Smart Fitness for Grown-Ups: 11 Tips for the Over-40 Exerciser

how I stay motivated.

I just happen to read this article and I wonder how I stayed motivated.

I am 79 and I walk 5 days a week 4 miles. When I come home from my walk I exercise for about 40 minutes.

I have exercised since I saw Jack Lalanne on television. He was my Hero. I don't remember when I started. I know that I feel good when I finish. When I skip my walk and exercises it is only because of a good reason. But never because I do not feel like doing them. I still can do the split.

I am motivated because it makes me feel good and it gives me a satisfaction of accomplishment.

I look good because it keeps me in shape.

I know that by exercising I will be in better shape when I get older than people who do not exercise.

I really do not know what more to add. Doing my exercises is a way of life I cannot live without.

Meevenna

exercise over 50

I can tell you what it is for me...and that is my mind topped with a lack of self discipline. If I was to work out for someone else, namely my children and that was going to directly get them healthy, then I would do it!

In my BC life...Before Children, I had a very responsive body to my athletic pursuits. I was a dancer, ballet and tap, cheerleader, and then took up strength training after 3 herniated discs...but something about the busy life of a working mom and getting older has sapped my motivation. It comes and goes and at 52 I see it go more than I'd like.

The toughest battle is finding a trainer who is knowledgeable and empathic to my age and physical ability. I've gotten hurt working with trainers and so finding what will work for me and then changing that routine every 6-8 weeks is an enormous challenge for me.

My motivation goes out the window when after 5-6 weeks I see a minimal payback for the tremendous effort that goes into it.

I'm discouraged to accept the changing body and not for the better and hard pressed to stay with the effort required to press on. SO for me I'd say it's the mind and truly like my body I think it's a terrible thing to waste!

Anyway...I look forward to tips on this challenge that many of us face after 50.

Exercise over 50

I myself find it very hard to get and stay motivated to exercise. When I think in terms of what exercise does for my body and peace of mind I wonder why I can't "get with it". We are so quick to take medication to calm what ails us but when it comes to exercise we put it off way too easily when that alone would help so many things that ail us.

I would love to know how others get and stay motivated.

Katherine Hobson: Great point (I'm writing this as I try to psych myself up for an after-work run). Look for an On Fitness blog post on this in the near future.