5 Exercise Habits that Destroy Your Body by Age 50

The importance of exercise in keeping healthy cannot be overemphasized especially as you age. Meanwhile, it has been established that not all exercises are created equal. As such, it is but right to focus on specific types of exercises that will steer you towards the right direction. The goal is to be able to maximize your independence, longevity, and health span. It can be expected that by now, you have already developed a set of exercise habits that have become part of your regular routine. On the other hand, not all habits can prove to be desirable for the long haul as some of them can even destroy the body – especially so after you reach the age of 50. It would be beneficial to identify them and figure out how you can avoid the same pitfalls. It is the perfect time to put a stop to these harmful habits once and for all so that you can begin truly benefiting from properly programmed exercise in a holistic manner.

A significant amount of research has shown how proper exercise programs like resistance training can minimize and even reverse the many signs of aging, ranging from reduced mobility and balance to increased risks of falls. Other effects that are common to aging that can be reduced by programmed exercise include loss of bone density, loss of muscle mass, and reduction in balance. For certain, these are the very things that you want to avoid if not delay for as long as you can throughout your lifetime. However, in case there are valid reasons for you being unable to ditch these bad habits for good, then it is better to have any form of exercise than not to have any sort of physical activity at all. Here are 5 exercise habits you may have that are detrimental to the body after 50:

1. Ditching exercise altogether

As stated earlier, there is nothing worst than to skip any sort of movement or physical exercise altogether. As with exercise, doing anything that you can is so much better than not doing anything at all. Needless to say, age should not be an excuse not to involve yourself in physical activities because in fact, the older you get, the more your body will need them. That is, if you want to stay healthy and strong for the long-term. And so, if are approaching the age of 50 and beyond, forget this bad habit and indulge yourself instead in short walks, going up and down the stairs, or even cardio machines. Yoga and weight training may be off the table for you but there are so many other activities that you can do. Go ahead and enjoy a good fully body stretch or walk in the park at the minimum. You will be thankful for choosing to do them today as well as in the immediate future.

2. Leaving off mobility work

It is possible that you may be exercising consistently but actually skipping mobility work. By the time you reach 50, this is another exercise habit that you should start getting rid of for your own good. You see, mobility is that critical component that can reduce the risks of incurring an injury and help you make sure that your joints keep up with its functional and normal range of motion. Mobility pertains to stretching, foam rolling, massage, and all other activities that involve certain forms of stretching or elongating of the muscles. Yoga is an active form of stretching that comes highly recommended although passive forms of stretching equally have its benefits. If you are doing weight training weekly, you can incorporate 30 minutes to an hour of the same mobility activities at least thrice per week to maximize the health benefits.

3. Walking solely on stable surfaces

Apparently, mobility and weight training are best when done in conjunction with something as simple yet as effective as walking. While walking on paved surfaces alone is desirable, you can be missing out on a good number of the more serious benefits of walking on surfaces that are uneven. You might also be risking aggravating your joints when you only keep walking on surfaces that are flat. On the other hand, doing your walking on irregular surfaces can improve your ankle strength and help with your balance as well. Walking on rocky terrain, varying trails, sand and any other uneven surface actually reduces the impact on your joints.

4. Focusing extremely on isolation movements

It is easy to be convinced to do weight lifting, but you have to make sure that you are executing the movements correctly. More often than not, the focus has been placed too much on isolation exercises like leg extensions, triceps extensions, biceps curls, and all the other popular routines at the gym. Of course, these weight exercises have its undeniable place in weight training. However, you have to be able to focus on compound movements that make use of various muscle groups and multiple joints as well. Make sure that you include weighted movements like versions of the dead lift or squats that load your spine vertically. You will notice that you will benefit greatly from improvements in your muscles, bone health, and overall performance with the passing of time.

5. Skipping the weight room

If you are one of those who have been intimated by weight training, know that you are not the only one. Despite this however, it is a must to point out how very important it is to include weight lifting in your fitness program in order to slow down or even reverse the process of aging. For those who are 50 years old and beyond, weight lifting that is challenging can be done in a lower number of repetitions. You will know when you are doing it right because the weights feel heavy in relation to your current strength. Performing sets of repetitions that range from 6 to 12 is recommended.