Getting Fit After 50

It happens to most of us who one day look in the mirror and wonder what happened to our bodies. We'll notice that we're huffing and puffing while carrying groceries from the car to our homes. Friends or family members remark at how loud our breathing is. We complain that getting out of the car seems to be more difficult than usual and kneeling down to pick something up off the floor is almost impossible. Our physical stamina is all but evaporated, and we wince when we see ourselves in the mirror after stepping out of the shower. We're fat and we're unfit! What are we going to do about it?

Exercise! There's that dreaded "E" word. Losing weight and getting fit can't be accomplished without exercising! It can't be done! A regular exercise program regulates hunger, lowers blood pressure, lessens the pain of arthritis, relieves stress and builds confidence. Let's get one thing straight up front. The old adage of No Pain, No Gain is nonsense for our purposes. Unless you're interested in becoming an athlete or a body builder, your job is to move your body, to limber your joints, to increase your lung capacity and to replace your fat with muscle. Most of us older folks have creaky knees, weak ankles and stiff backs. Starting slow, very slow, is the key to beginning a lasting exercise program.

Every exercise session MUST start with warm-ups! Our older bodies are stiff and they need to be coaxed into exercising. Not doing so will cause cramps and a slew of other debilitating physical ailments. Whether you use basic calisthenics, yoga or you warm up by walking on a treadmill, preparing the body for exercise is a *must* for a successful workout.

Work the muscles, your heart and your lungs! A combination of different exercises works different parts of the body. Weight training works the muscles; cardio training with a treadmill, elliptical or bicycle (stationary or road) works the heart and the lungs. All of them burn calories, limber the body and excise the body of accumulated stress.

Maintaining a regular exercise program is hard to maintain! Exercising on a regular basis is extremely difficult to maintain, especially when one hasn't exercised in a long time and one is overweight. Just remember, it's a matter of life and death. Exercise the body and live longer; don't exercise and die sooner! If maintaining an exercise program can't be maintained then consider the use of a personal trainer who will keep you on a program. Having family members support you when it gets hard will get you through those difficult times. Remember, stick with the program and live longer!

A gym vs home workouts. Unless you're an athlete who is used to working out, trying to stay on an exercise program at home is doomed to fail, especially when starting out. There will always be so many more interesting things to do at home than exercising. There's the TV and the computer. You might even prefer to clean the kitty litter box than exercise or do laundry or dust or do anything other than exercise. Bite the bullet and enroll in a gym. You may not want to spend the money, but remember that this may well be a matter of life and death. Think of it that way and it'll make it easier to accept the expense. You might also want to check with your insurance company to see whether they will pay for all or even just a part of your gym membership fee. You'll most certainly need to get your physician to write a prescription for it, and frankly, you'll do better than most of us who've tried to get our insurance carriers to pay, but it won't hurt for you to try. Getting your physician to write a prescription, whether it will work in getting money from your insurance company or not, will be a reminder to you that you're engaging in a program to save your life.

In the end, the success of your exercise program depends on how dedicated you are to sticking to it. The sad truth is that many people start an exercise program with the intentions of sticking to it, only to give up because they lose interest in it or the workout is too difficult. The simple solution is to ease up on the program, use less weights, walk slower on the treadmill, but at all costs continue to work out. Professional athletes know this phenomenon as "hitting the wall." They know that giving up on their routines will set them back, so they merely roll back their programs, slow everything down and "work through the wall." You, too, can do this if you're dedicated enough.

Swimming is an excellent exercise! If you don't know how to swim, take lessons and perfect the breast stroke of swimming. It looks like a frog swimming in the pool, isn't as fast as free style, but exercises most of your muscles while keeping you cool in the pool. Swim slowly but swim. Don't paddle around in the pool, but swim slowly back and forth. Start with one lap or even just half a lap, but swim. As you gain strength and stamina, swim more laps.

If possible, complete your exercise program with five to ten minutes in the spa. The warm water (usually around 104 degrees Fahrenheit) bubbling around your body with air jets, soothes the muscles. It's a perfect reward for a good work-out!

Attire in the gym. One thing that you'll notice in the gym will be the many young, muscled men and women working out. It's downright demoralizing to see their fit bodies compared to your not-so-fit body. Embarrassment may sit in and you'll slink out of the gym. Fight that urge. There are a couple of techniques that will minimize the embarrassment factor. Start out by wearing long sweat pants and a loose fitting T-shirt. Cover yourself up! You'll "hide" your body from the beautiful people, and you'll keep it nice and warm. The truth is that most of those younger, fitter people won't give you a second look because you're not one of them. Still, hiding your body behind loose fitting exercise clothes will give you more confidence and the will to stay in the gym and exercise. Also, and this should be comforting to you, you'll see more and more of your peers working out. Getting and staying fit has become more popular with our age group.

Safety while exercising. Invest in knee, ankle and elbow braces. They're not expensive and they can be worn under your clothes for concealment. Even if your joints are still in good working order, support them with braces.

Take plenty of rests! Don't push yourself unnecessarily, especially when starting out. Don't get lazy, but do rest between the routines that you're comfortable with. If you're on the treadmill, don't run but walk. Your knees will love you for it. If you're working out on a weight machine do seven or eight repetitions (called a set) and then rest for half a minute or so before doing another set. Don't use weights that are too heavy. Men, especially, think that they have to use the heaviest weights possible. It's a testosterone thing and it's Nonsense! It's much better for you to use lighter weights and to do more sets than it is to attempt to heave overly heavy weights. Listen to your body! Your body will let you know if you're overworking it.

Get instructions from the gym's staff on how to use the machines. Don't guess at how to use the machines. Using them incorrectly can potentially cause more harm than good. Learn to work slowly with a complete, correct extension of whatever body part you're working on. Do it correctly and learn to enjoy it.

Carry a pill case with a few aspirin on your person. If you're under a physician's care for hypertension, then you'll already know about the life-saving aspects of aspirin in case of a heart attack. If you're sensitive to aspirin, by all means speak with your doctor first. If your system can tolerate aspirin, however, chew one immediately and swallow it as quickly as possible at the first sign of trouble. If you're unsure whether your heart is in trouble or not, don't guess! Get that aspirin into your system pronto!

Get a support team! Getting fit is a long-term project. It will be fraught with successes and failures, and there will be many times when it seems easier to just give up then to push through "the wall." It's at these times that you'll need someone to spur you on. That someone can be a supportive spouse, a friend or even a personal trainer. It should be someone whose opinions you trust and who understands the arduous journey that you've undertaken. Better yet, find a friend who wants to exercise with you. You'll be amazed at how much more pleasant it is to work out with a friend than to do it alone. You'll also be able to keep a watchful eye out for each other in case of an emergency.

Success begets success! Realize that getting fit is not an overnight achievement. In fact, you may be sore, especially in the beginning. Believe it or not, that's a good sign. It indicates that your body is getting a workout and that it is adjusting to your new life style. Over time you'll notice a spring in your step, a renewed capacity to do chores without stopping for breath and the ability to bend and twist and do so many other bodily acts that you thought you'd lost forever. More importantly, you'll feel better.

Final Comments. Getting fit after we've allowed our bodies to get dumpy over these many years will not be easy. Frankly, it's going to be very hard work to get back in shape. There will be times when you'll wonder whether it's worth it. It will be! Getting your body back into shape will keep you living longer! When your routine becomes intolerable, adjust it down. Do lighter weights, do fewer repetitions, slow down, take double rests, but continue to move your body

Good luck!