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Fitness in your 40s and beyond is about looking and feeling good -- just as it was in your
younger years.

But at this stage of the game, exercise not only helps to keep your weight in check, it also
reduces your risk of many chronic conditions (colon cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart
disease, to name a few) as you approach middle age and alleviates symptoms during your body's
transition into menopause.

Of course, since menopause happens to most women in their late 40s or early 50s, "the change"
may be a far-off concern for many 40-somethings. But perimenopause (the years before and the
first year after menopause) can begin anytime in the 40s -- often mid-decade.

And regular exercise is a surefire way to help reduce some of the symptoms that the estrogen
deficiency from menopause may bring. These include:

y‘ hot flashes
y‘ sleep problems
y‘ mood swings
y‘ bone loss that increases your osteoporosis risk
y‘ changes in cholesterol that can increase your heart disease risk

Once menopause enters the equation, women also have to worry about their body fat settling into
places it hadn't before -- usually in the midsection, creating the common look of a "disappearing
waist," says Judy Wilson, Ph.D., an associate professor and the director of the Exercise Science
Program in the Department of Kinesiology at The University of Texas at Arlington.

That's just one of the reasons why, "as we age, we have to incorporate fitness into our lives, and
we have to find exercise that we like to do," says Vivian M. Dickerson, M.D., the executive
medical director of women's health at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif., and past
president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

To help you figure out how to be at your fitness best, we asked Dickerson for her
recommendations on the top exercise tips for your 40s and beyond.

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Work exercises like ballet, Pilates, yoga or tai chi into your weekly routine to help "stabilize
your core." This keeps your spine and body stable (using the muscles in your trunk, hips,
abdomen and pelvis), which helps to reduce the number of falls and injuries as you get older,
plus it improves your posture, balance, coordination, strength and flexibility to boot.

Stiff, achy muscles and joints need exactly these kinds of activities during the 40s and as you
head into middle age.
‰ou may also want to try out other exercises such as swimming or basic stretching (especially
during warm-ups before and cooldowns after your workout) and strength training (aka weight
training or lifting weights) to give your core strength, balance and your bones an added boost,
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you don't have time to head to the gym nor the money or room for a ton of weights, look
around your kitchen, Wilson says. "Chances are, you have some cans of food that weigh close to
1 pound [16 ounces] or a bag of sugar or flour [4 to 5 pounds]. If you can lift these 12 to 15
times, move to a higher weight. If you don't have the right size cans, put several into a pillowcase
and lift them at the same time."

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According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS),
bone loss often begins after your bone mass peaks in your 30s. So, during your 40s, it's essential
to keep your bones strong in order to prevent the risk of osteoporosis and breaks in the years
ahead.

Try some of these weight-bearing exercises (which bear weight, in a good way, on your bones):

y‘ hiking
y‘ jogging
y‘ climbing stairs
y‘ dancing
y‘ lifting weights
y‘ walking

Walking, in particular, is an easy and safe activity you can do whenever and wherever. The goal
is to work up to about 10,000 steps a day. Buy a pedometer for your waistband that will keep
count of your steps, and take every opportunity you can to walk -- park farther away at work or
when shopping, take a stroll during your lunch hour and opt for the stairs instead of the elevator,
Wilson says.

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Aerobic exercise (aka cardiovascular exercise or "cardio") can help you:

y‘ keep your heart in shape

 y‘ boost both your stamina and energy
y‘ maintain a healthy weight, especially once you near and enter menopause

And even if the scale shows the exact same weight at 40 as it did at 20 (whether you're near
menopause or not), your body probably doesn't look the same as it did in your college years.
That's because not only do you need fewer calories to function as you get older, it's also common
to lose muscle mass -- which can mean more body fat and excess pounds unless you exercise or
cut the number of calories you consume, Wilson says.

To keep your weight under control and help you make the most of the muscles you have now,
the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends regular aerobic workouts
such as:

y‘ brisk walking
y‘ jogging
y‘ cycling
y‘ swimming
y‘ cross-country skiing
y‘ jumping rope
y‘ rowing
y‘ racquetball
y‘ handball

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So, how much exercise should you get and when? It's generally a good idea to squeeze in
moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes every day (or most days) of the week.

According to the physical activity guidelines for healthy adults younger than 65, which were
created by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM), you should do at least the bare minimum to stay healthy and cut down your chronic
disease risks:

y‘ moderately intense cardio for 30 minutes a day and on five days a week or vigorously
intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
y‘ eight to 10 strength training exercises (with eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise) twice
a week

And be sure to mix it up to make it fun. "But if you haven't exercised for a while, work into it
slowly -- don't pretend you're 21 and try to keep up with the hard bodies at the gym," Dickerson
says.
If you can't or don't have the time to do 30 minutes of nonstop exercise just yet, break your
physical activity up into increments, such as two 15-minute intervals or three 10-minute
workouts every day, the American Heart Association recommends.

Before you dive right in to an exercise regimen, figure out how much time you're going give (10
minutes, for example) and then see how you feel at the end of the workout, Wilson says. "If
you're not tired at all, walk or bike another five minutes. The real test will be how you feel the
next day. If you have no 'tiredness hangover,' continue to increase the time of exercise
gradually."

The good news is that, no matter how much exercise you decide to do, if you've stayed in shape
up until this point, it's usually all about maintenance. As Dickerson says, "In your 40s, the body
is still quite healthy and the focus has to be on keeping it that way."