Guest Post: How to Stay Fit After 50

The old saying goes that you are as old as you feel. This is most definitely true in spirit, but when it comes to your body – your actual age starts creeping up on you pretty fast. After your 50^th birthday, the changes become more rapid and a lot harsher. This is exactly the reason to get ahead of the curve and start paying proper attention to what you eat and how you treat your body. Start scheduling regular checkups and once you make an exercise plan stick to it no matter what.

Warming up

The importance of a proper warm-up should never be underestimated, even when talking about a younger person. It’s the best way to avoid injuries and get the most out of your exercise. For a person over 50, it becomes the crucial part of a workout. Muscles get thither with age which makes you less mobile. Combine this with compressed joints and the change becomes very noticeable. Use a simple foam roller to stretch for 15 minutes before and after every exercise. This will improve your circulation and soft tissue mobility.

Baby steps

Exercising can be an exhilarating endeavor. People tend to get caught up in it and push themselves to go further, testing their own limits. This is perfectly normal especially because physical fitness is something where you can actually see the progress you’re making and enjoy it. However, for a person over 50, this could be a slippery slope. Any injury that might occur will take much longer to heal than it would for a younger person. Also, biting more than you can chew can be overwhelming on a psychological level as well. Make sure your exercise program is varied and separated into smaller objectives that you can handle one at the time.

Diet

Your metabolism tends to slow down as you get older. On average, you lose 250 calories fewer on a daily basis. This means that 50s are about the perfect time to make significant changes in your diet, because even if you work out regularly, you might still gain weight. Start by adding more fruits and mushrooms to your diet. That will help with the blood pressure issues that might arise at that age. Also, add more eggs because they are a good source of protein which you’re going to need if you just started working out.

Indulge yourself

It’s fine to have a daily exercise routine, coupled with some break days. But, every once in a while, it might be a good idea to take a longer period of time and dedicate it to your health and fitness. Over 50’s Resorts are a great way to do it. This type of resort has a variety of activities you can engage in, that can improve your fitness levels and overall health. Swimming pools, tennis courts and golf driving nets, as well as numerous other fitness facilities will give you something to do during your stay while having enough time to unwind and relax when you need to.

Celebrate the success

Working on yourself is hard and it gets even harder as time goes by. When you accomplish something, no matter how small it is, reward yourself for it. It’s probably a good idea not to make every reward food-related (although cheat days are always a treat). Instead, schedule a massage or a short vacation as a reward for a job well done. Also, it might be useful to have a workout partner with whom you can have a healthy competition or just complain together when the exercise is hard.

There’s no reason you shouldn’t be fit and healthy when you’re over 50. It’s going to take a bit of extra effort, but the benefits of a well-rounded diet and workout routine outweigh the hardship by far.