Fifties Fitness

Fit Over Fifty

Fitness has many different meanings. My dad used to say that if you could get through your day then were fit. Today our collective understanding of fitness is some sculpted gym attending machine.

In your fifties fitness takes on a whole new importance. Are you fit enough to climb the stairs? Are you a lean mean lifting machine?

There are a lot of images on Google showing beautiful ‘fit’ bodies and many before and after shots. Aimed at all ages. But if you Google over fifties fitness you will just about choke on your donut.

I know it can become a ‘thing’ for people in their fifties to re-capture their youth and turn their body clock back by looking the best they ever have. Great. You do you. But for me, fitness is a whole different thing.

I have never been able to touch my toes, in my entire life. I was the only one in Grade 1 who couldn’t do it. From that time on, I understood myself to be, just one of the unfit ones. I would never be able to touch my toes, let alone win a running race at the school sports carnival. I tried and failed that too and was encouraged to never participate again.

So ‘getting fit’ and being ‘fit’ was what other people did. I’ve gone to gym on and off throughout my life, did swimming for a while and some dancing, but I never considered these as ‘getting fit’.

So now in my fifties I find myself having trouble getting out of chairs and cars and feeling reduced co-ordination and stiffness.

This is NOT good.

Also with the hormonal changes that plague us, I can’t seem to find my actual waist anymore.

So I set myself a goal. I want to be able to touch my toes before I die.

Seems easy enough. But for me it isn’t. It’s going to take months of stretching my hamstrings and back muscles to be able to complete such a simple goal.

I may not get there. But trying to get there means I’m moving forward with daily practice and routine. I do a simple 20 minutes of stretching every morning at 6.30am. If I’m not feeling great I just take it a little easier but I still do it.

Then I do 10 minutes of isometric and calisthenic exercises. My secondary goal is to do a handstand. Or at least a chin-up or L sit.

Whatever I end up being able to do the simple set of movement everyday has improved my body, my mind, my mood and my confidence.

The beliefs I have held all my life about my ability to ‘be fit’ are melting away as I move forward on my own plan. What it means to me to be fit is totally different from what it means to you. I encourage you though to define it for yourself and then take really, really small steps everyday to get you there.

Remember, movement is free. Isometrics and calisthenics only need your body, no equipment. Stretching is just you and your tendons. You don’t have to join a gym. Youtube is free and has more fitness and exercise videos than you will ever need. Try a dance exercise video. A yoga video. Anything.

But do something small. Don’t jump in all ready to conquer the fitness universe and break something. Have a reachable goal and start small to get there. When you make it, set another reachable goal.

Achieving these small goals and adding movement and flexibility into your body will help you achieve your ultimate goals. A healthy retirement. It will sharpen your mind and help you work on your financial situation as well. Every journey starts with a single step. From broke or broken small intentional steps can get us to where we want to be – financially safe and fit (enough).

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