Autumn Calabrese Shows Off Washboard Abs and Shares Tips On How to Stay "Fit Over 40"
Autumn Calabrese is showing off her fit-after-40 figure – and flashing her abs in workout clothes. In a recent social media post the fitness expert shows off her amazing body in a sports bra and leggings and reveals a few tips on how to stay fit in your forties. "Forget about age, it's all about strength and determination! Lifting heavy weights at 40+ is my secret to staying fit and feeling fierce. Join me on this amazing journey!" she wrote in the caption. How does the 43-year-old keep herself in such great shape? Here are her top tips on how to get and stay "fit over 40."
Lift "Heavy Weights"
In her Instagram post, Autumn shares a "full body routine" you can do with a bench and some heavy weights." Heavier weights, lower reps (10-12) is best for building muscle & keeping us strong ladies. We lose muscle mass & bone density as we age lifting heavy is one way to prevent that," she explains, demonstrating the set. She recommends doing three sets and 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, which includes step-ups, squats, and bench presses, all with free weights. Why is lifting weights as you age so important? According to NIA's Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), muscle mass and strength increase steadily from birth and reach their peak at around 30 to 35 years of age. "After that, muscle power and performance decline slowly and linearly at first, and then faster after age 65 for women and 70 for men," says the NIH.
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Do Less Cardio
"Ladies I know staying fit over 40 isn't as easy as it used to be for a lot of us. But it's not impossible. It does require some tweaks to how we go about it. Here's the hard truth, you're gonna have to be more diligent, more consistent & more deliberate," she says in another post. "It used to be that as long as I was working out regularly and eating pretty healthy I could stay lean, keep my muscle definition, have all the energy & mental clarity and feel good. At 43 that's not the case anymore. I have to choose my workouts more carefully. I can't do as much high intensity, high impact although I do need a little of it. I need more weight training, mobility training & I definitely need my rest days."
Eat Lots of Plants
As for diet, "I focus on my gut & hormone health," she explains, adding that she incorporates lots of plants. "At least 30 different plants a week (veggies mostly, some fruit and whole grains)," she reveals. "I'm very diligent about keeping added sugar to a minimum, same with alcohol."
Do Pilates
She also started doing reformer and Cadillac Pilates combined with Chisel," she says. "And I love throwing in compound movements like this one to work my whole body & being my heart rate up." Why should you consider adding Pilates to your routine? The Mayo Clinic explains that there are lots of benefits to the workout, as it "strengthens the body's inner core while increasing its flexibility resulting in improved overall health. It can also promote longer, leaner muscles, injury prevention, relief from stress and back pain, enhanced athletic performance, and heightened mind-body awareness.
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Have a Blood Stabilizing Breakfast
In another TikTok she offered some more tips for losing weight over 40. "Tip number one, you want a blood sugar stabilizing breakfast. So eating a high carb breakfast is not going to be ideal if you're trying to lose weight and you are over 40. So think protein, veggies, and healthy fat for breakfast," she says.
Eat Three Meals a Day
Another tip shared in the TikTok is to "stop the grazing throughout the day," she says. "Having breakfast, lunch, and dinner and spacing 'em out three to four hours apart at least, is going to help again, stabilize your blood sugar and stop those insulin spikes."
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Prioritize Sleep
Finally, "prioritize your sleep," she stays. "We got to stop believing that no sleep and running on caffeine is what is going to be good for us. When we sleep is when we rest, we digest and we repair our bodies so that we have the energy that we need for the rest of the day." The Sleep Foundation agrees that getting enough sleep offers a variety of health benefits. It can be a mood booster, promote heart health, help regulate blood sugar, improve mental function, restore your immune system, help relieve stress, and aid in weight loss.
💪🔥Body Booster: As you age, strength training becomes more important because you start to lose muscle strength in your early to mid forties. Weight lifting can help prevent this from happening.
