Without a doubt womens fitness over 40 is a topic of discussion in most doctors offices, womens groups and between friends. You may not know it but it really is. But how you ask? Youre in those groups, youre on the phone with your friends and you visit your doctor. You dont hear them talking about womens fitness over 40.

But they are, in subtle ways. Women may complain about not being able to climb stairs any longer because of painful knees. You may hear talk of a friend with heart disease or high cholesterol. An acquaintance may have be diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure.

How is this related? Because womens fitness over 40 programs and routines will help to decrease your risk of stress and age related illnesses. Increased physical fitness will help to create the muscle strength to support joints and decrease pain related to arthritis.

Unfortunately 60% of women in the US dont get the recommended amount of activity. And 25% arent physically active at all. These statistics are slowly raising the number of women who suffer from stress related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Womens fitness over 40 programs dont begin in the gym however. Women must first come to terms with the idea that physical fitness doesnt mean that you are pumping iron, becoming Mr. Universe or training for the Olympics. Physical activity is only that activity that raises your heart rate and breathing for 30 minutes. That may mean walking quickly for 30 minutes in the neighborhood, jogging, biking with the children, rowing, treadmill in front of the television, bouncing on an exercise ball or using a trampoline in the house. The goal is to improve your physical fitness and health not train for the triathlon.

The first real step for a womens fitness over 40 program, is to address lifestyle changes that might impact your ability to start a program. Things like diet, nutrition, and habits. One of the most dangerous habits is smoking. Smoking will negatively impact your ability to use your lungs, you do damage on the cellular level to your lungs and the CDC reports that 295 out of every 100,000 deaths are attributable to smoking damage.

Another step in your womens fitness over 40 program is to incorporate more fruit, vegetables and whole grains into your diet. If you have trouble imagining how to do that you may benefit from a couple of consultations with a dietitian who can help you slowly ease into a healthier diet. Five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables, 8-10 glasses of water and decreasing the amount of white flour in your daily diet will go a long way to improving the way that you eat.

You may not know it but your teeth also play an important part in your womens fitness over 40 program. With some simple flossing and brushing you significantly reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes that have been strongly linked to the bacteria that grow within your mouth. In a retrospective study researchers found that a statistically significant number of patients who suffered a stroke also had a mouth or tooth infection or high build up of plaque in their mouths. Flossing and brushing just may save your life!

What you may have thought of as the most important piece of the womens fitness over 40 program, the exercise routine, is actually the icing on the cake. Exercise is important but it is the roof over the house that keeps you dry. Exercise depends upon the structure of nutrition, diet, and daily habits to improve your health.

Your womens fitness over 40 program can consist of cardiovascular and strength training. Cardiovascular training can include biking, jogging, walking, swimming, trampoline, exercise ball or jump roping. And this program need not be consistently the same thing. Thats only boring. Mix the exercise up a bit and do it with friends. Youll have more fun and youll stick with it longer.

The strength training aspect of a program should never be performed on consecutive days. In other words, if you do it on Monday dont do it again until Wednesday. Two or three days a week, strength training can be done at home with hand weights and a DVD program or at the gym. The choice is yours and how it fits your lifestyle. Incorporating strength training will decrease your risk of osteoporosis, improve the support of your joints and give you a more shapely figure.