Fit at 50+” by Louise Walters

Louise Walters is a Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist in Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust community services.  She is one of our enthusiastic H8H change makers promoting health and wellbeing.  Louise is always looking for a challenge and has taken on a number of virtual challenges during lockdown.  You will always see a smiling face on social media after her run along with inspirational quotes and plenty of support for the group members.

“Every New Year I start my resolutions off with great gusto!  So, even on my birthday I made no exception and went out for a run.  Normal birthday activity? Well may be not but according to my fitness plan it was a day to run, do I did.  It meant that I could really enjoy a glass of bubbly and cake guilt-free.  There’s always an upside.

 

For the past 20 years or so running has been my mainstay for keeping fit.  I generally trained for the Race for Life event and then did not carry on so had to start all over again the following year. I also enjoyed walking over the years as part of my daily routine.  Now as I am in the “glorious Nifty-Fifty” club it seems more relevant than ever.  There is plenty of research to support the benefits of exercising to prevent long term chronic conditions which can come with ageing. So, here are some useful tips from an article I read that I would like to share with you all to reflect on when looking at your exercise regime.

 

Physical Benefits: When you get past 40 we need to exercise more regularly to keep excess fat off and keep fit.  Regular exercise will preserve many of the factors that keep you looking and feeling youthful.  As we age muscle mass & strength, our flexibility, balance and aerobic capacity decline by as much as 15% per decade if we remain sedentary.  Research by King’s College Birmingham found that a lifetime of exercising has potent anti-ageing effects, with long term cyclists not gaining excess body fat as they aged and that older cyclists produced as many T cells, important for immune response, as younger people.  Scientists at Leipzig University in Germany found that running and interval training in particular produced greater increase in the length and activity of telometers (protective caps on the ends of stands of DNA which shorten with age) considered important for cellular ageing, regenerative capacity and this healthy ageing.  Also keeps the brain ticking long more youthfully encouraging the growth and survival of neurons reducing the risk of age-related cognitive decline.  Menopause – positive benefits for reducing the symptoms.

 

Wellbeing: There is no doubt that taking charge of my fitness, my way, gives me confidence, gets me fit at my pace but also challenges me to improve both physically and mentally.

 

Broadly Speaking my plan includes running and yoga.

TOP TIPS

Think about joining a club or group.  The Health&Hustle has been a great source of inspiration and support for me and I would highly recommend it.  Having others around you virtually, keeps you motivated and reminds you that you’re not alone. The WhatsApp group chat was been so supportive.  I have completed more running challenges than before over these cold,Winter months.  Huge bonus indeed.

Running is hard, so go slow and run at your pace.  C25K is a great place to start.

We lose muscle mass so incorporating weights or resistance bands helps to reduce the rate of loss or even reverses it.  

Squats reign supreme for strengthening the glutes. (Full and half squats are a good to do after or before a run as your warm up or warm down).

For toning go for Pilates or yoga, it’s also great for stretching the muscles.

Kettlebell swings will bring huge return as they engage a range of muscles and burn calories.  

Think about your kit: Good trainers, Pilates ring, training mats & kettlebells.  

Mix up your sessions by using a range of exercise sessions to target all muscle groups for strength, cardio and flexibility.  This will also have a great impact on your running.

We must also know our limits as too much mileage and too much high impact will increase wear and tear on joints.  So it’s finding a balance and allowing your body time to recover in between sessions.

 

For me exercise is about body, mind & soul. It has certainly kept me sane during lockdown (alongside gardening) and I do feel FIT at 50+ so I would recommend it to anyone. It’s never too late to get started.