K. Aleisha Fetters - Fitness Hack for over 50 300 Easy Ways to Incorporate Exercise Into Your Life

Looking for a fountain of youth? Look for your sneakers. Then lace them up and get moving. Exercise can turn back the clock, jump-start your energy, and restore your health.

In fact, for adults over sixty-five, physical activity is key to a happier and healthier life, according to a recent study in the journal BioMed Research International. Exercise helps protect against cardiovascular disease and diabetes; it also improves mental health and delays the onset of dementia. Theres even evidence that exercise helps ward off memory decline and fights depression.

Whats more, a Penn State University study found that seniors who lift weights at least twice a week have a 46 percent lower chance of dying from heart disease, cancer, and certain other conditions than those who dont. Exercise wont make you live forever, but it could help you live longerand better.

Thats been the mission of SilverSneakers since it launched in 1992. Since then, weve helped millions of seniors build and maintain muscle mass, hit a healthy weight, think more clearly, spend less on medical care, maintain independence, make lasting friendships, feel happier, and live longer.

Lets acknowledge two elephants in the gym:

• Elephant #1: The fifty-plus-year-old body isnt the same as the thirty-minus-year-old body. True, but thats okay. You dont need to push yourself to exhaustion to stay fit. And the no pain, no gain adage? Complete bunk. You just need to move your body a little bit as often as possible. In fact, walking for 30 minutes a day on most days is one of the best things you can do for your health.
• Elephant #2: While some older adults truly love exercise, many dont. In fact, 28 percent of adults age fifty and older fall into the couch potato category. Some of us just need a little extra push to make exercise a habit or convince ourselves to stick with it. Maybe youre one of them. Thats okay too. As youre about to find out, starting a fitness routine is actually quite simple.

The fact that youve picked up this book means youre ready to make a positive change. Inside, youll find expert-approved and real-people-tested hacks to build a solid fitness routine that works for youon your terms, your schedule, your goals.

If youve become interested in taking care of yourself and trying something new, feed that, and it will flourish, says fitness expert David Jack, whose workouts youll find at SilverSneakers.com and on our SilverSneakers Facebook and YouTube pages.

Interested in fighting fatigue? Youll want to check out Chapter 4 of this book, on feeling more energized. The Shower at Work exercise is a SilverSneakers community member favorite! Want to drop those last stubborn pounds? The fat-burning strategies in Chapter 3 of Fitness Hacks for over 50 have your name on them. And in the final pages, well drill down on the smart ways to stay motivated and keep going.

By the last page, youll see that healthy living really isnt as complicated or time-consuming as you once believed. It all begins with one small step. And heres the truly good news: Youve already taken it. Now turn the page and keep going.

The Editors of

Are you wanting to lose weight?

Kick up your cardio?

Strengthen up?

No matter how great or motivating our fitness goals, time and (lack of) energy sure have a way of standing in the way of ours!

Fortunately, the most impactful path to where you want to be doesnt have to drain your calendar or batteriesand can be as simple as following the quick and easy hacks in this book. A short walk here, a squat there: These little hacks add up, and lead to a better, more vibrant life.

In this book, well move through four areas of fitness that are critical to healthy aging:

1. Balance and coordination, in which youll take a (one-footed) stand; use your opposite hand; or play shopping go-kart.
2. Flexibility and mobility, in which youll relearn to breathe; play air piano; or raise your thumbs to the wall.
3. Muscular strength, in which youll do kitchen-counter push-ups; break up binge-watching; and casually lean on stuff.
4. Aerobic capacity and endurance, in which youll drink more water; take a post-meal walk; or speed mop.

Each chapter of the book covers one of these areas; these chapters (and even each of the hacks within them) build on each other to take you from wherever you are now to exactly where you want to go. Youll learn why each area matters for your health, energy, mobility, function, mood, even sex lifeand then, exactly how to grow your fitness in them, without all of the fuss.

After all, most of these hacks dont take much timeoften as little as 30 seconds. For lifelong fitness, you just have to integrate movement in your day-to-day, dont-even-have-to-think-about-it routine. Because when you dont need to join a gym, follow an epically long list of to-dos (and to-not-dos!), spend hundreds of dollars, carve out time you dont have, perform exercises you hate, or even leave your house, living an active lifestyle becomes infinitely more doable and enjoyable.

There are also four different kinds of sidebars (Tips!; This Just In!; Did You Know?; and Take It Further!) that will give you more information about the hacks, show you how to do them more effectively, and help you push them to the next level.

But before you start feverishly flipping pages (bonus points if you read this book standing or riding a stationary bike!), its important to talk to your doctor and find out what forms of exercise are healthy for you. For example, if you have a history of heart disease, you may need to stick to this books lower-intensity hacks. If you have diabetic neuropathy, avoiding plyometric exercises such as hops and jumps will help your feet stay happy. You may or may not end up performing every hack in this bookand thats okay! The goal is to find a way to stay moving that works for you.

When you discover how to make fitness mesh seamlessly into your regular 24 hours at a pace that fits your ageand your lifestylethats when true health happens!

Another piece of good news is that the majority of the hacks require zero equipment, and for the ones that do, random stuff around your house will usually do the job. I recommend purchasing a good pair of athletic shoes from an athletics store that can help you find the right fit for your foot type.

Some of the hacks in this book require resistance bands (the two types youll need are shown here), which are a great way to challenge your body with minimal equipment. The bands are color-coded, so you can adjust how much resistance youre using to challenge your body.

If youre doing a hack for the first time, its best to use a light band; gradually, as you build strength, move to the heavier bands. You can find them online or at athletic equipment stores.

Ready? Turn the page and become a healthier, happier you.