Month: May 2024

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As we journey through midlife and beyond, our approach to fitness needs a bit of a tweak. It’s not about pushing harder or running faster; it’s about getting smarter with our workouts.

Whether you’ve been a lifelong fitness enthusiast or are just starting to incorporate more physical activity into your routine, these simple tips can help you get the most out of your exercise routine during this vibrant stage of life.

Let’s dig in!

Prioritize Strength Training in Your Workouts

While cardio remains important for heart health and overall endurance, strength training should take center stage in your fitness regimen. Why? Because as we age, we naturally lose muscle mass, which can lead to a host of age-related issues such as decreased metabolism, increased risk of falls and sarcopenia. By incorporating strength training exercises into your routine, you’re actively working to combat these issues.

Think of strength training as your armor against the effects of aging. It not only helps in maintaining and building muscle mass but also strengthens your bones, which can prevent osteoporosis. Plus, it boosts your metabolic rate, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight.

This is why Pilates is so popular with women over 50. It is a gentle low-impact workout that feels good, boosts mobility and uses body weight to build muscle and strong bones. If you haven’t tried Pilates, I challenge you to give it a go. It may just change your life!

Other simple exercises like squats, lunges, and lifting weights can make a huge difference. Remember, it’s not about lifting the heaviest weights; it’s about consistency and gradually increasing the resistance as your strength improves.

Ditch the “Go Big or Go Home” Exercise Mentality

Gone are the days when you had to push to your absolute limits every session. As we age, our bodies benefit more from a balanced approach to exercise. The “no pain, no gain” mentality can lead to injuries that take longer to heal as we age. Instead, focus on effective, moderate workouts that keep you moving without pushing you over the edge.

A balanced approach means listening to your body and understanding that rest and recovery are just as important as the exercise itself. It’s about working smarter, not harder. Incorporating activities like Pilates that emphasize flexibility and core strength, can help prevent injuries, improve back strength and overall functionality.

Focus on Consistency Over Intensity

The secret sauce to long-term fitness success is consistency. It’s better to have regular, moderate workouts than sporadic intense sessions. Consistency helps build a sustainable routine, which is key to making fitness a lifelong habit. It was this exact approach that helped me see the results in my own workouts. Adopting this approach is not only more manageable but also more enjoyable.

Think about it: a daily 20-minute walk or a short strength session can be more beneficial than an infrequent high-intensity workout. It’s about making movement a natural part of your daily life. Set realistic goals, and celebrate small victories. Over time, these consistent efforts add up to significant improvements in your health and well-being.

Pilates can easily fit into this consistent approach. Short, daily sessions focusing on different areas of the body can keep you engaged and motivated. Since you only need a mat, Pilates is easily accessible anytime, anywhere.

View Exercise as Self-Care, Not as Punishment

It’s time to shift our mindset about exercise. Instead of viewing it as a chore or a punishment, see it as an act of self-care. Exercise is your time to recharge, invest in your well-being, and show your body some love.

This perspective makes it easier to stay motivated and enjoy your workouts. When you view exercise as a gift you give to yourself, it transforms your entire approach.

Pilates, in particular, is a great form of self-care. Its focus on controlled movements and breathing can reduce stress and enhance mental clarity. As a certified Pilates instructor, I often remind my clients that Pilates is a moving meditation which promotes relaxation and mindfulness, making your workout an enjoyable experience.

Ditch Vanity-Based Metrics and Focus on How You Feel

Forget about the numbers on the scale or the size of your clothes. The true measure of a successful workout is how you feel afterward. Do you feel energized, happier, and more accomplished? These feelings are far more rewarding and sustainable than any vanity-based metric.

Listening to your body and tuning into these positive feelings can help you stay motivated and committed to your fitness routine. It’s about creating a positive feedback loop where exercise leads to feeling good, which in turn makes you want to exercise more.

Simple Shifts for Long-Term Success

Making these simple shifts in your fitness approach can transform your workouts from a dreaded task to an enjoyable and integral part of your life. These changes not only help you achieve the results you’ve been craving but also set you up for long-term success and health.

To help you get started, download my Free Rise and Align Pilates Guide. It includes five simple exercises you can incorporate into your daily routine right away, plus a few bonus goodies (because who doesn’t love free gifts?).

This Pilates Guide offers a gentle yet effective introduction to strength and flexibility training, perfectly suited for midlife and beyond. It focuses on gentle stretching and core activation, which is vital for maintaining good posture and preventing back pain.

Embrace these fitness tips, and watch how small, consistent efforts can lead to big, lasting changes.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you an active person, in your own opinion? Have you tweaked your activities to fit more with your needs after 60? What have you modified and why that particular thing?

Originally posted at: Rachel Fuda’s Grey Rainbow Hoodie

Originally posted at: Dolores Catania’s White Tie Strap Dress

I love being 64, and I’m looking forward to being 74, 84 and hopefully 94 and beyond. However, maybe I am unusual in this. In today’s society, ageing is often touted as something negative and that we should avoid at all costs. And yet, ageing is just living.

