With age, we gain a lot of wisdom, patience, and experience. But our bodies also go through a lot of changes, especially when we get into our 40s and 50s. You can’t run as fast as you used to, get out of breath faster and it becomes harder to build muscle. I’m going to share with you some of the things to do if you want to stay healthy and stay fit.
Keep moving
Unfortunately, as people grow older they tend to get less and less active. Therefore, if you want to stay healthy, you need to exercise six days a week. Out of the six days, do strength training at least two or three days a week. At least three times a week try to do work on your cardiovascular system, including engaging in aerobic activities such as brisk walking or going for a run. A combination of strength training and aerobic exercises six days a week. You can get one day off.
Besides exercising, do all you can to keep moving during the day. If you don’t have to drive somewhere, walk. If you get to a set of steps, run up the steps. If you are going to the parking lot, jog to your car, or run down the hallway. Increasing activity levels during the day will get your heart beating and your blood flowing, which is an excellent way to stay active.
Eat healthy
I’m not a fan of diet fads. So I would advise you to just eat a balanced diet and follow the 90/10 rule. If you eat well 90% of the time during the week, you can enjoy a treat 10% of the time. You are still going to maintain good body weight and stay healthy.
Daily stretching and rolling
Unfortunately, as you age, your muscles shorten and get tighter causing you to lose mobility much faster than when you were 18 or 20. So every day take at least 30 minutes to stretch. You can do it early before work, at lunchtime, or in the evening. If you don’t stretch, you are not going to be flexible and might be susceptible to injuries to your back, neck, or hamstring.
Stress reduction
Dealing with a lot of stress will age you faster. To reduce your stress levels, find some time every day to be alone in your thoughts. You can practice meditation or work on breathing exercises to reduce your stress levels. A good time to do this is immediately after you wake up, you only need five or ten minutes. If you meditate in the morning, it prepares you for the rest of the day.
Stay motivated
It’s easy to get discouraged when injury or illness sets back your exercise routine. However, there are ways that you can stay motivated.
- Focus on short-term goals, like improving your energy levels and reducing stress, rather than gaining muscle which can take longer to achieve.
- Write down all your activities or use an app to track your progress as a useful reminder of your accomplishments.
- Reward yourself for your successes when you reach a new fitness goal, or consistently exercise for a week. Choose something that you would like to do, but don’t do it until you have achieved your goals.
- Find support. When you exercise with a family member or friend with similar fitness goals, you will encourage and motivate each other.
Conclusion
Doing all this work is hard, but it will allow you to do all the work that you need. If you don’t put in the work you might not be able to pick up your grandkids or do other things that you love.
