Do you look up over 50 transformations on the web? Is being fit in your 50’s of interest to you? Well, me too! I am 51 (July, 1969 birthday), peri-menopausal, and I struggle with keeping my weight in check and being consistent in exercise.
I am lucky to be married to an over-50 man who enjoys exercise—this keeps me motivated to move. My children are both experienced in athletics which makes it a subject we can all discuss and we occasionally participate in events together.
Being fit at any age is as much a mind commitment as it is a physical commitment. You have to get your head wrapped around the fact that you are going to make changes and KEEP your commitments. This means changing food choices as well as making physical movement choices. It could mean you will need to change your sleep patterns—you might need to go to bed an hour earlier in order to get up an hour earlier if you prefer to workout in the mornings. I personally prefer working out in the morning because I am really good at coming up with excuses and letting other things interfere with afternoon/evening exercise.
Food is a big deal. Food prep is the number one commitment you need to make so that you do not make unhealthy choices when hunger strikes. My husband David and I usually meal prep on Sunday afternoons and we make enough food to give each of us 4 meals a day for 5 days. Our 5th meal is normally a breakfast which we make fresh since its usually an easy protein shake or oats or something quick. More on food prep later. . .
As far as exercise goes, cardio is NOT king! Lift weights and lift as heavy as you can. This will need to switch up occasionally. Maybe 1 week you lift 10-12 reps and week 2 you lift heavier at 8-10 reps. Then go back to the 10-12 rep range and the next week back to the 8-10 reps. Then, change the workouts altogether. There are numerous videos online showing you so many different ways to exercise each body part and how to use proper technique which is so, so important to avoid injury. Write your workouts down. Have your week planned out so you don’t hit the gym with no direction. Know what exercises you plan to do, how many reps of each and how many sets. Have a general idea of what weight you will want to start with. Add weight as you can and push yourself. Ladies, you will not bulk up! What you will do is lose body fat that will expose those beautiful muscles that have been hidden away. You might not even lose a lot of weight when you lift weights because you are replacing fat with muscle and your body composition will change. So, you may only lose 5-10#, but that might mean losing 2-3 pants sizes. Muscle doesn’t take up as much room as fat.
That being said, I do about 3-4 days of cardio every week. I might go for an hour walk or jog. I like to ride my road bike outdoors. I also have an indoor bike trainer and a treadmill so I can get some exercise in when the weather isn’t cooperative. Cardio is for my heart health. It is also good for burning calories and helping to rid my body of fat. But it is not the main deal for me. Most of the time, I prefer to keep the cardio to about 30-45 minutes and I do an interval or HIIT type of training. This is mostly because I get bored and the switching up makes the time go faster for me.
Now, if you are like me, you may have skin that refuses to contract. My skin is thick. It’s loose. It has cellulite. But I have had to learn to accept my body the way it is, keep working towards reducing body fat and keep on pressing on to keep myself healthy.
Listen, YOU CAN DO THIS! Write your workouts down. Plan your day and work your plan. Try your best to find like-minded friends to journey together and keep each other accountable. Have a goal in your mind as well as written down. Read it daily. Commit to it. Pray over it. There is nothing wrong with devoting 1 hour to yourself 5-6 days a week to get and stay healthy. Exercising will release those endorphins that energize you. Do something good for yourself!
III John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.