For most of us turning 50 brings lots of changes to our bodies. Many of which aren’t so great. As you age your body produces less collagen, your skin becomes drier, your hair thins, your heart rate slows and your bone density declines. By the time you’re in your 50s, you have more broken-down bone cells than need to be replaced. This means your bones naturally get weaker. The good news is that you can slow or offset many of the symptoms of aging.
So, what can you do to stay healthy and youthful?
- Eat right. Your diet becomes even more important as you age because your body may be depleted of key nutrients so you need to offset those loses. An example is to protect your bones you should eat foods that are high in calcium and vitamin D. If your not sure what to eat, we like this post from helathline.com because they highlight detailed diet plans based upon specific health needs.
- If you want to avoid stomach fat or adding a few pounds every year it’s important to know that women over 50 require fewer calories. A moderately active woman over 50 only needs 1,800 calories per day to maintain weight and 1,600 calories per day to shed 1 pound a week. This does not mean that you can’t eat, it simply means you need to be more mindful about what you eat.
- It’s important to move more! Women 50+ should get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity ( 30 minutes 5 days a week) and 75 minutes (15 minutes 5 days a week) of vigorous activity each week.
- Aerobic exercise is key because it strengthens your heart, builds stamina, helps keep extra pounds off and boosts your mood. Examples of good aerobic options for women 50+ include: walking, biking, jogging, swimming, the elliptical machine and dancing. Aerobic exercise works the large muscles in your body, benefitting your entire cardiovascular system.
- Vigorous aerobic physical activity produces large increases in breathing or heart rate. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, uphill cycling, water aerobics, hiking, skiing, heavy gardening, jumping rope, stair climbing, tennis, rowing, and kayaking are some types of aerobic activity to consider incorporating into your exercise regimen
- Add strength training to your regime. Weight lifting is considered an anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercises focus on maximal effort for short bursts of time. This approach helps boost metabolism as it builds and maintains lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn during your next exercise session. High-intensity anaerobic exercise is also thought to increase your post-workout calorie burn. Additional strength training options include: weight-bearing and resistance exercises like hiking, use of resistance bands, pilates, planks, squats, lunges, pushups and weight training. If you’re not sure where to start we like this post from gethealthyu. The saying, “Strong is the new skinny.” is popular for a reason.
In summary, turning 50 does not have to be a negative. For you to stay healthy and looking youthful you do need to adjust your activity and lifestyle. With spring around the corner it’s the perfect time to get moving and refocus on a healthier, happier you.
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