FIT OVER 50: 6 Habits Fit Women Make Time For!
Being Fit Over 50 isn’t impossible! In fact, it’s easier than you think if you find ways to make it a priority. These are the 6 things I’ve found that FIT women over 50 make time for!
1. They don’t prioritize exercise over SLEEP!
Fit women strive to get a good night’s sleep and don’t sacrifice it to fit in a workout. Having a healthy balance of sleep and exercise is essential to getting the most out of both activities. By providing your body with the eight hours of sleep it needs to function, you’re setting yourself up for a successful workout.
What’s not recommended is losing sleep in order to workout. Sleep is so important for workouts because it reduces the possibility of injury and gives the muscles time to heal. By neglecting sleep in order to fit in that early-morning workout, you’re neglecting other essential processes of your body. Some of these consequences are short term, such as being prone to getting sick, but some are long term, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Do you sacrifice sleep in order to fit in that early morning workout? Maybe it’s time to either go to bed earlier or find a different time of day to exercise!
2. They MOVE every day!
Fit women move every day! I’m not talking about your scheduled workouts. I’m talking about just moving more. We are a nation of sitters; we sit when we eat, we sit all day at work, we sit watching tv. Whether it’s 10,000 steps a day or just parking the car in the farthest space possible, they know that motion is lotion and rest is rust for our aging bodies! I use my Fitbit app to track my movement and it also bugs me if I haven’t taken at least 200 steps in an hour. I’m getting good at ignoring it so if I know I have to get a big project done (like a blog) I set a timer and get up every hour. It doesn’t have to be for long; 5 minutes is enough to get the blood flowing and keep the joints happy. How could you move more throughout your day? Here is the link to the Fitbit I’m using now!
3. They make EXERCISE a priority!
Fit women make exercise a high priority and don’t find excuses not to workout. They have a routine and know what to do to stay fit over 50. Whether it’s a gym class, a YouTube video or following along to one of my Be Healthy Enough Workouts, they make sure to get it done. They also know the importance of having a plan! They know what workout they’re going to do on what day and even where they will get it done. Then they set up an appointment in their calendar for exercise and it does not get sacrificed to someone else’s needs or to work that can wait.
They also don’t get pulled back into that myth we learned in our 30s! Workouts do not have to be a sweaty hour long session. 30 minute workouts can be just as effective. HECK, I’ve gotten a great workout in just 10 minutes!
4. They prioritize STRENGTH TRAINING in their workouts!
Fit women lift those weights. Strength training has so many benefits; helps us maintain our decreasing muscle mass (which starts to drop in our 30s), can increase our metabolism (so we can lose or maintain our weight), can reduce joint pain, can improve our posture and balance but my overall favorite is that it can help us do all the things we love to do in this later half of life.
I put together a short video talking about all of these on my YouTube Channel The Benefits of Strength Training For Women Over 50. Also, if you’d like to try a strength workout here is a FREE Strength Training Full Body Workout for Women Over 50.
5. They schedule RECOVERY DAYS!!
Fit women give their bodies a rest. I have been learning, with great pleasure, that rest days are just as important as exercise. In fact, a well balanced workout plan for us “women of a certain age” isn’t complete without rest days. When you exercise, especially when doing a strength training workout, you are actually causing microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. During rest the muscle tissue is given a chance to heal and grow, resulting in stronger muscles. Rest also allows your body time to replenish its energy stores so you’re even more prepared for your next workout.
Do you schedule recovery days? If not, here is a video I did sharing the Benefits of Recovery Days
6. They get enough Protein!!
Fit women get enough protein for their bodies. Protein is a part of every cell. It’s used to build hormones, enzymes, blood and antibodies, as well as skin, bones and muscles.
As you age, protein becomes even more important. Around age 40, women may lose muscle mass at a rate of up to 8 percent each decade. Later in life, those losses accelerate — by age 70 muscle mass can decline by upwards of 15 percent every 10 years. That may explain why close to 50 percent of older women have an advanced form of muscle loss, called sarcopenia, that can decrease their strength and mobility while increasing their chances of illness and falling.
It took a whole blog and video to share how you know how much protein you need and how to get it. Blog post is HERE and Video is HERE
If you’d like some help with your health or fitness journey why not schedule a FREE 30 Minute Wellness Consultation with me. I’d love to help in any way that I can. Click the book now link below and find a time that works for you
If you’re a woman over 50 and you’d like to get moving and feel better you should try one of my online workouts designed just for us; low impact cardio to protect our joints, strength training because it’s a must as we age, Pilates because a strong core = a strong body and more.
Oh and you can try ALL of my workouts FREE for 7 Days by clicking HERE and signing up!
