When I turned 50, I could tell things were different. I ached more. My body didn’t recover as quickly. I exercised twice as much and ate less than I used to just to maintain a healthy weight. It was rather depressing. So, being the analytical person I am, I decided to google “Fit at 50” to see what I could find. The first posts that popped up all showed people who appeared to be much older than 50, doing gentle yoga and walking. Let me preface this next part by saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with either one of those activities at all! But that wasn’t what I was looking for. Next, I stumbled on an article about Matthew McConaughey. Well, let’s be honest, I’m no Matthew M, that’s for sure! To say I was a little disappointed is an understatement. I have always enjoyed more physically demanding activities like running and bootcamp, and wasn’t ready to take the step to gentle yoga and walking.
So, I reached out using the hashtag #fitat50 instead. It wasn’t meant as a bragging point, but rather a way to connect with others who are my age, working to stay fit. That opened up the world I was looking for! I have been inspired and awed by what people are still able to do into their 50’s! From people running their first marathon to competitively participating in Spartan races, they are all incredible! So what does it take to keep active into our 50’s and beyond? Here’s what I’ve learned about being fit at 50:
1) Push and then rest! Your body is capable of more than you realize, but it also needs quality rest. Remember the days when we could push and push and somehow get up the next day and call on it to do more? Those days are gone. But it certainly doesn’t mean we can’t push ourselves. It just means when we do push, we have to listen to our bodies and allow proper rest time. It also means cross training to give fatigued muscles a rest. So don’t let age be an excuse to not get out there and push the limits! But do so wisely, making time for rest as well as smart cross-training.
2) Incorporate weights. In the 80’s, weight lifting was considered a form of exercise all it’s own. This was the age of Jane Fonda, aerobics, leg warmers and hair scrunchies. The focus was on being slim and aerobically fit. A lot has changed since then! We’ve learned that there is much more to fitness than just dancing around in our leg warmers. In fact, the best way to avoid injury and joint pain is adding strength work to your exercise regime. When we add strength work, our overall fitness, joint health, skeletal health, and muscular health all benefit. Our posture improves which keeps our spine healthy and straight. This allows our nervous system to work at its best which, in turn, promotes good health.
3) Add yoga. As our bodies age, they need more TLC. Muscles need to be lengthened. Joints need to be taken through their full range of motion to keep mobility. Balance is also key in keeping healthy as we age. Yoga can do all that and more. Plus, yoga is a personal journey. Every day is different and every body is different. In yoga, we accept our bodies where they are and then practice from there. We don’t compare ourselves to our neighbor or others. We get in tune with our body and its needs. The effect is powerful!
4) Find a group. It can be a fitness class at a club, a walking group, a cycling group, or any other fitness type group. Groups help us stay accountable and create a social environment as well. As I’ve said before, if we don’t enjoy what we are doing or who we are with, chances are we won’t stick with it. Whatever we do, we want to keep at it.
5) Watch, but enjoy what you eat! What we put into our mouth, especially after 50, has as much of an impact on our fitness as our exercise program. As our bodies age, there is less need for big calories, and more need for high quality food. As with exercising, we need to change how and when we eat. For me, since I do most of my more intense exercising in the morning, I try and consume most of my calories between breakfast and lunch. This is when my body is recovering and needs the most fuel. Then, as the day goes on, I begin to taper my calories with supper often being my smallest meal. The focus is on intentional calories which means calories that will fuel my body for good. Sadly, at this age, we don’t have a lot left for frivolous calories so we need to make the calories we eat count. This doesn’t mean we can’t indulge once in awhile. It does mean we need to be careful and calculated, though, in our indulgences.
Don’t let your age define you! But do take care and be aware of your body’s needs. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could all have the hashtag #fitat80?!?!
If you enjoyed this post and want to read more like it, subscribe to my blog. As always, these are my opinions based on experience and informal research. Please do not replace professional advice with my opinions. They are meant as guides.