In your 50s, 60s, or even 70s, it’s not too late to put yourself first and make your health a priority.
In older age, some people think it's impossible to get started on a health and fitness journey. But that's simply not true. This is just a myth. You should rather focus on lifestyle activities that will keep you active and exploring, and allow you to have fun. Do not waste your energy on goals that might seem unattainable and unsustainable.
Most health experts say you have to try something new. Something that you have never done before. Try and do this for every single month, and not only will you find it fun, but also you'll see that it will keep you going.
Two recognised American health authorities recommend that adults of every age should get 150 minutes of exercise each week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Heart Association reveal that this is one way to keep yourself healthy and active despite your age.
Big numbers have a way of overwhelming most people even before they begin. Just start small. You'll see there's an exercise that you like. It won't feel like an exercise at all as you will find that you like doing it.
To get you started, let me suggest a few ideas.
1. Weight and strength training
Weight training, strength training or resistance training may sometimes seem intimidating. But these are essential for your health.
These exercises can greatly reduce the risk of injury and falling in older adults. Strength training gives you greater flexibility and ease in performing your daily tasks, improved mood, mobility and mental function. Health and fitness experts say it makes your life easier to live.
Just sitting down and standing up while holding weights goes a long way. Incorporating weights into your overall fitness regimen is an absolute wonder worker.
If you're planning to lose just a little bit of weight, you can just work with your own body weight. This is best for the joints. Doing varied exercises using a variety of weights makes your fitness journey unique and fun.
2. Swimming and water aerobics
Cardiovascular exercise like swimming provides another wonderful way to kick start your strength training. Water has resistance and so swimming in the pool indoor or outdoors is a great addition to your health and fitness routine.
To have more fun with aquatic sports, try aqua aerobics rather than just swimming laps. This gives you inclusive benefits of swimming and group fitness. Water resistance and the water cushion reduces the impact on the joints and allows you to gain strength while at the same time minimises aches and pains.
3. Zumba
The word exercise sometimes gives people the feeling of resignation. But having zumba included with aerobics makes you forget the fact that you're exercising. Aerobics workout feels a lot better as you combine it with the dance moves. People who love to dance will definitely enjoy this.
4. Yoga
Yoga is best for clearing your mind and strengthening your body. You can basically do alone or with a group. If you love the presence of pets when doing your Yoga routines then by all means do it while being surrounded by the things that you love. You can do Yoga both indoors and outdoors, anywhere that suits you.
Resistance training for mobility and balance is essential as you age. This involves holding your body weight through the asanas. Yoga gives you this edge. Many fitness experts recommend Yoga for people in their 50's and 60's as this type of training helps to reset your life.
Yoga is awesome for mental balance which resonates with real life issues. It helps to help you understand yourself better and to find meaning in your own life. You have certain options with Yoga in terms of where you want to do it. You can get on the ground or you can do chair Yoga, whichever one works better for you is okay.
5. Running, hiking, and biking
Some people love running while others hate it. If you love running then keep doing it because this is one of the best exercises for aging people.
I've personally seen my college lecturer who was 65 years old at the time, and boy did he love running. He would get up around 5am in the morning and jog for two hours before getting ready for classes. As a result of this, his body was well toned and very muscular. And adding to that, he was always so fresh and active when everyone else looked dizzy and sleepy.
As some experts advise, switching to a treadmill would increase benefits as running is a high impact exercise and can stress your knees and other joints.
Hiking would be better suited because of the mental clarity you gain while exercising in the fresh air outdoors. You would gain self-esteem, improved mood, and emotional response in addition to burning more calories. You would also decrease fatigue while exercising. So hiking has many benefits.
Biking is another great exercise that you can do either indoors or outdoors. As health and fitness experts recommend, biking in a dark room for 45 minutes to a hour, not only positively enhances your mental health but also increases your strength and resistance from a cardio point of view.
If you find that a traditional bike class doesn't suit you then you could try a recumbent bike. Nowadays in modern gyms, screens are attached allowing exercisers to watch Netflix, YouTube or other content while exercising. The important thing is not to lose focus on your exercising while watching content.
6. Horseback riding
Horseback riding is another great outdoor activity that allows you to feel the breeze, commune with nature while at the same time engaging your joints. But don't get too carried away enjoying the breeze, remember you're on horseback, exercising.
It's best to consult a personal trainer who will instruct you on how to properly mount a horse safely, and to ensure everything is secured safely before riding a horse, as falling off a horse while riding can cause harmful injury.
7. Bucket list training
For some people, trendy fitness exercises of the moment is not their thing. If you fall in this category, then you should work toward a goal on your bucket list. One fitness trainer reveals that she trained people in their 50's and 60's to scuba dive in Australia, hike the Great Wall of China and to even climb Mount Kalimanjaro in Africa.
Finding exercises designed to reach your goals will motivate you to achieve success. And these out-of-the-box fitness activities are an awesome way to reach that definitive goal.
For these out-of-the-box fitness activities, you have a definitive goal you’re trying to reach. Smith says finding exercises tailored to reaching that goal will help you stay motivated to achieve the accomplishment.
Just like horse riding, before any mountain climbing or trekking, you should take classes that focus on key aspects such as focusing on breath work or using ladder apparatus to help you prepare mentally while also giving your muscles a good preparation for mountain climbing.
Mountain climbing training apparatus like the Jacob's Ladder is in fact a moving ladder. It simulates rock climbing. As you're climbing, you're holding on with your feet and hands. This gives you a feel of a real life mountain climbing experience, to get you better prepared for the real gig.
The bottom line
Even if you're in your 50's and beyond, it's never too late to prioritize your health and fitness.
You should always keep in mind that the reason that you exercise should not only be about building a better and attractive physique. Exercising is about keeping your heart healthy. Once you stop exercising, your heart slows down and it is lot harder to get started again.
Finding something fun or incorporating fun into your health and fitness journey will go a long way. At this age, your health and fitness motto should be "Just Do It. "
Thanks for reading this article. I hope you found some value here that will help you make informed decisions about your health and fitness journey.
Please like and share, and don't forget to comment or make suggestions if you wish.
Much love!
Comments
Post a Comment