Guidelines for Peak Performance Past Age 50

"Absolutely," says Alfred Morris, Ph.D., exercise scientist and assistant director for health and fitness at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. "You can continue to perform at a very high level as long as you exercise regularly. You can still get a great deal of benefit and satisfaction from your workouts."

Older athletes may even have a competitive advantage over their younger opponents. They know what their bodies can do and how to get the most out of exercise. And they're experienced enough to stop before they push themselves too far.

Exercise can even help mature athletes hold off some of the normal effects of aging. Says Dr. Morris: "People at 50 find themselves getting into a more sedentary lifestyle. Their metabolism slows down. They lose lean body mass and gain fat.

"With regular workouts, though, they can maintain their cardiovascular efficiency and protect the lean body mass they already have."

If you're 50+, you should be able to keep your mental and physical edge for many years to come by anticipating and compensating for natural changes. The key: Work out smarter, not harder.

Pay Attention to Your Body
Muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues lose elasticity with age and become more prone to strains, tears and other injuries. This makes it more important to maintain a comfortable mode of exercise.

Work with your body, not against it. Warm-ups are vital as you get older. "One way is just to start the activity slowly. As your body starts to feel good with it, gear up to higher intensities," Dr. Morris says.

You'll definitely need to take it slow if you're just starting to work out or coming back after a long break. A slow start is also recommended if you're switching to a new activity. If you do feel pain, don't try to push through it. Stop, or move on to something else.

Be Flexible
Keep your body and mind limber by varying your activities. Swim laps or ride a bike once or twice a week instead of taking your usual walk or run. Make sure the activities provide comparable benefits.

To reduce the risk of injury, Dr. Morris recommends choosing activities that keep your effort at about 55 percent to 75 percent of cardiovascular capacity.

Stick With It
Dr. Morris offers these strategies for staying motivated and fitting exercise into a busy schedule:

• Combine some of your workouts with family activities.
• Exercise first thing in the morning, before other things distract you. Exercise with a friend so you can motivate each other.
• Check out senior- or master-level competition in your activity. Such events will be more than tough enough to keep you interested.

Source

Krames Staywell

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