Getting strong, fit and flexible at 50. Possible?

[Alooffoof]

I was always a fit active person but over the past few years I’ve had a combination of health and family issues that have really taken their toll and I have realised that I don’t even have a basic level of fitness anymore 😦

So I’m starting from scratch at 50. I don’t need to lose any weight but I’m desperate to improve my strength, stamina and flexibility.

Does anyone have experience or tips for this? Anything that gives me reasonable results fairly quickly would be a good start. I’m in it for the long haul but I’m motivated by improvements for sure.

I’m also vegetarian with a pretty poor diet. I’m going to work on that too and would appreciate any ideas on where I can get advice on the correct foods to give my body the best chance at getting the most from training.

Anyone else doing similar, requiring support?

Have settled on doing the NHS knee exercises for runners (I've signed up for a run unfortunately) plus the Lucy Wyndham Read thighs, glutes and core stuff. Plus climbing at least 10 floors a day at work. Feeling good about this.

This is a fantastic thread, thank you for starting it. I’m 41 and though I run 4 miles 3 times a week I know I need to start thinking about strength and my core. I’ve tried to find local yoga/Pilates classes but around here they are all day time - day lot of good for those of us that work! The recommendations of videos to look at on YouTube will be a huge help.

For those that are short on time, have you looked at the FitOn app? There are hundreds of videos on there and many of them only 15 minutes long so worth checking out.

I think the main thing about having fun while keeping fit and sorting out our diet too is like giving ourselves an MOT, take stock where we are, what we need to do to get where we want to be and not take it or ourselves too seriously.

So the best thing to do is be light hearted about our wobbly bits and smile at ourselves whenever we look at a mirror and accept ourselves and our determination and just enjoy making an effort, no matter how successful.

@DeliciousViolets

Any tips on getting over the feeling of being the 'Humpty Dumpty' in any class and being too unfit to keep up; I've tried yoga and Pilates and feel such a lump and ashamed of myself. In the rest of my life I am a confident, competent person who other people look to for guidance, in the gym I turn into a nervous, self-conscious mouse. I need to look in the mirrors to see if my body is in the right position but I HATE looking at what my body has turned into after 3 years where exercise has been impossible due to health issues. I feel like crying during classes so disappointed with myself. I know this is pointless and self defeating but still get all emotional about it in classes.

I took a rather drastic approach to this problem, in that I decided that if I was going to worry about people staring at me then I was going to give them something to stare at. So I owned my space (not in an obnoxious way but I would avoid putting my mat in an out of the way corner, and I would wear bright tops) and I took an interest in trying to master exercises that other people were never seen doing. So I tried Turkish Get Ups with kettlebells (took me forever to master those), Animal Flow movements and the like. If I needed to huff and puff I just did and when I got beetroot red and dripped with sweat I stopped trying to shrink back and hide it. I'm not really a class person so not sure how that would work in that environment, although I did once take a Zumba class on holiday which was so far beyond my ability that I gave up trying to follow it and just did my own moves. Nobody batted an eyelid. Also, nobody ever stared at my weird and wonderful efforts in the gym and eventually I stopped worrying that they might.

Thank you for this thread it's full of useful information as another 50 yr old about to get back to fitness.

@CovidCurious and @Tarne, I agree.

@DeliciousViolets, I'm sorry you feel like that. I've had to lose my self-consciousness (dumpy 50-something - often the only woman, usually the oldest, and I routinely train with a youngish bloke). It has been the best thing for me. I'm not saying I never notice my belly but honestly, I care much more about how I am moving, my form, my strength, my power. No one else cares what I look like - all they mind about is that I am committed, work hard, help others when I can. It sounds like your body has been through a lot and it is now on the road to recovery. Baby steps, learn to like and trust it again. And, ahem, I have found some nice new gym kit can help build confidence.