To cardio or not to cardio in your 40s

[pricklycitrus]

After a decade of not doing much exercise (I dabbled in a few things but didn't really stick with anything for very long), I have now found a cardio class that I love, which I attend twice a week. I have now realised that I had forgotten how great exercise is, when it's fun and not a chore! And the endorphins - amazing!

Now I'm reading that lots of cardio can be detrimental when you get older, due to too much cortisol being released. It feels like you can't win!

I am aware that strength training is recommended from my age (40), so need to figure out how to slot that in. But surely cardio is still good for your heart and general health?

What does your weekly exercise routine looks like? What have you found best in mid-life, that has helped you with health and is realistic to fit into daily life?

Of course you should. And a class twice a week isn’t “too much”. It’s hardly marathon training is it?

I am really into strength training. But I also do cardio because both are important. I’m 58.

As for cortisol, beware of having your head turned by the latest social media buzzwords.

Move more. Lift heavy. Enjoy it.

Where are you reading that pricklycitrus?
I would have thought the cortisol released through stress to be far more harmful.

Ignore all that stuff about cortisol and hormones and zones from fitness influencers and people (even Drs) selling content or programmes - focus on the evidence-based basics the NHS recommends - and within, or on top of that, do what you enjoy and works for you!

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/

This advice doesn't change all the time and allows lots of scope to find what suits you.

Later down the line, you may want to tweak things, but it is a disgrace that women who don't currently exercise much are being told NOT to do certain forms of exercise, for no reason.

It is brilliant you have found some cardio classes you enjoy! That box ticked (assuming you are doing some eg brisk walking every week too). Now add in some strength training (and again, don't worry too much at first about what it is - just get going with what is available and works for you - if you get stuck in come back here and get advice down the line).

Cardio is currently out of fashion.The heart is our most important muscle, though.

We need some combination of strength, cardio and mobility training or else we are going to run into problems as we hit old age.

I do Caroline Girvan for strength, yoga and Julia Reppel for mobility, and fun classes for cardio. I also walk my dogs daily.

Twice a week is not too much. If you have a sedentary job, a cardio class every day is not going to be too much

I’m pretty sure that your two classes a week will not result in a detrimental level of cortisol.

Thank you for reminding me of the basics! It seems like there is a lot of conflicting advice, even from medical experts, about the "right" and "wrong" ways to exercise. As you say, I feel like it is very counterproductive, when most of us need to move more, not less.

Twice a week definitely fine. Keep going. Good for you. Agree with MsMartini - Be wary about much of the utter nonsense being spewed out on social media by so called health experts.
I am 50, still do HIIT 2-3 times a week as well as other stuff. Just had a physical assessment and my physical age is 30-35. I would not be in this position had I stopped cardio through my 40s!

Cardio classes are great for endorphins, for stamina, for exercising your heart.

i do 3 a week and 2x a weak strength training and i have never felt better in terms of endurance, stamina, strength and flexibility. I am stronger and fitter than 25 years ago.

Amazing and inspiring!

Gosh yes cardio for all of the above!

I play sports at aged 48 and unfortunately I get bad anxiety the nights I exercise. I can’t sleep
for hours and feel very weird. I keep at it though as I very much enjoy the sport.

I agree about conflicting "advice" from "medical experts" - but most of them are trying to sell something and gain followers, which means they adopt more extreme positions or argue over things that at most will make a marginal difference to experienced people....just ignore it all and do what the NHS says and as you get into it you can find other trusted sources of ideas.

Our bodies are amazing and if you haven't got underlying conditions or injuries then just find what you enjoy that ticks the basic cardio and strength boxes and have fun, see where it takes you, and ignore all the noise.

Once you aren't a beginner, there may be tweaks you want to make (lifting heavier for example, low reps) - but all the hormone balancing nonsense will probably have vanished by then and they will be onto something new!

I read recently that after 40 you should focus on 4 things:

Cardio
Strength
Balance
Flexibility

As they are the things that will help you as you get older.

Two classes a week is definitely not excessive

lots of cardio can be detrimental when you get older, due to too much cortisol being released.

wtaf.
How would I know, what harm is supposed to have happened to me?
I don't believe it for a moment.
Also, "older" means age 50+ typically, btw, or age 70+.
You won't even find studies about people age 70+ doing lots of aerobic exercise, there aren't enough of them to study (!!)

