Fitness After 50 - Strategies to Help with Motivation

The photos in this post were taken this morning while I was on a two hour hike.  Keep reading to find out how photography helps me stay fit.

If you are a lady or a man over 50 you know as I do how hard it can be to maintain a healthy weight.  For us ladies I can attest to how hard it gets once we hit menopause. 

This post isn't about menopause or how hard it is to loose weight.  It's about strategies that have helped me that I want to share.

1.  For me it helps to have a routine.  To create continuity I get up and go to bed at approximately the same time every day.  That creates body memory so that it becomes habit.  I do the same thing with exercise.

I like to exercise first thing in the morning before I do anything else.  That way, no matter what, it's done.  I can check it off of my get healthy and stay healthy list.

2.  There are so many different types of exercise.  Pick one that you love and don't get tired of.  For me that's walking.  To make walking exercise it should be done at a brisk pace.  It shouldn't be a stroll, although even that's better than nothing.

3.  Incorporate a hobby into exercise.  I enjoy photography.  So several days a week I take a two hour hike and take lots of photos along the way.  You could do this with running or biking as well.  I love photography.  I will literally take a photo of anything.  It does reduce the exercise value because I stop frequently but my photo hikes are typically twice as long in duration I'm ok with it.  I become so absorbed in the photography that I completely loose track of time. 

4.   Join a group.  I hike alone but my husband enjoys exercising with others so he's been part of swimming teams and running clubs.  If you enjoy the socialization that comes with group activities, find a group to exercise with.  It's a great motivator.

5.  Use a fitness tracker.  For Christmas last year I bought myself and my husband smart watches that track out fitness.  I use mine for walking primarily; he uses his mostly for swimming and we both use them for cycling.

I find these strategies very helpful and I hope that anyone who comes across them will too.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by.