Isn’t retirement grand? You get to travel, enjoy your hobbies, and the best part of all—spending time with your grandkids. But spending your days without regular physical activity can have its downfalls.
After all, working out after 50 won’t give you abs of steel. So why bother? It turns out there are many benefits to working out in your golden years, including physical and mental. So while you might not get the six-pack you had in your twenties, you will reap plenty of other benefits!
Here’s our list of the top benefits of working out after age 50.
Reduce your risk of disease
Evidence shows that regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, and certain types of cancer. Get in regular movement and your body and brain will both benefit.
Have more movement
By age 60, it’s common to have osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, joint pain, or lack of flexibility. Light exercise can help all of these conditions. Working out can ease joint pain, reduce stiffness and improve your balance, giving you more fluid movements and decreasing your pain levels.
Stronger Bones
As you age, your bone density decreases. Weaker bone density means bones become more brittle, fragile, and prone to break. Doing strength training exercises 2 to 3 times a week can build bone density. Weight-bearing exercises such as Yoga, help stimulate bone cells to grow.
Improve your mental health
As our bodies start to decline with age, so do our minds. Exercise increases oxygen to the brain, which helps improve brain function. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to boost the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is involved in verbal memory and learning.
Enhance your mood
Exercise elevates your mood, improves your sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. All of those things lead to an overall better quality of life that someone of any age can enjoy.
How to Workout After 50
Now that you’re convinced how important exercise is to your physical and mental health as you age, are you wondering how you can do it? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there too. Follow these steps:
1. Check in with your doctor: Before starting a new routine, get a quick check up to make sure you can start exercising without any problems.
2. Start slow: Always begin with a quick warm-up. Then ease into your workout with a steady pace. You can pick it up as you feel comfortable and it becomes more routine. Even a brisk walk or swim is a great place to start!
3. Choose your exercises: Finding activities that you enjoy will make you more likely to stick with them. Vary your workouts with aerobic activity such as low impact aqua workouts combined with strength training exercises.
Keep living out the best years of your life by adding a little physical activity to them. Adding a few workouts a week can change your health and keep you feeling young for years to come.
