Once you retire, you bask in free time. But you should probably spend part of that time exercising.
Fitness buffs may treat retirement as a chance to double up on their favorite activities. For the rest of us, the challenge becomes extracting the most benefit in the least amount of time.
Some seniors join a gym, figuring that they’re more apt to follow through if they’ve committed to pay monthly dues. Yet they wind up chatting with other members and flipping through magazines rather than working up a sweat on treadmills or weight machines.
Even if you spend much of your time at the gym avoiding exercise, it’s still worth going. Socializing has its advantages, and a light workout does more good than watching television on your recliner at home.
“Consistency is the key,” said Michele Stanten, a certified fitness instructor in Coopersburg, Penn. “Some people who are gung-ho at first try to do an hour of exercise, find it’s too much and stop. It’s more effective going out for 10 minutes (today), then 10 minutes the next day. Build up gradually and be consistent.”
Regardless of your goal—to gain muscle mass, lose body fat, lower your cholesterol, improve your heart health—turning exercise into a daily habit helps you stay on track. Just check with your doctor first and heed your body’s signals once you get under way.
Whether you walk, ride a bike or engage in other physical activity, keep talking out loud to test your exertion. Ideally, you should be able to converse without much effort.
“If you’re gasping for air, you’re pushing too hard,” Stanten warned. “On a 1-to-10 scale, you want to be around a five or six.”
She consults with SilverSneakers, a free fitness program for seniors that comes with qualifying Medicare plans. It includes access to participating gyms at more than 14,000 locations across the U.S., along with instructor-led yoga, dance and other fitness classes.
After you establish a daily exercise routine, seek to build stamina. To maximize your time, start upping the intensity in brief bursts.
“If you’re walking, try walking faster for 15 to 30 seconds and then slowing back down and walking at your normal pace for one minute,” Stanten said. “Doing these intervals two or three times a week helps you burn more calories and provides cardiovascular, weight loss and cholesterol [lowering] benefits.”
Gird for some aftereffects from regular exercise, such as occasional minor aches. Depending on your physical condition, your doctor might recommend that you avoid certain activities in favor of swimming or taking pool or tai chi classes. Skirt injuries by steering clear of riskier exercises.
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To reinforce your routine, make it social. Enrolling in fitness classes not only helps you meet people but also heightens your accountability. Participants might support each other’s success and encourage their peers to attend.
“The most important thing is to do something you enjoy,” said Edward Schneider, professor of gerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology in Los Angeles, Calif. “Otherwise, you’ll quit.”
Schneider, 78, plays tennis twice a week. He prefers one hour of singles to two hours of doubles.
“It’s a better use of my time,” he said. “I get more exercise.”
He also plays golf once a week, walking the course and socializing from hole to hole. If you engage in an activity with friends, you’re more motivated to keep doing it, he adds.
Beyond regular workouts, adopt a healthier lifestyle throughout your day. Stroll down every aisle in the supermarket even if you don’t need to. When you go to the mall, park once and walk from store to store (rather than drive from one to the other).
By weaving healthy habits into your everyday life, you’ll reap the benefits as you go about your business. Gym workouts or classes become part of a larger tapestry.
“Avoid all-or-nothing thinking where you think if you can’t work out for 30 minutes, you get no benefit,” Stanten said. “Even 10 minutes can be good.”
