Exercise for Women Over 50: Unleashing Age-Defying Fitness
Regular exercise isn’t just for the young and the restless; it holds tremendous potential for women over 50 seeking to embrace their golden years with vitality and grace. As the body undergoes natural changes with age, physical activity becomes increasingly crucial in maintaining overall health and well-being. Engaging in a well-rounded exercise routine not only helps counteract the effects of aging but also enhances bone density, preserves muscle mass, improves cardiovascular health, and fosters mental well-being. By prioritizing exercise, women over 50 can unlock the true potential of their bodies, paving the way for an active, energetic, and fulfilling life.
We cannot stress the importance of exercise enough. Women over 50 can significantly benefit from exercise; at this age, it is even more critical to maintaining health and vitality. After 35, the body begins to lose muscle mass in a process called sarcopenia. This process is responsible for the many age-related changes society has come to accept. In women, menopause accentuates this loss of muscle mass. Hormonal fluctuations induce other changes, such as loss of bone density and cardiovascular protection. Fortunately, the body can resist these age-related changes by embracing an active lifestyle with regular exercise and proper nutrition.
Everyone benefits from exercise, but exercise for women over 50 is essential to minimize the combined effects of menopause and age for the following reasons:
- Exercise can resist sarcopenia and even build muscle mass at any age.
- Regular exercise is also feel-good medicine for your joints and mental health.
- Exercise can preserve bone density and lower the risk of fractures in the event of a fall.
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Exercise for Women Over 50: Unleashing Age-Defying Fitness is an original (HerHealthWatch) article.
The cardiovascular effects of menopause
Aerobic exercise is vital for everyone, but women are unique. Menopause affects the body’s cardiovascular system and can disrupt metabolic health. Losing estrogen can cause unwanted weight gain unless you exercise. Studies have indicated that exercise can prevent and even reverse the adverse effects of menopause.
Aerobic exercise can improve blood pressure, cardiovascular function, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Aerobic exercise also helps the body maintain a healthy weight to resist unwanted weight gain caused by hormonal fluctuations.
Heart healthy exercise for women over 50
Any aerobic exercise helps the heart and manages body weight. Still, higher-impact aerobic exercise for women over 50 is the most efficient. This type of exercise not only improves cardiovascular function but also helps to build bone density. Just be sure to reach the heart health threshold of at least 75 minutes a week of high-intensity or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.
Women over 50 and bone density
Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are connected to a loss of bone density. Think of it as the use it or lose it phenomenon. No one wants to break a bone, let alone go through rehabilitation, so proper exercise for women over 50 becomes crucial.
Bone building exercises
Exercise is one of the most recommended treatments to improve bone density. It is best to engage in high-impact exercises to maximize their benefits. Clinical studies show that it takes less than 30 minutes daily, practiced 2 to 4 times weekly, to be beneficial.
Exercise and mental well-being
Aging gracefully means remaining physically and mentally capable. A recent study reveals that 45 minutes of daily exercise can improve brain function. However, when it comes to boosting cognitive function, people who exercised more than 45 minutes per session had more significant improvements in cognitive tasks. So, strive to be an overachiever.
Power, the secret weapon for women over 50
The secret to resistance training is more than improving strength and physique. Maintaining a spring in the step is about developing muscle power, which is the body’s ability to generate force. Muscle power helps the body perform functional tasks like getting up from a low surface or climbing stairs.
Menopause, combined with limited physical activity and low protein intake, puts the body at its most significant risk for sarcopenia. If left unaddressed, those simple daily tasks that didn’t raise an eyebrow will become more challenging.
Maintaining muscle mass is also essential for balance. A loss in muscle mass is a primary reason for falling later in life. Fortunately, exercises that build power help to prevent falls.
Exercises to fuel muscle mass
Resistance training is essential to physical fitness at any stage of life. For women over 50, any resistance training can positively affect muscle mass.
Focusing on functional weight-bearing activities like squats and step-ups is best to maximize function and muscle mass. These major movements help build muscle mass and train the body for movement patterns encountered in daily life. The bonus is that any exercise that challenges muscles helps with bone density.
Nutrition and vitality
Nutrition is just as important as exercise when it comes to preserving vitality. Protein is the most significant macronutrient for the body to build muscle power, strength, and mass.
The newly revised recommendations are to get 1.2-1.5 g of protein /kg of body weight to prevent sarcopenia. You can use this calculator to determine the amount of protein needed for your specific weight, height, and exercise intensity. Whole food sources are best, but eating this much may be challenging. In this case, a protein supplement can be a great option. When looking for a protein supplement, be sure it is a complete protein, which contains the essential amino acids the body can not make on its own.
The structural support of collagen
As the body ages, its connective tissues endure changes, which can cause joint stiffness and pain. These changes are especially noticeable for women over 50.
Collagen is the body’s primary structural protein essential to joint function. Sadly, a natural decline in collagen begins in the mid-twenties, which causes joint stiffness and pain.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Recent evidence shows that a collagen supplement supplies your body with the collagen you need to maintain normal joint function. A collagen supplement can help the body keep moving in a pain-free manner.
Power up the body
Frog Fuel has developed Power Protein, one of the only complete collagen proteins available. Frog Fuel Power Protein is a bioavailable liquid protein supplement developed by former Navy SEALS. This ideal exercise companion supplies the body with 22 essential amino acids to build muscles while protecting the body’s joints. Frog Fuel Power Protein provides 15 g of complete protein in each 1 oz. packet. This formula has no banned substances, GMOs, sugar, fat, gluten, or lactose, making it suitable for many diets.
Frog Fuel has established itself as a leader in medical-grade collagen supplements. Its formula is trusted by over 4,000 medical facilities. This easily digestible protein is not just for athletes. It can also help women over 50 maintain their vitality.
Here is a recent review of a Frog Fuel customer. “I started using pre workout 6 weeks ago and it has made warming up and my workout a bit more enjoyable. As I’m 78 y/o some mornings it’s seem a chore just to get to the gym but this actually helps a lot.”
The fitness journey begins now
While everyone knows how important exercise is, not everyone knows how to exercise. It is best to begin slowly and progress gradually. Start with a 20-30 minute brisk walk at least five times weekly.
Next, add 20 minutes of resistance training to the routine at least twice weekly, focusing on weight-bearing exercises like step-ups and squats. For the upper body, overhead presses, push-ups, and rows work the body’s major muscle groups to help maintain vigor.
Just don’t forget to stretch! Yoga helps your joints fight age-related stiffness to remain flexible. Two to three sessions a week is all the body needs. Practicing Tai Chi or similar exercises a few times a week can help maintain balance.
Exercise for women over 50:
Implementing a new routine
Consult a healthcare provider before beginning any exercise routine. A referral to a physical therapist may be the best way to design a customized program that is safe and effective. A safe exercise routine includes a proper warm-up, cool-down, and sequencing of exercises. Here’s to a new you that is strong and balanced.
For more information:
LIVESTRONG: Do You Really Need to Exercise Differently After 50?
Cleveland Clinic: Sarcopenia
National Library of Medicine: The role of dietary protein intake in the prevention of sarcopenia of aging
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements Or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
