Best Exercises For Women Over 50

Shape-up your legs with Lunges

Exercise classes to help motivate you

Shape up and Get Strong | Women Over 50

Are you a little confused about what exercises are best for women over 50? Do you struggle with being motivated to exercise?

The key is to exercise smarter and find something you enjoy. In this blog, I’ll explain a few myths about exercise for women over 50 and the 5 best exercises for women’s health.

As a woman, in my 50s now, I have explored many types of exercise. It’s important to know that we all have different body types, personalities, and goals. Every woman needs to find the right exercise, especially for their age, plus something she will enjoy. If you enjoy the exercise, you will stick to it and get results. You don’t need to work out for hours to shape up.

I have worked in the fitness industry for over 20 years and helped many women with their health and fitness. Plus this has helped me with my own health journey. The biggest challenge for a lot of women over 50, including myself is eating, motivation, and menopause. Some women focus too much on fitness and not enough on strength and balance. Other women may only do strength training or gym, and not any balance or flexibility work. Working on fitness, strength, and balance are the three key important areas of exercise for women over 50 and 60.

If you have never exercised or have some health concerns, I would first highly recommend seeing your doctor and getting clearance to exercise and a general health check-up.

Women over 50 who work on strength, balance, and fitness equally achieve a more balanced body and mind. Plus you can shape up at the same time when you learn to eat right! Let me explain more about the three main areas of exercise next.

Benefits of Exercise for Women Over 50 | 3 Key Areas

1. Fitness

   Let’s talk about fitness (cardio). Once you have medical clearance, you can start with daily walks, to build your fitness. Start with 15-20 minutes a day for at least four to five times a week. Then build up to a minimum of 30 minutes a day. This will help your cardiovascular system, by strengthening your heart and lungs. When your fitness is good it helps with reducing body fat, which helps [s you shape up. Your circulation and energy levels will improve. You will also build strength in your legs. Or you may even want to ride a bike or swim instead of walking. Start with small steps and slowly increase. Going for walks is free!

2. Strength

   Next is building strength for women over 50. Building strength in your muscles and bones is very important. The way to strengthen your muscles and bones is by weight training or performing bodyweight exercises like; squats, lunges, planks, pushups, pullups, and balance exercises. I will talk more about these exercises later, so keep reading. Building strength in your muscles will help reduce osteoporosis in the bones. Don’t be afraid of doing weight training. You won’t get big and bulky! Our body loses muscle as we age, especially after 40, and our metabolism decreases. So we need to build and maintain our muscles in the body for strength, our bones, and to firm up.

   Another way to build strength and shape up in your 50s is with Pilates. A lot of women have found Pilates helps them tone up, especially around the tummy. I teach mat work Pilates classes using resistance bands, which add extra resistance to help build strength to the whole body and tone up more. More information on this link, about my beginner Pilates online classes at home. It’s important to know we can’t spot reduced fat in areas in the body! Learn more on the best 5 beginners Pilates exercises.

3. Balance

   The last exercise which is important to women over 50 is balance. In both Yoga and Pilates, you practice balance movements or positions. When we improve our balance, we reduce the chance of falls and injuries. Balance exercises will also strengthen our core and body, as you will engage more muscles in the body. So what is a good balance exercise to practice if you are over 50? In Yoga, there are many balance poses, and the best one for beginners is the tree pose. Another balance exercise is to lift one foot off the ground and try to be still and hold for as long as you can. You can use a wall or chair in the beginning until you build your strength and balance. Always keep your eyes focused on something, engage your core, and keep still with your legs and hips.

5 Best Exercises to Shape Up | Women Over 50

1. Squats: Start with your legs and buttocks. Start with your feet hip-width or a little wider. Engage your core by drawing the navel towards the spine. Start to move your hips back (imagining you are sitting on a chair), and then the knees bend. Squat down where you feel comfortable and hold anywhere from a few seconds to seconds. You can then build up to a minute and use dumbbells when you are stronger. You can also use a wall for support. Place your feet a few feet away from the wall.

2. Pushups: Next work your upper body. Start by using the wall until you build strength. Place your hands on the wall shoulder-width and below shoulder height. Feet are about 2 feet away from the wall. Slowly move your chest towards the wall, then away. Don’t forget to engage your core. If you have no issues with wrists or shoulders, you can try on your knees, or on the floor. Try a couple of sets of 10-15 repetitions.

3. Floor backbends: Ly on your tummy. Keep your eyes down and chin in. Arms beside your body and palms down. Slowly lift your chest, arms, and legs off the ground. Aim to hold for a few seconds. When you build strength in your back body, start to hold longer. Try to do 5-10 lifts. These are great for posture and building strength in the whole back body. Don’t forget to squeeze your glutes (buttocks).

4. Lunges: Place one leg in front and feet still hip-width. Engage your core. Start to bend both knees slightly, then come up. Once you build strength in your legs you can lunge deeper. Aim to hold anywhere from 10-15 on each side. Rest, then do another set. Lunges are great for shaping up legs and buttocks.

5. Planks: You can do planks on your knees and on your elbows/forearms if you have sensitive wrists. Planks will strengthen your whole body, especially the core. Try to do a couple of planks for 5 seconds, and build up to a minute. Engage your core. Shoulders are over the hands. Hips and shoulders are on the same level. Firm your front thighs when you hold the plank. Brace with your core and breath!

You can warm up by doing a short walk before starting these exercises.

Watch my demonstration short video on how to perform these 5 exercises safely.

Do you live on Russell Island? Jodie from Kevala Health offers outdoor fitness exercise classes. These strength and fitness classes are perfect for those over 50. Read here for more information on Kevala Health’s Bootcamp - Fitcamp classes.

Eat right to shape up! If getting in shape is at the top of your list, then don’t forget the eating! If you are an emotional eater, then maybe it’s time to get some professional advice on how to work with these emotions. If we can change to positive eating habits we would be 70-80% closer to our shaping-up goals. Eat more fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, pulses, and lentils. Less processed foods, reduce fat and sugars and aim to reduce alcohol. More information on healthy eating habits.

Remember it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Whether it’s exercise or eating habits. Be patient and ask for help. If you are a woman who needs to be motivated, then try an exercise class either face-to-face or online. Or find a friend who will join you. Aim to exercise four to five times a week, mix it up and have fun doing it.

“Time to move it, so you don’t lose it”.

You can try a Kevala Health online yoga or live Pilates class for 14-days free, to help you get healthy.