The 5 Exercises You Need to Do in Your 30s
Let’s be honest: your 30s are definitely not your 20s. Your energy is more sluggish, you can’t eat whatever you want without paying for it on your thighs, and now your body makes these odd creaking sounds whenever you sit down.
Yes, your body looks and feels different, and there are a number of reasons for that. For starters, your basal metabolic rate starts to slow down after age 20 and declines about one to two percent per decade, which means the weight doesn’t drop off so easily anymore.
We also lose muscle mass and bone density due to declining levels of key hormones as we age, and we don’t recover from intense workouts as we once used to.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t stay lean and muscular in your 30s. Working out during this decade all comes down to a matter of working out harder and smarter.
Below are the five exercises to do in your 30s.
HIIT
High-intensity interval training is one of the best workouts to do, period. It’s a great exercise to squeeze in between work, errands, and kids, and it gets your heart pumping like no other. The heart, just like any other muscle in the body, loses strength as you age, which is why it’s important to maintain its aerobic capacity with HIIT at least twice to three times a week.
Plus a 2017 study found HIIT can slow down the aging process, so there’s that too.
Weight training
The average person loses about one percent of muscle mass each year starting in their early 30s, which is why it’s important to start weight training now if you haven’t already. Adding strength training to your routine will not only improve your strength and lead to healthier bones, but it’ll also rev up your metabolism, burning fat, and sculpting those muscles.
Incorporate weight training into your schedule twice a week for best results.
3. Pilates
If you’re in your 30s, you probably sport a little pooch now. Whether it’s because you’re postpartum or a “wine belly,” it’s there. One of the best ways to strengthen and tone your core is through Pilates. Through a variety of core-centric exercises, your body will build lean muscle mass, improve flexibility, and tighten and tone your abs, legs, and butt.
Pilates is also recommended as one of the best workouts to do post-pregnancy as it helps to strengthen and drawback in your abs, as well as strengthen your chest, upper back, and hips.
Commit to Pilates twice a week, and you’ll have a taut tummy in no time.
4. High Impact Exercise
Bone density peaks at age 30, which means we run the risk of having more brittle bones, fractures and illnesses like osteoporosis as we age. In order to build healthy bones naturally, it’s a good idea to incorporate high-impact exercises into your routine at least once to twice a week.
Examples of high-impact exercises include dancing, hiking, tennis, running, jogging, and jumping rope.
5. Yoga
Gone are the days of bouncing back after intense workout after intense workout. Like it or lump it, your body needs more recovery time in your 30s. Yoga is an amazing active recovery workout that will help your body rebuild on rest days while not actually feeling like rest. It’ll also reduce stress and tension, improve balance and coordination, and enhances flexibility (which, by the way, is decreasing now too).
Make sure to take one to two rest days a week, and you’ll be feeling more energetic and stronger in no time.
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