Top Tips for Women Over 50 to Stay Fit and Healthy
Have you reached your 50s and don’t feel the same anymore? Maybe you feel sluggish, have symptoms of menopause, or no longer have the stamina for your old life style. Thinking about age, many women look at the 50’s as a health and fitness milestone. Wherever you are in terms of your health and fitness, you might want to take inventory and even consider raising your game.
Perhaps your body has served you well for five plus decades. A fit and healthy body will allow you to lead a more fulfilling and happy life. If you give your body the attention it needs, you can stay younger longer and enjoy an increase in energy through the decades ahead of you. Finding it hard to stay fit in your 50s? No problem!
Here are great tips you can use to set a healthy life style at any age
Keep Moving! ‘Move it or lose it’ – we have heard it a million times and for good reason. It’s true! Your body loses muscle faster than it gains it, so a lack of physical activity will make you weaker and weaker, especially now that you have reached your 50s. Here is the good news! You don’t have to become a hardcore gym enthusiast to see life changing results. Any activity that gives you enough physical exercise will do the trick.
The best thing you can do is choose any activity that you enjoy! Salsa dancing, pilates, walking your dog, yoga – choose whatever you want. If you have painful joints, you may opt for swimming as it can help reduce the pain. Exercises like Tai Chi can have added advantages like improving your balance, so you can also incorporate them in your daily or weekly exercise regimes and help in every day health. Interestingly, research has shown that dancing can also reduce the risk of dementia.
Check out some apps that will help get you on your way to a more active lifestyle. Map My Walk measures your distance, pace and even will give you new routes you can walk. Try the Pocket yoga app if you want to learn how to strike those perfect poses and improve flexibility. Set a timer and do some planks. They are a great total body exercise that won’t take up much time and can be done anywhere! You always want to consult your doctor before starting any new work out routine.
Working Your Brain is As Important As Working Your Body
Nope, you don’t have to turn into Einstein! All you have to do is consider your brain as a muscle like any other muscle in your body. This means that it also needs exercise to stay at its best. Play games like chess, scrabble, solves crossword puzzles, or learn a new language. Even remembering dance routines will make you exercise your mind, so learning that can work as both a physical and mental exercise.
Take a look at some apps that will help keep your brain engaged and challenged. Download the CogniFit App if you are looking for a great way to improve your cognitive skills. The Brain HQ app helps develop memory, brain speed and improve your attention span.
You Are What You Eat
After 50, you need to be mindful of your diet more than ever. First, take a look at the 2015-2020 dietary guideline and check out caloric intake guidelines based on age and sex. Make sure that you eat a proper, balanced diet that includes all the nutrients that benefit your changing body. Experts suggest at least 1,200 milligrams of calcium to build and maintain bone strength. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium, Most doctors recommend 600 milligrams daily for healthy bones. Don’t forget to measure your B12 intake for healthy nerve and blood cells. Protein is an important nutrient since it is the essential building block for muscles and is helpful for the healing process. Reach for supplements for women and manage a diet that includes leafy greens, poultry, dairy, beans and nuts to help meat most of your daily requirements. As always, drink plenty of water to maintain proper hydration. If you are looking for an app to help keep you on track, there are lots of great options depending on your dietary needs.
Keep Track of Your Health
Any healthy lifestyle certainly includes regular screenings and monitoring of potential risk factors. Don’t ignore any uncomfortable symptoms, and when doctors request a follow-up, make sure to make that appointment. You can identify risk factors early on through regular screening like skin checks, blood sugar level checks, blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, mammograms, pap smears and dental hygiene.
Are you looking for some easy ways to help manage your health and well-being? There’s an app for that! Download Gevity which is a health monitoring app that empowers people through tools and technology to monitor your health factors. If you need to reach out to a health provider 24/7, Health Tap can be used with any device and helps with the entire process from diagnosis through treatment and follow up.
Ultimately, health, fitness, and wellbeing mean nothing without happiness. As we age into our older years, happiness is a huge indicator driving health and wellness. Take inventory of what makes you inspired, smile, laugh and fulfilled in life. Hello50 is committed to supporting the unique needs of ALL women. Remember, “It’s My Time.” Talk to friends, ask the experts, and find out how you can steer yourself in the direction where you find your inner peace.
Use these tips to stay fit and healthy, and lead a happier and more fulfilled life as you progress into the later decades of your life. We are all in this together!
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