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How to Stay Active When You’re Over 50?

If you have always been active most of your life, staying active will be easy. But if you have been leading a sedentary life, getting active might be harder, but far from impossible. This decade is a time for you to be active and enjoy the golden years.

Here are some ideas to get you going and stay active:

1. Eat Properly

When we get older, our bone lose mass, its mineral content and density, making it fragile and vulnerable to fractures. Making sure you get a lot of calcium and vitamin D in your diet to help make your bone stronger and may help prevent any fractures. If you are into exercising, eat foods high in complex carbohydrates and proteins to give you extra energy for the workout.

2. Stretch a lot

As we age, tendons and ligaments change, which can decrease flexibility. Stretching is actually a huge part of exercising. We usually do it before and after we exercise and some people tend to skip it. Simple stretch exercises are very helpful. We stretch our arms, back and legs as a warm up to your exercise.

3. Strength Exercises

Getting older loses the strength and flexibility of our muscles. The loss of muscle mass and strength can lead to soreness and stiffness as well as difficulty in performing regular tasks like walking up the stairs, carrying groceries and even opening jars. That is why weight and strength training are so important as you age. Simple lifting exercises using dumbbells or resistance bands two to three times a week is very beneficial.

4. Aerobic Exercises

Our metabolism slows as we age. for many, the idea of gaining weight is less than appealing, and that is why aerobic, or cardio exercises, is so important. This exercises can be walking, biking, tennis, or even swimming. You would like to choose an exercise that will get your heart rate up but will have a lower impact on your joints.

5. See your Doctor

Before you do anything or plan anything on an exercise regimen, you may want to visit your doctor and have a consult. You want to ensure that your body is ready for the activity you have in mind. Your doctor can warn you of any exercises that you need to stay away from or he may give you some recommendations that may be more beneficial to you. Even if you have been an active person before, it is always best to see your doctor first.

Conclusion

It is always good to stay active even you are already in your prime. But you do not need to push yourselves too far or too fast. If you feel pain when you are exercising, you have to stop immediately. You have to consider that as you age your body takes time to adapt to some exercises. Doing lighter and slow continuous and regular routines will give you more benefit and result rather than hurting yourself. If pain persists, consulting the doctor is always the best option.

How do you stay active? Please let me know.

8 thoughts on “How to Stay Active When You’re Over 50?

  1. Diet and exercise are a must when a woman is over 50 yrs. I agree that a physician advise is needed to monitor the patient’s health. Nice post.

    1. Thank you. Staying active does not need to be complicated.. but as long as you are on a nutritious diet and do a bit of some exercise will definitely help you stay a healthy life.

  2. Hi Hanna
    Thanks for this post. Being a woman who is over 50, this resonated with me a lot. I have always danced my whole life so for me, this is still a great form of very enjoyable exercise. Eating well is also important as we need fewer calories as we get older to maintain our weight.
    One thing I would add too is that as our bodies change and we enter the menopause, hormonal changes can lead to bone mass reduction and osteoporosis can be a problem in older women. Doing weight-bearing exercise has been shown to reduce this so preventing those life-threatening fractures and hospital stays in later years.
    Thanks again for your post. Gail

    1. You`re welcome Gail.. and thank you for sharing your thoughts. Dancing is another way to keep yourself active. I know an old guy who is almost in his 90yrs who love to dance, and dancing is his way of making him active and feel young again.
      By the way, i have noted weight-bearing exercises under strength exercises.. and you are right, it does help prevent life threatening fractures in the later years.

  3. I totally agree with what you have written. The biggest one for me is stretching. I even stretch my hands and feet, as they tend to feel “tight” in the mornings. The stretching helps tremendously! Great ideas and spot on. Thanks for sharing!

    1. You`re welcome! Stretching is really very effective! Though these all sound simple ways to be active, but doing most of it regularly will definitely benefit you at the end.

  4. Hey, Hanna!! I loved your post. I am a women over 60 and I know how important it is to stay fit. My mother as she got older let herself go and it was hard for me to see that. Because of that I am determined to keep myself in shape. I have 3 daughters and 1 granddaughter I want to keep up with, so that’s my motivation. I do strength exercises and I try to walk at least a mile 3-5 days a week. I also watch what I eat and avoid processed foods. Sometimes it’s hard, but I know I have to do it to stay fit. Thanks for your article. It was very encouraging.

    1. You`re welcome Lynn.. Definitely true, we really want to stay active as much as we can to enjoy our lives with our love ones. These are all simple ways to get active and fit. I am glad my article encourages you to stay active!

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