Improve overall fitness, even at the age of 50

BABY, it’s cold outside, but even if you’re willing to bundle up and go for a run or sprint to the gym to work out, should you?

I have a meaningful exercise routine, and I have never felt better. I am still glowing from that moment a few months ago when, at 59, I crossed the finish, for the first time, at the Marine Corps Marathon. At a certain point, when you get to a certain age – say, 60, which I’ll be this month – it is not just about your willingness to exercise. It is about your readiness for exercise.

“Whether you’re a competitive athlete or a recreational one, either finding an intuitive understanding of your readiness to exercise or using some external measures can improve your overall fitness and help you avoid injury,” according to sports medicine specialist and physical therapist Kevin McGuinness, who practises at Washington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine.

Exercising, particularly as you age, might also require a more scientific approach to how you were feeling and how you were doing, he said.

The good news is that there is some promising research on exercise readiness, according to Carwyn Sharp, chief science officer at the National Strength and Conditioning Association in Colorado Springs.

One way is to monitor your resting heart rate, which can help you understand how well you are recovering from your previous exercise session. If you keep a log of your resting heart rate, you will get a sense of what is normal for you. If it was higher than usual, McGuinness said, that was often a sign your nervous system might be overstressed.

Sharp said individuals could measure their heart rate first thing in the morning. Using sleep trackers to plot the amount of quality sleep you were getting could also help you determine how well you were recovering from your training, McGuinness said. – The Washington Post

Walker is a wellness blogger and the author of Getting My Bounce Back: How I Got Fit, Healthier, And Happier (And You Can, Too), out next month