I can’t stress enough how important exercise is to your fitness and overall well-being. You always hear how essential it is to be in good physical shape. But do you often hear when the workouts seem like too much, maybe it’s time to cut back or change things up a bit? As you approach your 60s, having an active and healthy lifestyle becomes more important than ever. The reason for this is that as you age, you lose muscle mass. Also, your metabolism drops, as does your daily fitness if you don’t do anything to maintain it properly. This is why strength training and regular cardio practice are essential. There are, however, some unhealthy workout habits you may have in your 60s that need to be stopped or reassessed.
Backing up a bit, if you’re not even close to 60 and don’t have any aggressive weight training or cardio training, I recommend you start as soon as possible. It’s important to develop healthy fitness habits, build a solid foundation, and maintain a healthy routine as you get older. It’s never too late to start a solid training program. Where to start? Well, it’s simple. Start slow with two or three full-body strength workouts each week. Mix daily walks and cardio on other days of the week, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re in your 40s or 50s and have been active for a while, kudos to you! Just as a warning, you may have unhealthy workout habits that you may need to consider quitting when you approach your 60s. Here’s what those unhealthy workout habits are, along with changes you need to make to your routine. And then be sure to check out The 6 Best Exercises for Strong, Toned Arms in 2022, the trainer says.
The older you get, the more important joint health and flexibility become. If you decide to skip your warm-up and stretching before workouts or physical activity, don’t. This can increase your risk of injury.
I highly recommend taking 5-10 minutes before your workouts to perform a range of mobility and stretching exercises to open up your hips, upper back, and shoulders. This will prepare you to be ready to perform your exercises safely.
Related: Speed Up Belly Fat Loss In Your 50s With These Exercises, Says Trainer
Although you want to push yourself and challenge yourself by lifting weights, your training should change a bit as you approach your 60s. Hitting 3-5 reps heavy can be done fairly easily when you’re younger, but as you get older you want to lift higher reps (6 or more). This is because your joints take a lot of wear and tear over the years and you want to continue training without pain or injury. I recommend that you continue to choose a difficult weight, but perform it at a higher rep range.
Any movements you make that cause you pain or discomfort should be replaced. I recommend replacing it with another exercise. You may have been able to do some moves when you were younger, but after the miles you’ve put on your body, it’s not uncommon to find alternatives.
For example, if your elbows don’t like skull crushers, modify this move into cable tricep extensions. If straight rows give you shoulder problems, try side raises. If in doubt, substitute the movement pattern for a cable or a lighter version of some of your exercises.
Related: The Best Exercises to Get Rid of Sagging Skin After Weight Loss, According to Trainer
It’s easy to keep doing what you love with your workouts. In fact, it’s quite common! But as you get older, it’s important to make sure that all of your fitness bases are covered. Do you lift all the time? Consider adding cardio on your rest days. Do you only do aerobic work? Turn it on and hit the weight room for some resistance training.
If you want to stay fit and healthy into your 60s and beyond, you need to have a good mix of strength and cardio endurance. Mix things up and enjoy the variety!
Subscribe to our newsletter !
