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Healthy Habits for Women Turning 40

Thankfully, turning 40 isn’t what it used to be. Because women are taking more initiative when it comes to their health, the phrase “Over the Hill” has become over the hill! In fact, women over 40 are often in better shape than they were in their 20s. We have more information and research than we did even five years ago. We know more about how certain foods affect our body chemistry and metabolism, about the importance of individualized exercise plans, and on how overall self-care can add years to your life. Being 40 or older today, is just a fact on your driver’s license…not a reason to hold back!

Now is the time to live your best life! To do that, follow these tips for creating and implementing healthier habits into your day:

 

EAT RIGHT

1) Choose the right fats

The thing we were once taught to avoid, we can now eat again! Only this time, we’re smarter about the types of fats we include in our diets. Did you know that monounsaturated fats can actually fire up your metabolism? They also can be heart-healthy, make your skin smooth, and keep your joints mobile.Get in at least one healthy fat with each meal. This includes foods like avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, salmon, or sunflower seeds.

2) Don’t skip meals

Remember when all we did to lose weight in our twenties was basically think ourselves thin? While our metabolisms may not be what they used to be, you can still give it a boost. Eat three meals a day with a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack. It may sound counteractive to eat so much, but when you go long periods of time without eating, your body thinks it’s starving itself and then stores food as fat. Keep your blood sugar and your metabolism balanced throughout the day with calorie-friendly foods every 3-4 hours. Aim for snacks like a ¼ C of almonds, a Greek yogurt, a green apple with peanut butter, or even hummus and veggies.

3) Limit processed foods

You have the ability to change your body and your health by making smart food choices that don’t include things like soda or chips. While tasty, foods high in sugar, saturated fat, and high-fructose corn syrup can do a ton of damage to your health. In addition to being calorie-laden and hard on the waistline, processed foods can increase your chances for heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and other serious life-threatening conditions. Do your grocery shopping on the outer limits of the grocery store where they keep the fresh produce and meats. Choose lean proteins, fresh produce, whole grains, and don’t forget to wash it all down with plenty of water!

 

STAY ACTIVE

1) Strength train

Building and maintaining muscle is your golden ticket to living a long, active life. While muscle helps you move, it also helps keep your metabolism up. Strength training also keeps your bones strong to help prevent bone breaks or bone related conditions like osteoporosis. Aim for 2-3 whole body strength-training sessions every week. Workout programs like Kaia FIT’s year-round program are perfect for staying trim and strong!

2) Be active everyday

Something you may not realize is that even though you get in a morning workout, if you sit all day for work, you’re still at risk for developing health conditions. Stand up and move at least once an hour. Get up to stretch, take the long way to the water fountain, take the kids to the park, or go for a walk to the store for a healthy snack.

3) Stretch it out

Thank your body for the crazy amount of work it does throughout your week by squaring off some time to stretch, foam roll, and breathe. If that last one caught your eye, it’s no surprise. Many of us don’t realize how shallow of breaths we take each day. During your moment away, place one hand on your stomach and one on your mid to low back.        Breathe in deep enough that you feel your hands being pushed away by the expanding of your ribs. Full breaths lower blood pressure and help clear any mind-clutter.

Furthermore, stretch out your hamstrings with a forward fold, revive your back with a spinal twist, and open up your chest by clasping your hands behind your low back. Use a foam roller to break up knots and loosen up muscles. Just 15-20 minutes a day of self-care can go a long way!
 

SEE THE DOC

1) Get an annual physical

You don’t have to be sick to go to the doctor. Preventative care starts with scheduling a yearly annual physical with your primary care physician and/or your gynecologist. It’s also a smart idea to schedule all of your doctor appointments during the same month every year so you don’t forget. A simple test can go a long way to living longer and living better!

2) Schedule a mammogram

For most women, doctors recommend getting a mammogram every year after the age of 50. However, if you have a family history or have had breast issues, your physician may suggest starting sooner. Since an estimated 1 in 8 women get breast cancer in their lifetime, early detection is key!

3) Don’t ignore warning signs

Maybe your digestive system has changed, your metabolism has stalled, your skin has a few new moles, or maybe you just feel more sluggish than usual. While some of these things seem like normal everyday things, noticing any new changes in your body can be a signal of something else going on in your body. If you’ve noticed changes-like any new moles, write them down and make an appointment with your physician.
 