Unfortunately, most of the words that we hear in regards to ageing are limiting, negative or simply dismissive. For example, the word anti-ageing implies that we are against ageing and that ageing is something that we need to fight against.

However, growing older is a privilege. It is a powerful, natural and beautiful part of our journey through this life. Many people never get to experience the gift of old age as their life journey may have ended too early. Indeed, my own father died at the tender age of 35. So, for me, every year that I live is a blessing, and I am deeply grateful that I am still here to see another day.

Rules? What Rules?

Fortunately, we also have a generation of women who are not following the “rules” of what ageing should look like. Indeed, many business or creative endeavours were started by women (and men) in their 50s and beyond.

Interestingly, there has been an increase in entrepreneurial activity among older people in the United Kingdom, specifically. The number one reason why they wanted to set up a business later in life was that they wanted to realise a “long-held ambition.”

Indeed, our very own Margaret Manning who founded Sixty and Me is a prime example of someone who has taken the plunge and started a new business in her 60s.

And, in the USA, the 55-to-64 group accounted for 22.8% of entrepreneurs in 2021. 

Indeed, Forbes magazine highlights that “research shows that entrepreneurs in their 50s and over are twice as likely to be successful as those in their 20s – something that can be put down to one main factor: experience.” 

It’s About Mindset

However, it’s not just about starting a business, it’s about doing the things that give you joy or are passionate about what matters. It’s about knowing that you are still valued and valid and that you’re never too old to begin a new hobby, take up dancing, write a book, start a course, go sky diving or visit somewhere you have always wanted to go to.

The key factor in pursuing your dreams and goals in your 60s and beyond is in your mindset and attitude towards your own beliefs and thoughts about ageing.

The four questions below invite you to consider your own core beliefs around what ageing truly means for you. There is no right or wrong way to respond to the questions and you may like to use them as journal prompts if you love to keep a journal.

1. Am I Really Looking Forward to Growing Older and the Prospect of Ageing?

This is a powerful question to answer because it holds the key towards your attitude about your destiny and life fulfilment. It has been said that growing older is a privilege and one that not everyone gets to experience.

When you look at ageing, is your cup half full or half empty or are you just glad that you have a cup? Having a positive attitude and vision about growing older primes the mind to actively look for those experiences and opportunities which will align with your thoughts, dreams and ideas.

2. Do I Think the Young Child That I Was, WillBe Proud of the Person That I Am Today?

This lovely question invites you to review your life journey so far and acknowledge your achievements and all of the challenges or obstacles that you’ve overcome. It invites you to see how far you’ve come and appreciate all of your successes as well as the times when things didn’t work out in the way that you desired.

It helps to give a perspective on your journey and perhaps acknowledge that you have been able to take care of that inner child in ways that once felt unknowable.

3. What Is My Personal Definition of Success in My 60s and Beyond?

The definition of what success means has often been defined in extremely narrow parameters, causing many women to feel ostracised because they felt that they did not match up in some way. Being able to find your own definition of success and how this pertains to you is vital for forging a fabulous relationship with your body, mind, heart and soul.

Women who set their own definition of success have a clear sense of who they are regardless of age, body size, shape or anything else and are not swayed or influenced by what anyone else says or thinks. They know they are fabulous just as they are and they never apologise for their age, how they look or what they desire to achieve.

Whenever we try to live according to someone else’s definition of what success is, we live outside of ourselves, constantly looking for some kind of external validation that we are okay. Defining what success means to you means that YOU are in the driving seat of your life and the only validation you ever need is your own!

My own personal definition of success has changed hugely throughout the years. From the young driven woman trying so hard to prove myself in my 20s and 30s, success now means peace in my heart and time to explore what I love creatively.

4. In Terms of Loving and Looking After My Body, Are My Actions Life-Affirming or Life-Numbing?

Actions speak louder than words and in terms of really loving our bodies as we grow older, how you treat your body is the number one key to boosting your body confidence, health, vitality and wellbeing.

When your actions are life-affirming, you seek to increase your aliveness, wellbeing, vitality and health by taking a proactive approach to putting your own self-care first. Life-numbing actions include not listening to what your body needs, eating down your feelings, criticizing yourself, putting yourself last on the list of people to care about, ignoring any pain and waiting until you reach a crisis to take any positive action.

We experience every moment of our life through our amazing bodies, so it makes sense to nurture, care for and love this beautiful “home” that we live in. And in terms of healthy ageing, it can make a huge difference to how we feel about ourselves.

Some other lovely questions to ponder are, what brings you joy? What makes life worth living? What is important for you today and what are some goals that you hope to achieve in the next six months or before your next birthday?

If you would like to join me on Instagram I would be delighted to have your company. You will be the first to know about events, courses, masterclasses and receive special discounts and offers.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What are you looking to achieve by your next birthday? Is this a life-affirming goal? What does ageing mean to you?