Are you over 50 and really toned and fit?

[MistyBay]

Am very interested to find out. I do quite a bit of exercise - I’m consistent rather than a ‘beast myself’ type.

im seeing very good results over the last two years since I gave up alcohol and sugar and started exercising most days. I walk for sn hour every day on top.

I’m wondering what I can plausibly expect fitness-wise now I’m 50.

if I lift enough weights will I get rid of bat wings completely?

if I eat well and do enough cardio and yoga, will I get a waist?

are you over 50 and do you have a body of a 25 year old is what I want to know?

i need to know what to aim for.

This again. Cardio doesn’t burn far it stores it. A tip for us all.

Thanks for the Insta tips. I will look at them later. I’m off for a 15 run now and then a handstand against the wall for 2 mins plus some stretches. It takes about 45 mins in total.

then one hour dog walk at lunch.

then some arm and strength work before bed but only for about 15 mins.

Fiftyfitnessjourney is another good one

The people I follow that seem v toned etc. all lift heavy weights. Cardio is part of the routine but supplementary usually in the form of running sprints.

I love it so a biased but I lift heavy 3 times a week and run for about 30 mins total above 140 bpm (I do run longer but lower bpm), about 10k-12k steps a day.

I was eating at maintenance/slight surplus to build muscle for three months now I am in a slight deficit to drop fat. To do that I had to gain weight- about half a stone- but it is coming off (the fat not the muscle).

I run 5kms, I want to do a triathlon at some point, hit 20 on on leg press etc. I agree you can aim high as long as you give muscle groups recovery time.

I'm 49 so slightly younger than your target group.
I run at least 20k a week and swim 4-5 times (outside). I'm toned but have no waist (always been an Apple)

Rowing won’t tone your arms.

If you are doing it properly it is all about pushing with your legs while holding your body at a forward angle with your core, (think horizontal dead lift), swing the body back and then just finishing the stroke by pulling your hands into your sternum.

Curls and skull crushers are much better if you want to build muscle in your arms.

@MagpiePi I’m thinking about a pre weights warm up. Very cautious about running again and also nervous about cycling . I need to try both rowing and cycling probs to see which is best. My injury was something to do with my psoas and it took me ages to sort it until I found the right person who knew how to fix it. I have specific exercises I do daily now to help. Swimming front crawl is lovely for it and it gets very stiff again if I don’t swim even with doing yoga and the specific exercises every day.

This thread is great it’s given me the kick I need I’m going to start weights in the gym on my non swim days.

Don't give up on the dream. I am an apple. Which is why I absolutely do not want to put weight on. Not just for vanity reasons:

1. Middle fat is visceral fat and that's bad for heart etc
2. It's really hard to dress when you are an apple and not look dumpy
3. Peri: the bigger my waist, the worse my periods. My menstural problems seem to deplete when I focus on shifting the belly fat and bloat.

Cameran Diaz is my sort of shape. If she 'let herself go' she'd look like a right apple dumpling as she'd gather it all around her mid area.

She's counteracted this by being mega athletic and building up her shoulders. Her legs as you can see do not look muscular and her focus is all on her problem area.

So, this is what I need to do, but she's a celeb and I don't even have a gym membership! However, she's a bit too ironing board and has lost her bust. I am not sure I'd like to go that far.

If anyone has got to Cameran levels then let's hear from you!!

I’m 6 years past meno, still have a good waist but have lost my flat stomach. Plan on getting it back by resistance weights, Pilates and yoga. I run 5k very slowly 3 times a week and average 15k steps walking my dog. I love that women over 50 want to stay strong and in shape, I want to stay as fit as possible for a long time. Falls are one of the biggest killers of old people so to have good muscle and balance is important.

Exactly @Letsrunabath

I don't think we truely know the potential of what our bodies are capable of as they age.

My trigger is that my mum got age related osteoperosis and I'm terrified of wasting away.

I've known for many years that weight bearing exercise helps fend it off, but like most people went for the cardio rather than weights.

Then eighteen months ago I started doing strength work just in my bedroom. My mum had got much worse and so I knew I had to step it up as was feeling very bloating and untoned.

