Top 10 Exercise tips for the 50 plus age group

It is important to exercise at any age, but as we get older it can be harder to find activities that we feel we can do and want to do. Here are a few tips to help you include exercise in your daily routine.

With the increase in state pension age, you must look forward to retirement as the time to relax and enjoy your golden years. Retirement can enrich your life with opportunities to see more of your family, travel, pursue hobbies such as fishing, painting and gardening etc.

Even if you are still working, especially in a sedentary type of job, it is important to keep active. It is recommended that older people include exercise in their daily routine. It helps keeps you supple, oxygenated, helps lower your blood pressure and enables your bones and muscles to stay strong.

You may like to join a regular exercise class in Pilates or Tai Chai where professional advice can be given regarding any health issues and which exercises you should do to prevent aggravating the condition, for instance back problems. Certain exercises that put pressure on the spine should not be attempted without professional advice.

Here are our top ten tips on exercise and fitness for the 50 plus age group: 

1. Walk every day for at least 20mins. Wear comfortable shoes, a pair of light, supportive trainers will do. Perhaps you should choose a half-size bigger than your usual size as your feet usually expand during exercise.

2. Swim. The length of time depends on your posture, age and agility. Doing combinations of strokes is best for a minimum of 20mins, working up to 1 hour.

3. Cycle. Depending on your agility, try a minimum of 15 minutes.

4. Pelvic floor muscles.Your pelvic floor is very important whatever your age or gender – it is a diamond-shaped muscle that joins your pubis to the sacrum. Contract your transversus (tummy muscles) and think of bringing in that diamond shape muscle to the middle of your tummy – this is a pelvic floor lift.There are two exercises:
   i) Lift, hold and let go slowly.
   ii) Think of a building with three floors. Lift to first, hold, lift to second, hold, lift to third then let go slowly.

5. Lie on your back in bed with your legs up in the air and “cycle” with your legs 100 times. If you have back problems, check first.

6. Hold on to a table or kitchen worktop and try and lift your knee up to your chest. Do alternate legs 15-20 times

7. Depending on your age and mobility stand and sit back on a chair/sofa between 6-10 times a day, holding on to something for support if you need to.

8. Create mobility in your spine by rolling your body down; head first, towards the floor from standing and then slowly roll yourself back up. If you have back problems, check first.

9. Using lightweight hand weights (if you don’t have any then use tins of bake beans or full water bottles), and do bicep curls.

10. If you have time try to attend some Tai Chi, Qigong or Pilates classes, they are fantastic for mobility and increasing energy levels.

As people grow older, they tend to become more and more sedentary, it is very important to try and keep mobile by increasing movement and raise your heart rate.

Also don’t forget to drink water! Water regulates ALL the functions in the human body.

It flushes your kidneys and regulates all the functions in the human body including the flow of blood and lymph through the body, functioning of our brains, cushioning and regulation of organs, the transfer and absorption of nutrients into cells and tissue, the removal of waste out of the cells, the movement of nerve impulses through the nervous system, the balance of hormones, the regulation of body temperature and the lubrication and cushioning of joints. So, as you can see, it is very important for our health to drink plenty of water.