Tony Horton, of P90X and 10-Minute Trainer fame who, as of this summer, is now 56 says a better goal is to be in great shape, healthy, and very active after fifty. That's totally doable!
This issue Horton says is, "sustaining the motivation and discipline" to stick to your plan. He says you need to have three things in place.
- First you need a purpose. If you want a better life, physical movement is the "on switch."
- Secondly he says you need to plan all your workouts in advance -- what you're going to do and what time you're going to do it. It's like making an "appointment with a healthy choice" that can change your life for the better.
- And third, you need people to be accountable to. "Being in great shape after 50 is easy when friends and family who want the same things, help to hold you accountable."
Dr. Jill Broffman says the advice she gives her patients and that she herself adheres to are, making fitness a non-negotiable priority. "Like eating, breathing and sleeping." Secondly, she says it's important to workout smarter as we get older. Cross training and stretching to avoid overuse injuries are key. Finally she says we just need adopt an overall healthier lifestyle. That entails the obvious, but all too neglected habits of, eating better quality foods, sleeping more, breathing deeply and finding happiness to live a more balanced life.
Dr. Pam Peeke, a physician, scientist and bestselling author of numerous books on nutrition, stress, fitness and public health says her advice to people over fifty going for new fitness goals is to, "be realistic, patient and consistent" and as you train, you may want to chant, "I'm am no longer 20!" Just accept that it will take longer to make muscle and to lose body fat. Focus on "optimizing the key components of fitness: endurance, strength, balance and flexibility." Finally, Dr. Peeke says most peoples' health goals after fifty are to be both "physically and mentally independent" rather than fit into a certain jean size.
Finally, a recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that the higher your muscle mass index is, the more likely it is you'll live longer!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jill-s-brown/exercise-after-50_b_5611601.html
