Fitness After 50: Keep It Movin’

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Are you over 50 and thinking of changing your lifestyle? Now is the time because as we age, our body begins to change. Fat deposits show up where there were none before, muscles become droopy and processes stop working, all without ever asking for your permission.

However, there is something which comes as close to an anti-aging antidote as possible. Fitness can play a key role in maintaining optimum health, feeling good, and looking great. A lot of the severe problems we used to think of as being related to aging are actually connected to disuse of the body.

But hey, we can do something about that. Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that inactivity doubles the risk of mobility limitations as we age, while vigorous activity has the opposite effect. In another study, published in the journal Neurology, doctors found that exercise can slow cognitive declines. That means the mind stays sharper longer, and we find those glasses on top of our cranium faster.

No matter what area you look at, be it heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or osteoporosis, research shows that being physically fit into senior years will keep you healthier. Not only that, but exercising regularly more than halves your chance of dying prematurely, (Archives of Internal Medicine, December 2007), which is always a good thing. Another Swedish study also revealed that those who raised their level of physical activity between the ages of 50 and 60 experienced the same mortality rates as those who had always been physically active. How’s that for fair? The results were so pronounced that the study team compared the reduction in mortality to people who stop smoking.

That’s good news for the estimated 90% of retirees who get virtually no meaningful exercise, and even more so for the 50% who are totally sedentary. Instead of simply hoping to hang around long enough to collect retirement benefits like their grandparents, this generation has the ability after 60 to be doing the same things they did at age 45, though hopefully in a wiser fashion.

Psychological well-being improves, while depression and anxiety seem to melt away. Balance, strength, range of motion, and energy levels also get better, along with reduced body fat, and improved weight control. It’s not the ‘perfect body’ dream anymore, but a realistic ‘lifestyle and better health’ outlook starts to look mighty good at this point.

By now you should be more than a little interested in what I speak of here. But before you run out and throw yourself into the next exercise class, there are a few cautions to consider. The spirit may be willing, but a 50 or 60 year old person who hasn’t moved properly for about two decades will require a little extra attention to benefit in both the short and the long run.

Any change you make to your exercise regimen should be incorporated in a gradual, systematic way, to allow your body to get used to it, and to make sure your muscles are “conditioned” properly. Make sure you also have a thorough physical and get the go-ahead from your physician before starting your exercise protocol.

So where to begin? Numerous studies show that vigorous muscle strengthening exercises are superior to aerobic counterparts, especially when it comes to fat loss. Why? Because that added muscle causes the body to burn calories even while at rest, as it expends more energy. If you happen to add five pounds of muscle to your body, you could burn up an additional 200 calories per day, or 72,800 calories a year, which equals a weight loss of 20 pounds. That’s not bad for making the right exercise decision. Just don’t blow it with a nacho chip and diet coke habit.

So whether you pick up dumbbells, use a medicine ball, give the heavy bag a thumping, climb stairs or even do body weight exercises, after two months you can expect to reverse the effects of two decades of muscle loss, increasing your strength by a whopping 40%. Mull that one over before your next arm wrestling contest.

By now it should be evident that it’s never too late to start exercising, even after reaching or passing middle age. Unfortunately, most people embrace age-related decline as inevitable, or are unlikely to change bad habits through excuses. The former is a lack of information, while the latter is a poor widow to potential health consequences.

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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.