Fitness After 50
If you’re reading this and you’re fifty or older, or look and feel like you are, this is the most important article you will ever read. Why? Because achieving fitness after 50 shouldn’t be optional it should be mandatory.
Let me explain
Turning fifty is a milestone. With age comes wisdom. Sadly, a lot of unpleasant problems come with age, as well.
A friend of mine complained recently that six months before she turned fifty her mailbox was flooded with information from the AARP. It seems that no matter where you are, they know you’re turning fifty and they track you down.
Health problems are the same way. Your body knows you’ve reached this age and often starts confronting you on all fronts. Another friend commented that the day she turned forty she suddenly needed bifocals.
The worst part is that many people reach this critical age already in poor health. Some are overweight, out of shape and suffering from two or more chronic diseases that will shorten their health span if not their life span.
According to a 2012 report from the Center for Disease control; 35% of all Americans in 2010 were obese. The number increased to 36.6% for adults between the ages of forty and fifty. For adults over the age of sixty it increased to 39.7%.
The reason this is so scary is that being overweight isn’t just an inconvenience or a mat
ter of appearance. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension which can lead to stroke, and numerous joint and mobility problems.
Unless you start taking action now you may find yourself on the fast track to disability,a nursing home or even worse. Staying healthy doesn’t just increase the length of your life — but the quality, too.
Great News:It’s Never Too Late
But there is good news! It’s not too late to change the course of the rest of your life. You only need to make the decision to improve your lifestyle and enjoy the rest of your life physically and emotionally. No one can make the decision for you or take the required actions but you.
This article will give you the information you need to help you get started on a lifestyle that will deliver fitness after 50.
In following articles we’ll discuss in detail what you can do to start living a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. One that will allow you to maintain fitness after 50.
Lifestyle – How Everyday Life Choices Affect Your Health
One of the reasons so many Americans get to their fifties in poor health is due to their sedentary lifestyle. If you have a desk job then you’ve spent the majority of your waking hours sitting at work and probably coming home to sit some more.
A recent study by the Sax Institute of Australia found the following information about prolonged sitting.
“Adults who sat for 11 hours or more a day had a 40% increased risk of dying in the next three years than those who sat for less than four hours a day.” According to Dr. Hidde van der Ploeg a senior researcher at the University of Sydney’s School of Public health in Australia. He went on to say, “Prolonged sitting has been shown to disrupt metabolic function resulting in increased plasma triglyceride levels, decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and decreased insulin sensitivity,â€
This information alone should inspire you get off the couch and get moving! Buy a bicycle, join a gym, or at least walk three or four times a week. Take a class if you need guidance. Hire a personal trainer for a short time to get you started.
Achieve Fitness After 50 with Better Nutrition and Sleep
Another culprit in today’s society is diet. The Standard American Diet takes its toll on your waistline, your energy and your health. Â Most diets consist of far too many processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium and bad fats. They are also full of calories.
The only thing the American diet is not full of is this — nutrition.
You can reduce many health problems by eating “real” food such as fresh produce, lean protein, good fats, and drinking plenty of water.
Sleep can also become a problem as you get older. You may have aches and pains that keep you from sleeping as long as you need. Or you may worry and stress during the night about your children, your grandchildren, your dwindling retirement fund, or simply the way the world is changing.
You may also find yourself living with this sad fact of aging; middle of the night bathroom trips become more frequent and interrupt your sleep patterns.
The Wrong Rx for Fitness After 50
All these problems lead to another: prescription drugs. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Sometimes the cure is worse than the sickness”. Drugs for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, depression and other health conditions also come with a host of side effects.
Lifestyle changes can be made that will help you improve your daily quality of life, your overall health, and reduce your need for so many prescription drugs. Do it now and start moving down the right path to fitness after 50.
Physiological – The Problems that Come with Aging
As you age your body starts down a slippery slope. If you don’t make the changes you need to your lifestyle these changes can lead to disability or an early death.
Here’s a list of a few of the major issues you face as you age:
- Loss of muscle and more fat because of lower testosterone, HGH and more cortisol
- Less bone density and greater fear of falling
- Less lung capacity and VoMax
- Reduce heart rate and capacity
- Vitamin D deficiency which can impact your hormones
- Slower metabolism leads to less energy
- Diminishing fast twitch muscle fibers results in less strength
- Mental capacity and clarity is declining
- Loss of probionic and digestive enzymes lead to digestive issues and declining nutritional absorption (we get less nutritional bang for the same foods)
The above are just a few of the problems that aging can bring. In future articles we’ll talk about how to manage and reduce the risk of each one.
Emotionally – How this Adds to the Aging Mix
It’s impossible to read about all the problems that come with aging and not feel depressed. Is this really all you have to look forward to for the rest of your life?
No. You don’t have sit by and watch your quality of life fade away.
Unfortunately aging happens. You can’t escape it. However you can slow down the impact age has on your body, mind and emotion. You can even reverse many of the artifacts aging leaves behind.
You can design a lifestyle that promotes health, fitness and well being by making changes in how you eat, move, think and feel about life and your own future.
What are your biggest concerns of trying to stay fit after 50?