The Best Exercise Routine For Women Over 50
A healthy woman that exercises regularly has abundant and vibrant energy. Feeling our best helps us to experience joy, feel fulfilled, and love ourselves and others. Mid-life is a time when it’s made clear that we can’t take good health for granted. Knowing this, many women are seeking to find the best exercise routine for women over 50. If you want to stay active and vibrant, you may need to build muscle strength and flexibility.
Many of us women want to get in shape but feel like we are faced with more obstacles than we have had in the past. As we creep towards our 50’s and beyond, it can be more challenging to reach our fitness goals. It may even be more difficult to get off the floor! So, where do we begin?
It is never too late to start and feel our very best. Check with your doctor before beginning any fitness routine to help you with your goals and avoid injury.
As we mature, we may approach our fitness with different priorities. We may no longer be able to handle the high-impact workouts that we used to do. Instead, look for a fitness routine that keeps you feeling healthy and youthful. There is plenty we CAN do to reach or even exceed our fitness goals.
Come along. Lets energize our middle years by reaching our fitness goals over 50!
Excercise Incognito
This is the best part. You can sneak in exercise by changing the way you think of exercise and doing things you enjoy. Although some may still want to schedule a structured workout a few times a week, you can actually sneak in some BONUS exercise throughout the week as well. By rethinking your idea of exercise, you will find your fitness goals easier to obtain and less overwhelming.
As you begin your new fitness goals, be sure you don’t push too hard. Ease into it and up the volume slowly. You don’t want to go with full gusto and risk injury or burnout.
One of my favorite ways to sneak in exercise is to go outside. Not only will you get exercise incognito, but being in the fresh air has a positive impact on your mental health.
You won’t realize you’re working out when you are doing something you enjoy. You might want to go for a walk or take a hike. See Top Benefits of a Walking Routine to get you started with a walking routine.
Perhaps you would like to try paddleboarding, biking, or canoeing. The options are endless! You will also have more fun and increase your motivation when you bring a friend or join a group. Having others gives you the extra push and accountability you may need.
If going outside isn’t your thing, then consider a yoga, pilates, or dance class. Remember tap class from when you were young? Get yourself some new tap shoes and join a class—what a great workout.
Crank up the music and dance while you are unloading the dishwasher or cooking dinner. You get the picture. Just have fun.
Best Ways to Up Your Exercise Routine
There are many ways to up your fitness when you are over 50. Don’t like one? Try a different one or two…..or more! There are so many ways that you can move your body, and the benefits are endless. By exercising daily, you will improve your balance, stability, and agility and, most of all, be able to enjoy your life for many more decades to come.
Low Impact
Many of us over 50 may need to do something low impact and easy on our joints. Jump on a bike and go outside or get on a stationary bike. You may find that the camaraderie at a peddling class at the gym is the motivation you need.
You might be more interested in Tai chi or Pilates. You can do Pilates either on the mat or a reformer machine.
Even though these are low impact exercise options, I guarantee that with consistency, you will see results!
Cardiovascular Endurance
Walk, walk, walk! This is a simple exercise that, when done outside, has the bonus of improving your mood. Walking has a low risk of injury and is essential to your bone and joint health. Another advantage of walking is that it can be done alone or with a group. Some of my best conversations with friends and family have been on long walks together. On vacation or a business trip? No problem, as walking can be done anywhere without having to seek out a gym.
Getting on a bike is another way to get the heart ramped up.
Muscle Strength
The single best way for women to maintain overall fitness and stop the slowly creeping weight gain is to do weight-bearing exercise (with free weights, weight machines, or resistance bands). By developing muscle, you can up your metabolism to keep your weight in check.
A mixture of inactivity, age-related changes, and inadequate nutrients decreases your bone mass at the rate of 1% a year after age 40. As your bones grow more fragile, they are more susceptible to fracturing even with a minor fall. Strength training over a period of time can help prevent bone loss and may even help build new bone!
Strengthen Your Core
Without having a solid core, it can lead to other physical aches and pains. Sore backs, hips, knees, and necks are often traced back to having poor core strength.
One of the best ways to strengthen your core is through Pilates exercises which are low impact with little risk of injury. Pilates can be done safely as we age because it doesn’t put undue strain on the heart and body.
Workout Videos
If you don’t want to go to the gym, there is a wide array of videos available online or on YouTube. You can search for several fitness videos to find the perfect workout that you can do at home or on the road at any time!
Get Help From a Pro
By enlisting a pro, they will assure that you are doing your exercises correctly and prevent injury. They will also monitor your progress and make suggestions to get the most of your exercise. Even if you have physical limitations, the proper fitness professional will guide you, adjust to your needs, and provide motivation.
Sample Exercise Program For Women Over 50
Before you start an exercise program, check with your doctor, especially if you have any risk factors for heart disease (smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or family history). Then get moving!
A complete fitness program should include the following:
Cardiovascular Exercise: Walking, jogging, and swimming are good ones to try. Work up to getting 20 or more minutes per session, 3 or 4 days a week.
Strength Training: Lift hand weights or do a circuit of weight machines at the gym. Start with a weight that you can comfortably handle for eight repetitions. Gradually add more reps until you can complete 12. If the thought of weights intimidates you, exercise bands can do the trick as well. Strength train 2 times per week.
Stretching: Stretching helps to maintain flexibility and range of motion of your joints. By stretching, you also reduce the risk of injury and muscle soreness from your strength training. Strive to stretch before and after each work out.
Core Body Strength: Yoga and Pilates are good forms of building your core body strength. Strive to do a core workout at least once per week.
Final Thoughts About Your Best Exercise Routine For Women Over 50
Getting and staying in shape after 50 is possible, but it does require consistent movement. Being fit is not just about looking better, but it is important to maintain your mobility and health for the decades to come. Being fit has the bonus of feeling good as well, and isn’t that the main objective?
Schedule regular doctor appointments. As we mature, our bodies change both inside and outside. Be sure to talk about the importance of heart health and exercise and how you should proceed with your fitness goals over 50.
If you hit a plateau, don’t be afraid to change things up. Our bodies adapt and get stagnant, so it is necessary to try new ways to exercise. The changing seasons offer different exercise options, as well. You might swim and hike in the summer but then transition to cross country skiing in the winter.
Contemplate how you will obtain your fitness goals this year and have fun as well. Design your own exercise routine for women over 50. Go ahead- schedule a class, phone a friend, and get after it!