The results have been amazing - to my posture especially. Of course it's also helped with my mood, and my optimism. Which is a serious benefit. When I exercise I forget the doom and gloom of being older and feel as hopeful as I did when I was in my twenties.

So, I keep going adding a little bit here and there to my regime. I am now a bit at a crossroads and feel I need that next level up.

It's exciting as this is what's going to put me into another league.

I want to stay healthy and strong for as long as possible - there's so much life to live!

@MistyBay I'm also 5ft tall and large of boob (and getting larger by the week- thanks perimenopause) so lack of waist is the least of my worries

What is the name of the kettle workout?

Yes absolutely @MistyBay

I know of many people in their 50s in my keep fit classes who have similar bodies to fit 20 something year olds. I didn't know they were that age until told.

I know a woman in her seventies who could be 20 years younger fitness-wise.

We need to pay heed to our experiences of not relying on running to lose weight!

it’s kettlebells and HIIT that seems to work best. And o find it so much more enjoyable.

I do run but only for 16 mins and it’s more for the mood boost than anything. And I do it before breakfast to help with my circadian rhythm. I stopped longer runs and Zumba because they exhausted me.

switching to weights, holding postures (like invisible chair and handstands) seems to help with the waistline much more. And of course walking.

I too would love to know of the kettlebell exercises

I am only 44 (only!) But have been working on building a "fit for life" body for a bit now.

I work in a long hours job and have 3x primary aged kids.

This is what I do now and seems to be working:

Mon- a.m. short run as just getting back into running; after kids in bed, Yoga with Adriene Runners' Yoga

Tues - a.m. cardio at gym; after bedtime, any YwA

Weds- a.m. free weights: dead lift, bench press, squats with bar, overhead press, chin ups; after bedtime, YwA for upper back stretch

Thurs - a.m. core session at gym: planks, side planks, mountain climbers, V sits, handstand against wall; p.m. any stretchy YwA

Fri - morning off as school run, p.m. YwA Total Body Deep Stretch

Sat - morning off as kids' swimming, p.m. YwA 60 min vinyasa flow emphasising planks

Sun- lie in and p.m., YwA, any stretchy one

Also. FOOD not mentioned enough. I have basically given up UPF and base my meals around vegetables. Also eat 2 standard meals plus small early supper, so fasting window c 4.30pm- 7.30am, ish.

I'm 61. Mondays Zumba and swim, Tuesdays dance fit and Pilates, Wednesdays body pump, Thursdays body conditioning, Fridays Zumba and swim. BMI 24, carry a bit of flab on the belly but have a waist and definitely no bat wings. Fit and strong and mainly toned.

I'm 60, 5'8" and have a 28" waist.

But I've only had one DS which I think makes a big difference.

I run twice a week, an hour's martial arts and about 8 hours gardening/lawn mowing. I went off sugar/sweet stuff a couple of years ago which has also helped.

OP, your aims are laudable but a bit confused. There's a limited amount that either exercise or diet can do for body shape itself, but a combination of both is important for overall physique, weight & general fitness.

I'm 47, exercise daily at 6 am & am active throughout the day. I combine cardio, weights & core; I run, do HIIT & Spin, and weights are incorporated into my gym sessions. I eat well, overall - no junk or takeaways, but can skip meals & eat randomly to make it up. I'm genetically fortunate that I come from a slim family - I've slim, less fit siblings who do barely any / no exercise, unfairly!

I exercise for my physical & mental well-being. It's really important to me. I do like the effect on my body. I also understand what works for my body & adapt to that, and that's vital for everyone.

You've a lot of misunderstandings in your posts though!

i do not think running is good for waists in middle age as it stores stress hormones and therefore fat around the middle.

Completely untrue. Any form of activity is good for our bodies & physique. Not everyone likes running through, and not *everyone runs effectively. But anyone running at a reasonable pace, regularly, will not store fat on their middle. However, they won't build up core / muscle strength, and it can be unforgiving on joints.
*
I combine running, therefore, with other exercise.

This again. Cardio doesn’t burn far it stores it. A tip for us all.

Not true. It is the case that exercise is defined as 'fat burning' or 'cardio' but actually, if you are engaged in sufficiently vigorous cardio activity, you will burn fat. For weight loss, diet is a chief consideration though.

