When you are over the age of 50, exercising your body remains essential to maintain good health. Unfortunately, when you are 50+, there is a greater risk of injury when exercising because your body is no longer as supple as it once was 20 or 30 years ago.
In order to achieve the benefits of exercise that will aid in keeping your muscles, tissues and joints flexible and strong, it is important that you follow certain guidelines that will help you prevent injury when you engage in fitness activities. Many of these guidelines are universal and apply to people at any age.
Guidelines Specific to Getting Fit Over 50 With Safety Tips
As much as there may be fitness guidelines that work for all ages, when you want to get fit over 50, there are some safety tips specific to you. These are important to know to get your best results and to help you to prevent becoming injured unnecessarily.
These take your body’s unique needs into account. Keep in mind that everyone has their own fitness level and has aged at a different rate. Therefore, there may be some additional tips that you should also consider and that will be provided to you by your doctor and/or a personal trainer. Guidance from professionals should be taken seriously. If you don’t understand why certain recommendations are being made, consider asking questions about it until you know, instead of just assuming they don’t apply to you.
Use These Safety Tips When Getting Fit Over the Age of 50
The following are some smart exercise getting fit over 50 safety tips:
Consult Your Doctor
Obtain a complete medical checkup. Based on your current state of health, your healthcare provider can tell you what level of fitness would be best for your individual needs. It is vital that you engage in the right type of exercise that is suitable for your specific requirements. Speaking with your doctor prior to exercising is especially prudent if you have suffered previous injury or you have a chronic health condition. Your doctor may also provide you with additional instructions, such as advising you to take certain vitamin and/or mineral supplements, such as calcium and vitamin D.
Warm Up and Take It Slow
Do not just jump right into an exercise routine. You must first warm up your muscles. This helps decrease the risk of injury. Engage in light exercise activities (ex. walking), for 3-5 minutes prior to starting your real workout.
Learn How to Perform Exercises Properly
Learn how to make the right movements and know how to move at the right frequency and intensity to avoid overusing muscles and joints. It is a good idea to learn exercises from an instructor or trainer to ensure you are doing it correctly.
Establish a Balanced Fitness Regimen
Do not just stick to one type of activity. Take part in different exercises that include flexibility (ex. stretching, yoga, pilates etc.), cardio (ex. walking, running, swimming, biking, etc.), and strength training (ex. weights and other exercise devices that help to build and sustain muscles).
Exercise 5 Days Per Week
Exercising moderately every day, for 5 days, as opposed to long and intense workouts poured into two days, is safer, healthier and easier on your body. It also will produce better results.
Rest for Two Days
Your body needs adequate rest to recover from exercise. Taking a consecutive two day break in between a five day workout stretch will allow your body to repair and build bone and muscle.
Listen to Your Body
If you feel tired or are in pain, do not ignore it. Tailor your workouts so you are not risking injury to your body, but you are still receiving exercise benefits.
By paying attention to these safety tips and following the additional directions from your doctor, getting fit over 50 will be a much smoother experience. You’ll see results sooner than you might have thought possible, you’ll understand what to expect, you’ll build a solid relationship with your own body and you will avoid unnecessary injury.
This can help to make it much easier to build a regular habit of getting fit over 50. Using these safety tips will keep you on the right path to maintain an active lifestyle for years to come. It will help you to stay healthy, mobile and happy for decades.