How Does Fitness Change After 50?

Once you’re 50 and beyond, you may have noticed that your body doesn’t respond to exercise as it did earlier in your life. While you’re walking or jogging you may feel tiredness, muscle aches and more injuries may seem to occur with greater frequency. Unfortunately, these signs are a natural consequence of aging.

While you may have followed certain fitness rules prior to your 50’s, the rules have now changed. Here is how you can stay injury-free as you age and continue to work out:

Stretch after every workout and more

Perhaps the old rule you used to abide by was only stretching a few days a week. Now that you are in your 50s or beyond, stretching is no longer just an option. As you age, stretching becomes more important. When you warm up before exercising, you are increasing your circulation, raising your heart rate and body temperature and you’re preparing your muscles for exercise.

You may need more than a day between workouts

The old rule was probably taking one day off in between each weight training workout; however, now you may need longer than a day between workouts because tissue recovery takes more time and more effort to support after the age of 50. If you’re wondering when you should continue working out, look at certain trends among your body. Are you finding soreness that isn’t going away? If you are unable to decrease your time or improve certain markers you are using to track your progress may also indicate the fact that you need more time to recover.

It’s very important to listen to your body so you can reach your maximum potential. Interested in more health tips? Check our blog frequently and contact us with any questions you may have.