Core health and fitness

Core health and fitness

Health & Fitness: Learn Yoga to Stay Fit When You're Over 50

The importance of staying healthy and fit has played a major role in these past 18 months, but especially for the over 50 crowd.  Most people over the age of 50 who want to stay fit and struggle struggle because what might work for someone in their 20s or 30s doesn't make sense in their 50s.  As you age, both your needs and your priorities change.

Once you reach the age of 50, people start suffering from things like arthritis, degenerative and aging joints, and back and knee pain.  And if you haven't suffered from them yet, you're worried about when you will.  First of all, let me tell you that it is 100% possible to stay fit after 50.  Many people who are 50 and over are the healthiest they have ever lived in their lives.  So what is their secret?

Here Are Five Habits For Over 50s To Keep Fit

Enough Sleep

The myth that you don't need as much sleep as you get older is a lie.  Most research indicates that even when you're over 50, you should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night.  When you don't get enough sleep, it makes you lazy.  You lack energy, making you less motivated to exercise and more likely to eat sugary, unhealthy foods.

 Lack of sleep lowers your immune system, affects your memory and ability to concentrate, affects your balance and increases your chances of high blood pressure.  In general, a lack of sleep is going to significantly affect your ability to eat well and exercise, two essential elements for staying fit and healthy after age 50.

keep nutrition simple

If you're over 50, you've probably seen every cleanse, crash diet, health shake, weight loss pill, or gimmick known to man.  There really isn't any trick left in a book you haven't seen.  Even when you're over 50, you're generally not in the mood to be a nutrition extremist.  It's a good idea to keep things simple.

Focus on eating nutritious whole foods (things that are unprocessed) and drink plenty of water.  Start your day with an 8-ounce glass of water and aim to drink at least three more bottles after that.  When you're meal planning, put half vegetables, one quarter protein, and one quarter whole grains on your plate.  It's also a good idea to add a little healthy fat consisting of vegetable oils.  Good nutritional habits give you the energy and stamina you need to stay fit and fit.

Weight lifting

I can't tell you how many times I'm asked Is it safe to lift heavy weights at my age?  People worry that lifting heavy weights can be "bad" for their spine or knees when they reach 50  Lifting weights is not only good for you, but it is completely safe when done correctly.

But it is important that your workout is optimized and any injuries or illnesses you may have are taken into account.  Arthritis in your joints, bulging discs, and even meniscus tears are all normal things that happen as you age, but you want to make sure your strength training routine reflects this.

As a physical therapist, when I'm examining someone's strength routine, the two biggest things I look for are form and loading strategies.  Good and proper form is important for protecting your joints and back.  "Loading" refers to how much weight you lift and how often (Rep).  This changes as you age because the integrity of your soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) is different.

Loading strategies also need to be adapted if you are injured or in pain.  A good strength coach and physical therapist, especially when working together, can ensure that you have a strength training routine that is not only safe but perfect for your age and ability.

strengthen your core

Things like balance and reaction time begin to become more compromised after the age of 50, and the likelihood of back pain increases.  Maintaining good core strength helps with all this and becomes more important than ever at age 50.  The biggest problem people who are trying to strengthen their core is that they don't know how to do it properly.  Maybe they are doing all the right things, but all with the wrong muscles.  If you're new to core strengthening, or perhaps you've been doing it for a while

But your core strength is still not where you want it, so consider trying Pilates.  It has long been touted as a core-strengthening staple because it requires you to make very controlled and precise movements while focusing on your breath.  Having proper control over your breath, body and movement are the main signs of a really working and strong core.

muscle pain

It may sound obvious, but I can't tell you how many people either ignore, or brush off their pain.  When you ignore your pain you run the risk of developing other problems as your body compensates.

These compensation strategies may last you a short time but eventually reach you.  When you are over 50, recovery from an injury is harder and takes longer.  So, although preventing injury is your best strategy, don't ignore pain if you're experiencing it.  It's impossible to get the most out of your workouts when you work around pain.

And that delays your ability to stay fit and stay fit.  If you always have to modify exercises or compensate for pain, it's not only frustrating, but you delay getting to the root cause of your problem.  Simply put, if you're experiencing musculoskeletal pain, address it.