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.

2018 New Year's Resolutions

This time a year ago I sat at this computer, desperate to make some major changes in my life.  Some things I know I cannot control and some of them I can.  I knew I could change the course my health was on.  So many times before I had failed on this front.  For some reason, unknown to me I was very successful this time.  Maybe I was just ready.  I'm really not sure, but once I set my mind to it last January, I never gave up.  I faltered many times but I just kept going.  My reward at the end of the year was a much slimmer, healthier, happier me. I made my goal of loosing 40 pounds by October 2017.  Having achieved that I immediately started on loosing another 10 pounds, which would give me a 50 pound loss for the year. 

I didn't make that second goal.  I was within two pounds when the holiday season hit.  Try as I might to stay on track I gave in to overeating and eating off plan and I gained back several pounds.

So as I sit here I'm ready to set my goals for 2018.  I want to get down into the low 120's.  I'm short and round and I need to get there to be at my best health as I continue my journey through the last stage of my life. 

Weight loss was not my only goal last year, but it was the major one.  So, what else will I strive to achieve in 2018?

I'll continue my goal of reading more.  My goal remains to read a novel each month.  I fell way short last year so I think I will dedicate one evening each week as my no tv night.  I think that's the only way I'll make my goal.

I'm going to work on flexibility this coming year.  To that end I'll start doing P90X Stretch Tuesday and Thursday mornings instead of my normal 3 mile walk/jog.  I've made great progress in this area, but I need to dedicate planned time for each each week.

I want to learn a new skill.  I'm going to learn how to crochet.  I've found some online resources and there's a local yarn store that offers classes.  One way or the other I'm going to be a crocheter by the end of the year.

I'm going to start job hunting soon.  In February I will be at my current job three years.  It's not where I want to be and I've been patiently waiting and learning everything I can where I am.  I'm hoping my experience and skills will help me find something somewhere else.

That's it.  It's not a long list and it's a list I think I can achieve.