Best Workouts for Women Over 50

Getting active helps rebuild lost muscle mass, and it can also help lower your risk of various chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, it can keep your brain sharp and prevent you from falling into a slump.

Different types of exercise are needed for different people. For instance, aerobic exercise helps boost your heart rate and burn calories. However, strength and weight training are also important to keep your muscles ready to take action. Balance training on the other hand is essential for older individuals as it can help prevent falls.

For optimal health, lower-impact exercises are better for your joints as they minimize the impact of pounding and jumping. Varying your exercise so you get the most benefits is important, but stick to things you like!

From fun activities in your free time to effective strength training exercises, here are the workouts that women over 50 should prioritize!

1. Swimming

Like other cardiovascular activities, swimming helps raise blood flow and oxygen levels in the body. It can also help improve overall health and endurance. In addition, it can lower one's blood pressure and reduce the likelihood of developing lung and heart diseases.

Unlike other cardio workouts, swimming is gentle on your joints. This means that it can be performed without pressure on your spine, knees, and hips. It can also help alleviate joint pain and arthritis.

Swimming can help lower the risk of developing osteoporosis. Like other exercises, it can also improve one's bone mineral density, which is very important for women over the age of 50. Unfortunately, a third of them break a bone due to the condition.

Not only does it improve one's strength and tone, but swimming can also help boost cardiovascular fitness. It uses various muscle groups and can be used for resistance training and cardiovascular exercise. By regularly practicing swimming, one can see the development of lean muscle tone.

Swimming can also help improve mental health, which can help lower one's stress levels and improve one's cognitive function. It can additionally help combat loneliness and social isolation, which can lead to depression among older individuals.

2. Cycling

For women, cycling can help them control their weight by increasing their metabolic rate and building muscle. It can also help them lose fat and improve their body composition.

Cycling can help people lose weight by triggering a caloric deficit, which occurs when the body expends a greater amount of energy than it takes in. Since burning 3,500 calories equates to the loss of about a pound of fat, regular exercise can help people lose weight.

For women, cycling offers several cardiovascular benefits. It can help them improve their heart health by increasing their heart rate and circulation. It can also strengthen their heart muscles and help them maintain a healthy and balanced body. Through cycling, one can train their heart to maximize its efficiency and endurance.

Cycling can help improve lung health due to how it can increase the volume of air that one exhales and breathes. This type of exercise can also help them improve their respiratory system's efficiency by strengthening the muscles that are involved in gas exchange.

Those who are going through or have already gone through menopause can benefit from cycling, as it helps regulate one's hormones and improves one's cardiovascular health. It also helps boost the endorphin levels and prevents bone loss, which are concerns for post-menopause.

3. Walking

The leading cause of death among older adults is cardiovascular disease, and walking can help  lower bad cholesterol and keep the heart healthy. In addition, regular walking can help boost blood circulation and improve overall health.

Studies have shown that walking can help reduce anxiety and depression. It can also help you relax and take a break from the daily grind. One of the most important factors that people can consider when it comes to enhancing their mental health is getting out in nature!

Although many people do not realize that arthritis is a natural part of aging, it is still something that can happen as you get older. Some people avoid exercise because they are afraid of feeling pain, but walking can actually help alleviate some of the pain and inflammation in your joints.

As people get older, falling is a common concern due to the lower bone density, which can increase the risk of fractures. Having a consistent walking routine can help prevent this issue. It requires the ability to maintain a steady and balanced body, and walking repetitively helps improve the stability of your body and decrease the likelihood of falling.

4. Yoga

Your body starts to lose its elasticity as you age, which can lead to various issues such as reduced flexibility and slower and weaker performance. This is why it's important to have a different perspective on your physical goals. One can modify their practice to address common conditions, but yoga can often help alleviate these issues.

Yoga can help with lots of conditions, such as lower lung capacity or heart problems. It can also improve bone density and reduce muscle loss.

As you get older, your bone density starts to decrease, which can result in conditions such as osteoporosis and osteopenia. Certain people have a higher risk of developing fractures due to accelerated bone loss. Although gender and genetics play a role in how much bone you lose, physical activity and weight-bearing activities can help keep bones strong.

Although weight-bearing exercises can slightly increase bone density, they are not as effective as yoga. Besides being beneficial for your skeleton, yoga can also improve balance and body awareness.

People who have experienced back pain are advised to strengthen their core, as doing so will improve the support of the spine. Any movement that you do will strengthen this part of your body, and as your body moves in new ways, your stabilizing muscles will have to adapt to accommodate the new movements. There are specific poses that can help strengthen this area.

Many people over the age of 50 suffer from ligament tears, which can occur due to the stress placed on certain joints. As the body ages, it can start to put excessive pressure on these joints, which could lead to damage. If the ligaments are not strong enough, you may eventually need a replacement joint.

In addition to strengthening the joints, yoga can also help people with ligament issues. For instance, strengthening the hamstring, quadriceps, and glutes can help protect your knees. Leg strengthening is also done through a variety of yoga lunge poses.

5. Weight Training 

Our bodies start to lose muscle mass as we get older , which is referred to as sarcopenia. One of the most effective ways to reverse this process is by training your muscles. Doing resistance workouts helps maintain mobility and strength.

Contrary to popular belief, strength training can’t damage or speed up the wear and tear of joints. It can help maintain a healthy and stable musculoskeletal system by strengthening the muscles and promoting cartilage growth. Doing weight-bearing exercises can also help prevent joint deterioration.

The metabolic rate of muscle tissue is higher than that of fat tissue, which helps keep you burning more calories at rest. Strength training helps build muscle and allow you to manage your weight more easily. This is especially beneficial for women over 50, as their metabolism tends to slow down due to hormonal changes.

Strength training can help improve mental health, as it can help decrease depression and anxiety symptoms. It can also help enhance cognitive function, which is important as people get older. Exercising regularly helps boost the release of endorphins, which are the natural mood-lifters in our bodies, and supports the growth of new brain cells.

Strength training exercises:

• Chair squats: Hold your hands at chest level and slowly place your hands on the seat. Keep in mind that while touching the seat bottom, don't extend yourself into the chair.

• Deadlift: Straighten your feet and position yourself with your legs and knees bent. Hold this position for a few seconds, bend your knee, and maintain a neutral back. Then, slide the weights toward the sides of your legs and thighs. Keep your body moving forward as you stand up, and repeat the exercise.

• Chest press: Lie on a bench with your elbows bent and dumbbell in both hands. Press the weights toward the ceiling with both hands.

At Goal Five , you can find the right workout attire to feel your most confident and strong self as you grow into your 50s and beyond. Which workouts are you planning on trying out? Let us know!