It used to be that hitting your 50s meant slowing down. Nowadays, more women over 50 are leading healthier and more active lifestyles than they have ever done before. Partly this is down to a deeper understanding of the importance of staying active, but it’s also due to improvements in health and wellness management strategies. When women over 50 can be exposed to a wide variety of health issues, making the right lifestyle with health activities can alleviate and even get rid of many of the existing problems that simply come with age. If you’re looking for a healthier life in your 50s, then here are some of the biggest and best health ideas for women over 50 in 2019.
Get Moving
Exercise is simply the single best thing that you can do for your body no matter how old you are. It’s never too late to start paying more attention to your body, and whether you’re 50 or 90, there are plenty of types of exercise that can be done safely. Start slowly with longer and longer walks, and try some light weight lifting. Don’t stress about building up a sweat. The trick is to just to get started and slowly build things up as you go. Start scheduling a little light exercise into your daily routine, and you might be surprised by how much of a difference it can make to your health and your mental positivity.
Top Tip: If your workout is leaving you aching and sore, then use a warm towel or hot pack on your joints and muscles. Some gentle stretches can help alleviate any stiffness you feel as well.
A Tougher Heart
The best exercise for the over 50s are those that get you breathing hard. This is the ultimate way to ensure that your heart and your lungs are getting the right workout. If you’re up for the challenge (and your joints can cope), then dance lessons, tennis, or even Zumba can all make you feel amazing. You could even go all out and sign up for a health retreat for the Ultimate Fitness Holiday. These are designed around your health goals and your ability to exercise, and the fact that they are located in some of the most stunning destinations on the planet means that you’re getting to see the world as well.
Get Stretchy
The more flexible you are, the healthier your muscles are. The better your muscles are, the less likely that you will develop pain in your joints. Stronger muscles also make falls less likely. There are plenty of activities to choose from that can give you a good stretch workout, but you should definitely check your local area for classes in:
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Dedicated classes that focus on arm circles and stretching the quads
Once you have a good grounding in this type of exercise, it makes it much easier to do your stretches at home. While having a good stretching session every day is always good, start by trying it out a couple of times a week. If you already have a health routine in the morning or afternoon, then start incorporating more stretches. This can have a dramatic effect on the symptoms of menopause, and can even help to lower your stress levels as well.
Go Low Impact
One of the reasons why so many women over 50 avoid exercise is because the strain that it puts on their joints. The trick here is to avoid those types of activities and exercises. There are many forms of exercises that are low-impact, and these can put a lot less stress on your body. Try:
- Short or long walks
- Water aerobics
- Swimming
- Cycling
Ideally, you want to try and do 30 minutes of this type of exercise every day, five days a week. This should be your target, but you can take your time getting there. You can even break that 30 minutes up into ten-minute chunks that you can do at your convenience. Make sure that you don’t push too hard, and if you’re breathing so hard that conversation is more difficult then you may be pushing yourself too much.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you’ve passed your 50th birthday, then you’ll never be able to get fitter and healthier. Age is an irrelevance when it comes to looking after your body, and as long as you take the right precautions and don’t push yourself too hard, you could be feeling better and healthier than you ever did in your 20s.