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Mid-life fitness crisis can be fixed by changing routines
Tuesday August 5 2008 BY Ross O' Donnell, Tips from the Trainer The phrase “mid-life crisis” takes on many connotations. It immediately stirs up visions of the male in his late 40’s trading in the RSP’s (and maybe even his wife … a costly thought) for a Corvette and joining the hair club for men.
The mid-life crisis is not exclusive to men and recently women of the same vintage (a.k.a. “cougars”) are giving the men some serious competition for the title of “mid-life crisis champions.”
Regardless, one thing for sure is that the baby boomers — male and female — in this decade are more concerned about fitness than any of the preceding generations. Multitudes of people 40 years of age and over are getting back into sports they hadn’t played in years, flocking to the gym, purchasing home fitness equipment and hiring personal trainers.
If you have been active all your life, kudos to you and keep up the good work. Many such fitness enthusiasts are still participating at a high level in such demanding activities as boxing, kickboxing, marathons and triathlons.
The one thing you must remember is you’re now 40 something, not 20 something, and your body will not respond the way it did back in the good old days. Here are some tips for considerations focusing on an age-related fitness program:
Realize that your metabolism is going to slow by 10-15 per cent and a couple of extra pounds and inches are going to appear.
To combat the slower metabolism increase your cardiovascular exercise four to seven times a week for at least 30 minutes with some low-impact, joint-friendly aerobic activity like walking, biking or swimming.
Start a resistance/weight full body training program two to three times a week to slow the loss of lean muscle and again keep the metabolism revved up at rest. As options, try pilates, yoga, stability ball or medicine ball training.
Avoid quick fix diets and pills for weight loss and instead, adjust your diet to eat smaller meals and more frequently. Eat four to five times a day including more nutrient enriched foods, proteins, fruits and fiber in your diet.
Reduce stress that is linked to cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses. Try to relax and get some regular exercise, a proven method for stress reduction as it releases endorphins, the body’s natural happy pill, into your system.
Accept the way you look and concentrate on doing the best you can with what you’ve got by adopting a healthy, active lifestyle.
If you still feel the need to go out and buy that Corvette, at least get a convertible so that the new hair you invested a fortune in can blow in the wind!

Ross O’Donnell, author of, “The Ultimate Fitness Boxing & Kickboxing Workout” is a Certified Can-Fit-Pro PRO-Trainer and owner of Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. He can be contacted at 942-1625 or info@fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca

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