I will start by saying I am by no means a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, dietitian, or any other type of expert when it comes to health and fitness. Although, these careers have crossed my mind as well as been suggested to me by others who know my passions. What I can say is that I have been active all my life. I workout regularly and incorporate cardio, yoga, weight training, walking, and some well know Beachbody workouts. And I love all of it. I grew up playing sports, skateboarding, riding bikes, etc. I still play co-ed and women’s softball. (Well, this years season has been postponed, along with every other activity, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic) At my age I have also had my share of setbacks and injuries. When those injuries happened, I tried to look back at what I was doing before they occurred and ask myself if I could make adjustments in the future to reduce the chance of another similar injury. The answer for me was definitely yes. By focusing more on flexibility, mobility, balance, and strength.
The most important thing to me as I age and think ahead is mobility. I do not want to become unable to do the things I enjoy. I want to age well and be independent. In my opinion, to do that means to remain active. If you rest too much, you rust! We also begin to lose muscle mass after around 30 yrs old. Which means if you are not actively trying to keep your muscles at my age, you are losing them. Strength training, weight lifting, whatever you like to call it, is so important for all of us. It improves your posture, improves balance, boosts your immune system, helps your bone density, and even makes you sleep better. And I’m not sure if everyone who lifts weights would say this, but it kinda makes me feel like a beast. It doesn’t matter that I’m not. It’s how I FEEL. And I love that feeling!
I have to say that one thing that that I neglected for years while I was running, lifting, and playing sports was my flexibility. And I knew it, but we avoid the things we’re not good at. Or at least I do. That led to some injuries. A couple of years ago I decided to address my lack of flexibility by incorporating some yoga and PiYo from Beachbody. It’s made such a difference in how I feel. I only wish I would have started sooner.
I try to always encourage others to be active. Don’t be afraid to try a new workout because you might not be good at it. Who cares! Everyone takes the first step. And yes, when you first start working out, it kinda sucks. You’re sore and tired and don’t feel like pushing ahead. But if you do, something awesome happens. You get addicted to how good it makes you feel. Your confidence grows. Your health improves. And before you know it, you have fallen in love with taking care of your health and yourself through fitness, weight lifting, yoga, or whatever activity speaks to you.
Stay active. Stay healthy. Love yourself.