Fitness Tips For Men Over 50

Fitness only becomes more and more important with age. Check out these must-follow fitness tips for men over 50 so you always feel like you're 20.

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Great Fitness Tips for Mature Men

1. Talk To Your Doctor

One of the first things you should keep in mind is the importance of regular checkups with your doctor. If you haven't done this recently, then it might be time to schedule a sit-down with your doctor and talk about the changes your body will experience as you enter this new stage of your life.

Your doctor should be able to quickly assess your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart health. They might also recommend regular health screenings, which you should have performed at least once a year. These will help detect any illnesses or diseases that men over 50 might be prone to.

Additionally, before you kickstart any new fitness programs, make sure to consult with your physician. This should also help make sure that you're not putting yourself at any unnecessary risk.

2. Cut Down Your Vices

As you get older, alcohol may start affecting your body differently.

Cutting back on your consumption of it significantly lessens your risk of developing several long-term health concerns. Too much intake of alcohol can lead to cancer, liver cirrhosis, and heart disease.

Plus, as you reduce your alcohol intake, you will definitely start feeling better gradually. You'll most likely lose that beer belly and have more energy for other healthier activities.

Finally, if you're a smoker, quit it completely. At this point, the negative health and mental effects of this vice no longer even need to be stated.

3. Watch What You Eat

“Abs are made in the kitchen.” This is one of the most common fitness tips for men that you may have heard before. And it's a cliche for a reason.

Proper nutrition is essential especially as you reach these years of your life. With your body needing more and more care and attention, it's also time to be more conscious of what you put in.

Follow a healthy diet and as much as possible, try to personally prepare and cook your food. Make sure your methods of preparations are healthy as well. Instead of deep-frying, opt to bake, steam, grill, or saute your food.

If you have to use oil, make sure to use olive or canola oil instead of butter. Instead of seasoning with salt, use dried or fresh herbs instead. Fit more fruits and vegetables into your diet while simultaneously reducing the amount of meat you consume.

The key here is variety. Make sure to switch up the food you eat so as to avoid diet boredom. This also has the added benefit of ensuring that you don't become deficient in certain vitamins and minerals because you're only consuming a narrow selection of food.

4. Pay Careful Attention to Serving Size

Calorie-counting may not be the worst habit when you reach 50. While some people find the exercise tedious, it's a good habit to develop to prevent obesity and ensure that you're receiving the right amounts of healthy food.

You may also find it useful to read the nutrition labels found in food. This is essential to making sure that you don't go beyond the recommended serving size of a particular food.

Invest in measuring tools and maybe even a weighing scale. Nowadays, there are fitness apps that tell you what a single serving of a particular food is, as well as what vitamins, minerals, fat, etc. it contains.

5. Stop Obsessing About Looks

While fitness may have been defined before by how you look in trunks, this is no longer the case today. One of the best and most underrated fitness tips for men is to simply stop obsessing about looks alone.

Getting super lean or jacked nowadays is no longer considered the epitome of a healthy body. Plus, it's often an unrealistic and unnecessary goal that not even athletes aim for. Instead, you should focus more on performance.

Aim to feel good (instead of simply aiming to look good) and eventually, the latter will follow. Become more concerned about finishing that marathon with your personal best time, and you'll see your body transform with it as you go.

6. Do Strength-Training Exercises

Strength training is crucial to any man's fitness plan. The good news is you don't have to spend hours at the gym just to do it. You can do it at home or even in the office.

What's important is that you engage your muscles in some form of resistance training. This will help ensure that you don't just look great, but also feel great as you age.

If you're new to working out, it's never too late to start. Try some push-ups at home first. This is a great exercise to warm your triceps, shoulders, and chest. You can also do squats and lunges as these are effective exercises that engage multiple muscles at the same time.

Later on, you can start picking up a dumbbell and when you're up for it, maybe even a barbell.

7. Engage in Cardio

Equally as important as strength is cardio. Among the most common yet forgotten fitness tips for men is to give importance to cardio. This includes exercises that really get your heart pumping such as walking, running, or even jumping rope.

Start by making it a habit and employing it in your small, everyday tasks. Instead of taking the bus or train to work, ride your bike. Choose to take the stairs instead of riding up the elevator again. Try to stand up more, walk around more, and sit down less.

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8. Pay Attention to Flexibility

Men often overlook the importance of flexibility. This, however, is an important aspect of your health that you should focus on especially as you reach the age of 50.

Regularly stretching your muscles should help you move with more efficiency while also ensuring that you avoid injuries. They also have the added benefit of relaxing your muscles and reducing your stress.

Yoga or Pilates classes are some great ways to really stretch those muscles out more than your usual, after-workout stretching. Make sure to work on your lower back, hamstrings, and your shoulders during those flexibility sessions.

9. Mix it Up

After a while, that same routine day in and day out may eventually lose its appeal. Avoid boredom by mixing up your fitness routines.

Instead of always lifting weights then running after, why not try out a new sport? Boxing and MMA, for one, are really great cardio workouts that will also teach you discipline and self-defense.

You can also look for a fitness buddy who can not only keep you company but consistently challenge you to do better. This is especially true with men, who tend to have a natural competitive side to them. Plus, it's a much healthier alternative to hanging out with the boys over beer, right?

10. Take Care of Your Mind and Spirit

Something that a lot of men tend to forget is that the mind and the spirit are equally as important as the body. One of the more unheard fitness tips for men is to give fitness a more holistic approach.

Your fitness program should not just engage you physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Gone are the days where men are supposed to be hardcore and tough all the time. We now know that one's mental and emotional health is also important.

This is especially true nowadays when most people remain uninformed about its importance. Men often find themselves unable to discuss their emotional and mental health for fear of being ridiculed.

If you're feeling stressed, find someone to talk to, and don't be afraid to open up. If you're more of an introvert, then take some alone time and go for a walk in the park. Maybe even go hiking!

Whatever works for you, as long as it helps reduce stress. As the saying goes, “Sound body, sound mind, sound spirit.”

11. Listen to Your Body

As much as it's important to train hard, it's also equally important to rest hard. Learn to listen to your body and take a break when your body is telling you it needs it. Prioritizing rest and recovery between your training sessions is one of the most crucial fitness tips for men, especially those over 50!

While back-to-back weightlifting sessions may seem like a smart choice. If your body is already fatigued, however, you might end up burning it out and worse, even injuring it.

Taking a rest day isn't bad. It only means you know how to take proper care of your body and you understand its needs. Plus, it's a great way of ensuring that you can come back the next day, more ready for bigger challenges.