Articles on Fitness | Topic: fitness
by Ellie Tanner
For those of us who are in our fifties or above, motivating to get fit can be a little intimidating. A few years, or even a decade, may have passed without any consistent exercise. Children and grandchildren, jobs, and figuring out your retirement plans have made your life seem busier than ever. The body may try to tell you that getting into a routine of exercise is too daunting of a task in your less youthful body. You may wonder how much working out may have changed since the last time you were in a gym or aerobics class. The fact is that all of those concerns will quickly slip away after a week or two of getting used to a fitness track; but, knowing that doesn't always make it easier to get there. You really just need to find a little motivation to make those first steps. Many in the fifty-plus crowd have found a great source for motivation by partnering up with one of their fifty-plus friends. Both of you get to start something new together, and that makes many of the excuses and insecurities about a fitness plan just disappear. Fitness companions get to encourage and motivate one another, and they get to socialize in a fun way at the same time. A buddy is precisely what people in the fifties-plus crowd are calling their best tool for fitness support and motivation.
While you and your buddy's bodies are getting into the swing of a new workout routine, you will be able to get your mind off of your muscles with some catching up. Imagine how different a three or four-mile walk would be without your workout pal and you being able to chat and laugh. You will also be able to try out a variety of activities which need more than one person, like tennis, racquetball or bowling. With your fitness pal, finding new activities to try will seem more like an adventure than just a workout. Although, it isn't always the best idea, depending on the kind of class and instructor you have, to socialize away during a class, having a buddy with you whom you can once in awhile grimace with and send knowing looks acknowledging the work your bodies are doing, can make a workout seem like something you can get through. Especially in the beginning, when muscles may be weak and the heart wants to slow you down, a friend's smile can give you an extra bit of strength. Having your fifty-plus companion in your aqua, step or weight-training class with you will make it easier to take that first step into the workout area. So what, if everyone in the class has been there for months and they all know each other? You and your pal have each other for the first few days that you are new.
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Critics generally come to be critics not by reason of their fitness for this, but of their unfitness for anything else. Books should be tried by a judge and jury as though they were a crime, and counsel should be heard on both sides.
| —Samuel Butler (1835–1902) |
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With a busy lifestyle that is moving toward retirement, it will be easy to make excuses for why you are unable to make it to the gym. Your companion and you can motivate one another to stay on track. Friends can challenge you to do just one more push-up or to walk another half of a mile. A buddy which has known you a long time will also be able to call your bluff when you are trying to say you don't have enough time to fit in a workout. Likewise, once you encourage them, you have to make sure you show up, too. After so much time invested in your loved ones, you and your workout buddy can encourage each other to take time for yourselves and your friendship in a new, productive way.
Maybe you have recently been urged by your doctor to start working out, or perhaps you just want to feel better about your body and self with some preventative action. Either way, having a friend to workout with can make all the difference. Friends support us through all aspects of our lives, so it makes sense that they could also help us motivate to workout. With a workout pal, finding physical activities to do together can be a fun rebirth to fuller wellness for both of you.
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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Buddy Up – Companions Make Physical Fitness Fun for the Fifty-Plus Crowd" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com. |
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