Starting or resuming exercise in midlife
Here’s the good news: Research shows that starting or resuming exercise habits in your 50s or 60s, particularly if you’re already in good health, may have a protective effect. A recent study done in the UK on older adults found that the participants who regularly did moderate to vigorous physical activity were up to four times more likely to be “healthy agers”. Healthy agers are defined as those who had no major chronic disease, no major cognitive impairments, and no physical limitations. They were also in good mental health. 
The interesting thing about the study is the finding that those participants who became active during the study also benefited greatly compared to people who reported being sedentary. The wisdom to be gleaned from this research? If you are in reasonably good health now, and want to stay healthy, it’s not too late to start or resume an exercise routine. If you’re not in good health, stay as active as you possibly can, to slow the decline into disease and disability.
The payoff for getting back into a fitness routine is big. More and more exercise is understood as a kind of medicine. It can prevent and treat so many of the conditions we now throw drugs at.
While we know that getting back into shape after a long stretch without exercising is no easy task, there are some tools that can help. The biggest hurdle is getting up and getting started. One you get the ball rolling it’s easier to keep it rolling. Finding a group or club that has the same interest in an activity you enjoy is one way to gain support for getting into better shape. Dancing, walking, bowling, swimming, gardening, the list goes on and on. The point is to start moving more than you are now. Also very helpful are the new fitness apps and trackers available now. They can create a sort of virtual responsibility for making exercise a priority.
Here at Harmony Senior Homes we know how important it is to maintain or revive good health. For more information about our Adult Family Homes and all of our services see Harmony Senior Homes .