Many of my clients are over the age of 50. Majority of the time, they have little to no previous fitness experience. It usually takes them years to finally do something about their health. The two common reasons I hear as to why they begin training is 1) To lose weight and 2) Be there for their families. These are great reasons. Unfortunately, most people will not take initiative to improve themselves. I find this both sad and troubling.
Far too often we take our lives for granted. It’s as if we subconsciously believe we’ll never leave this earth. Spoiler alert! All of us have expiration dates. We just don’t know when that’s going to happen. Which is why I believe everyone needs to do the best they can to ensure a long, prosperous life.
This blog was intended to target folks over 50. So, I’m going to address this message to those it may concern. Here’s the bottom line, folks: I want you to live longer. Not just me. Your friends. Your family. Everyone who loves you wants your health to be as top notch as possible. Every time I get a client in their 50’s I tell them, “There is no more critical time for you to care about your well-being than now.”
When people hit their 50’s either one of two things are going to happen. They’ll either experience a steady/rapid decline in health or begin working hard at taking better care of themselves. I’d say roughly half of my clients over 50 have pre-existing health problems. It’s usually joint related, which was caused by overactive muscles. I’ll hear them say, “This is what happens when you get older.” To which I respond with, “Yes, and no.”
Do you want to know the main reason folks in their 50’s start experiencing health issues?
One word: neglect. Consider the following analogy:
Let’s say you had a car sitting in your garage for 20 years. It’s a car you drove on rare occasions. Even though it was hardly driven you ultimately decided not to maintain the vehicle or make small repairs when needed. What do you think will eventually happen to the car as the years go on? Will it continue to run smoothly or steadily encounter bigger issues? Chances are you’re going to face major problems as time goes on. Why? Because you neglected to maintain the vehicle and that resulted in it needing extensive repairs.
The body works the same way as a car. Simply put, if you do not put effort to maintain the vehicle that is your body, it will eventually break down on you.
This includes not watching your diet, refusing to exercise more regularly, not communicating, improving relationships with people, the lack of using positive outlets to relieve stress, not taking the time to appreciate the small blessings in life, etc. All of these variables are detrimental to your long term health.
Enough of my lecturing. You know what must be done to improve your health. If you need some motivation to get started take this into consideration.
Above anything, take care of yourself so you can be around longer for your loved ones. Think about family members you’ve lost over the years. Did some of them pass due to neglect of their health? How did it make you feel when they passed away? Imagine your son, daughter, husband, or wife having to go through the same thing. It’s a tough thought to bear, but we have to come to terms with taking responsibility and accountability with our health.
I’m not telling folks to become 20 again. That’s not my point. The fact is even when someone takes good care of themselves, there’s always potential for problems to arise. However, I do believe you should try your very best to be the healthiest version of you possible. If simple things in life like getting out of bed or walking up the stairs have become problems for you,then that needs to change. Don’t become complacent and accept continual health problems as your fate. You CAN live your life in your 50’s and beyond with little to no health problems. It is VERY possible. It all starts with your mentality and your desire to make necessary changes!
A person should always want to make changes to benefit themselves. Just remember one of best reasons to become healthier is for your loved ones. If you’re not going to do it for yourself, do it for them. I promise you won’t regret it!
Go for a walk, stretch more regularly, add more greens to your diet, eat a few less mini bags of chips during the week, and of course, inquire about a personal trainer. You might not realize this, but a grand majority of personal trainers work with people over the age of 50. I certainly do. Those clients are trained far differently than someone in their 20’s. As I always say, training is not a one size fits all approach. Personal training programs should be created based on the client’s age and physical capabilities.
Want a free consultation? Contact me! I train out of Plus Ultra Fitness located between Spring Valley and the Las Vegas Strip.
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