Fitness: Love the 30s!

If you’re pushing 30, feeling ‘old’ should be the last thing on your mind. What you should be doing is sitting up and noticing the changes your body is going through. At 30, most women notice a slowdown in metabolism, coupled with hormonal changes. It is also the time, when tiny facial wrinkles begin to appear. Therefore, if you’re getting into a fitness regime after you’re 30, it will require a little more effort on your behalf. Apart from working out regularly, you also need to follow a healthy diet. Experts say that  to achieve your fitness goals, all it will take, is a higher level of commitment.

Eat healthy
Fitness expert Wanitha Ashok suggests what women approaching 30 and above,  should eat to maintain a healthy body and a younger looking skin. “Post 30, there is a change in one’s lifestyle too. So starting early is always a good idea. One should cultivate healthy eating habits and eat in moderation.” The follwing pointers, says Wanitha, will help towards a healthy lifestyle.

    Avoid junk, sugar and refined food. All these factors age you faster. Sugar is the main culprit behind weight gain

    Fresh fruits and vegetables are very important to maintain metabolism and healthy and glowing skin. If you are not able to have vegetables in the form of salad, then have vegetable juice. I do the same, for I find it difficult to sit down and gorge on salad. So instead, I opt for vegetable juice. Citrus fruits are good for skin

    Eat on time every two hours and make your choice from healthy food. We are lucky to have so many options to choose from today, make sure that you choose wisely

    Post 30, the elasticity of skin suffers so it’s important to supply the skin with healthy nutrients and moisture. Water plays an important role, drink a lot of water throughout the day, it flushes out the toxins. Dehydrated skin looks dry and patchy

    Vitamins and minerals play an important role, make sure you have a good supply. Have gooseberry water for it is rich in vitamins and acts as an antioxidant and anti ageing agent

    Exercise is equally important. So make sure that you dedicate 20-30 minutes of your day towards exercise

    Women need a regular supply of calcium so don’t deprive your body of it

    Make it a habit to have two cups of green tea daily, it acts as a stress reliever and is also an antioxidant and removes free radicals from the body

    Quit smoking, as it acts as a hunger suppressant and freezes the mind

    Have enough protein in every meal, they are known as building blocks and replace damaged cells

    Implement one change at a time; don’t go overboard with changes for it will be difficult to keep up with all of them

Work right
Vinita Ajila, owner of Gold’s Gym, tells us there are two categories of women in their early 30s — one who are planning their pregnancies and the other who are single- career oriented women. Vinita says, “Each of these categories of women need to approach fitness differently.”

    Women planning pregnancy — Women in their 30s generally go through hormonal changes; people who are planning their pregnancy should maintain a healthy lower body fat levels not more than 25%. They need to lead a relatively active lifestyle which needs to incorporate at least 4 to 5 days of cardio vascular and strength training routine. Exercise is known to raise the metabolic rates, improve blood circulation and produce healthy eggs during ovulation, a healthy foetus and an overall healthy pregnancy. A healthy woman during her pregnancy also prevents  babies from growing to be an obese baby and therefore an obese adult.

    Single women in early 30s are career focused and for them the stress level is higher. Cortisol, the stress releasing hormone, gets released more frequently, so one must indulged in cardio vascular exercise or all forms of yoga and meditation to bring down the stress level. Intense feel-g ood hormones called endorphins releases stress. Six to eight hours of sleep a day is important, not drinking caffeinated beverages after 9pm and eating every two to three hours to keep the metabolism high are important. All these elements help women above 30 to stay young and vital.

Love your skin
Ema Trinidad, skin care expert, tells us that there two ways to look after one’s skin, basic and advanced. She says “I have the CTMP formula, which I ask women to follow right after they turn 16. C stands for cleansing, T for toning, M for moisturising and P for protection. A lot of women do something for skin when they panic, but ideally they should start early to keep the signs of aging at bay. On an average, 32 is when the first signs of ageing show, in the form of fine lines in forehead and hormonal changes; even facial muscles start to loosen. When we are young, the skin renews itself, but for women over 30 it’s difficult. They need to opt for the advanced skin care regime,  which involves exfoliating. One can do it either at home or at the salon, once a week or fortnightly. People with oily skin should go for masks that absorb dirt and oil and the ones with dry skin should opt for hydrating mask which infuses moisture in skin. I want to warn people from bleaching their skin regardless of their age, it makes the skin sun sensitive and you might end up with pigmentation. Also go for facials once a month and try out face yoga which firms up the facial muscles.”