Stay fit in your 40s and beyond with these smart workout tips

Exercise is essential for overall health — but as we age, our usual fitness routine might not be as effective.

For people over 40, the body goes through hormonal and physical shifts that can impact how it reacts to certain workouts.

Melissa Neill, CEO of Body by Bikini, specializes in helping women over 40 lose weight. She noted in an interview with Fox News Digital that this becomes "much harder" after this age.

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"There's a lot of things going on with your body," said the U.K.-based fitness expert. "And one of the big things is you’re losing muscle mass."

Women lose muscle mass at a rate of 1% per year, which Neill described as "massive."

This loss isn’t as extensive for men, but it can still have a major impact on metabolism.

"In other words, your body is not going to burn fat as effectively as it did when you were younger," she said.

Neill also mentioned a depletion in hormones, namely testosterone, which is a hormone that supports muscle.

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For aging women, as estrogen declines, the body will work to produce more of the hormone, which can lead to fat gain during menopause.

"It produces fat as it's producing the estrogen," she said. "And it typically sits around your midsection, which is really annoying."

Fitness fixes

Women at this age typically gain about 20 pounds, Neill said, although it could be more.

"I work with women who have gained 40 pounds and they've done nothing different," she said. "All they're doing is the exact same [workouts] they did in their younger days. And, of course, it's just not working anymore."

"If you can incorporate strength training as the main source of your workout, you're going to see much better results overall in your everyday life."

To counteract these changes, Neill suggested that women "throw out" the fitness rulebook they followed in their 20s and 30s.

For people in their 40s, the focus should be more on strength training and less on cardio, according to the expert.

"You want to focus on building muscle, because muscle is going to improve your metabolic health," she said. "Your body's going to get better at burning calories even when you’re just sitting around doing nothing."

"Even when you're sleeping, when you're watching TV — if you've been lifting weights — your body is going to get much better at burning fat."

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By building more muscle through strength training instead of doing cardio like running on the treadmill, the body will not only become more effective at burning fat, but will also have improved longevity.

"People with muscle on them … They're going to be stronger," Neill said. "They're going to have more mobility [and] better agility."

Eating a high-protein diet can also help build muscle, Neill added.

For menopausal women, proper diet and nutrition will help to provide enough energy throughout the day.

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"You want a protocol that works with your body, so that's eating healthy, whole foods, cutting out the processed foods and cutting out refined sugar," Neill said.

The expert also cautioned against intensely working out too often, recommending two to three days of active rest with gentle movement, such as a walk or light yoga.

‘Consistency is key’

Alissa Mosca, regional operations manager for Planet Fitness in New York, said that starting a new fitness routine is the most difficult part, and staying consistent will make all the difference.

"Consistency is key, no matter what it is — but it's your kind of consistency," she said. "My consistency may be five days a week, but somebody else's consistency may be three days a week for half an hour."

"It's taking those small, incremental steps to either kickstart a journey or run full force into it."

Strength training can include any equipment involving weight, like free weights, machines, dumbbells, cable towers and other ways to "engage those muscles working through a full range of motion," the trainer said.

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These exercises can help make everyday tasks easier, from getting in and out of the car to lifting children.

"If you can incorporate strength training as the main source of your workout, you're going to see much better results in your everyday life," Mosca said.

"You're making [the body] react to things that you have to do outside the gym, which is super beneficial," she went on. "It will help your muscles from stiffening [and] stop those aches and pains. You'll start to find that getting out of bed is a lot easier."

Mosca recommended switching between working out different parts of the body throughout the week, and choosing some days to do a full-body circuit.

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"Every muscle group, especially the major muscle groups, adds functionality to every other movement," she said. "So, your core is always included when you do squats [and] deadlifts."

"When you start working on different parts of the body, you're still incorporating those areas, but you're making it a better, [more] well-rounded workout."

For more toned results, Mosca recommended doing higher reps with lower weights. To boost strength, she said to try lower reps and heavier weight.

"You want to focus on building muscle, because muscle is going to improve your metabolic health."

For people over 40 on a fitness journey, the trainer shared some key advice: "Don't go off of the scale. Don't go off of the mirror."

"It's mental, it's physical, it's emotional," she said. "It's how you feel every day. It's how you wake up. It's the quality of sleep. It's your appetite." 

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"If you see improvements in all of these things, and you find yourself craving fruit over sweet treats, if you find yourself wanting to move more and get 10,000 steps in a day, as opposed to sitting on the couch and watching a show, those are the improvements that you're working toward, and that speaks so much stronger than weight loss does."