Middle fat is visceral fat and that's bad for heart etc
Fat around the middle is of concern due to the proximity to major organs. But visceral fat refers to fat around organs, internally, which even skinny people can have.

it’s kettlebells and HIIT that seems to work best
This is cardio.

It's not that they work 'best'. It's that benefits can often be seen by high-intensity exercise that raises your heart rate. Running or similar can be hard to achieve this, as if you are unfit it will take a while to be able to run for sufficient distance / intensity, you'll just stop. With HIIT sessions, it's short bursts of intensity which the body responds well to.

I think you might be overthinking a lot of this. Find exercise you enjoy, do it regularly & until you are out of breath, in life weights & core (properly supervised).

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff you are bossing it. I am doing similar, a little bit of everything to work every muscle and holding positions.

mon-thurs I am trying to do 16 min morning jog, handstand, yoga with full body stretches before breakfast.

five or six days per week one hour walk with dog.

five evening is ten mins of strength (dumbbells), sit-ups, plank, invisible wall, downward facing dog, full body recline (kneel down and lie back), cross leg stretches and hamstring.

i am similar with food. I avoid UPS and sugar and drink only as a treat.

lots tea tea without sugar and water

breakfast is a homemade oat smoothie with handful of frozen berries, then maybe a sandwich at lunch and fruit but depends on how hungry I am (appetite is depleting) then a full meal: pasta, veg, meat whatever at dinner and perhaps a treat like a biscuit. I make sure I am full once per day.

it works. It really does. My mental and physical health has improved beyond what I ever hoped.

But this is the spirit of the thread. It’s unashamedly about wanting a body like a 25 year old and if it is actually possible.

But this is the spirit of the thread. It’s unashamedly about wanting a body like a 25 year old and if it is actually possible

You've ignored all my points about your inaccuracies 🤷🏻‍♀️

Can you have the body of a 25 year old at 50?

Well, there's no answer to that - it depends on what 25-year old or 50-year old you are using as a comparator.

But no, at 50, you can have a great body, that of a 50 year old.

Your routine however, simply isn't intense enough or extensive enough to yield much in the way of health or physique benefits.

My mental and physical health has improved beyond what I ever hoped.

And that's great & what exercise should be about.

That's not the opening proposition you made though, and you've a massive misunderstanding around exercise / physical health.

I'm nearly 70 and weigh 6-7 pounds more than in my 20s. BMI about 22.5. If I wear skinny jeans and a vest, superficially I have the body of a much younger woman. I'm slender, but my thighs, arms and shoulders are quite muscular - but not excessively so. No bingo wings. My abs are flat and tight, but I'll never get rid of my awful stretch marks, sadly. And my legs have some spider veins and the beginnings of varicose veins...

I work out 60-75 minutes most days. Dumbbell workouts courtesy of Caroline Girvan, supplemented with HIIT with Growingannanas. Plus lots of planks and ab work. And I walk a lot

Until the menopause I could eat anything and everything without gaining weight. These days I try to avoid UPF, sugar and refined carbs. Most days I only eat during an 8-hour window. Because I consume a fair bit of protein and healthy fats I don't feel hungry.

Would you possibly share the kettle bell workout you're doing? I've been doing Caroline Girvan and bodyfithyamy workouts but they can be a bit repetitive.

I am nearly 60 and since I retired I have lost 10kilos and have a pretty good figure. I have been riding and mucking out horses every day for years and now also do about 15000 steps a day and all my own housework and gardening. Seems to work for me.

@MistyBay thanks!! Yeah I feel pretty good. I had a super intensive role during the pandemic (responsible for leading my organisation's pandemic response) and got soooo unfit as was just working and comfort eating. I was never obese but overweight and just felt stiff and middle aged!

I am now 58 kilos (just over 9 st) and wearing clothes from 10 years ago, BMI 22.5. More importantly, I feel lean and sporty; I can see muscle tone and tendons, not soft edges iyswim.

I do have treats sometimes; tomorrow is a special day and I'll have a pizza - but that'll be the first pizza I've had since late May, and the first UPF I've had since we took the kids to an attraction for Aug bank holiday.

Still working on building stronger glutes and pelvic floor though!