Put together a personal training plan
The 'Fitter at 50' survey, carried out by Norwich Union Healthcare in 2003, revealed that increasing numbers of 50 to 60 year olds are trying to keep fit. A third do some exercise every day, and half do so three times a week.
Although this contradicts the perception that people wind down and do less exercise as they get older, the survey also revealed that 29% of over 50s admitted to never taking any exercise.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, try BUPA's physical activity test to see how much you know about the benefits of exercise.
Now, think about ways in which you could build more exercise into your day. Here are some activities you could try, going from low impact to high impact.
- Walking
- Gardening
- Housework (vacuuming and dusting are both great exercise)
- Swimming
- Aquaerobics
- Golf
- Bowls
- Tai chi
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Rowing
- Cycling
- Roller blading
- Ice skating
- Cross-country skiing/cross-trainer work at the gym
- Jogging (try scout pace or fartlek as alternatives to a full run)
- Cricket
- Badminton
- Football
- Tennis
- Squash
Take it steady
It is highly advisable to consult your doctor or healthcare provider when deciding on new exercises. Once you've taken medical advice and are happy with your choices, put together a timetable for the next two weeks.
Start off really slowly. As an idea for your first day, why not go for a 15 minute walk around the block in the morning and then do 15 minutes of stretches in front of the TV in the evening.
If you've got an exercise bike or rowing machine at home, exercise in front of the TV or with the radio on; if you're watching a programme with adverts, it's easy to keep track of time.
If you'd like to build up your exercise levels for a specific goal such as training for a 5km fun run, there are some great free training programmes available online.
Check out Bupa's training schedules for runners here, or if you're interested in cycling, Everyday Cycling has some great advice for novices through to advanced cyclists.
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