Five Exercise Facts For The Over 50s

Exercising at any age is important for the body and for soul. For the over 50s, regular exercise can keep joints strong, decrease bone loss and replenish lubrication to the cartilage of the joint, and these are just a few of the benefits from regular exercise. On the other hand, failure to exercise or exercise in the wrong manner can speed up joint stiffness, reduce range of motion, and increase fatigue and cause general deconditioning. Here are five exercise facts for the over 50s that will help ensure you get the most out of your workout.

1. Fat does not turn into muscle – Every cell in the body has its own function based on its genetic markup. A cell of fat will never turn into a cell of muscle no matter how hard you exercise. Muscle gain is achieved by developing more muscle cells together with reducing the amount of fat consumed. Therefore, a well balanced diet together with regular exercise is the key to muscle gain.

2. Even random exercise is important – People are often under the wrong impression that unless they are able to exercise regularly, they should not exercise at all. Studies have shown that any type of exercise, even random exercise is better than just sitting idly by. The simplest of activities such as walking the dog, attending to the garden or going to your local post office will improve your blood flow, speed up your metabolism and will often cheer you up.

3. Age-related slow metabolism is not the cause of weight gain – The rate of metabolism (the rate of burning energy) decreases by 2% every decade we live. However, it is very inaccurate to blame slower metabolic rate for weight gain. Often weight gain is linked to excessive eating, reduced physical activity, limited exercise and overall busy lifestyle. The solution is to find time for regular exercise together with a diet that suits your current lifestyle.

4. It is not necessary to sweat to get in shape - It is a common misconception that unless you are sweating, your exercise is not fruitful. Sweating is merely the body’s way to keep cool in order to maintain an optimal temperature. In fact, ‘weight loss’ is often observed after sweating because the body had used fluids to sweat, however soon after the weight loss will disappear as no fat has been lost only fluids.

5. Find your preferred time to exercise – To sustain an exercise regime, it is essential to find the best time to exercise based on your internal clock. Morning, midday or evening will normally produce the same results, however your ability to sustain the activity will depend on your internal clock. For some people, exercising in the morning is hard because the temperature of the body in low, energy levels are down and the joints are slightly stiff. However, evening exercising has its own limitations mainly linked to a difficulty in sleeping due to the alert nature of the body.

A healthy lifestyle is a lifestyle that includes regular exercise.