What can you do to improve your health once you are over 50?

Most people are aware of the importance of maintaining cardiovascular fitness and quite comfortable walking, jogging or cycling regularly to maintain their fitness. However as we age, the decline in our strength, balance, posture, coordination and bone health are more likely to become the main things which slow us down,  limit our choices and ability to pursue an active lifestyle.

I’ve recently read a great article talking about the many ‘anti aging’ benefits of lifting weights – especially for those in the over 50 age bracket http://www.nj.com/healthfit/fitness/index.ssf/2015/04/post_49.html

So what does this mean for me? The current Australian Physical Activity guideline states that we should be doing ‘strengthening exercises’ twice a week. Benefits include reducing loss of muscle mass, bone density and balance as we age in addition to correcting ‘desk’ posture and maintaining mobility. The good news is that weight training is also very time efficient and you can achieve a lot from a small time allotment.

Some of the barriers to overcome include getting people to feel comfortable in a gym/weights environment and helping them understand how to lift weights both safely and effectively. So don’t delay – start your investment into ‘anti aging’ today and get into the weights room!

KL’s points for action – 

• Include weight training (or body weight exercises) as a regular fixture in your week. This is particularly important as we age for both men and women.
• Learn how to do weights correctly to avoid injury and ensure your program is balanced – consult a personal trainer for advice and safe lifting technique