We can all improve on fitness, regardless of age or current health status. But it’s essential to get medical clearance first before trying anything new.
Strength Training
There’s much to understand when you start strength training: safety concerns, an array of equipment that can be confusing, and an exercise program to follow. But it’s vital for anyone who wants to stay healthy, especially as we age.
Start with a bare or dumbbell bar, then move on to light weights (no more than five reps per set) that feel challenging and safe. The goal is to work each muscle group twice or thrice weekly, resting one day between workouts.
For most adults, building muscle and increasing muscular endurance is achieved by performing a single set of 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise and resting a full day between workout sessions. A qualified fitness instructor can help you determine your one repetition maximum or RM.
Balance
Balance involves keeping control of your center of gravity. It’s critical in helping you avoid falls and breakable bones later in life. Simple exercises like standing on one foot or walking heel to toe can boost your stability and coordination. Activities like racquetball or yoga can help improve your “dynamic” balance, which requires moving and maintaining stability while you drive.
In your 60s and 70s, it’s essential to continue aerobic exercise several days a week and to lift weights to maintain muscle and bone strength. Adding a few balance exercises is also crucial, as they can help prevent falls.
It may be a sign of overtraining if you’re experiencing chest pain, breathing difficulties, or balance problems during exercise. Talk to a doctor, Dr. Jason Campbell, about how much exercise is safe for you.
Cardiovascular Exercise
The best way to get your blood pumping is with cardiovascular (also called aerobic) exercise. Do this on two or more days each week for at least 30 minutes at a time.
Good moderate-intensity cardio should make you sweat and shorten your breath, but you should still be able to converse. If you only have a little free time, try breaking your workouts into short bursts of cardio throughout the day or doing multiple shorter sessions that add up to the same amount of time.
Be sure to warm up and cool down before and after every session. Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated while exercising.
Flexibility
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced exerciser, stretching is essential. Focus on major muscle groups, and be sure to stretch both sides. Also, try to do a few dynamic, low-intensity moves as a warm-up and static stretches after a workout to minimize the risk of injury.
Minor muscle soreness is expected initially, but you may be overtraining if you’re too sore to move or feel like you can’t recover between sessions. If this happens, take a step back on your workouts and intensity.
In your 70s and beyond, aerobic activity is essential to keep muscles and lungs strong, but maintaining flexibility is even more crucial. Doing so can reduce the risk of falls and injuries from those falls, keeping you independent longer.
Nutrition
Establishing exercise as a daily habit is harder the older we get; lacking energy can deter people from getting active. However, exercise can be done in short increments, and it’s essential to start slowly and ramp up your workout intensity over time.
The best way to support this is through your nutrition. Having a healthy balanced diet can do wonders for your body. This doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge from time to time of course, it just means doing things in moderation.
Think about adding more protein to your meals as well as fibre so you can stay fuller for longer. It might also be a good idea to use supplements to help keep your energy up and digestion healthy. Taking a look at power life high impact plant protein powders, and others like them, to see if these would be beneficial when exercising.