Turning back the clock isn’t just about looking after your skin to treat or prevent wrinkles and fine lines. It’s important for your body to stay fit and feeling good to match how fantastic your skin is looking!
We asked local trainer and co-owner of Anarchy Training Centre, Renae Wauhop for her tips to keep your body ‘young’ as you age. “An average person will reach their peak muscle mass at 20 and it will start to decline from there,” said Wauhop. “If you’re active, you’ll be able to maintain your muscle mass and live a fitter, healthier life.”
Here are Renae’s top tips to slow down the ageing process.
Keep it simple
Brisk walking and easy exercises a few times a week can reap major benefits. The great thing about walking is that it can be done nearly anywhere! Park further from the shops to get in a few extra minutes of walking, walk the kids to school in the morning, take your dog to the dog beach. These are all simple activities that can be incorporated into your week.
Remember when exercising outside to wear sunscreen and a hat. According to Better Health Victoria, UV radiation from sunlight is the major factor in wrinkling skin in Australians. Pick up a bottle of Actinica SPF 50+ sunscreen next time you’re at our Rejuva Joondalup or Como clinic.
Stay focused
Focus on your larger muscle groups, these are the muscles you use for basic motions like pulling, pushing and squatting and they’re the muscles that will deteriorate the fastest.
Try a squatting exercise bearing in mind your own personal fitness level. Any fitness regimen should begin with a baseline health and fitness assessment by a professional to prevent injuries.
You can use a chair or rail at home to help stabilise yourself, if you’re more advanced, you can even add some weight. Aim to do some kind of resistance training, even just body-weight exercises, on two non-consecutive days per week, with sets of 10-15 reps.
Be balanced
Working on your posture and balance is a great preventative measure to keep you steady on your feet as you start to age. A simple exercise is as easy as learning to shift your weight from one leg to the other and then slowly being able to balance on only one leg. As you build up your strength try standing on one leg while you brush your teeth!
Stretch it out
Your muscles form repetitive habits based on your daily activities. If you work at an office or spend a lot of time sitting, you’re not using a large portion of your muscles. It’s important to include stretching in your daily routine to keep your muscles active and prevent injuries. Hold each stretch from 30 to 60 seconds, even if it’s just while you’re waiting for your toast to pop.
Source: tumblr.com, huffingtonpost.com, betterhealth.vic.gov.au
