One of the kindest things you can do for your body is, quite simply, to move it around. Here I’ll mention some basics about types of movement that provide multiple benefits: less stress, cardiovascular conditioning, more bone strength, and lowered risk of breast cancer.

Yoga is an ideal exercise for forties women for a host of reasons: it tones up our muscles and calms us down. We can do it when and where we like, and we don’t have to buy any equipment, shoes, or outfits. Another beautiful aspect of yoga is that it is a gentle way to begin moving if you’re unaccustomed to exercise. More advanced yoga exercises and poses are suitable for women who regularly exercise. Alternating a more rigorous and jarring form of exercise like running with the soothing and calming stretches involved in yoga is an excellent way to bring balance to an exercise routine. Some yoga poses are weight-bearing, that’s the type of exercise you need to do regularly in order to build bone strength. (Weight-bearing exercise simply means that the weight of your body is supported by your bones.)

Walking is another integrated form of exercise that builds your bones, gets your heart pumping, and can also give you a stress-free break from your hectic pace. The act of walking around, either alone or with someone whose company you enjoy is a conscious way to break away from the pattern of rushing around. You might be surprised at what you notice, as Mary was. The executive who was an avowed no exerciser, Mary had agreed to hand off some of her phone calls late in the day to her assistant so she could take a short walk. “I was very uncomfortable at first,” she said. “I’m just not used to having nothing in my hands. I’m always holding the phone, or the steering wheel of my car, or my briefcase, or the reports I’m reviewing, or I’m pounding the keyboard on my computer. It felt strangely nerve-racking at first to be walking around empty-handed. I felt like I was wasting time.”

To her credit, Mary didn’t give up walking twice a week. “I didn’t want to carry hand weights, so I bought a set of stress balls’ that fit in the palm of your hand. They’re made of soft material that you squeeze. Depending on what my day has been like, I either press them gently or try to pulverize them.” A normally serious person, Mary suddenly laughed.

In our forties, exercise doesn’t have to be about doing bouncing routines to thumping music in a communal room. Some women are combining their exercise routines with an expression of their spirituality, borrowing from ancient traditions where women gave thanks together for water, sun, good crops, and other gifts from the earth. Today a group of women I know who are members of a synagogue regularly gather outside to exercise and pray together. Reaching for the sky, one participant described the gathering as a “way to send prayers directly up to God.” She added, “Exercising and praying at the same time reminds me to be thankful for my body, that it’s healthy and strong.” Ecclesiastical dance brings movement into some masses or church services, using the body to offer praise and thanks for mysteries and miracles that are, perhaps, beyond words.

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3. Exercise in Stress Reduction

4. The Basics of Yoga Exercise

5. The Basics of Moving Toward Spirituality During Perimenopause

6. Exercise and The Doshas in Ayurveda

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9. The Basics of Walking and Jogging for Health and Fitness

10. Women Beauty – Exercise and Weight Loss