Exercise for men over 50 – the top reason to do it and the benefits that follow

Fitness for ALL over 50s

I’ve been focussed lately through my professional development on the needs of my over 50 women clients when it comes to exercise.

However, I’m truly passionate about helping ALL my over 50 contemporaries get more out of life through fitness.

A big component of my mission with FiftyFitness is to help men over 50 find ways to enjoy exercise and fit it into their busy lives.

In this article I’ll explain my top reason for men over 50 to exercise and the benefits that will naturally flow on.

Are you ready for this?

My top reason for men over 50 to exercise…

YOU WILL FEEL BETTER

That’s it, just exercise to feel better.

• Unwind & de-stress
• Feel energised
• Feel less stiff
• Have some fun

Take the pressure off yourself to exercise for other reasons, just focus on enjoyment and taking a break from your daily demands.

Here are a few of the benefits will flow on.

Mental health

The higher risk of men dying by suicide is well known.

Men suffer from mental health problems just as much as women, but societal structures the world over disadvantage men from good outcomes.

Exercise has so many benefits for your mental health. To name just a few:

• The good feelings you get from the hormones released in your body during exercise
• Taking time out from your stressors
• Connecting with other people

My personal number one reason for exercising is that it makes me feel happy and energised.

I want as many over 50s as possible to enjoy that benefit alone.

Osteoarthritis

• Degeneration of joint cartilage and the bone beneath
• Also known as ‘wear & tear’ arthritis
• Makes the joints stiff and sore
• Affects 22 % of people over 45 and incidence increases with age

This is a great infographic about osteoarthritis from the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Point 3 of the 5 listed is that exercise is safe and recommended for osteoarthritis.

I wrote about osteoarthritis and running recently.

Here is the link to that article if you missed it 😊

Prostate cancer

• Most diagnosed cancer in men
• Risk increases with age

Only people who are biologically male have a prostate gland, which is located at the base of the bladder. It surrounds the urethra, the tube for urine to pass out of the body from the bladder.

Urinary problems are a late sign of prostate cancer and there are no symptoms in the early stages.

Fortunately, there is a blood test called the PSA (prostate specific antigen) that can help with diagnosis. Talk to your doctor about when you should have a PSA test.

The risk of developing prostate cancer increases with age, particularly after 50.

While the Cancer Council state that there are no specific measures proven to prevent prostate cancer, they do advocate physical activity to reduce the risk of developing cancer generally.

Osteoporosis

• A condition that weakens the bones
• Much more prevalent in women, but men suffer from it too
• Risk increases with age
• Possible side effect of hormone therapy for prostate cancer

Exercise is one of the things we can do to protect ourselves from developing osteoporosis.

Weight bearing exercise in particular – think of activities involving running, jumping and moving the joints against resistance rather than swimming or cycling.

While the physiological reasons for this are complex, the combination of forces on bones during weight bearing exercise enhance bone density.

Cardiovascular disease

These are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels.

The main examples we are most familiar with are stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

• Key risk factors are high blood pressure and cholesterol
• Our risks for developing these increase as we age
• Cause of death in men more than women

The Heart Foundation have put together some key information with great visuals here.

I think that most people are aware that we can mitigate some of our risks for developing cardiovascular diseases through increased physical activity.

Now that you’ve seen some of the health benefits, I want you to go back to my number one reason to exercise.

YOU WILL FEEL BETTER

Just enjoy the feeling and be reassured there are other good things happening too 😊

An attainable way to get started

If you need an easy way to get started with increasing your physical activity, this free video series is for you.

You will learn a series of 9 dynamic stretches one at a time with a daily email from me containing a video demonstration and explanation.

Once you know all the moves you can do them in 5 minutes every morning to free up your body, improve your mood and feel energised for the day ahead.

As you gain motivation to increase your physical activity, the daily routine will become the warmup for your workout.

Learn more and get started here https://bit.ly/NiceAndEasyNewHabit

Once you’re warmed up you can try this workout

This workout can be done in the comfort of your home with no equipment.

Fit it into your busy schedule by starting with the 10-minute option. That’s right, just 10 minutes!

It’s a great way to get back into exercise after a long break.

This energising and attainable workout includes a warm up, strength workout and optional cardio finisher, all with clear video demonstrations.

No need to wait any longer. Follow the link to learn more and start feeling great!

https://bit.ly/FiftyFitnessBodyweightWorkout

Keep in touch

Please reach out to me if anything in this article resonates with you.

You can email me at kate@fiftyfitness.com.au or connect via social media.

I’m on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can have a read of my previous blogs here 🙂