With the  emphasis on fitness these past few years, I notice more people of varying ages working out to stay fit. Although their goals will be different than those much younger, many people over 50 have been going to gyms and buying gym equipment for their homes. They want to continue the trend they started over 20 years ago…and I applaud them.

As we age, the body tends to change it’s hormonal output. We don’t rebuild as easy as when we were much younger. At 20, a person can up their testosterone levels by quite a bit just by doing something athletic. They seem to bounce back in no time. It’s more difficult as we get older, especially over 40. Growth hormones are produced less and the
muscle tissues start to decline as much as 2% per annum, especially over 50. We also don’t produce collagen as much at that age and that makes our skin look droopy,saggy and not as tight. Also, as we lose muscle, we also lose fluids in the cells. Our discs shrink in size and we get shorter as we get older.

So, how do we stop age from creeping up. We can’t. However, we sure can
slow it down a lot!

As we get older, we tend not to be as active as we once were. We feel that we are content with life and enjoy some of life’s finer pleasures…like foods, television, golf, as opposed to rigorous sports like tennis, running, basketball, football. Get my drift? Well, these fine foods are still a big part of the plan, even though being active is not. We still eat like we were 20, but move like we’re 50. We don’t spend the same amount of calories, hence the weight gain. When I give a nutrition seminar, one of the things I say is “feed and fuel the body for the tasks you’ll perform in the next 3 hours“. If watching tv, then eat some protein and complex carbs like veggies, not a starch carb like bread. But if you’ll be playing basketball for an hour, a starchy carb, one hour before will give you the energy you need to perform. This principle is the same whether you’re 20 or 50.

When people go to a gym, the competitive edge is always present. Everyone wants to lift more than the guy a few benches over. Ok if you’re younger, but over 50, change your mandate. You’ll never be able to compete at that level, for the most part. Lift for muscle conditioning and not so much for strength. Up the reps, don’t go as heavy, don’t take as much time between sets and you’ll be out of the gym in an hour, unless you add cardio to the workout. Take one body part at a time, once a week. The rest of a week will rebuild the tissues and get you ready for the next workout.

EXAMPLE:

• Monday, chest and triceps
• Tuesday, legs.
• Wednesday, cardio only…treadmill, elliptical or bike.
• Thursday, back and biceps.
• Friday, shoulders.

This workout will up your testosterone levels and repair tissues and other things that make you look your age. Have you ever noticed that people that work out on a regular basis don’t seem as old as others that don’t?

The same applies to women. Don’t like the flabby arms, then workout with weights. You wont get big like a bodybuilder, but you will tone up the muscles and up your metabolic rate, the rate at which the body uses
average energy (glucose) so no extra can elicit an insulin release and drive this extra sugar into fat storage.

Are the gyms too intimidating?  Too far?  Music too loud and obnoxious?

Work out at home. There are many gyms that work well for people over 50 that just want to keep up their fitness levels and stay healthy. You don’t have to lift tons of weights either. Just get a good pump in the body part you’re working on and do your cardio on a machine you feel comfortable on, be it a treadmill, bicycle or elliptical. You can also spend less because you won’t be putting it to the test in comparison to a younger person with a mission. You won’t need a treadmill that has a 400 lb capacity.

Remember:  to be active, you have to stay active. Plan your work, work
your plan. Insert the workout as part of your day, and don’t let
anything get in the way.

At 70, you won’t look a day over 45 or 50, I’ll guarantee it!!  Call or email today for more information on the home gym, elliptical or treadmill that’s best  for you.