The Time To Get Fit Is Now

If you are over 50 years old, you need to seriously consider a consistent workout program to get into shape. Before that age you were probably able to get away with countless hours of sitting and generally being inactive every day.

Foundation in midlife

During my research I found several fitness experts who explained that in midlife you lay the foundation for your quality of life in old age. It simply means that if you don’t get active now, you’re going to pay the price later on when you won’t be as mobile, strong and healthy anymore. Especially the risk for cardiovascular diseases increases for the person who never worked out in midlife. In addition, many old people suffer from disuse atrophy, which is essentially the wasting away of muscle and bone tissue due to lack of use. Such weakness can lead to falls and subsequent injury.

Motivation

The idea of living independently and being fit when we reach our retirement age has been and still is a great motivation for me to stay active now and slow down the inevitable aging process, so that I can have a better quality of life later on. If you want to do the same, I suggest that you start working out now.

Changes for older people

Shortly after my fiftieth birthday, I joined a gym and began to work out with weights and do aerobic and anaerobic exercises on a regular basis. But I soon realized that exercising was harder than in my younger years and I felt more pain after a workout than ever before. Even though in my head I felt like I could still exercise at maximum capacity, my body told me otherwise. It was not just the consistent knee pain while running, it was also the migraines I got after a workout that was simply too high in intensity. Also, the muscle soreness following a weight lifting session lasted for several days and prevented me from exercising during that time, which defeated the whole point of working out.

Workout smarter

After reading several books and articles on exercising after the age of 50, I realized I had to work out smarter in order to get into shape and not hurt myself through wear and tear. I had to acknowledge that it took longer to recover from an exercise session and that I needed to dial down the intensity. Once I realized that and applied those principles, I made great progress without hurting myself.

Contrary to the extreme views of some fitness experts that recommend only strength training or only cardio, I found that I needed a combination of both to be fit and healthy with the emphasis on aerobic exercise. With the right training program both goals can be achieved simultaneously.

In summary

Get checked out and cleared by your physician and then start working out to stay fit and healthy in later life.