Start Exercise After Years of Inactivity. Here’s your EASY over 50 fitness plan
Are you ready to start exercise after years of inactivity?
Or maybe you’ve enjoyed some activity, such as warm summer walks, but they’ve been sporadic or you do them only when the sun starts to shine?
Maybe up until now, you’ve been focusing on weight loss, and now that you’ve reached a certain goal, you’re ready to add in a an easy over 50 fitness plan?
If that sounds like you, then you’re in exactly the right place.
When you’re just starting exercise after years of inactivity, where you are right now, is the best place to be!
When you’re starting from the very beginning, no matter what you do, (as long as it’s just a bit more than what you have been doing), will elicit a physical and physiological change towards better health and a better quality of life over 50.
Right now, right at this moment, you have this amazing possibility to make very small shifts in the amount of movement you do, in order to elicit big strength and wellness gains.
Here is what I recommend to many of my starter’s clients and participants in my signature program over 50 fit and fabulous.
If you’re ready to start exercise after years of inactivity, the easy over 50 fitness plan is:
- Weight train 2-3 times a week
- If you’ve got the extra time, energy (or you enjoy it), you’ll do a walk, a Zumba class, or aquafit in between.
You may be thinking “that’s it?” really.
My answer is yes. Really.
When you start exercise after years of inactivity, the first step is to create consistency.
From a scientific perspective, we know that lean muscle declines with age, so you’ve got to do exercise that enhances lean muscle.
This will rev up your metabolic rate, it will tone your body, but more importantly, lean muscle is a huge predictor of your best quality of life.
It reduces your risk of falls and makes everyday activities like gardening, or even carrying a grandbaby up a flight of stairs, feel effortless.
So, we know that weight training or strength training is an important component of your starter’s plan.
What About Cardio?
If you’re wondering about cardio for your heart, what’s lesser known is that weight training actually strengthens your heart as well, I created a whole video explaining how. (You can click here to watch how Strength Training affects the Heart here).
When you start exercise after years of inactivity, there is another big reason I highly suggest you only focus on 2-3 days of weight training weekly.
It has nothing to do with the science and everything to do with you, your current motivation level and your current lifestyle.
It all boils down to one very important question:
How Much Time Can You Realistically Give to Fitness?
I bet you probably already know a thing or two about all of the science behind being healthy, and getting fit.
The tricky part is finding a way to stick with it even when life gets busy, or the initial motivation wears thin.
If you start exercise after years of inactivity, and you’re newly retired, or you’ve been retired a while, then you may have all the time, energy and desire to dedicate to a daily workout routine.
In that case, doing something everyday (either weight training or walking) may be easily doable for you.
That’s great! You’ve got your plan!
But for those who are still trying to juggle the work/exercise balance, maybe you’re also juggling family commitments, or taking care of a parent all at once, or you’re retired, and you’ve somehow realized you’re even busier than when you were working,
You may have much less time (or desire) to workout daily.
In this case, giving yourself a daily physical activity schedule is not setting yourself up for success.
It’s too much too soon, and it’s completely unnecessary when you’re first starting after years of inactivity.
Instead, do a full body weight training routine 2-3 days of the week, and make the workout a quality workout
This means that during your workout, you:
- Hit all major muscle groups to ensure full body toning and strength
- Lift a heavy enough weight that by the final few repetitions, you’re ready to put the weight down
- Feel like you’ve done something. Not necessarily right away, but within 24-72 hours of your weight training session
You don’t need to commit to walking or classes at first, but if you have some extra time, and you genuinely enjoy it, you’ll probably add in a few walks, or fun cardio classes on your own.
If you can’t fit it in, don’t sweat it. It doesn’t matter when you’re first starting out.
What Fitness and Exercise Workout Should I do?
I bet you’re what exercise moves are the best to get fit after years of inactivity.
You can do this FREE and easy, done-for-you workout I created called “5 Best Exercises to Get in Shape After Years of Inactivity: Exercises for Women Over 50.” Click here to begin the workout.
At the beginning of all of my workout videos, I like to share how this workout will help you, or how this workout became available to you.
If you’re short on time, and you want to get right to the plan, go to minute 2:50 and there is where the workout begins.
I’ll see you there!
