Resources
Senior Fitness - Feeling your best over 50
Baby boomers and retirees are enjoying a better quality of life than ever before. Staying healthy and fit in the golden years is paramount to enjoying life and all it has to offer. As priorities shift and more time is available, it is also possible to find new hobbies and activities to enjoy. Fitness doesn’t have to be a chore if it is comprised of fun activities and makes you feel good!
Here are some ideas to keep fit and healthy in the 50s, 60s and beyond:
Join a social club or organization that is active: Most local YMCAs, Jewish Community Centers and neighborhood recreation centers offer senior fitness programs, water aerobics classes and other fun social activities that keep their members active, engaged and provide social stimulation as well. Particularly for those who live alone or miss the social networks of work, this is a great opportunity to be fit and friendly.
Pick up a new sport or activity: During the working years, it is often difficult to balance work and family demands with sports and leisure activities. Now is the time to try something new. Fitness keeps the body active as well as the mind, so learning a new sport can also provide mental fitness to keep your brain transmitters firing while keeping physically active.
If you’ve never lifted weights before, try it: Muscle mass decreases as we age as well as bone mass, which increases the likelihood of osteoporosis, particularly in women. Doing weight-bearing exercise, such as weight-lifting, walking, exercise bands or machines (and the like) can greatly help increase strength and make a difference in fending off the loss of muscle and bone mass. It is never too late in life to start this kind of activity to see some benefit. Beside the specific things mentioned above, this will also help increase your overall fitness.
