FITNESS TIPS FOR THE OVER 50s – Fitness has no age
Here goes the feature in Rude Health Magazine Page 28
Most of us usually start fitness looking to improve our physical appearance. That desire eventually turns into creating a healthier lifestyle once we realize how amazing we feel after working out day after day.
The clichés we always hear: ”It’s never too late to start”, “Exercising will add years to your life and life to your years” are all true. On top of that, thinking and memory skills are most improved for people over 50 when they undergo moderate aerobic and resistance exercise on a regular basis.
So what exercises are suitable for the over 50s? The best workouts for seniors really depend if you have had a previously active life or not. If you have been very active all your life, it might be easier to keep going in your 50s but if not, there’s good news too as the pleasure of following healthy habits will become entrenched and sustainable in the long term anyway.
Over the 50s, we are looking for workouts that will make our joints move, elevate our heart rate and improve flexibility and strength to make our lives easier on a daily basis.
As the body ages, it is not as responsive to sudden changes, and this is just another reason to work out and maintain a consistent fitness level.
The older people get, the more health risks they face. This is where keeping an active lifestyle comes in as one of the most important prevention methods. In general those who are older, rely on gentle outdoor exercise for their health and wellbeing, like walking, which is the top activity for over 50s and it can be done on a daily basis by doing some daily tasks like buying groceries. Also the benefits of sunshine are crucial for overall health and longevity.
Warming up and cooling down are arguably the most enjoyable parts of working out. Getting your muscles ready for exercise has proven to improve performance. The body needs to gradually transition from one stage to another for optimum response. You want your heart rate to increase slowly and avoid shock. This will loosen the joints and speed up the blood flow to the muscles.
How you set up your workout regimen plays a huge role in how long you can exercise. It is recommended to train certain muscles with lighter weights, in a way warming them up, before you get to the vigorous routine.
It is preferable to exercise with proper technique and teach people how to move better as opposed to targeting one muscle group at a time. Incorporating various types of bodyweight training that involve more complex movements is always safer, to avoid injuries.
Add more strength training
As people get older, four types of training are recommended, strength, balance, endurance and stretching exercises. We lose body mass with time and that’s why we need to build muscles to increase metabolism, which helps regulate weight and blood sugar levels.
Too much cardio is not highly recommended over 50,
Running, and other cardio workouts that burn more calories, won’t necessarily lead to fat loss. You need to be able to burn more calories when you’re resting in order to drop a few extra pounds. This can only happen if you build muscles by doing strength training. Ten pounds of muscle will burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn only 20. Lifting weight also helps prevent diabetes. Glycogen is stored in muscle tissue and the liver. As we age, we lose muscle mass and glucose disposing tissue.
Do safe home exercises
Some home exercises could be: side leg raises and planks to create a strong core in the long term, which is going to help you to have a stronger core in the long term.
Don’t overdo it
It is possible to have too much of a good thing, and working out more than what your body can handle is highly detrimental. You are constantly tired and find artificial ways to boost your energy such as coffee and energy drinks. Also, you make yourself a very easy target for injuries. Finally, you start to crave comfort foods, filled with sugars, high carbohydrates, and begin to overeat.
Work out in moderation and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
