Fitness Tips for Women as You Age with Kristyn Spillane

Kristyn Spillane, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS | Howard Head Sports Medicine

September 12, 2024

Kristyn Spillane, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS is a Physical Therapist at Howard Head Sports Medicine. At the Autumn Radiance Women's Wellness event, Kristyn discussed bone health, muscle loss and the health benefits of fitness for women as you age. Below are some key points from her discussion.

Exercise benefits individuals physically, mentally, socially and societally. There are many ways to meet recommended fitness goals, but most experts recommend a combination of cardio, strength training and balance work each week to keep you healthy, happy and mobile.

Cardiovascular Fitness

How much cardio should you be doing? The minimum recommendation is 75 minutes per week at 60-75% of your Heart Rate (HR) max.

To calculate your HR max, subtract 220 beats per minute (bpm) from your age.
- Example: 40 year old female = 220 bpm - 40 = 180 bpm HR max
To calculate your HR target, multiple your HR max by your effort
- Example: same woman at 70% effort = 180 bpm x .70 = 126 bpm (HR target)
With the examples above, a 40 year old female should spend 75 minutes per week training at 126 bpm.
Some ideas for target heart rate cardio activities are: walking, water aerobics, running, swimming, paddle boarding, hiking, biking, skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, etc.

Strength Training

How much should you be strength training? The minimum recommendation is two to three 30-minute sessions at 60% effort per week.

You can calculate effort by your one rep max for a specific weight or movement. Or estimate it by how challenged you feel in your last few reps of a set. At 60%, your breathing should be getting heavier, but you should still be able to hold a short conversation.
The key to strength training is maintaining a lifting tempo (slow and steady) with every repetition.
Strength training activities incorporate body weight movements like squats, lunges, push-ups, planks and stairs, free weight movements with dumbbells, kettlebells or barbells, and/or machine movements with equipment can be found at most commercial gyms.

Balance

Balance work is important to incorporate into your daily routine. Yoga, Tai-Chi, BOSU ball exercises and wobble board work are all great ways to work on your balance. Try working single leg balance, tandem stance (standing with one foot directly in front of the other, as if on a balance beam), and high knee marches into your workouts.