This looks very not legit site, talking about hyper-cortisol, states long list of symptoms = obesity, T2DM, and high cholesterol, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, CVD, hypertension... never mind that most sources would say that plenty of aerobic exercise tends to have exact opposite outcomes in most people. But basically, what they are describing is people who have hypercortisol BECAUSE of malfunctioning glands, like if they have Cushing Syndrome. CS doesn't happen because of lots of aerobic exercise.

Unless you have Cushing Syndrome I reckon you're safe, OP. And probably even if you do have CS.

Glad you found a fun class to go to.

Sounds like bollocks OP, and two classes isn't much anyway.

I hate cardio, so I do a bit of HIIT a few times a week. Otherwise I do yoga most days, and some TRX or weights maybe twice a week, plus dog walking.

I think the best exercise is one you'll actually do.

I'm only echoing others but this is something that does annoy me - there is so much utter shite on the internet about what exercise is 'best' and also about the supposed drawbacks of one sort of exercise over another. The latter usually comes from people who are trying to sell something (or from lazy buggers trying to justify their laziness).

If you currently don't do anything, then just do something, anything, doesn't matter what, whatever you enjoy (that's the main thing). And it sounds like you are, which is brilliant. Once you're used to doing a bit then if you can do a bit more. Ideally you will eventually be doing some strength stuff and some cardio stuff, but worry about that later. If you're basically starting from scratch then you'll have a looong way to go before the amount of exercise you're doing is somehow 'bad' for you.

I've always loved fell running so that's been my main thing for the last 20-odd years (mid 40s now), though I have recently got back into proper strength stuff too, just freeweights at home.

You could try a cortisol lowering herb. I do my main sport at night and it leaves me absolutely buzzing some nights. If I feel really hyped up once I'm home, I take a couple of ashwagandha capsules as it lowers cortisol. You can get it in Holland and Barrett. I used to spend hours in bed, way too alert to sleep, but ashwagandha switches that alertness off.

Yes, this is why I am doing morning classes. I also find that I can be a bit too wired if I do an evening cardio class.

That sounds like a good level of cardio and it’s such a positive benefit that you really enjoy it too.

I think as we get older we also need to get some strength training in to help with muscle loss and bone density. So I think the message has got a bit muddled in this. We shouldn’t be prioritising loads of cardio over strength, we just need a nice balance.

I used to do a track running session on a Friday night and I did find it hard to relax and sleep after - even with ashwaganda etc. But I figured it helped my running so I took the hit.

I haven’t been able to run since last Nov. Recently I’ve focused on more strength and I have noticed an improvement in body composition. So from a purely aesthetic point of view - less cardio and more weights has worked for me. But twice a week for cardio is fine.

I've done three low impact cardio sessions 10 minutes each this week at home following a video on youtube. This is absolutely fine and I'm building up to doing them daily.

Ooh this is a good tip thanks. I'm a runner and find that if I run too late in the day I'm absolutely wired and too hyped up to sleep. This didn't use to happen!

It doesn't feel weird per se. It feels a bit like when I did drugs in my clubbing days and couldn't sleep afterwards.

As for the premise of the thread, it's completely bonkers. Social media influencers will really say any old shite and get idiots to believe them.

I heard that crap about cortisol on here! I wondered where it came from. Someone actually said that you should stop doing cardio after 40, if you're a woman. Pretty sure it was on this section as well.

I'd be surprised if an actual medical expert said it. I don't know where this nonsense comes from.

The benefits of exercise are so well known I find it almost unbelievable that someone is suggesting that it could be bad for you. Although apparently Donald Trump believes that exercise leads to an early grave, and he is in improbably good condition for his age, so perhaps you and him are on to something!

I don’t think the message is that all cardio is bad. I think some women prefer to switch to more strength and slightly less cardio if they were doing say 5 HIIT sessions a week.

I did find that when I was running 4/5 times a week I struggled to fit more than a couple of strength training sessions in.

I think the focus needs to shift slightly that’s all. Cardio is still important but a long walk can be very effective too. Just move and find something you enjoy.