Vanessa Thompson Fitness after 40

Introduction

We have achieved great progress in science and technology, a more civilized political and social structure. But in terms of physical endurance and vitality, they are far behind their ancestors. Remember the ancient people and tribes that lived in the wild. Physically, they were very active until their very old age: they could run many kilometers in pursuit of prey, actively fought for survival in conditions of severe climatic cataclysms, were well prepared for long work in conditions of maximum workload and demonstrated such abilities that we would consider incredible compared to modern standards of strength and endurance.
But in our time, the time of technological progress, most of us are sedentary. We walk only from the parking lot or bus stop to the establishment where we work, from the desk to the buffet or cafeteria. And it is precisely the lack of movement that has a bad effect on our health and our opportunities in all areas of life, most quickly influencing the premature onset of old age.
Motor activity is what our body needs for normal functioning for many, many years to come, to improve health, achieve good health and, of course, in order to, if not get rid of, then at least delay the onset of old age.
Let's take a look at who we are now and who we want to become. You may already be noticing more and more pain in the lower back, a little more difficult than before, climbing stairs has become more difficult, the muscles of the chest have sagged, the muscles of the back of the shoulder have become weak, and more fat has accumulated on the hips and waist than we would like.
If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, this is a clear and distinct warning. Our body is designed in such a way that a sedentary lifestyle quickly leads to a deterioration in health, which is even more aggravated with age.
When we are young, we do not pay much attention to our health, but at 40-50 years and older, we increasingly find all these symptoms. If we continue to lead a largely sedentary lifestyle, then the gradual destruction of the body, the depletion of physical and intellectual forces will be aggravated every day. Of course, aging, our body changes, physical and mental strength with dry up with age. But, you see, different people age differently. And we argue that it is possible to slow down this process or even temporarily reverse it, regaining our energy and freshness, if we just add a little movement to our lives.
While engaging in dosed physical activity, the famous cardiologist Paul White said: “It’s wonderful to know that you can become healthier and that you don’t have to grow old at all!”.
Fitness is the main factor that will help in spite of the years to strengthen your health. After all, this amazing sport has no age restrictions, it does not matter how old you are according to your passport - 20, 40, 50 or more. Only one thing is most important - the eternal youth of your soul.
This book is written for those over forty. The children have matured, become less dependent on us, and we suddenly understand that you can not only live for yourself, but also take care of yourself, something that we always did not have enough time for.
The main thing now is to adapt to the changes that are happening to our body, to adapt, but not to give up. Alas, aging is an inevitable process. Whether we like it or not, no one asks us. Skin tone worsens, muscle mass melts, the figure blurs. Flexibility and strength decrease, and the risk of osteoporosis turns from hypothetical to real. This is where fitness is needed more than ever. Training at this age is fantastic. They actually stop time, or even turn it back. The secret is that there are no age-related diseases at all, there are lifestyle diseases. Lead a healthy lifestyle, adhere to the principle of balance in everything - in movement, nutrition and emotional relaxation, and you will automatically be healthy! For example, women who exercise regularly after 40 have the smallest chance of getting breast cancer, uterine cancer, or osteoporosis.
But the most surprising thing is how fitness slows down the external aging process. Look at fifty-year-old ballerinas who, out of habit, start their day with physical activity. They look like they're not even forty. Indeed, "movement means life."
As we get older, we need physical activity even more than the younger ones. It is only necessary to make changes to the training program. It is health that should be your goal, which is why we offer in this book of programs that give the maximum healing effect.
Right now, more than ever, it is important to maintain flexibility, and therefore we offer you a unique stretching program that will not only delay age-related diseases such as osteochondrosis, rheumatism or arthritis for many years, but will also return your muscles and joints to a second youth.
The ancient East has kept amazing healing practices that have survived to this day for centuries. The fitness industry has adapted them for you. The fitness yoga and tai chi fitness program that we offer in our book will give you an excellent supply of vitality, strength, energy and health. Old age will be postponed for many years, remember, because it is in the East that there are so many centenarians.
Finally, the cardio program, namely the combination of walking and running, which we offer you, will allow you to strengthen the skeletal system, successfully deal with physical and emotional stress, increase efficiency and intellectual abilities, maintain a stable weight or successfully fight overweight and protect against risk heart disease.
Every year you will feel only younger, and your peers who have never done fitness will only wonder why you seem ten years younger, or even more.

Chapter 1. Cardio training and heart health

The heart is a unique invention of nature

Our body is a heritage not only of distant ancestors, but also of hundreds of thousands of generations of their predecessors - primitively organized beings. Although much in human evolution is still unclear, it is undeniable that at each of its stages, nature selects only the best options for organizing life. Not a single organ of the animal organism has improved in development as significantly as the heart. It was the cardiovascular system and its central engine - the heart muscle - that provided special advantages to the human body, created conditions for the diversity and perfection of physical and mental functions.
Muscles in the form of simple muscle fibers appeared already in the coelenterates and reached a high level of development in the most primitive worms. At this stage of evolution, when the organism already had brain nodes and a nervous system in the form of longitudinal trunks, even the rudiments of the heart and blood vessels were absent. At the next stage, at mollusks - an open vascular system and respiratory organs appeared in the form of gills, but they also did not have a heart. In arthropods, the second type of musculature, necessary for active actions in the external environment, took shape - striated muscles, the evolution of which in general terms ended up to man. And only then did a primitive heart appear - a pulsating abdominal vessel that pushes blood through an open vascular system.
Chordates, which climbed even higher on the ladder of evolution, provided a qualitative leap in the development of the heart. In primitive chordates - non-cranial - the vascular system closed, and cranial, or vertebrate, animals already had a real heart, divided into two chambers: an atrium and a ventricle. Further evolution led to the formation of a three-chambered heart in amphibians. Their atrium is divided into two sections, which contributed to the formation of two circles of blood circulation. Frog hearts are already organized "an order of magnitude" higher in comparison with fish. Within the framework of the next class, a new major improvement occurred - the septum inside the ventricle arose and developed. In lizards and snakes, this partition is still incomplete, but in crocodiles, like in humans, it is closed. Thus, another improvement in the circulatory system was provided - the complete separation of venous (waste) blood from arterial blood, which provided the most complete maintenance of the metabolism in the body. In birds, and then in mammals, this constructive invention was finally fixed.
And today the result of the evolution of the heart strikes with the logic and courage of the decision. Particularly surprising is the expediency of the structure of the heart, which separates the flows of venous and arterial blood in a single organ.
However, despite its perfection, it was the heart that turned out to be the most “weak link” in the human body. First of all, the heart is an unpaired organ, while all vital organs are practically paired. We have two lungs, two kidneys with adrenal glands, the brain consists of two hemispheres, a bipartite liver, a pair of many endocrine glands, as well as female and male sex glands. Moreover, each of the vital organs is redundant in its structures and functionality. A person can live with one lung, one kidney, with a quarter left after bowel surgery, and the failure of even a small part of the heart puts the body at risk of death.
Of course, it's a pity we don't have a spare heart. But that is precisely why this amazing organ must be especially protected, because its possibilities are not unlimited. Breaking is always easier than making.
Let us recall