6 Ways Men And Women Over 50 Can Keep Fit Without Really Trying

Whether you are old or young, skinny or fat, everyone could improve their health with doing some form of exercise; obviously depending on a person’s age, weight, and current state of health, there may be severe limitations on how much and how often a person should exercise and it is advisable to talk to your Doctor before considering any type of exercise. Some people can only manage a small amount of exercise and consequently they are in a vicious circle of putting on weight fast but because of the large amount of excess weight they carry they can do very little exercise and hence put on more weight.


So given that it is a good idea to get at least some form of exercise but it can be difficult to get the get-up-and-go to push yourself to join a gymnasium, what can we do to keep ourselves reasonably fit? Well, here are a few possibilities that should at least help a bit and most of them add some fun to your life:

• If you are working in a shop then you may well have a certain amount of shelf filling to do, even if it is just the odd time of bending down or reaching up, so use these times as part of your exercise routine. Accentuate your movements and maybe keep plastic bags below the counter so that you have to bend down and get a bag for every customer; in several hours of till work, you could well get quite a bit of exercise that you wouldn’t otherwise get.

• If it works in with your lifestyle then consider getting a dog. Nearly all dogs love to go out for walks and they will push you very hard to take them for a walk in the morning and evening. Thus you could very easily end up walking several miles every day which is perfect for your health and metabolism and you’ll get a huge amount of love in return; it might also help you meet new friends. However a dog needs a lifetime of commitment.

• There’s nothing like a bit of DIY around the house to exercise muscles you never even knew you had and you’ll feel less depressed when you see what you’ve achieved. To avoid injury, make sure to apply good bending and lifting techniques such as keeping a straight back whilst lifting.

• Doing housework can burn off a lot of calories and you end up with a sparkling organized home and a sense of achievement.

• If you live reasonably close to your work, you could walk to work on nice days but make sure that you are safe and ensure that the route you take is not through a remote park or wasteland.

• If you’ve got a nice picnic area that you can drive or walk to, go for a walk around the picnic area and, as well as a picnic basket loaded with a few nice goodies, take a plastic tub with a lid with you and maybe pick a few wild blackberries – when you get home you could make some blackberry jam or have them with some fresh yogurt on.

One last note to men and women over 50. With all these forms of exercise, make sure you don’t over-stretch yourself and try to incorporate other good habits whilst you are doing the exercise – e.g. don’t smoke at the same time as doing any form of exercise.