How to start exercising fearlessly after 50

Photo by madison lavern on Unsplash

What exercises can I do now?

If you are going to start slowly, start with a beginner’s yoga class. 

Another thing you can do is get a jogging app that will help you build up your jogging practice.  I use one that makes me walk for a minute and jog for 90 seconds, adding more time as I do more.

My New Yoga Challenge

Yoga is an awesome exercise- especially if you find a great teacher.

I did a lot of yoga years ago, and I loved it. When I lived in Miami, I went to different yoga studios and had my favorite teachers, but didn’t want to get attached to any specific person or form, so I always tried out new places.

I was in good “yoga” shape. I did it for more than ten years, but I was not a yoga acrobat – I liked slow practices with long stretches and deep breathing. Five years of no yoga is a long time, and getting back into it has been difficult, frustrating, and awkward, so I changed my mindset.

Pretend To Be a Newbie

I decided to forget everything that I could do in the past and pretend that it was the first time I’d ever encountered yoga.

Since we are still dealing with the pandemic, I’m doing this on my own, at home. I searched for many online classes and chose to try out Yoga with Adrienne. I have referred to her classes before and am now on the 21-Day Challenge. The exercises are ideal for a newbie like me, and I’m enjoying Adrienne’s teaching method.

 Adrienne starts the class by setting the pace: slow. I think it’s important when a teacher knows how to slow down our energy to get into yoga mode. It helps us focus on what we are doing and, most importantly, be aware of our capabilities so we don’t get hurt.

 During the yoga class, Adrienne makes sure that we use breathing to ease into each pose. The stretches are slow, giving me time to challenge myself.

I have to stop myself from thinking how easy all this was many years ago; my ego wants me to rush into things, so I focus on breathing to change my thoughts.

They say that it takes 21 days to create a new habit, and I hope to look at my new yoga practice differently by then.  I don’t know if I will try other exercises after a month of yoga or if I will develop this practice.  The long-term commitment is not important at this stage.  I think it’s essential to go day by day!

Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash

Creating a new exercise habit

I started jogging with the British app NHS Couch to 5. This app has helped me believe in the power of starting everything slowly and to enjoy exercising.

We begin by jogging for three minutes and then walking for a few minutes. The plan is to add minutes to the jogging and eventually reduce the amount of time spent walking.

I always do a ten-minute stretch when I get home from a jog.

You don’t notice that you are doing better weekly because it is so gradual. The best part is that there is absolutely no pain during or after. I have started to jog many times and stopped because I always overdid it on the first few tries.

The method of slow increments has worked out very well for me.

 Start exercising very slowly, and schedule it so that it becomes part of your daily routine. What are your favorite activities or apps for exercise?

Main Photo by Katee Lue on Unsplash

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Updated June 8,2024