This is it. You are ready to take your health into your own hands. You’ve neglected it long enough. You’re motivated. You’re ready to GO!!! But… how do you get started?
As a coach that specializes in training older adults, in over 3 decades, I’ve seen and heard it all. If you want to save yourself aches and pains (physical and psychological), take a moment to read my 3 easy tips for baby boomers starting their fitness journey.
The good news is: it’s not hard to improve your health and achieve wellness. All you need are a few steps to get started and one important character trait: consistency. If you stay on track, it doesn’t matter how fast you improve, just like the turtle in the famous fable, you will reach your goal (and you may even beat the hare). By the way, if you “fail” and stop, that’s ok. Start again. I think we will both agree that there is nothing more important then YOUR own self-care.
Let’s rule out some major mistakes:
- Doing the same activity with too much intensity day in and day out.
- Making drastic and unrealistic changes: stop drinking wine anyone?
- Starting too aggressively and trying to do what you use to do 10 or 20 years ago: sorry, you are not 25 anymore : (
I’d like to suggest a paradigm shift.
A good way to start is with sustainable small changes that you incorporate as a part of your new lifestyle and then add more changes once you’ve mastered them. You keep doing that and, I’ll bet you a detached Toronto house, that within a year or two, you won’t recognize the person you’ve become.
We don’t get out of shape overnight. This happens over years and decades. The same applies in reverse, you won’t get fit and healthy in four weeks. Consistently move and work at improving your health and you will love the healthier you that looks back in the mirror in 6, 12 and 18 months from now.
“We overestimate how much we can do in 4 to 8 weeks
and drastically underestimate how much change
we can create in 1, 2 and 5 years.”
Ok, enough babbling. Let’s get to those 3 tips.
Tip Number 1: Start by moving everyday.
Walking is a great start. It’s low impact. Vary your distance and time. It doesn’t have to be some magically random made up amount of time like 30 minutes or 1 hour or 10,000 steps. Even 10 minutes is better than nothing.
Anything is better than nothing. Do what you can.
Any amount of time that you have is perfectly ok, even is its only 2 minutes. The days you have more time, go for it and walk as much as you want.
A couple of suggestions: parking far whenever you use your car, taking the stairs to your condo once or twice a week, every little thing will make a difference. Take a moment and think of a few ways you can get some extra low intensity exercise in your day.
Tip Number 2: One Set Of Squats Daily
For those over 60 years old, I would suggest to start with assisted squat. See the link to my Youtube channel explaining the technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUQrnkwiR9g
The coach in me has to emphasize the importance of being able to squat as you age.
Your leg strength will determine your independence.
The day you are no longer strong enough to stand up from a sitting position is the day you are relegated to a walker or a wheel chair. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions. If you have sore knees, do 1 set of 3 to 5 repetitions. Do them every day but only 1 set. You want to give your body the time it needs to adapt and to get used to this new stressor.
Tip Number 3: Do One Core Exercise
Besides strong legs, a strong core will help you stay fit and healthy.
I have 2 exercises that I recommend for beginners. My favourite pick is the Bird Dog. Here is my instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUAhGzSq068
Do the Bird Dog exercise for 1 set of 8. Extending arm and leg and keeping them extended for 1 second. As you get better and more comfortable with the exercise, hold arm and leg for 3 seconds. Enjoy the coordination challenge. It will make your brain work and learn a new pattern.
The kneeling position of the bird dog can put a lot of pressure on the wrists and knees and create pain. If that is the case, instead I suggest doing an elevated plank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL626vD5uXM
Doing the plank on the floor may be too difficult if you haven’t exercised in a long time. Instead, starting in an elevated position will make the exercise easier and still give you the benefit of strengthening your core. Even if you find this one easy, do it for one week, again, giving your body the change to get use to being active. Start with a low number of repetitions, 3 to 5 and hold each repetition for 3 to 5 seconds. After one week, if you feel ready to do more, add a few repetitions, eventually going up to 10 or 12 and holding each repetition for 8 seconds. To make the plank more challenging, reduce the elevation.
In Conclusion:
There you have it. 3 easy things you can do every day that should not create any aches and pain and that will give you that kickstart in your health and wellness journey.
Bonus: The 30 Day Challenge
Get your calendar out and put an X every day you do one walk of any length, one set of squats and one set for your core. After 30 days, look at implementing something new. For example, keep the walk and add a few resistance exercises with bands or dumbbells.
My Youtube channel has some home workouts that do not require any equipment.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I’m here to help. I want all baby boomers to be as healthy as they can be and to have an amazing quality of life as they get older.
As my friend Tina once told me:
“If it’s not getting better as I’m getting older,
I’m doing something wrong!”
Disclaimer: The information contained within this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is our advice to always seek the recommendation of your physiotherapist, doctor or other qualified health provider before starting any exercise program. Any exercise suggestions contained within this article are not intended to substitute professional advice.