“Who told you it was too late? And more importantly, why did you choose to believe them?” ―
MindfulEaters, new research shows that if you have been a couch potato until you are 50, and THEN you start exercising, you will do just as well as the athlete that has been exercising since she was a teenager! A lot of research has gone into showing that regular exercise helps older adults maintain health and cognitive thinking - we've even covered it here. Now there is also a recent study that suggests physically fit young people have healthier white matter. So everyone get up and move! Get your kids, parents and grandparents on a regular exercise regimen to improve heart, mental, diabetes and overall health.
Starting exercise late in life? A study shows that if you begin intense exercise training in mid-life, you bank many of the same benefits as lifelong athletes. The study compared runners who had been racing for decades against runners that didn't start training and competing until after 50. Guess what? Both groups were similarly swift, lean and well-muscled. So if you're a masters athlete, you will be a paragon of "healthy aging" no matter how old you were when you first got off the couch and laced up your shoes.
HOWEVER, that doesn't mean you should wait until 50 to exercise.
Physically fit young people have better health and healthier brains. We all know that regular exercise and a stronger heart/body helps with diabetes and a slew of other physical ailments. It's been shown that higher levels of physical fitness have beneficial effects on cognitive function and grey matter in your brain for older adults. What about younger adults? The connection between exercise and younger brains hasn't been studied extensively, but a new German study in Nature suggests that fitter adults in their 20s have better memory and thinking skills. So while you can pick up regular exercise habits at any age, it will serve you well to do so at the earliest age possible.
Ready? Get the whole family, lace up your sneakers and move!
What to do - Start Exercising Regularly
- Find your motivation to exercise. Maybe it's to have more energy, sleep better, play with your kids, look great in a swim suit or not be pathetic. There are so many reasons - exercise makes you smarter, more attractive and more fun. Whatever your motivation is, hold tight to it and make a commitment to yourself.
- Plan your exercise. Figure out the three times a week you can do it, and the right time - morning, afternoon, evening. It can be a mix of all three, depending on the day.
- Read this post on mindful exercise on how to get started.
- Take time to feel awesome after every workout. You're getting closer to your goal and you should be proud of yourself.
Inspiration when you don't want to exercise
- Hate exercise? Read this.
- You took an exercise break and are having trouble getting back into it?
- It's cold outside!
- True story from someone who started running at 45
- You don't know how to get started. Here's the plan for mindful exercise
What I ate: 12 oz green juice, blueberries, 12 oz coffee + oat milk, brown rice, sautéed spinach, fried tofu, seaweed, bamboo, Skinnypop protein cheese popcorn, Laughing Cow breadsticks + cheese, freeze dried strawberries and carrots, macadamia nuts, peanut butter dark chocolate cup, water
Exercise: 4.7 mile run
