Fitness Through the Ages

Staying active is a very important aspect of better health. The main goal in life for many is to live a strong healthy life. Incorporating an exercise routine into your weekly schedule is going to make it easier to remember and stay on track after continuously making the conscious decision to keep it up. Below are seven simple steps that should be considered when beginning a regimen for your exercise goal.

Excerise

Sleep

Before any exercise can begin, you will have to consider if you are sleeping well or enough. The amount of sleep you get can make or break fitness progress. Sleeping on an old worn-out small bed that doesn’t fit your current needs anymore means it’s time to upgrade to a new king mattress or a queen mattress depending on your preference and current life situation.

Hydration

Hydration is the most important thing next to sleep when it comes to exercise. Without proper hydration, you can become dizzy, light-headed, and feel unwell. It’s important to hydrate before, during, and after workouts. The best thing to drink is water and it’s the easiest to come by during a workout. Plus, it is often free.

Exercising Plan

Building a health/exercise plan is recommended by Health.gov. It will be based on your time availability, personal goals, and dedication. Anyone can have a personal goal; however, without availability and dedication, the goal may not be achieved. Working out in the morning is very common for waking the body up and boosting the metabolism for the day. Working out in the afternoon or night is good for burning extra calories you may have consumed throughout the day and using up extra energy reserves for a good night’s sleep.

Adults to Seniors

Age plays a big role in the type of exercise you should start with. Working out from your younger years to senior years is not always possible for everyone. Getting back into fitness is a big milestone for an adult going to their senior years. In adulthood, many people go through big changes that can affect their endurance. Often these can be remedied with proper exercise routines.

For seniors it’s good to start with yoga if you haven’t exercised for a long time. For people closer to middle age it’s good to consider yoga and cardio together as a good step to get the heart rate up before moving to weights and heavy equipment. Below is a short list of exercise obstacle examples and their potential remedies:

  • Postpartum body — Core workouts to restore the abdominal muscles
  • Past injuries like broken bones and torn muscles — Light resistance training and light muscle gain/rebuilding
  • Arthritis — Yoga

Teens to Young Adults

Younger people still have to be cautious of injury and recovery as well as health related suffering. The younger a person is the higher chance they have of recovering. When moving from your teens to young adulthood it’s good to consider that younger people do a lot more walking and activity than an adult so they have the ability to keep up a high metabolism compared to a 9 to 5 office worker with a one hour lunch break.

Teenagers can get their fitness from sports and social events/ activities. Young adults may not be in college or in sports so they may have to find time to go to the gym. Depending on the fitness goal, you can spend between 30-45 mins actively working in the gym 3-5 times a week as a young person. Yoga is important for stretching at any stage of life.

Food for Focus

The foods you eat play a huge role in how your body operates and reacts to activity. Too much sugar and empty calories can affect the body’s ability to sustain a decent workout in the gym. The best option is to eat plenty of greens, proteins, and healthy fats. Carbs should always be included in every meal plan since carbs help you feel and stay full and satisfied. Drinking enough water will help the body properly digest food. Cutting out food that makes you feel more hungry after you eat it is a good decision.

Relaxation

Relax! Take a break sometimes. It’s okay to just spend some time meditating or sleeping for recovery. Overworking your body will make it impossible to keep focused on anything. Taking a break and just relaxing in a comfortable space is going to let your body reset for the next day.