Going in for sports after 50-55 years - how to stay active and not harm your health?

Not only professional athletes continue their training in old age, the average person, even after 50 years old, wants to maintain physical activity and vigor of the body. Physical activity can slow down the aging process and prevent many diseases of the internal organs and the musculoskeletal system. What kind of sport can you do after 50-55 years and not harm yourself, but get the maximum benefit and positive energy?

Features of the body after 50 years

The lived years leave a mark not only on the outside, but also inside the whole organism.Its main functions are transformed and changing, changing habits and the general rhythm of life.

• Eating behavior - the stomach begins to work more slowly, proteins are absorbed more slowly, which leads to a delay in the digestion and withdrawal of food. Changes in taste buds, which atrophy with age, change the ability to feel tastes and a decrease in interest in food. There may also be problems with teeth and chewing.
• Body changes - a decrease in the protein mass of the body leads to a loss of muscle mass, an increase in the percentage of fat and the appearance of problem areas. A sedentary lifestyle, reduced physical activity - all this affects the state of the body, which becomes flabby and loses its fit.
• Internal organs - with age, any organ can malfunction. Problems arise in the cardiovascular system, excretory, joint pain, as well as decreased vision and hearing.
• Psychological state - in old age, a person is mostly isolated from society, left to his family or spends time alone. There is a feeling of boredom, indifference, it seems that there will be nothing new and joyful. An elderly person often depends on relatives if they need care, which makes them feel unfree. Physical helplessness gives rise to complexes and negatively affects the general state of the emotional background.

Regular exercise, increased physical activity, allow a person to improve well-being, maintain health and return to life.

Where to begin?

Even after the age of 50, when the intensity of life is significantly reduced, it is important to remember that sport is an excellent tool for returning psychological and physical health.It slows down the aging process and can easily cheer you up.

It is necessary to start playing sports, especially if before that physical activity was minimal or absent, by choosing the appropriate type of training and adjusting it in accordance with the characteristics of your life rhythm.

Women usually like gymnastics or those sports that help to lose weight. These are loads that intensively work out problem areas and support the figure. A man pays more attention to maintaining his natural strength and restoring endurance, which means that he more often chooses strength training and exercises in the gym.

Blindly following your desires and abruptly starting serious CrossFit classes should not be. First you need to consult a doctor who will tell you about the correct distribution of loads, possible risks and concerns, and explain why restrictions are needed.

With the right approach, even in old age you can achieve good physical shape and exercise on simulators on a par with young people.

It is important to remember the warm-up that accompanies training in any sport. This is a short set of exercises that helps the body get to work, warms up the muscles, and increases blood circulation. The warm-up includes such exercises as tilting the head, torso, swinging arms, stretching, warming up the forearms and shins.

And, of course, we should not forget about proper nutrition and additional vitamins. Strengthening muscles, the heart system, and joints can be achieved faster if you follow an appropriate diet and add active supplements to the diet, again with the permission of a doctor.

Walking and running

Running is useful at any age, but it is a big load on the body, so you should start training by selecting the load for your level of training and gradually increasing it.

Not everyone, after being examined by a specialist, can fully engage in running training, it is preferable for someone to make a choice in favor of sports walking, which also has a positive effect on the body.

Running workouts help to lose weight, while running, a lot of energy and calories are spent to get a beautiful toned figure. Constant movement strengthens the muscles and joints of the legs, trains endurance and has a positive effect on lung function. Runners are not afraid of heart attacks, strokes, they may not worry about their blood vessels.

During training, the hormone of happiness, endorphin, is also produced, and this is a guarantee of a good mood and positive emotions. An evening jog will help improve sleep, filling you with pleasant fatigue. Running can be practiced wherever a person is, in urban conditions or going on vacation in the summer of 2022.

On running as an adult in the video:

What to remember when choosing to run after 50?

• You should not run without a doctor's approval. Some features of the body do not allow such a load on the body, but if there are no health problems, you can safely start training. The main contraindications for running are joint diseases, serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, and individual characteristics.
• For training, you need to purchase special clothes and shoes. Choose clothes made from natural fabrics that allow air and moisture to pass through in order not to create inconvenience during classes. Shoes with a soft voluminous sole, thicker at the heel, for proper cushioning and reduced injury risk.In the cold season, be sure to wear a hat and a warm, comfortable jacket.
• Before each workout, be sure to warm up: five minutes of walking in place and warming up each joint is the best prevention of injuries. Warm muscles are more difficult to stretch and injure.
• Those who have not run before should start with active walking. Walking 3-4 times a week for a month will strengthen the muscles in the first stage and prepare for increasing loads. A month later, you can connect a short slow run to walking, alternating it with stretching, gradually accelerating and increasing the distance.
• If you purchase a special heart rate monitor, you can track the change in heart rate and your training rate.
• Each workout is also recommended to end with stretching. This relieves tension and helps the muscles to relax.

