Reap the Exercise Rewards

 And #WowOnWednesday

Dear friends. I was shocked to read this week that half of all women in Britain haven't done any exercise since lockdown.  I mean, come on ladies! Use it or lose it. 

I wasn't always a convert to exercise. I went through long periods - including the whole of my 30s - when I did no exercise. This is what I looked like. I used to wear black a lot.

I know it's not trendy to say it but I didn't like being fat, ever.  I was locked into a cycle of yo-yo dieting, losing drastic amounts of weight and then piling it back on. It then becomes even more difficult to lose weight because your body is disorientated.

Since discovering low carb eating, and the need for exercise to burn fat and carbs, I've kept the weight off. 

I wouldn't be without my walks, Pilates and home weights routine. I'm proud to be slimmer and fitter than at any time in my life. Now that I'm in my 60s I'm keenly aware that many people (including one of my brothers) don't get the chance to live this long. If I want to enjoy retirement for as long as possible, I need to keep up with the exercise and healthy eating. 

For more on what works for me, read my posts Keep at Your Target Weight Forever and The Skinny from My Week at Boot Camp. 

The excuses that most women use, in my experience, are: 

• I've left it too long
• I don't have time
• I can't afford it 

Have I left it too long to start exercising again?

It's never too late to start (or resume). Research by the University of Bern in Switzerland (August 2021) showed that even if you don't start exercising until later in life, you'll still live longer. Age UK run classes in chair yoga for the elderly, which is said to give big improvements in mobility. 

How Do I Find Time to Exercise?

This is often hard. I had long commutes for the last 25 years of my career.  After moving to London,  I still worked in Swindon and the drive took around 2 hours each way, on a good day. So suggesting exercise before or after work, when my drive involved two jammed motorways, went down like a lead balloon.  Instead I found that taking an hour at lunchtime to walk did the trick, as well as more gym-type exercise at the weekend. 

You can always find some time - you just need to be creative.

Exercise doesn't have to take that long.  20 minutes a day for the over-70s was found to be enough to ward off heart disease. The University of Padua tracked 3000 adults over the age of 65 for 20 years.

A HIT routine in your own home is easy to create and needs no equipment. Exercise flat out for 30 seconds, rest for 20.  I use a free app called Smartwod timer.  A typical round over 10 minutes might feature running on the spot, star jumps and squats.

I Can't Afford It

Gym memberships are expensive.  But that's not the only way to get fit.  Check out what your local council offers.  Mine has a gym and swimming pool, with sessions bookable as you go, including aqua aerobics which is a fabulous fat burner.  Some of the parks have an outdoor gym.  You can often find yoga and Pilates taught in local church halls at relatively low cost.  And then there's YouTube with its multitude of free classes on demand.

Walking is free, as long as you've got flat comfortable shoes and a rain jacket. Those who walked 12,000 steps a day were found by the journal JAMA Network to have a 65% lower rate of death over 10 years than those who did the daily average of 4,000 steps. 

Gardening- digging - and carrying heavy shopping both get your heart rate up.  

Some of the Benefits of Exercising 

If you exercise 3 times or more a week, you're less likely to lose memories once you reach your 50s  (University of Pittsburgh, Feb 2022). 

Exercise is effective at avoiding bone, joint and muscle pain. In a study by Portsmouth University, people who took part in vigorous activity just once a week were less likely to suffer musculoskeletal pain. 

Vigorous activity can fight off anxiety. People who took part in a 12 week training program saw a reduction in feelings of anxiety, thanks to endorphins and decreased muscle tension (Gothenburg University in Sweden).

Young enough to play with your children and grandchildren, depending on your age!

What are your exercise tips or tricks?  Have you ever had prolonged periods where you didn't exercise, and how did it make you feel?  Love to know in the comments.

Today's outfits: red (Poppy) sleeveless V neck, cream skirt (old), acid yellow faux wrap top from Kettlewell Colours. White denim skirt from Truly. Necklace and bracelet (top pic) from My Season Jewellery, and necklace in yellow outfit from Bjewelled. Red espadrilles from Sosandar. Nothing was gifted for this post. 

Sharing this post with: On Mondays We Link Up at Glass of Glam, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #SpreadTheKindness  and #Linkup on the Edge at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish,  Style with a Smile  at Stylesplash, TFF at Doused in Pink, Lizzie in Lace, Confident Twosday at IDoDeclaire, Rena at Fine Whatever,, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style,  Weekday Wear Link-Up at Away from the Blue Sunday Showcase with Chez Mireille and Elegance and Mommyhood  (first Sunday of the month), Talent Sharing Tuesdays at Scribbling Boomer, Link Up Pot Pourri at My Bijou Life, Traffic Jam Weekend at Marsha in the Middle,  Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi

You may also enjoy:

My experience at a bootcamp 

15 health and diet tips from women over 40 

Are your vitamins poisoning you? 

Now it's time for the #WowOnWednesday link-up. Bloggers/Instagrammers can find new readers, plus readers can find new blogs to read. 

 

Last Week's Favourites

How I've Lost Weight in Midlife by Alison at Midlife and Beyond. Alison has just 7 pounds - half a stone - to go after losing 2 stone (28 pounds).

Asymmetrical Skirt: Creativity in Dressing by Mireille at Chez Mireille. Mireille has been showing how to style different types of skirt in a month long series.

Is This Mutton Favourite

A good companion to my post today, and Alison's post (above) is Why You Need to Master this Mindset by Wendy at The Inspired Eater. Wendy's pearls of wisdom about losing weight, and more importantly (and harder!) the strategies to keep the weight off, will soon be published in a book.

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