Fitness After 50 Isn’t About the Number on a Scale
I went on my first diet when I was 14. I had been a gymnast and a diver when I was younger, and as I slipped into the more sedentary life of a teenager – and my body entered puberty – I started worrying that I weighed too much.
I came by it honestly. My mother went on a diet every Monday morning for most of my childhood. By Thursday, we were eating cookies and ice cream for dessert again and her weight – which I actually never noticed – didn’t change much.
I became a runner in my 30s and for years that allowed me to eat what I wanted to eat and stay within a comfortable weight range for myself. It wasn’t really until menopause that I entered another phase of having trouble keeping weight off.
Fitness After 50 Is More than a Number on a Scale
I’m almost embarrassed to say that it took me that long to realize that the number on the scale, the shape of our body and how we feel about that shape is not something we can fix or correct or change with a short-term eating plan. As trite as it may sound – and as many times as we’ve heard it – being fit really is about how we live, not about how little we can manage to eat or what we put into our mouths.
More than anything, fitness is a result of paying attention to what and how much we eat, moving our bodies every single day, enjoying a mix of good, healthy foods and making this a lifetime commitment, not a short-term fix.
Paying Attention to What and How Much We Eat
More and more, fitness and weight loss plans are getting on board with the approach of paying attention by providing computer apps that help you track what foods you consume each day. This makes it infinitely easier than writing down each granola bar and chicken breast you eat, but the idea is the same. It keeps you accountable to yourself.
If you know you are going to record what you eat, it makes you pay attention. After a few days of noting what you’re consuming, you start thinking about food before you eat it. Do I really want to have to write down that I ate a half a box of Wheat Thins? Maybe I’ll have a sliced apple instead.
Most of the programs give you a range of calories or points for food items based on your objectives so you know that if you stay within that range, you can achieve your goals.
Moving Your Body Every Single Day
You don’t have to run marathons to get in shape or stay there. You need to move every day and you need to gradually increase that movement when you’re ready. If it’s been awhile since you’ve walked around the block, try a half a block. Let’s face it – it’s better than sitting on your couch.
Researchers believe that as we age and begin to feel that our bodies aren’t as capable as they once were, it may have more to do with the fact that we stop moving than it does with actual decline.
Keeping our bodies going, including some kind of cardiovascular movement and some kind of weight-bearing exercise, is what we need to get through the long haul. The cardio keeps our blood flowing and the weight-bearing work builds muscle and bone density. We all need that whether we’re trying to lose weight or gain it.
Enjoying a Mix of Good, Healthy Foods
For most of us, when we start thinking about losing weight or getting into better shape, we immediately think of having to eat foods that are “good” for us, and nothing that is delicious.
Although it’s not a good idea to live on hot dogs and French fries, it’s the balanced diet that will allow us to make this a lifestyle and not just a quickly failing, one-shot venture.
We all know that it’s a good idea to eat fruits and vegetables, lean protein and fiber, and it’s easier than ever today to follow this guideline. Grocery stores even sell packaged meals that are both fresh and frozen.
The good news is that you can also have a treat every once in a while, especially if you’re paying attention to what you’re consuming and how much of it you’re eating.
Making This a Lifetime Commitment
I wish my mother had lived long enough to realize that we all struggle with staying healthy and fit and that no new diet plan is going to change that.
They key is always moderation, but it’s also remembering to see fitness in the same way you think of any aspect of your health. You would never say, “Well, I brushed my teeth for three months so now I don’t have to do it anymore,” or “I slept a lot last week. I think I’ll stay awake all this week.”
We need to be smart and realistic about our weight and our fitness and there’s plenty of help in the world these days to get there. Look around online and find a good app for tracking what you eat. Find out which works best for your lifestyle.
What “treat” foods do you have trouble moderating? Maybe try keeping smaller containers in your cupboards, but still let yourself have a little bit now and then. Meet with a friend who also wants to get into better shape and make a health plan together. Who would be a good partner as you embark on this new lifestyle?
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How have you committed to fitness in your life? What have you found most helpful in avoiding pitfalls? Do you have a group of friends with similar goals? How do you support one another? Please join the conversation.
Tags Fitness Over 60
In 2016 I had an eureka moment, I was a pound or two shy of 11st and at 5ft 1 that made me look as wide as I was tall and terribly unhappy,I had achy knees and other joints I was breathless but even more so I miserable and I made my partners life miserable because I didn’t want to go out go on holiday. I got down to 8st 8lbs and there was no stopping me and the last 8 years have been a blast, I gave up smoking don’t regret that one bit because I’m healthier and fitter now at 70 than I can ever remember but my body shape has changed and its harder if impossible to loose the few pounds I gained in stopping smoking, in the grand scheme of things thats nothing but in my head it is I don’t want to be overweight and unhappy at 70 I really don’t know how long there is for me (I have plans to go on for another 30 years lol but who knows) and I don’t want to spend that time being miserable and i’m fed up with hearing people say “at your age” to me age is just a number and I want to enjoy life to the full…..as a very frank and sometime “foot in mouth” friend said “I want to die laughing”
I finally gave in and hired a trainer. I know I’m not motivated enough on my own. In turn this has raised my basal metabolic rate, which means I can eat more treats and not gain weight!
Great article. I am so thankful that I participated in organized sports (track and field) during high school. It provided me with a lifetime desire to stay active and watch my weight. While, like most, I struggled during times to maintain the weight. The difference is, I never let it get out of control and constantly found new ways of staying in shape (i.e., Tae Bo, Walking, Swimming, Volleyball, Tennis, etc.). The key has always been finding exercises I had fun doing, and when it was no longer fun trying something new. I didn’t learn to swim until I was in my late forties; then got hooked on tennis in my 50’s (which I enjoy doing 3 to 4 times a week now).
However, what I wasn’t prepared for was the change in nutrition. Over the years I’ve learned that I’m never going to eat enough fruits and vegetables, so I’ve been taking different supplements. But most recently, when no matter how much I tried, I was unable to stop my blood sugar levels from going up; so I met with a dietician. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I learned you don’t have to give up all your favorite foods to stay healthy. Another reminder, that no matter how old we get, it’s never to late to seek help in areas we’re weak in.
Thank you for this article. I feel often times that I am being berated for gaining weight in my 60s at the end of menopause, or that I do not eat right etc. Weight is just a number and does not mean that I am fat, fit or somewhere in between. I eat mostly good foods, I exercise but being “skinny” is not really necessary. I would rather be healthy. Why do we bully others that are not a size 00?? We are all different what is wrong with that?
Julie I agree we do bully others for being different but society as a whole is judgemental I know for myself when I’ve been in our local pub have heard men with huge beer bellies say “she’d be lovely if she lost weight” and I’ve got into trouble for asking them “have you looked sideways in the mirror lately” to say it doesn’t go down well is an understatement
As an adult (starting in college) I always belonged to a gym or fitness center with group exercise classes. Enjoy those because it’s easy to make “gym friends”. You encourage each other on and look forward to seeing each other through the week. The problem I have now is orthopedic issues that keep me from working out like I used to. How have others handled this?
I recently realized that in doing the stretching exercises for my right-sided spine issues (from the PT), I was putting too much weight on my left arm making my elbow sore. I’ve had to carefully adapt my exercises and am already feeling a difference in the elbow. I also have a sore foot that keeps me from walking the distance I would like to so have just cut down on the mileage for the time being. For me it’s a mindset to do what I can accepting that it will take longer than it used to for my aches and pains to heal. At the same time, I’m finding other muscles that really needed some attention all of these years.