If you are anything like the majority of people in midlife, your fitness level leaves a lot to be desired.
You probably already know that exercise is one of the main pillars of good health, alongside good nutrition and sleep.
But peeling yourself off the couch to hit the gym is just beyond your will power on most occasions.
What doesn’t help is that the stuff that used to work in the past no longer seems to do the job.
It’s because in midlife things are different than they used to be when we were younger.
And so you need strategies that will work for you today, at this stage of your life.
Following the 80/20 principle asserting that 80% of results can usually be attributed to only 20% of the actions we take, I’ve been in search of these forms of fitness and exercise that are most impactful and sustainable in midlife.
What you’ll find below are four ways to bring your fitness to the level you haven’t seen in years.
Walking
One study after the other point to the numerous health benefits of walking. Ideal frequency, length or intensity differ depending on which study you read, but 30 minutes daily is a good place to start from.
Apart from the obvious health benefits (some of which you can find here), walking is one of my favourites. Here are some of the reasons why:
- Convenience: You can practically walk almost anytime and everywhere
- You can experience the world: Walking is the right speed to feel the world around you with all your senses, experience its beauty and feel alive
- It’s
relaxing : A great way to slow down, get grounded and be present - It boosts creativity: One of the best ways for problem solving and ideas generation
- Great to have a chat with someone: Some of the best conversations I remember took place during a walk
- No cost: No gear needed
So yes, just walk, anytime, anywhere with company or alone!
Sports
There are countless sports you could engage in, with different ranges of intensity, risks, benefits and required wallet sizes. Tennis, surfing, basketball, golfing, soccer – the list could go on and on.
Aside the unique different benefits of each, sports are great because:
- They are social: They offer an excellent opportunity to engage with others and make friends. Even in individual sports, people tend to group with others sharing the same passion. In midlife, socializing can be tricky. Sports offer an opportunity to meet people that we wouldn’t otherwise
- Sustainability: Since you enjoy it, it is so much more likely to stick with the activity for the long haul
So, if you are into a sport, enjoy it and make sure you don’t grow out of it!
Yoga
Hitting midlife, one thing I noticed is how my mobility has suffered. Getting dressed and undressed was no longer effortless. Putting on socks and shoes without sitting down on a low chair, or getting my jacket on had become a challenge.
There are numerous benefits of yoga for men, and here are the ones I have experienced during the past year and a half of practising consistently:
- I rediscovered my body: Getting into and holding some of the positions of yoga can be a challenge and I have discovered the limits of my body, in terms of strength and flexibility.
- Improved mobility: I expanded the range of my body’s motion and everyday movements become effortless, in some cases, better than ever before. And, it keeps getting better day after day.
- Better sleep: Falling asleep has become easier and the quality of sleep has improved, judging on how I feel in the morning.
- Less stress: Not only a yoga session feels great after a long stressful day, but it helps me be calmer and more focused during the day.
- It just feels good: Straight from the start, yoga made me feel great, an overall good feeling of wellness.
If I had to choose only one activity for overall wellness, without hesitation, it would be yoga!
Calisthenics
What’s that again? Here is the definition of Calisthenics in Wikipedia:
Calisthenics is a form of exercise consisting of a variety of gross motor movements—running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc.—often performed rhythmically and with minimal equipment, as bodyweight exercises.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calisthenics
Studies, like this one, indicate that muscle mass index is a good predictor of longevity in older adults.
So, you might think that lifting weights is the way to go.
At first glance, callisthenics looks like a primary school gym class. “Surely you cannot build muscle with this!” someone could
Indeed, callisthenics mostly involves bodyweight exercises, like pull-ups, pushups, etc.
However, let me ask.
When was the last time you tried to pull your full weight, from fully hanging, up to clearing your chin over a bar?
How many full range pushups-from full hands extension to your chest touching the ground-can you do now?
Go ahead and give it a go. If you find it easy, then sure, go for the weights.
Unless you are superhuman, you’ll probably feel the challenge of having to pull and push just your body weight.
Here are some of the most important benefits of calisthenics, especially for men in midlife:
- Not much equipment needed: You can do it anytime, everywhere, you can even do it at home. Although I prefer the calisthenics gym as the process is more of a ritual, you workout in a group, you learn, challenge and support each other and you are more likely to stay the course as you feel more accountable to the group.
- You gain functional strength: This is the balanced, overall strength we need to get through life and everyday movements and tasks. Calisthenics involve bodyweight compound movements that engage all body’s muscles.
- It’s safer: Handling just your own weight without any other equipment or machinery is less risky. Also, weights or machinery can put excessive pressure on isolated muscles increasing the risk of injury.
- Great variety of exercises, you will keep progressing and never get bored
In midlife, performing regularly any one of the above four activities is a good start. If you can do two, even better, three is great; four would be amazing.
The challenge for most of us is time. We never seem to have enough.
So I have another question for you:
Have you ever logged how much time you spend watching TV, or on social media?
An average person spends 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networking and messaging platforms alone according to this report.
And how important is your health to you? How important are you to your family and loved ones?
A good way to make sure that you find the time to work out is to put exercise on your calendar, just like you would a business meeting.
What works for me is to schedule a wellness activity at least 5 or 6 times a week.
Of course, I never manage to do it all, since… life happens!
Working later and missing the yoga class, a last-minute important business dinner, not being able to wake up early enough for the gym before work as I could not fall asleep the night before, etc.
However, scheduling a wellness activity 5 to 6 times a week, I usually manage to do 3 to 4 workout sessions, 50/50 between yoga and
Considering that walking is mostly taken care of at work and walking the dog, I get to achieve my fitness goals through this routine without fail.
So, can you find those 5 to 6 spots in your weekly calendar?
Don’t wait, fill them in with your wellness activities, before… life happens!
Don’t follow the midlife crowd, take control and be a midlife contrarian!
