Your Fitness Journey.
Starting a fitness journey is the best gift you can give yourself. Physical activity beginning with a quality exercise program can improve your balance, your coordination, and help you lose weight. It can reduce your risk of getting chronic diseases. You will notice improvements in sleeping habits and increased energy levels almost immediately. By immediately, we mean within the span of one or two weeks.
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What matters is how you feel and what your body can do
The first thing you should do to start your fitness journey is to assess exactly where you are right now. Record some baseline scores for yourself. Take your measurements. Here is a list for an example of suggested measurements you can take:
~ Your heart rate before and straight after walking briskly for 1 mile (1.6 kms)
~ How many minutes it takes you to walk 1 mile
~ How long it takes you to run 1.5 miles (2.41 kms)
~ How many pushups you can do at one time (standard or modified)
~ How far you can stretch forward if you’re sitting on the ground with your legs straight
~ Your waist measurements
~ Your BMI (this is your body mass index)
~ Your resting heart rate
As you reach 50 and head beyond its borders, you might notice that you’ll get inundated with tricks and hacks for extending your youth and looking your best. It’s time for one of those reality checks. Not everything you encounter offering the secret to eternal youth and agility is truthful. In fact, many of them lack value. So step away from fads, the diet plans, stop buying those gimmicky “do this for 5-minutes a day” body transformation gadgets, and focus on something that’s genuinely beneficial to you.
What works? Hard work, works. Time and effort works.
If you haven’t moved in a while, it won’t exactly be a walk in the park and will take some effort. But this is only short term. Getting out of the gate is usually the most difficult part. Perhaps you can start with an easy 20-minute workout. Let’s look at a few targeted ways exercising can support active aging, and keep pesky muscle tightness and aches at bay.
Relieve lower back pain and reduce symptoms of arthritis.
Back pain has a way of sneaking up on us in our 50s. Lower back pain, in particular, is often the result of spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, or the one we all hate to admit, carrying extra weight. While stretching cannot reverse the conditions affecting your lower back, it will go a long way to relieving the pain, improving flexibility, alleviating joint stiffness, and extending your range of motion.
Reduce the risk of falling.
Being 50+ can feel like warfare with the environment around you. Everything seems to want to knock you over, trip you up, or see you hurtling through the air. The reality is that it’s not really old age to blame - it’s your lack of balance and stability. While general imbalance comes with age, you can actually work on being more flexible, sturdy and balanced. If you want to be a lot less wobbly on your feet, improving and retaining flexibility in the hamstrings and quadriceps is essential. These muscles directly impact your static balance. Say goodbye to slips and falls! You’re soon going to be firmly planted on your feet!
Retain good posture.
One of the biggest consequences 50+ers pay is poor posture, possibly due to a life spent hunched over a desk. The very first thing you absolutely need to know is that poor posture compresses the spine, which in turn causes pesky lower back pain. With daily stretching, posture can improve, and pain can (and will) reduce. With regular and dedicated strength training (that’s done correctly), you can significantly increase flexibility and loosen tight ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Check out an article we wrote on good posture.
Improve energy and blood flow.
While doing our research for kickstarting a fitness journey, we came across some pretty interesting information on the role of blood flow (or circulation, as you might call it) on the body. For instance, having poor circulation can lead to lethargy, joint pain, hemorrhoids, poor mental clarity and even more severe conditions. Blood flow also carries oxygen to all your vital organs, so if your blood flow is sluggish, the chances are that your organs aren’t operating at their full potential.
Kickstart
Kickstarting a fitness plan at 50 can be a transformative and empowering experience. At this stage of life, prioritizing physical well-being can lead to improved overall health, enhanced energy levels, and increased longevity. Regular exercise not only strengthens muscles and bones but also promotes cardiovascular health, reducing the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Beyond the physical benefits, a fitness journey at middle age fosters resilience, discipline, and a positive mindset, laying the foundation for a fulfilling and active later life. Embracing this lifestyle change is not just about the external changes; it's an investment in a healthier, more vibrant future.
Life can be amazing, especially when you're physically able to enjoy it. Make this the healthiest time of your life! There's no reason you should spend it in pain, discomfort, and declining health.