About Fitness Over Fifty

What makes fitness over fifty different than fitness at other times in our lives? Let's face it, when we are in our 20's, 30's and even our 40's, we put on a few pounds or inches, decide to lose it again, go on a diet for a while, start a fitness routine and, like magic, the pounds and inches melt away. I used to be able to lose 10 pounds in a month easily when I was 30.

For those over 50, though, all that changes. We eat the same things, yet the pounds creep up. We accumulate a spare tire around our middles and someone acquire "chicken wings" where flab hangs on our underarms. We cut back calories - nothing changes. Our metabolism is sluggish and our minds pretty much feel that way too. We try a fitness program but feel stupid out there competing with 20 year old's in an aerobic class.

When I first started going to the YMCA for fitness classes, I started with the "senior" classes because I was afraid I'd feel out of place in an aerobics class. I discovered though, that the seniors in the class were in their 70's and 80's, which impressed me no end, but I turned out to be the youngster in the class.

I finally worked up my courage to do water aerobics and yoga and sure, some of the people in the class were younger than me, but many were also older. What we shared was a desire to look and feel better.

What else changes with fitness when we're over 50? 

1.  Our focus changes from losing weight and looking "hot" to being healthier - lowering cholesterol, losing the spare tire fat which leads to severe health problems, exercising our hearts so we don't end up like many of the over 50 crowd on heart and blood pressure medications. We want to preserve our balance so we don't fall and fracture something, We want to preserve our bone density for the same reason.

By the time we are 50 and over, all of our bad health habits are catching up with us. Our bodies no longer recover as quickly as they once did. Our doctors are telling us to get out and exercise or face the consequences. Baby boomers find that every trip to the doctor brings more back news in the health department, another drug to take, another specialist to see.

2. We need to be checked out by our doctors before starting an exercise program. When we're 25, we can take up jogging without a second thought but when we are 55, we need to have a physical first to make sure that same exercise won't end up killing us instead.

What's the best way to get fit after 50?

1.  Start slowly and build up. Start from your current fitness level, no matter where that is, and increase your level of activity. Start out by walking around the block and add 5 minutes a day, increasing speed.

2.  If you're intimidated by the 20 something body builders at the gym, find a senior center and start taking exercise classes.

3.  Buy a home program and do yoga or other exercises in the comfort of your home. Nobody will see you or know how well you're doing.

Set a goal of exercising 20 minutes a day to start and increasing that to as much time as you can give it. Alternate with walking, weight bearing exercises (yoga qualifies for this) and aerobic exercise.

Fitness over fifty is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself as you get older. Even if you've never been very physically fit at other times in your life, you still experience the benefits by improving your health and outlook on life.