Fitness over Fifty: Three Myths Exploded

The famed baby boomer generation is now aged between 46 and 64, so shortly this entire post-WWII demographic bubble will be over 50. And they're in horrible physical shape.

The luxuries that the baby boomers have created for themselves are mostly their downfall; rich, plentiful calorie and fat-laden diets along with a generally sedentary lifestyle have combined to create an unhealthy populace characterized by extreme physical limitations and multiple diseases.

Diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer are three deadly conditions that can all be directly related to baby boomer's unhealthy lifestyles. These conditions will multiply as the baby boomer generation continues aging, imparting staggering health costs on our already over burdened health system.

Additionally, out-of-shape baby boomers create significant limitations on their ability to enjoy life by lacking muscle and cardiovascular strength and endurance. Their bodies can't act on their desires, and life quality goes down in a self-perpetuating spiral of inactivity and continued physical decline.

Refiguring 50: 10 Ways to Stay Young

As a personal trainer and a life-long fitness geek, I get asked a lot about the secrets to "fitness over 50".  While that answer could go on for days, here's a boiled down version of the top seven factors:

1) Think young, be young

Our thoughts become our actions. Taken another step, the vision we have of who we are leads to what we will be.  Think young thoughts. Be unafraid to take chances physically. No, don't do anything stupid, but you can still challenge yourself to be on the edge physically. I recently read about an 87 year old San Antonio man who plays softball and competes in track events, and he's going for the age-group pole vault world record. Do you supposed he thinks of himself as "too old"?  He proves that we can continue pushing ourselves physically well past 50, and it has to start with thinking young.

2) Get ultra-lean:

Lose the body fat. And I don't mean ridiculous stuff like "I want to lose 10 pounds", or "gee, I'd like to be around 20% body fat". No, get serious about it and get ultra-lean, 15% should be the absolute tops, but really more like 10% - 12%. Extra body fat does nothing but slow us down, restrict our movements, and hide all of that beautiful muscle that makes a great physique. 

3) Diet discipline isn't an option:

You could goof-off about your diet when you were younger; you can't anymore. Our bodies need fewer calories after 50, but especially with vigorous exercise we need the right macro and micro nutrients more than ever. This means the only thing passing your lips has been scrutinized and passes the "clean eating". specifically low-fat protein from fish and from chicken, complex, low-glycemic carbohydrates from vegetables and from fruits, and healthy fats from nuts and fish oil. It also means portion-control discipline and not exceeding daily calorie targets.