In our current society, staying fit and looking young is fancied by many and with this comes the urge to embrace a fitness program. Those in their fifties, like their younger counterparts, are also lacing up their sneakers to face the gym, but there are things they are not told quite often about the types of exercises they should embrace.
This is where the guidance of fitness experts like comes in handy to help them make the right choices. These experts highlight some of the exercises that people in their 50s should focus on because there have been cases of disc raptures arising from hardcore workouts that are not ideal for people in this age bracket.
1. Strength training
As one grows older, muscles shrink and thereby lose their ability to contract. This could be changed by focusing on strength training, which effectively regulates glucose metabolism and burns facts that could be accumulating to risky levels. To achieve this, exercises like pushups come in handy (for a beginner it is advisable to begin doing the pushups against a wall as it could prove challenging at first).
A resistance band also offers a perfect way to go about strength training, and most importantly one could use triceps and biceps extensions to achieve this. If you are looking to strengthen many muscles at the same time, you could do well with modified squats as well as lunges. Regardless of the exercise option you choose, you need to spare at least 24 hours between consequent training sessions to ensure your muscles bounce back, which prevents injuries.
2. Flexibility exercises
As a human being ages, the body loses flexibility and if this is left to go on unregulated one could have to deal with severe pain later. At 50 years or more, you need to consider including flexibility training in your exercise schedule. Flexibility exercises include regular stretching and this could be useful even when performed for as little as 10 minutes every day.
What you need to focus on is stretching the calf muscles and hamstrings and before you begin your day you could do some head circles to give your neck some good stretches. While in the shower, twist your hips to and your upper body gently ensuring you don’t introduce any pain.
3. Training for balance
Loss of balance is another problem adults aged 50 or more suffer and this is an issue that comes as a result of aging and the body getting exhausted with age. You could save yourself from falling or sustaining injuries due to accidents by performing balance exercises. This is simple as you only need yourself to do. You could train yourself by standing on one leg for about a minute then switching to the other, and this effectively strengthens your balancing system. Do this every day and you will improve your fitness within a short duration.
4. Cardio exercises
Again, not all cardio exercises are ideal for adults aged more than 50 years. If your objective is to get a full body workout, then cardio exercises are your perfect choice. Some of the recommended exercises you could embrace include swimming, walking, biking and running. You don’t need an hour to do this as 10 minutes seriously conducted will give you good results if you stick to your routine. These exercises must be performed moderately as the body at this age does not need heavy exercises that could lead to injuries.
5. Exercises for upper torso
It’s often common to see people get rid of abs as they grow older, and this leads to a bad back. Failure to support the torso could deteriorate your health and so you need to also focus on exercises that help you build a stronger upper torso. Abdominal exercises performed for few minutes will give the best results.
The suggestions you have in this case include reverse curl whereby you pull your knees towards your body while lying on your back. You can hold on for several minutes before releasing. Also don’t do full sit-ups as they could do some harm. It is advisable to rather do crunches where you only position your back against the floor then move up gently without making a right angle.
Do you need more exercises to stay fit after 50? If so, Ask Bongo? With Ask Bongo, you ask a question and it will provide you with a variety of exercises that you can do.