10-minute fitness habit can help adults over 40 maintain muscle and stay strong
“Do that consistently, and you’re going to find your strength return, your muscles return, your joints will start to respond appropriately,” he said.
The 10-minute approach can be especially valuable for people taking GLP-1 medications, who may be trying to preserve muscle mass and bone density while losing weight but may feel intimidated by traditional gyms, Daikeler said.
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For individuals seeking more significant weight loss, he recommends extending daily activity to 20 or 30 minutes, incorporating a balance of strength training and cardiovascular exercise.
The balancing act
Daikeler cautioned against focusing exclusively on either cardio or resistance training, noting that different exercise types serve distinct functions in the body.
“Your body’s like a furnace,” Daikeler said. “The coal in that furnace is muscle. So you want to build muscle. But then you want to stoke that coal, and that’s cardio. So, you need a balance of both things.”
Establishing a healthy routine requires accepting short-term daily physical discomfort to ensure long-term comfort and mobility in everyday life, the expert said. (iStock)
While resistance training builds muscle and strengthens bones and connective tissue, cardiovascular exercise challenges the heart and lungs, helping to maintain overall fitness, he said.
Shifting focus to function
As adults age, Daikeler says the primary motivation for maintaining physical activity should shift away from aesthetic goals and toward functional mobility and independence.
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Reflecting on his personal experience visiting his father in an assisted living facility, Daikeler observed how residents struggled with basic movement and balance.
Short daily resistance workouts can help adults over 40 maintain muscle, mobility and overall strength, the expert said. (iStock)
Many residents relied on walkers and canes, and often stopped walking before talking to one another because they feared tripping over cracks in the pavement, he recalled.
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“This is no longer about my abs,” Daikeler added. “I need to work out in order to be able to walk and talk at the same time into my 90s … It’s no longer about aesthetics and vanity. It’s really about mobility.”
Maintaining healthy physical habits means accepting daily short-term discomfort to protect long-term independence, Daikeler noted.
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“If I do 20 minutes of discomfort, the rest of the day is awesome,” he said, adding that the goal is to consistently incorporate resistance training, cardio and flexibility work into a daily routine.
Khloe Quill is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/10-minute-fitness-habit-help-adults-over-40-maintain-muscle-stay-strong