How To Stay Fit As You Get Older

At The Worx in Alexandria, VA, I work with people of all ages. I see how discouraging it can be older and see how fast the younger people make fitness gains. It’s not only harder to get fit as you get older, it’s also harder to stay fit as you get older, too. Hormone levels drop and make it more difficult to build muscles. It’s also harder to maintain gains than it is for younger people. Sarcopenia—age-related muscle loss—is the reason for that. Your body changes as you age. Not only are hormone levels lower, processing protein for fuel is more inefficient. Nerve cells die and inflammation can cause changes.

There’s hope on the horizon, don’t get discouraged.

Do you want to reverse the signs of aging, then it’s time to start working out and get back into shape. Strength-training helps. Whether you use bands, bodyweight workouts or weights, it can help build muscle mass and reverse some of the signs of aging. You can maintain muscle mass and even build it. That can improve your quality of life.

If you want great results faster, HIIT—high intensity training—can help.

Keeping your heart healthy is important as you age. You can do that with cardio workouts and the best way can be HIIT training. It improves your body faster and can be done with any type of workout. It’s simple, just adjust the intensity of the workout continuously. Exercise at top intensity for a few seconds and then slow it down to moderate output or recovery intensity. Continue to alternate between high intensity and recovery throughout the workout.

Don’t forget that excess weight increases your risk of serious diseases.

If you’re older and weigh too much, you could be setting yourself up for a serious disease, such as diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure. If you already have those problems, exercising, a healthy diet and losing weight can help. It’s never too late to start to shed those unwanted extra pounds. You’ll probably find that as you lose weight, all those joint pains will improve too.

• Don’t discount walking as part of your exercise regimen. A brisk walk improves muscle mass and bone strength. You can even modify a walk and make it a HIIT workout. Just adjust your speed throughout.
• Flexibility training is particularly important as you age, so is balance training. Both help you avoid injury and keep you self-sufficient.
• Staying fit is good for both the mind and the body. Mental issues, such as depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s are helped with regular exercise. It even boosts cognitive functioning.
• You’ll get more out of life when you workout. Just enjoying the social part of coming to the gym and being with people can improve your mental attitude. You’ll also be fit enough to keep up with the whole family and enjoy more family fun.

For more information, contact us today at The Worx