An active lifestyle is required if you want to stay fit and keep a healthy body. Staying active builds muscles strengthens your bones, and enhances your resistance to sickness. Above all, it helps to reduce your risk of contracting certain types of diseases and health conditions, including stroke, heart problems, diabetes, and many more. But as you age, staying fit can become quite a challenge. You have to keep yourself motivated at all times so that you will be able to reach your fitness goals despite the obstacles you face.
Trying to stay fit and healthy? Here are some ways that you can continue to reach your fitness goals even if you feel like your age is creeping up on you.
Exercise with a Group
When we age, exercising alone can become quite boring, prompting us to stop or slack off our exercise programs. Exercising with a group can be exciting and can give us the right motivation that we need. If group exercise is something of interest to you, you can try asking your friends or family to work out with you.
If they refuse or if you want to be with another crowd, you can join a boutique gym in your area and burn all those excess fats away with people that may seem like strangers to you but have the same goal as you are. Check if there are boutique fitness gym franchises in your area and see if their programs suit your preference and style. These gyms can help you with your fitness goals, toning your body, and weight loss if those are your objectives.
Make Exercising Fun
Performing any physical activity can be exhausting, but if you make it fun, you will likely not feel the exhaustion at all right away. Varying your routine now and then and keeping things interesting also helps. If a routine does not interest you or you do not enjoy performing a certain physical activity at all, then move on to another activity instead. Is taking a dance class one that can make you happy? Take it! Are you someone who enjoys doing more intense physical activities?
Then enroll in Brazilian jujitsu, Muay Thai, karate, or other martial arts classes. While these activities may require intense physical exertion, they are actually good for older people. They not only teach self-defense but also helps in keeping older people more responsive.
Set Objectives
It can be quite hard to stick to a fitness goal. In fact, sticking to a fitness routine is a problem faced by many. It is easy to start but always hard to sustain an exercise regimen. To keep yourself on track, make it a point to set goals for your fitness objectives. You can write these goals on paper if you want so that they can keep you reminded of your aspirations. For instance, you can start with a goal of 10-minute exercises daily. Then, when you feel like your body is getting used to movements, you can set a goal for longer exercises, such as 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or one hour or more.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150-minute or more moderate aerobic exercises or at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercises a week. You can also perform a combination of both exercises. The point is to be able to move your body and exert some energy. While greater amounts of exercise can provide you with better benefits, you can always start slow while adjusting to performing those exercises. When you get used to performing more strenuous activities, you can incorporate some strength training exercises into your routines. The more exercises you perform, the better benefits you will reap for your health.
Sometimes, it can be easy to make excuses not to perform a physical activity or exercise within a day. If you are serious about your fitness goals, though, and you really want to live a healthy, active lifestyle even as you age, then you should stick to your fitness plans. Schedule your workouts and stick to those schedules strictly. Doing so can help keep you on track with your goals.
Even if you are too busy, it would be best to insert a few simple exercises into your routine. Doing so can help keep your energy focused on your fitness goals. Exercises you can easily integrate into your busy life include squats, jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, planks, and push-ups. Walking your dog for a few minutes a day can also help. Consider these ideas to lead a healthier lifestyle.