I’ve found that many people simply don’t know some of the finer points of making their exercise work for them. For others, it’s not a matter of knowing what works, it’s a matter of realizing that they’ll need to adapt their exercise to the fact that their bodies are getting a little older.
You’ll be glad to know that most of these exercise tips are extremely easy to follow and you’ll readily be able to incorporate them into your routine. We’ll start out slow, though, which is of course how you’ll want to start your own exercise sessions.
Here are my 5 tips for staying fit and healthy after age 50:
1. Cultivate your passion, retirement is around the corner.
Don’t be one of those people who goes home from their retirement party feeling like someone died. Long before you retire you need to find your passion and make it a part of your life so that when you retire you can totally immerse yourself in it. When you start following your passion, magical things happen. You will find your energy increases. You will find that as soon as you awaken you JUMP out of bed excited to start the day. Your mood improves too, you sleep better, and you are generally fired up about life. If your passion is collecting baseball trading cards then get started NOW. Read everything you can about trading cards, work on becoming the worlds #1 expert, join clubs, make a website. Who knows, your passion might end up making money so that you can retire early and get paid doing what you love.
2. Volunteer – Do something for others.
Be selfish, volunteer! If you ever catch yourself feeling sorry for yourself you need to drop whatever you are doing and volunteer ASAP. Think YOU have problems? Find a way to volunteer at a VA hospital or a children’s hospital and it will put your problems in the proper perspective. The volunteers often seem to get just as much or more out of the charity than the people being helped. Think outside the box and find something that takes advantage of your unique talents. It would be awesome if you could couple it to #1, your passion, and kill two birds with one stone. If as in the above example you are becoming an expert at baseball trading cards, consider make a website to help others learn the joy of collecting. Or perhaps couple it with your work. If you are a plumber, consider volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Whatever knowledge you have, think of a unique way to share it. Cant think of anything? Try volunteering at the local animal shelter.
3. Read one book a month – keep your brain engaged.
Reading is a great for many reasons but mainly because it makes you think. It exposes you to wonderful and strange ideas you have never thought of. It keeps your brain young. It can be an excellent component of a stress reduction plan. Read whatever you want, it can be “brain-candy” or serious – whatever floats your boat. Don’t read what you think will be good for you because then its a dreaded chore, read what you *want* to read so its fun! If reading really isn’t your thing, come up with something cerebral that works for you: crossword puzzles, sudoku, or whatever but you gotta have some activity you do that causes your brain to go into overdrive.
4. Find your retirement sport.
Hopefully you have a sport you love by now but if not you need to find one asap! It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you love it: shuffleboard, hiking, cricket, golf, horseshoes. If you already have a sport you love, it might be time to think of a more age appropriate one. Skateboarding is fun in your 30s and 40s but its probably not advisable for 70 year olds so think about cultivating another sport.
5. Diet – Eat as unprocessed as you can.
1.drink water like a fish
2.eat vegetables like a rabbit – full color spectrum
3.eat fibrous whole grains like a horse
4.lean cuts of meat third
5.full color spectrum of fruits fourth
6.5g EFAs.
7.minimize fast food and junk food
To sum up, exercise is a wonderful way to keep your body in top shape, as long as you follow these very simple tips. Though all of us complain about exercise from time to time, there’s no substitute for it, if you want to stay mentally and physically fit in your 50s, and beyond.