BEAUTY AND SELF-CARE

1) Use sunscreen

Sunscreen is not just for kids or the fair-skinned. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, roughly 35,000 women get diagnosed with skin cancer each year. And since our poolside tanning habits earlier in life affect our skin as we get older, now is better late than never to prevent skin cancer. Plus, sunscreen can help prevent early onset age spots and wrinkles. Use an SPF 20 on your face daily and SPF 50 on your body. Double up and uses a daily moisturizer with sunscreen!

2) Get a massage

Massages aren’t just a luxurious way to relax anymore. Since we are staying active longer, massages help heal sore muscles and soft tissue strains. They also help ease anxiety, digestive issues, insomnia, headaches, and arthritis. Injury prevention at any age is important, that’s why massage is a helpful maintenance tool.

3) Go organic

When we hear the word “organic,” we often associate it with food. However, what you may not realize is that the products we use on our skin, hair, and nails can also affect your health. Many products, like the hair-straightening treatment keratin, include formaldehyde. According to EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetics database, personal care products can have ingredients that are possible carcinogens, can affect your endocrine     system and hormones, and might even alter your fertility. Pay attention to your beauty products and check the EWG Skin Deep database for more info.
 

MOOD BOOST

1) Daily meditation

Reserving even five minutes a day to meditate can have lasting effects on your nervous system, energy levels, and even your blood pressure! Download apps like Headspace or Meditations for a guided experience to relieving stress and finding more room for positive energy!

2) Take up journaling

Quiet time is important to decompress from the day and to allow for your body to restore itself after a long day. Keep a journal with you and jot down things that happened that day, things that inspire you, that scare, or even just write down some of the random thoughts that flutter through your head. Having a place to let go of your thoughts can help you find solace, resolution, and a place to remind yourself of all the reasons to be grateful!        

3) Be social

Between work, home, and everything else, it can be tough to get out with the girls for an adult evening out. But maintaining a strong network of friends and social circle is just as important as getting in sleep and exercise. Not only do you get emotional support from friends, you’re more likely to stay active and keep your weight in check. Plus, social support can also help lower blood pressure, decrease depression and anxiety symptoms, and even possibly lower inflammatory responses in the body due to stress.    Stay social by joining in one of Kaia FIT’s workout programs and get double the health benefits!

Being 40 is absolutely just a number! However, with every year, it’s important to get better at taking better care of your body. We all know to eat right and exercise. But maybe it’s adding sunscreen or just finding some quiet time to your health regime that will make all the difference!

Live your best life today and every day! Stay strong and fit with us at Kaia FIT!

Recent Blogs

7 Day Reset

We’ve incorporated inspiration and motivation to help you rock all 7 days. In the next 7 days you will make shifts in your mind and body that will boost your metabolism, improve sleep and increase energy.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

This is a self paced reset, so you can start when you are ready but we recommend to continue with the reset each day once you begin to see the maximum results.

All it takes is 7 DAYS. What are you waiting for?

Kaia Tri is a ten-week triathlon training program with workouts three times a week, which is an optional extra during our spring and summer CORE sessions. We swim, bike, and run, with some cross-training classes too. By being able to set a personal pace, our triathlon training program is suited to beginners tackling their first race and intermediate athletes looking to improve their finish time.

Our mock triathlons run several times to familiarize women with the course route. We finish the season with a Triathlon Training Camp which includes paddle boarding and power workouts. The next day is our exhilarating and fun Triathlon race day for all Kaia Tri women to enjoy working out in a beautiful location. Friends are welcome too!

SANDBAG

Kaia Sandbag combines traditional fitness with unconventional training methods. With sandbags, the weight shifts and moves in an unpredictable fashion. This piece of equipment is integrated into our conditioning & strength building workouts to simultaneously develop strength, power, endurance, mobility, and balance – with an additional emphasis on developing overall core strength and stability.

New to sandbag training? No problem! Beginners are always welcome.

TRX SUSPENSION 

TRX® Suspension Training® body-weight exercise simultaneously develops strength, power, endurance, mobility, durability, balance, flexibility, and core stability. Whether you’re younger or older, out of shape or a pro athlete, injured or at the top of your game, TRX Suspension Training meets you where you are and takes you where you want to go. TRX Suspension Training leverages gravity and the user’s body weight to enable hundreds of exercises that can be instantly scaled for any user to reach any fitness or training goal. The easily-scalable nature of TRX Suspension Training makes it a practical solution wherever you are on the fitness continuum.

Need a little extra boost to keep your body guessing? Our TRX/Cardio class is an excellent complement to any Kaia FIT session. TRX workouts, which can be used by anyone at any level, builds true functional strength and improves flexibility, balance and core stability all at once. Mixed with cardio, the classes give every member the perfect balance of challenge and success.

