It's a new year and I will be turning 40 years old in June and thought I'd share with you some exercises that myself and my peers can do in our 40's. I'm one of those women who really isn't into the whole afraid of turning 40 or being down about it. I actually don't mind growing older and wiser. Below are three exercises every woman in their 40's should do, at least weekly to stay healthy.

Yoga

Women between ages 45 and 64 have an increased risk of depression, according to John Hopkins Medicine, one of the leading healthcare systems in the United States. Yoga is known to My good friend Chontate previously informed us about her Saturday love for yoga here and this is an exercise that I definitely look forward to doing more next year. If you are new to yoga make sure you check out that previous blog post. WebMD stated that, "Yoga is a great activity for you if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease. It gives you strength, flexibility, and mind-body awareness. You'll also need to do something aerobic (like walking, biking, or swimming) if you're not doing a fast-moving type of yoga." I'm super excited to attend some yoga classes this year.

Cardio exercises

According to Meghan Rabbitt a contributor on Prevention, "The word "cardio" is short for "cardiovascular," so many people know that this kind of heart-pumping exercise will keep the heart muscle strong, Perkins says. (Running, spinning, dancing, rowing, and swimming all count!) However, if you really want your heart health to benefit from your cardio workouts, you need to exercise at 80% of your maximum heart rate for at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being as hard as you can push yourself, you should be around an 8." For me, I enjoy fun exercises like dancing, swimming and bike riding over going to the gym anyday. So now that I know those fun exercises I love doing are great for cardio, I plan on doing them more often.

Planks

I've never done planks before but to my understanding, doing this exercise reduces back pain. As we age, we should definitely be doing exercises that not only help us look and feel good, but also are doing them as a preventive method to prone ailments that comes with aging. I remember when planking became "a thing" in the United States. Everyone made it look fun to do and of course there were tons of planking challenges. Now, you don't hear too much about this form of exercise anymore, but yet it's so beneficial for our body.

If you are a woman over 40 years old or just entered into this milestone birth year, there are tons of exercises that you can do to live a long and healthy life. As a precaution, please consult with your primary physician to ensure that your exercises of your choice works well for your body and health.