Fitness Tips For Baby Boomers

I'm happy to see many more people get themselves into the gym or hit it outdoors for a good workout. Sadly still many other folks don't or those who do waste their time and see little to no results, ending frustrated and dropping from their fitness programs. 

Many of these I've noticed lately are people over the age of 45 and up. So with you my dear friend in mind, I decided to write this article today and give some great fitness tips that will keep you working towards your goals in a safe, healthy and challenging way.

In my opinion, Participating in exercise activity at any age does wonders for your body. However increasing your level of activity after the age of 40 is even more important to do so. Here’s why: a recent study published at Science Daily, showed a group of sedentary and overweight older people placed on a four-month exercise program not only became more fit, but burned off more fat, compared to older sedentary people who were placed on a diet but did not exercise. Yet not all fitness programs are created equal and not all of them are right for everybody. It’s time for baby boomers to break away from the old school ‘no pain, no gain” workouts of the past, that mentality and type of exercise regimen just doesn’t works. Currently, people in their 40’s and 60’s are stuck in the endless rut of hours of long, slow, and boring cardio routines mixed with the classic 100 sit-ups a day routine. All of the studies show that this primitive style of exercise provides no results and can cause lots of nagging aches and pains.

On the positive side there are many time-efficient training protocols that men and women can immediately implement to reverse this trend. So check out my top 3 fitness tips for baby boomers below:

1.) It’s all about posture: We live in a sedentary society that spends most of the day seated and hunched over at a desk. Plus, as people age they tend to start rounding their shoulders even more appearing "hunchbacked” (you know the computer syndrome type person). Furthermore, most individuals are dominant with some body parts and only decide to exercise those and neglect the key muscles of their body resulting in a muscular imbalance that further degrades posture and increases risk for injury. My take is that folks should focus on incorporating exercises train your entire body, which creates a balance between lower and upper body; between the muscles in the front of your body and the ones on your shoulders and back. In turn this type of work will improve your posture and promote optimal shoulder health. For best results, end each workout by stretching out those muscles you’ve worked.

2.) Get off the Treadmill: Too many folks especially women and baby boomers jump on the treadmill or elliptical and go for 30-60+ minutes at a time wondering why they can't get any results. Most of the times I see them walk into the gym with a book or spending the entire time talking on the phone while doing their cardio… Studies have showed that 45 hours of aerobics had zero weight loss effect over dieting alone. So start by ditching the long, slow, and boring cardio and opt for high-intensity interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery. Interval workouts are scientifically proven to burn nine times more body fat than ordinary exercise and can be completed in 20-minutes or less. This is a corner stone in all of my training programs, whether it’s 1-on-1 personal training, boot camp or online coaching, with all of my clients showing great results and enjoying what they do, especially if they are short on time. Plus, you can save your joints by doing intervals on a bike or even while running in place in the comfort of your own home. Of course depending on your current fitness level and overall health you should adapt the workout. Talk to a fitness expert to guide in the right direction!

3.) Sit-ups don’t work: I want to say to you today: Sit-ups are for suckers!!!! New research has uncovered that old school ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups are not only useless for burning belly fat (spot reduction doesn't work) but can hurt your neck and back. These exercises are particularly dangerous for people over 40 years old. Building a strong mid-section requires more than just the typical ab exercises. Sure everyone would like to have six pack abs to show off, but there a many reasons why someone should and needs to be training their ab muscles in a proper way. The proper Core Training approach should focus on dynamic and static stabilization exercises that emphasize maintaining a neutral spine position rather than traditional lumbar flexion exercises of the past. Properly training your Core is essential in the treatment and prevention of spinal pain and other musculoskeletal aches. So upgrade your core workouts and flatten your midsection with total body core stability exercises like push-ups, bridges, and planks to improve posture, prevent injury, and elevate metabolism.

For more information on The Essence of Core Training click here to read.

Eduardo Lorenzo, NASM-CPT, Fitness & Fat Loss Specialist, is considered one of Manatee County best personal trainer. To get a free 1-week trial to experience the best Bradenton’s personal training and for more info on his rapid weight loss Strength & Conditioning Boot Camp for women, please visit http://fitlorenzo.blogspot.com and/or contact then at info@fitlorenzo.com or call 941-301-9352. The program guarantees to help you drop a full clothing size in your first month as a member or your money back.