Swimming

Swimming is also useful at any age. This is strengthening the spine and joints, correcting posture disorders, strengthening bone tissue. During swimming, all muscle groups are involved, but the load on them is not felt so much due to the decrease in weight in the water. Therefore, even people with diseases of the joints and legs can engage in such activities with precautions and after consulting a doctor.

Exercising in water is of great benefit to the heart. With age, the problem of high blood pressure often begins to worry - the heart muscle is forced to contract more often to maintain the body, which speeds up the rhythm of the heartbeat. When swimming, the rhythm normalizes, the pressure returns to normal. Therefore, water is the best friend in the fight against diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Going on vacation in the summer of 2022 to a country with a warm sea, you should definitely take a moment and do a couple of exercises in the water, getting additional positive emotions.

Optimal water training at any age lasts at least 30-40 minutes. This is enough time to swim 500 meters and do some water aerobics exercises.

Pool Safety Measures

• if the water is not very warm, you should not stay in it for too long, go out at the first discomfort, especially if there are kidney pathologies and other diseases of the excretory system;
• care should be taken when walking on a slippery floor in the pool - it is better to purchase slippers with non-slip soles in advance;
• it is better to choose a pool where there is staff who can assist in training and other matters.

Yoga

Yoga is a spiritual support and a powerful means of overcoming many psychological problems. In addition, it helps restore body flexibility and strengthen bones.

In old age, it is very important to slow down the process of tissue destruction, activate regeneration processes, and this is the basis of soft movements and asanas in yoga.

Not all asanas are available to older people, the main exercises are best performed while standing, since strengthening the legs is one of the main tasks after 50 years. Simple tilts and turns, as well as leisurely backbends, will strengthen the spine and help maintain balance.

There are also a large number of asanas to strengthen the arms, hips, back, and abdominal muscles. All of them in the complex will help maintain good spirits and restore peace of mind. Regular yoga classes normalize sleep and return the joy of life.

The main advantages of yoga over other types of sports activities are regularity and efficiency.There is no need to stand on your head if the form does not allow it, but even a person of respectable age can take a comfortable position, even out breathing and feel each of his muscles.

A few practices for people over the age of 50:

What should be remembered about yoga?

• In old age, the main thing is to be extremely careful in the classroom. Do not perform complex exercises if the body is uncomfortable and there are painful sensations. It is better to start with simple techniques, gradually moving to a new level.
• Listening carefully to the instructor's advice is also very important. A yoga trainer will tell you what position is best to take, how to monitor your breathing, how to listen to your body.
• With diseases of the spine and hernia, many consider yoga the best means of recovery. But this is a controversial issue, so before making a choice in favor of this direction, you need to consult with your doctor.

Classes in the gym

Strength training in the gym, especially with the use of simulators, for older bodybuilders is associated primarily with the desire to tone the muscles and improve health.

In order to work safely and effectively in the gym, you must first of all undergo a medical examination, which will help identify health problems and draw up an individual exercise plan.

Each workout should begin with a full warm-up, warming up the muscles. It is better to avoid weights, choose safe simulators, it is advisable to work under the supervision of a qualified trainer.

In addition to the training program in the gym, which should include exercises for each muscle group, you need to maintain activity in everyday life, using side loads - walking more, climbing stairs.Strength training for the elderly has practical benefits - improves endurance, the ability to walk longer, lift heavy things without difficulty.

When planning how many times to practice in the gym to get results, know that the minimum number of classes per week for a beginner is 2 times. Subsequently, you can increase up to 4 days. Each exercise should be repeated 6-8 times and be sure to rest between sets.

During the workout, you need to carefully monitor the pulse, for its changes. If during the exercise you feel unwell, even the slightest, you need to stop training and contact the staff for help.

Features of training in old age:

Conclusion

Thinking about what kind of sport to do after 50 years and which one is better suited to individual needs and life characteristics, you should carefully study all the options offered. Any activity has a positive effect on health, even the smallest one, but it is better to pay attention to the disadvantages in addition to the advantages. Not everyone is suitable for a large running load or exercises with simulators, someone prefers moderate walking or aqua aerobics.

Having studied the testimony of a doctor, choosing a convenient training regimen, and after 50 years, you can live a full life, play sports and create positive energy around you, while remaining young at heart.