Experts' TIps on Fitness at 50-Plus

By Delaina Dixon

By Delaina Dixon

Your bones ache for no apparent reason, you’re huffing and puffing after walking up a flight of stairs, and it takes a few more days to recover from a strenuous workout. With struggles like these, it’s easy to let our commitment to exercise lag and blame it on the aging process.

At thirdAGE, we want to discourage you from giving up just because you’ve blown out another round of candles. I reached out to some of the leading fitness experts in the country who have hit the big 5-0 to get their advice on why it’s so important to keep living healthy and fitness secrets you can use to stay on track.

Leslie Sansone, 55

America’s #1 Walking Expert, star of Walk At Home DVD series. Click here to order.

“Our bodies were made to move and we can walk our way to health and wellness. Walking can be a workout. A short gentle walk is much better than no walk. A brisk walk is much, much better to challenge the body, burn calories, strengthen the heart and lungs and increase endurance. A speed walk is supreme. You get big calorie burns, the circulatory system starts a whole host of amazing health benefits that impact blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, heart health, bone health — shall I go on? The list is endless.”

Gina Guddat, 50

LMHC, fitness expert and couples therapist, star of Couples Workouts for Health & Happiness. Click here to order.

“Work out with your spouse, boyfriend or partner. Couples that work out together get an added benefit.  You’ll keep each other motivated and create bonding chemicals that strengthen relationships. Getting outside to work out with your partner can be easier than finding a class that suits both of you at the gym. Walking or hiking is an easy choice. If you are up for more intensity try mountain biking or cycling, tennis or kayaking together this summer. Finding and then sharing new common interests keep couples happily together.”

Alanna Zabel, ageless

Yoga Pro and star of Element: Beginner Level Yoga. Click here to order.

“Yoga is an incredibly rejuvenating exercise, regardless of age, BUT it is important for our practice to change as our body changes. We may need more time to warm up properly, especially if we experience stiffness or arthritic changes in the joints or in areas that may be more vulnerable to any added pressure that some yoga positions require.”

Jeff Warley, 50

Owner, 50Grand Health and Fitness and creator of The Life begins at 50 Challenge. Click here to learn more.

Click here to check out Jeff’s exclusive video on what everybody over 40 should do to stay in shape.

 Jacqui Justice, 56

Nutrition Director, New York Health and Wellness.

“As we age our levels of probiotics and digestive enzymes begin to diminish, and our guts have taken quite a beating from living in our modern world of high stress, poor food choices and GMOs. Starting a detox as gently as possible is the way to go for women over 40.  Start with a pre cleanse week, which makes the whole process not only more effective and is way more gentle on the body. Avoiding inflammatory and toxic foods such as sugar, caffeine, dairy and gluten aids the whole healing process. During this week most woman see a marked difference in their energy as well as, their weight (especially abdominal fat and bloat) and they are excited and inspired to go on to the detox phase. Doing a pre-cleanse/gut healing phase and the liver detox results in naturally balancing hormones which is so important as we age.”