A healthy fitness regime is the epitome of healthy life. Besides having a nutritious diet, indulging in different workout plans is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy.
Working out when young seems easy as you are loaded with youth and energy; however, the same thing becomes tiresome in middle age. The body is no longer agile, and that’s what makes exercising tougher.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t work out. In fact, there are a few amazing sets of exercises that can help older women stay fit all through the time. If you are struggling to reduce the excess of stubborn fat that loves staying around the abdomen, we have the most effective stomach exercises for women over 50.
Check them out and follow them rigorously to stay in shape.
Best Stomach Exercises For Women Over 50
Healthy aging involves strengthening your abdominal muscles and developing a solid core. But if you are exercising only with the hope of losing belly fat, you may feel a little disheartened. It is because spot-reducing fat is not possible. It means that training in just one focused area will not help to burn fat in that area alone.
At the same time, developing a solid core and abdominal muscle is a steady process. Therefore, it is advised to start slowly and proceed gradually. So, take out your yoga mats and follow these steps-
1. Start With A Warm-up
Before you start any exercise, warm-up is essential to raise your body temperature, which is particularly helpful to your muscles. It allows muscles to relax and contract easily.
- Lie down on your back and bring your knees to the center, hugging them in.
- Roll backward and forward clockwise for 15-20 seconds.
- Repeat it anticlockwise for another 15-20 seconds.
- Once you complete both rounds, come back to the center and hug your knees into the chest for 15 seconds. Do it five times for a good warm-up.
2. Crunches
When we think about strengthening the abdominal muscles, crunches are the first thing that comes to mind for all good reasons. They can be done at any age and modified per the preferences.
Steps for basic crunches are-
- Lie down on your back, feet on the floor hip-width apart.
- Bend the knees and place your arms behind your head or across your chest.
- Contract abs and inhale.
- Exhale and lift the upper body just enough to raise your shoulder blades off of the floor. Stay there for 1-2
- seconds and come back to the floor.
- Make sure your neck and head are relaxed while lifting the upper body.
- Repeat as many sets as your body allows and increase the number of sets daily.
You can try standing crunches or perform them sitting in a comfortable chair- it all depends upon your capabilities.
3. Planks
Another common and popular stomach exercise is a plank that can be performed irrespective of age. They do wonders for the upper body, especially when it is about strengthening the core muscles.
Initially, you may find plank a bit tough on the shoulders and wrists, but as the body gets used to it, it won’t seem so hard-hitting.
Just like crunches, planks can also be modified based on strength and skills. The steps for the basic plank include the following-
- In plank, you need to come to the floor on all fours.
- Begin the position by facing downwards, keeping your forearms and toes on the floor.
- Your elbows must be directly under the shoulders, and your forearms should face forward.
- Keep your head relaxed and look at the floor.
- Keep the upper body straight in a line from ears to toes.
- Engage the abdominal muscles and draw your navel towards the spine.
- Make sure the hips are neither drooping towards the floor nor hiked up towards the ceiling.
- Hold this position for 10 seconds and release it to the floor.
- Increase this time gradually from 10 sec to 20, 30, 40, and 60.
- Repeat as much your body allows.
There are easy versions of planks like tabletop plank, incline plank, plank with leg lift, plank with an arm lift, and so on. All of them are useful and the best stomach exercises for older women.
3. Leg Lifts
Even though the name is leg lift, this exercise works on both legs and stomach and helps give you a stronger core. There are multiple variations in leg lifts that you can start doing once the body adjusts to the easiest version.
The three simple leg lifts are-
Vertical Leg Lifts- Lie on your mat and keep your legs straight in front of you. Place the hand underneath your seat for extra support, engaging the core, and lift your legs, forming a 90-degree angle with your body. Put them back slowly. Continue this for 30 seconds.
Side Leg Lifts- Lie down on one side and prop your head and neck up with your elbow. Prop up the neck and head using your elbow. Make sure you don’t strain your neck. Now lift the top leg as high as possible and gently lower it down. Do fifteen reps on one side and repeat on the other side.
Hanging Leg Lifts- Hang in a bar with your arms, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Keep the body still and legs together. Look straight and do not strain the neck. Raise the legs until they are perpendicular to the body, and slowly lower them down. Repeat three sets of this leg lift.
If hanging leg lifts seem too challenging, stay with vertical and side leg lifts. Once your body feels good while doing these, you can move further with hanging leg lifts. If you like, you can create your own modifications to the leg lifts. Just make sure you don’t strain any body part.
Final Words
These are some of the best and most effective stomach exercises for women over 50. If you are planning to start them, ensure you have healthy and nutritious food that will give you the energy to perform these exercises and cope with the burnt calories.
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