Did You Know - 20 Fun Facts & Hacks About Fitness Over 40

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Here are a bunch of of short, useful tidbits about fitness over 50 – fun facts and hacks to make your life easier.

The goal? To show you the overwhelming evidence: If you want to stay healthy, strong, and independent, you simply must keep moving.

  1. GET OUT: Just being outdoors, especially in green spaces, quickly improves our health and happiness. -- The International Journal of Environmental Health Research

  2. HEART STRONG: Weight lifting has a greater effect than running, walking, or cycling in regards to lowering the risk of heart disease, according to research in the British Telegraph.

  3. A GRAND IDEA: “I want primary care physicians to prescribe not only antidepressants but also prescribe a dose of exercise for the treatment of depression.” -- Dr. Madhukar Trivedi

  4. FEEL BETTER: Exercise alleviates aches and pains, including low back pain, the second most common cause of disability in the United States.

  5. PROTECT YOURSELF: The Alzheimer’s Association says regular cardiovascular exercise can help reduce the risk of getting the disease.

  6. BURN FAT: Resistance training burns fat. Think it’s all about cardio? Wrong.

  7. YOUR BUTT: The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body.

  8. MIRACLE DRUG: Exercise is good for your bones, muscles, balance, heart, mental health, and sleep.

  9. SMILE: Maintaining a positive outlook adds years of healthy life.

  10. WE’RE HOT: Fitness training for mature adults (over 50) has ranked near the top of global fitness trends the last few years.

  11. AT 100: “I do as I feel, and I like to stay active and be around people. I still want to keep moving. If I sat down, I think I’d just give up.” -- Toni Stahl of Kentucky, who worked out regularly at age 100.

  12. THINK: Fitness has a meditative aspect of exercise: It slows you down and requires you to focus on the moment, not what you need to do later.

  13. HAVE FUN: Exercising makes me feel good when I’m done, and even when I’m doing it.

  14. SPORTS EDGE: Gym workouts give you a competitive edge in golf, tennis, running, and other sports.

  15. EAT THE RAINBOW: Get five servings of fruit and vegetables a day; it helps to keep a frozen stash.

  16. STAY HYDRATED: Don’t wait till you’re thirsty to drink up.

  17. REMEMBER: You’re just one workout away from a good mood.

  18. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES: “We don’t quit playing because we grow older; we grow older because we quit playing.”

  19. JACK LALANNE: “People don't die of old age. They die of inactivity.”