We are anti-ageism, especially when people tell us we cannot do something. So when I heard about an article written in The Readers Digest stating 14 Exercises You Should Avoid If You’re Over 50 (which has now been updated to 14 Exercises You Should Modify If You Are Over 50, after public outcry), I did not know whether to laugh or cry! Have they not seen us strong, sporty over 50s?
The simple 14 exercises they said never to do?
- Running stairs
- Bikram or hot yoga
- High-intensity interval training
- Spin class
- Push-ups
- Squats with weights
- Bench press
- Burpees
- Pull-ups
- Crunches
- Deadlift
- Jumping lunges
- Sprints
- Leg presses
This is proof you should not believe what you read! Midlife is a great time to get in shape. Your body benefits from exercise at every age.
Studies show that individuals who adopt an active lifestyle at any age can demonstrate improvements in strength, endurance, balance, and cognitive performance.
Although high impact exercise like running can be hard on your joints, many people still benefit from it and the key is to build up your distance and intensity.
Plus, in contrast to the RD approach of taking it easy, there are long-term benefits of exercise. Working your body into overload, meaning pushing strength, flexibility, and cardio conditioning forces your body to adapt to more stressful requirements. Adding weight training is good for long-term bone health and general strength.
Let’s show them this is bollocks! Tag yourself doing one of the exercises and tag their Instagram handle @readersdigest.
By Louise Proddow
