Move It Or Lose It January 2024 Fitness Over 50
Face The Music
I wonder sometimes if moving it is enough to keep from losing it.
The Scoop
Today I got up and hit my little home gym. I was working out in my bedroom but my workout has increased so I moved to our garage gym. I am feeling like quite the athlete. Well, if an athlete aches all the time I do. Ha ha.
My husband for most of his adult like has been a runner, biker, hiker, gym goer. He biked across country or ran 20 miles a day consistently just because he enjoyed it. And he told me he hurt pretty much every day so I guess it is somewhat normal.
I do know this. There is a difference between aching from inactivity and poor health and the aching that comes from muscles that have been working. And I prefer the muscle aches from working out.
It seems though that now I must face the music and realize that some of my aching is just due to aging and I haven’t found the secret elixir to change that. If you have it, let me know.
It’s a fact that most people at some point in life start slowing down and feeling the effects of an aging body. But if we can we must keep moving because the alternative is much worse. Even just doing the normal daily activities that we as a privileged society have hired out like cleaning the house, grocery shopping, lawn care, etc. keeps us fit. Do it for as long as you can because it helps keep you mobile.
So that is my pep talk. Believe me I needed it as much as anyone. ha ha.
Movement du jour
Since the new year began, I have been finding the right ratio of exercises to hit all the things I think are important to my health. Here is what is working right now.
Walk/Run-I have mostly walked but am currently adding some slow jogging into my walk. This is good for my mental health, my heart health, my bone density and my muscles. If I don’t overdo the running, I am fine. Walking takes much more time because you need to walk several miles (research shows 4 to 5 miles/day) to get the full benefit for your bones.
Lifting Weights- I am up to 30 minutes of weight lifting. I do three sets, with repetitions of 8 to 10. I do Back Rows, Squats, Shoulder Presses, Calf Raises, Chest Presses, Dead Lifts, Bicep Curls, Skull Crushers (best triceps exercise I have ever found), and then a Deltoid lift. The amount of weight I lift varies to the exercise, and the set I am doing. I have increased the amount I can lift very fast so anywhere from 20 to 30 pounds with shoulders to 40 pounds in squats and deadlifts. My goal is to increase the amount I life gradually as long as I can keep perfect form while doing the exercise. I also do the repetitions very slowly in both directions to prevent any injury.
Specifically for bone density I do 5 jumps off an 18-inch step every day and I hang on the pull up bar and drop off a couple of times each day.
New studies are showing that the impact of jumping like that is what really increases bone density. I have been learning what new studies are showing via Optimal Bone Health.
There is no substitute for doing your own research when trying to improve your health and that is what I try to do. The trick is finding reputable studies and correct interpretations. There is a lot of new information and I am gradually working it into my fitness plan. If you are interested, watch the video I linked above and you will see what I am working toward. I have not been diagnosed with bone loss but strong bones are important to me no matter what. And it is good to know that you can reverse bone loss as well as rebuild muscle.
Yoga- I love yoga and will probably always practice. It is amazing for keeping me flexible with good balance and it is a sort of meditation also known to be good for one’s health.
My routine right now is one form of exercise each day. So, yoga on day one, weights on day two and walk/run on day three. If I feel I need it, I take a day off anywhere along the way and then just pick back up in order of where I stopped. So, there is never any beating myself up if I need a break. A break is good when you feel the need.
Nutrition
I am not focusing much on my diet right now other than eating clean. I try to eat no sugar although now and then I do. I also think more about my protein and fiber intake. I was fascinated when I started monitoring my fiber intake. When you eat clean, you really get enough fiber. I was getting plenty. I was also naturally eating a good amount of protein but by some standards not quite enough so I am thinking about that more at each meal. I am not an intermittent faster although I try not to eat after 5 or 6 PM and I usually don’t eat until 9 or 10 AM. Not something I do on purpose it’s just sort of my natural routine.
Sleep
Sleep has always been important to me even when I was a young person. Often people in my life made fun of my early to bed early to rise nature. So, nothing has changed there. I sleep well most nights and even better on the nights I don’t have food or drink in my stomach.
So that all folks. I am not doing perfectly but I do try to make a healthy lifestyle a normal part of my day. I try to think of it as a positive, a previledge a good thing. I don’t even want junk most days and if I do indulge, I usually conclude it wasn’t nearly as great as my mind was thinking. Variety is also a target for me. Lots of different foods. That is a lesson from my 94 year old dad who still is very active, cooks fabulous meals for himself, lives alone, drives himself everywhere and splits his own wood for his wood stove.
You Rest You Rust
-Arnold Schwarzenegger