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Fitness in Your Fifties -
No More Excuses
Author: Judy Griffin
If you are 50+, there are no more excuses for being unfit and overweight! Actually at any age that’s probably true, but especially at this point in your life. Let’s see…what are the usual excuses for not exercising and not eating healthy?
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I’m trying to get my career started and I’m too busy at work.
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I have 2 children under the age of 5…when would I have the time?
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Between carpooling, homework, and getting the kids to school, there isn’t time to cook a healthy meal.
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I’m working two jobs to pay my kids college tuition; I don’t have any energy to exercise.
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It’s too expensive and not convenient to join a club or Y.
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There are not enough hours in the day
Any of these sound familiar? They are the challenges faced by men and women starting careers…starting families…managing family finances. By the time you’ve hit 50, you’re kids are usually pretty self sufficient or maybe even off at college or possible out on their own. At this point in your life your career is usually established or more manageable or possibly you are fortunate enough to have retired early. The point is that you most likely have more time and more disposable income than you did 5 - 10 years ago. The question is, “What are you doing with it?”
There is an emerging race form called the “Ultra”. This involves distances that far exceed marathons (26.2 miles). These runners cover 50 to 100 miles without stopping. The largest segment of the participants is 50+! Does that mean your endurance increases as you get older? Certainly not. The reason is that people this age have more time to train for these long distance events. It can almost be like a second job when you train for something this long. Therefore these races are attracting active older adults, who want to challenge themselves, and have the time to do it.
Okay…I’m not suggesting that if you’re over 50 you need to sign up for an Ultra. You don’t even have to sign up for a marathon, half-marathon or 5K…unless you want to. What I am telling you is that at this point in your life you have the time to take care of yourself…so if you’re not…WHY? There really isn’t any excuse you could give at this age that would make any sense…even if you are experiencing health issues. If you are starting to feel the twinges of arthritis, your cholesterol is on the rise, you’re experiencing high blood pressure or any myriad of ailments that can become problematic with age, there is NO EXCUSE to avoid exercising and eating healthy. In fact, if you fall into this group…exercise will actually reduce the symptoms of these health issues. Ask the folks who use their walkers and canes to get to the pool for their water aerobics class, why they do it. They’ll tell you they feel so much better on the days that they exercise, that they wouldn’t miss a class!
Increased weight, which often sneaks up on us as we get older can create a variety of medical problems that can be overcome by something as simple as taking a 30-45 minute walk every day. Even if you don’t drop 50 pounds, you will begin to feel better and look better, within 4-6 weeks…guaranteed. Regular exercise will help you sleep better, give you energy to do everyday tasks, keep your brain more alert and give you a more positive attitude towards life. Studies that have been done on people who have lost large amounts of weight and have kept it off for 2 years or more have made an interesting discovery. There are only two factors that are common in absolutely every case…they eat breakfast every day AND they exercise 4-6 times per week. Think about the Subway icon, Jared, who lost all that weight eating Subway sandwiches. If you read the entire store about how he lost all that weight, there is a fact that got glossed over. Yes he ate Subway for lunch and dinner…every day. But…he had to walk 1.5 miles to the Subway restaurant and 1.5 miles home after eating. That’s 6 miles/day! Do you think if he had driven to and from the restaurant that the results would have happened as quickly or as dramatically? Most likely not. He chose to take advantage of the 2 most powerful tools we have to stay healthy…daily exercise and making healthy food choices.
So, if you are not finding the time to fix yourself healthy meals or make healthy choices when you are eating out…you are making the choice to ignore your health. If you are not setting aside time 4-6 days/week to participate in a form of exercise that will put a smile on your face, while it challenges your body…you are making the choice to ignore your health. You are at a point in your life that these choices are critical to your long-term health and there really are NO MORE EXCUSES for you to ignore it!
About the Author:
Judy is an active 50-something. She taught group exercise at the YMCA for 20 years. Judy completed her first marathon at 48 and her first triathlon at 54. She tries to encourage and inspire everyone to become and stay active...especially the baby boomers.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/fitness-in-your-fifties-no-more-excuses-566152.html
