As we reach our senior years, we start to feel the signs of developmental decline. This includes reduced strength, flexibility, and endurance. Our metabolism also drastically slows down, making it harder to stay fit.

Fortunately, you no longer have to suffer the effects of being old because there are ways to stay fit even after 60. In this article, you will learn useful tips and ideas that can help you achieve a healthy, strong, and fit body.

Importance and Benefits of Staying Fit After 60

Keeping your body fit in your senior years is like maintaining your physical health at its peak. Not only that you’ll regain confidence in your body, but you’ll also be stronger against the signs of developmental decline.

Having successfully achieved a fit and healthy body after 60 could be one of your greatest achievements. You’ll even reap a lot of benefits such as:

Better Overall Feeling

According to studies, staying active helps in achieving a positive feeling. This is because when we are active, our body produces more dopamine or known as the “happy hormones”. Regular exercise and other physical activities can also strengthen your overall physical health, contributing to better confidence and positivity.

Enhance Brain Health

Many studies have proven that exercise contributes to better brain function. This is supported by a recently conducted research, wherein is stated that less active seniors have higher chances of getting cognitive diseases like Dementia.

Additionally, staying fit and active also contributes to the healthy blood flow in the brain, thus, enhancing brain cell growth and production. This implies that physical activities can indeed improve thinking, problem-solving, and emotion management.

Better Strength and Mobility

This is one of the best benefits you can reap from a physically fit body. Age reduces strength and mobility, but with proper exercise, you can slow down the progression of muscle and bone density loss. With that said, you will have lesser chances of falls and other bone and muscle-related diseases. Strength, balance, and flexibility exercises are one of the top choices of seniors who want to stay fit and physically healthy.

Reduced Risk of Chronic Illnesses

Staying active is beneficial in preventing chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and arthritis. Many studies revealed that seniors who live a sedentary life are more susceptible to getting these diseases. This is supported by a study, wherein it stated that lack of physical activity is one of the culprits of these chronic illnesses.

Enhanced Bodily Functions

Our body is like a machine, wherein if it is not used for a long time, it will no longer function properly. Thus, regular physical activity keeps your muscles, bones, and cartilage used. Thus, improve body function despite old age.

You’ll even have a better sense of independence as you have a stronger and more flexible body that you can use to do basic tasks without the support of a caregiver.

Tips to Stay Fit

If you want to stay fit even after 60, try these effective and valuable tips:

Visit Your Physician Regularly

Achieving a fit body also involves monitoring your cholesterol and sugar levels. This will help you determine if your current diet is not interfering with your fitness goals. Visiting your physician regularly helps you determine these levels in your body. This can also help catch chronic illnesses, thus being able to treat them early.

Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet

Habitualizing a well-balanced diet is a vital contribution to your fitness goals. Make sure to include a lot of greens, fruits, nuts, grains, as well as white meats on your meal plan. It’s also important to drink 8-10 glasses of water daily. Drinking some extra glasses is a good option too, especially during and after workouts.

Avoid meals with too many calories like fast foods, junk foods, processed foods, and alcoholic drinks as they can ruin your diet.

Make Exercising a Habit

Along with a balanced diet, a good exercise routine will help keep your muscles and bones active, thus improving flexibility and overall strength. Experts recommend seniors have at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. Some proven and effective types of exercises you should try include:

• Endurance exercises - These include jogging, cycling, or brisk walking
• Strength exercises - These include resistance band workouts, body weight workouts, and strength training exercises.
• Flexibility exercises - Taichi, Yoga, and stretching exercises are just some of the best examples of flexibility exercises.

Note: If you are not sure what kind of exercise you should include in your routine, consult a trainer or a physiologist. S/he will also determine what type of exercise you should do and avoid especially if you have an existing condition.

Visit the Gym

To get the best out of your fitness journey, schedule your visits to the gym a couple or several times a week. You can even hire a professional fitness coach to guide you.

If you’re new to the gym, start by trying out aerobic exercises like treadmills, cycling, or rowing. You can also try out and discover different machines around the gym to gather a sense of what exercises are for you.

Keep Yourself Motivated

Starting a healthy habit can be motivating at first, but we tend to get less motivated as time passes. It could help you to stay motivated if you challenge yourself from time to time.

For example, instead of sticking with your usual workout routine, why not try trekking or hiking? If you can do more extreme adventures like scuba diving or skiing then why not? You can also try water aerobics for a little change. Not only that these activities will keep you active, but they’ll also give you more determination to stay fit.

Also, whenever that loss of motivation strikes, just remember your purpose and why you started working out in the first place. This mindset will help elevate your perseverance.

Take Aways

The developmental decline is inevitable, but it doesn’t mean that staying fit even after 60 is impossible. Not only does it keeps you physically strong and independent, but staying fit also prevents other chronic diseases.