Fit after 50

My best advice for people over fifty (which I would extend to most people who are not competitive athletes) is to respect the limits of your body.  High-impact exercises and heavy weight lifting are very stressful on your body and you should try to minimize them if possible–especially as you age.

In my practice, I focus on functional fitness, which means that I use mostly body weight exercises and exercises that work in three dimensions–using resistance bands, medicine balls, kettlebells, and other free-range-of-motion exercises.  These exercises are especially useful for people for whom stability and balance is a priority.  These exercises can help prevent injury more than one-dimensional (machine) exercises can.

As you get older, you should also allow yourself more rest days.  Working out is great, but you have to spend some time “working in”, by which I mean doing yoga, meditation, tai chi, qigong, and other forms of activity that are designed to restore energy, rather than expend it.  These activities will help your body and mind stay healthy well after 50.

Please share this info if you found it useful!

%d bloggers like this: