Do resistance exercise three times a week from your 40s

From middle age onwards muscle mass starts to decline. “It happens because of a gradual drop in sex steroid hormones and growth hormones,” Keay says. “The good news is that even as we get older muscle remains responsive to mechanical stimulus in the form of resistance exercise, so we can slow these losses.”

To compensate for lower hormone levels from your mid-40s you will need to be diligent with resistance training and do it three times a week. “You can lift weights if you want to, but pilates and resistance bands are an option, as are exercises that involve using your own body weight, such as push-ups and squats,” Keay says.

Our bodies respond to any type of resistance training by producing more anabolic or “body-building” hormones such as IGF-1 and testosterone, a powerful anabolic steroid. “It is when higher levels of these hormones circulate that greater beneficial adaptations occur such as improved muscle and bone strength. Resistance exercise also helps to increase our metabolic rate, which stays raised even after stopping a workout.”

The result is greater fat-blasting and more calories burnt.