Picking up bad exercise habits—along with good ones—is not out of the norm during your fitness journey. Reevaluating your routine every now and then is a necessary step to help keep you on track and ensure you’re not doing anything that’ll lead to injury. We spoke with Kelly Najjar, NBC-HWC, a personal trainer on Fyt, who shares five exercise habits that are wrecking your body after 40. If you’re doing any of the habits below, ditch them ASAP.
“Welcome to ‘Prime Time,’ the second half of your life,” says Najjar. “This is the time to invest in your health and wellness so that your retirement is full of [everything] you want to do. Pain and its limitations prevent many from enjoying an active retirement. Now that you are over 40, it is important to care for your body by avoiding these exercise habits. As you age, maintaining your strength, balance, and endurance safely will keep you doing the things you love.”
Now, let’s explore the five exercise habits that can wreck your body after 40.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics involves explosive movements that boost muscle power. While that’s all well and good, this form of training can also be rough on joints, such as the spine.
Najjar suggests, “To preserve the health of your knees, hips, and spine, it is better to enjoy exercises with a lower impact. Some options include strength training, walking or jogging, or yoga.”
Sprints
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be a popular form of training, but the quicker your movements, the more you risk injury. “Combined with a longer healing time, after 40, it is better to slow down and avoid exercises that require a sprint,” Najjar explains.
Instead, opt for an elliptical workout or a slow jog. Both forms of exercise are less likely to result in an injury.
Crunches and traditional sit-ups
Growing older comes with many natural changes in your body. For instance, your spine can become more susceptible to injury, and you need to adapt your exercise regimen with that in mind.
“Traditional core exercises like crunches and sit-ups put unnecessary pressure on the neck and lower back,” Najjar explains. “Try a glute bridge or a bird-dog to help keep a strong core without putting your spine at risk.”
Ignoring your balance
Falling becomes more common as you grow into your older years. That’s why it’s crucial to get ahead of the game and work on your balance earlier in life as often as you can.
“If you have good balance and want to maintain it into your Prime Time, perform standing three-way kicks with weight (either a band or tower with a leg attachment),” Najjar says. “If your balance isn’t what it used to be, you can ask your doctor for a few physical therapy sessions and learn the best exercises for you.”
Forgetting to stretch
Don’t sleep on stretching! It’s easy to skip this critical part of the cool-down process, but make it a habit to stretch after wrapping up your workout.
“After finishing a good workout, it is easy to towel off and head for the locker room,” Najjar points out. “While that might be fine in your younger years, it can cause big problems in Prime Time. Tight muscles pull on the joints they support, causing general aches and pains. Prolonged pressure on the joint can lead to osteoarthritis.”
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
