blake
I can’t emphasize enough how essential exercise is to your overall health and well-being. You hear how important it is to be in excellent physical condition all the time. However, do you ever hear that exercising too much may be a sign that it’s time to scale back or change a few things up? As you get older, having an active and healthy lifestyle becomes more vital than ever before. The fact is that as you get older, your muscle mass diminishes. Your metabolism also slows down and your daily exercise if you’re not doing anything to maintain it isn’t enough. This is why both regular cardio and strength training are so important. However, there are certain unhealthy workout habits that you may be engaging in at age 60 that need to be stopped or re-examined.
If you’re not close to your reaching your 60s and don’t do any intensive strength training or cardio, I recommend starting immediately. It’s critical to develop healthy fitness habits, establish a solid foundation, and have a healthy routine as you get older. It’s never too late to get started on a good exercise program. Where should you begin? That’s simple. Simply start with two to three full-body strength workouts every week slowly. On the other days of the week, include daily walks and cardiovascular exercises to help you stay on track toward a healthy lifestyle.’
If you’ve been active for a lengthy period of time in your 40s or 50s, congratulations! Just as a note, you may have some unsavory workout behaviors that you should consider quitting as you get older. Here’s what these hazardous exercise habits are and the changes you need to make to your routine.
1 — Skipping your warmup and stretches
The older you get, the more essential joint health and flexibility become. Don’t skip your warmup and stretches before exercises or physical activity. This can raise your risk of injury.
To open up your hips, upper back, and shoulders before training, I strongly suggest going through a series of mobility exercises and stretches for 5 to 10 minutes before each session. This will prepare you to execute your routines safely.
2 — Lifting too heavy
When you’re in your 60s, you may still want to challenge yourself by strength training. When you’re younger, performing heavy 3-5 reps is quite simple, but as you get older, you’ll want to lift higher repetitions (6 or more). This is due to the fact that your joints suffer significant wear and tear throughout time, therefore it’s important to continue training without pain or injury. I propose that you pick a weight that’s hard enough yet perform it at a higher rep range.
3 — Performing the exercises that hurt
I recommend replacing any activities that you dislike or cause discomfort. You might have been able to do specific exercises when you were younger, but as the miles accumulate on your body, better alternatives often emerge.
For example, if skull crushers are causing problems for your elbows, try cable triceps extensions instead. If upright rows are causing shoulder discomfort, attempt lateral raises. When uncertainty strikes, substitute the movement pattern with a cable or a lighter version of one of your workouts.
4 — Focusing on only one type of training
It’s simple to keep on doing what you love with your exercises. In fact, it is quite typical! However, as you get older, it’s critical to ensure that all of your fitness bases are covered. Do you lift every day? Take some cardio classes into account for your off days. Is only aerobic exercise being done? Try something new and work out in the strength room instead.
If you want to stay healthy and strong into your 60s and beyond, you’ll need a good combination of cardio and strength training. Make it interesting by mixing things up!