*TRX classes not available in all areas. Please contact us your local studio.

CROSS-TRAINING

Our trademark Kaia Cross-Training™ classes are a unique mix of cardio, functional movement, and both weighted and non-weighted exercises.

Cross-Training benefits:

Each day brings a new workout. We have an elite group of advanced coaches who infuse each workout with their own flair and focus, meaning you’re never going to repeat a workout, avoid burn-out, and fitness plateaus.

Keeping the body guessing is key to sculpting lean muscle mass. We also have a 3-part modification foundation: Balance (non-impact); Strength (mid-impact) and Kaia (high impact). Each exercise has its own progression so that everyone can feel successful.

As a part of our program, we also offer nutritional guidance to help you make healthy food choices and keep your fitness on track.

What are you waiting for? Join us today!

BARRE

Our barre-based class is a unique combination of postures inspired by ballet, yoga, Pilates and Kaia. Using the barre as a prop to balance, you’ll complete a series of isometric holds combined with high reps of small range movements to elongate and tone your major muscle groups.

In addition to the barre, classes incorporate pilates balls, yoga blocks, and/or resistance bands for increased endurance, challenge and focus. Following each set of holds, you’ll rest and recovery with a short series of stretches and poses to increase flexibility prior to advancing.
Kaia Barre is a low-impact class that perfectly complements our program offerings. Meet us at the barre and try your first class for free!

Participating locations may vary. See the schedule page for more details.

DANCE 

Our dance fitness class is rooted in traditional dance. We use those foundational moves and offer a class that is easy enough for beginners yet challenging enough for the more seasoned dancer. The simplicity of the routines allows you to keep moving with ease. Although this is a workout, it feels more like a dance party with your girlfriends.

RUNNING 

Improve your speed, skill, endurance, stamina, and strength with our Kaia running program. The program works on developing running skills that can increase speed, endurance, and overall fitness. The program is designed for you to run at your pace and and help you see improvements every step of the way.

The Kaia training is a simple, progressive program designed for women of all ages and all fitness levels. Whether you are a walker, jogger, or runner, you will be able to join this program and move at your own pace. Research has shown that even 20 to 30 minutes of running (two to three times per week) is enough to help you lose or maintain weight and improve many other important health markers, i.e. your cholesterol, blood pressure and insulin response.

Don’t be intimidated by the Kaia Run program name, each class will have walkers, joggers and runners. Keep in mind that the first mile is the hardest mile you will ever run. Once you get off the starting block, things only get easier. All you have to do is be patient and disciplined in your training, and that is where Kaia

POWER YOGA

Kaia Yoga combines mind and body with a power yoga and core-strengthening weekly workout with Pilates-style techniques. We focus on balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness through stretching, strength training and dynamic movement to improve overall fitness levels.

By creating long, lean muscles, Yoga promotes improved coordination, greater flexibility and a fuller range of motion, with a strong body that’s less prone to injury. Yoga keeps the mind centered and reduces stress through positive thoughts and a sense of mindfulness, which also inspires mental strength and confidence.

Yin Yoga, or restorative yoga, is a quiet contemplative practice. It targets the deepest tissues of the body, our connective tissues – ligaments, joints, bones, and the deep fascia networks of the body. Poses are held for 1 minute or more and transitions between poses are gentle and slow. This class is an excellent compliment to our other classes, provides dedicated stretching, and is known to reduce stress and anxiety.

6-WEEK BRIK BOOTCAMP

Our BRIK Bootcamp sessions are offered three times a year and are designed to help you reach your health and fitness potential, and you’re welcome to start anytime!

Our BRIK Bootcamps are six weeks long and feature classes daily.* This programming fits in seamlessly with our regularly scheduled classes, and it’s as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. Register for BRIK Bootcamp HERE (included for Platinum & Gold Memberships)
  2. Book your classes through our branded app and Show Up
  3. Let our expert coaches do the rest!

These sessions offer great results in weight and body fat loss and an increase in strength and cardiovascular endurance. Our nutritional support will boost energy, help you de-bloat, increase sleep quality, and enhance your overall glow.

BRIK Bootcamp includes:

In between BRIK Bootcamp, we offer a variety of classes to meet you at your level! We also have nutrition and fitness challenges, in addition to fun opportunities to spice up your routine. What are you waiting for? Join us today!

CYCLE

Cardio based, calorie torching workout with certified spin instructors. It’s a party on a bike!

Try a Week Free

WHAT IS KAIA FIT?