals in their 40s+ Nobody decides to do this; it just somewhat happens. Maybe it's because life gets busy, or maybe it's because the goals get safer: stay healthy, don't get hurt, keep showing up. Those things matter, and I'm not going to tell you they don't. But they're maintenance goals. They don't ask anything new of you.

Why not seek a number or target one of the many fitness races nationwide nowadays. Something specific, with a date attached, that you can work toward.

What training in your 40s actually looks like It may be less different than you might think. It doesn't require you to drastically change anything. But paying closer attention to a few things is advisable.

Eat more. Focus on recovery. More food means you have the fuel to push through sessions.

You never know, after pursuing a goal, it might make you reevaluate how you plan to train for the rest of the 2020's and beyond. That is not to say easier; just smarter about where your effort goes.

You might not reach your goal You might hit your target number, skill or event or you might not. Wouldn't it be exciting to find out?

Either way, the goal will do its job. It will get you focussed for weeks/months with a clear plan and a reason to push. Every session will have a purpose. You won't be training to feel good or chase a pump - (they will be positive side effects). You will be training to move a specific weight or work on a movement/skill on a specific day, and that will make it easy to say no to anything that might get in the way of you reaching your target.

This may put some pressure on too, but that can be a good thing. Pushing to your limits is no harm at all, and can give your drive/intent a clear place to go. And you will get to experiment with your training, which is an enjoyable aspect of the whole process.

Your age isn't a reason to stop chasing something hard. If anything, it's a reason to pick something specific, so you have a clear goal and you're not just going through the motions with your training.

What's a number you want to hit this year? Or maybe it's not a number, but a new skill or milestone. No need to keep it to yourself. Putting it out there can be a deciding factor in starting the whole process.