Can You Stay Strong at 56 Years Old ?

YES, you sure can! But did you know you that if you are 30+ years old, you are already starting to lose muscle mass & function! Because age plays a BIG part in how quickly we lose muscle and why it becomes difficult to keep extra weight off. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your strength, plus obtain your ideal body weight . . . . no matter your age! As, I do agree that “age is just a number” and with the right knowledge and hard work, you can stay strong, no matter what age you are!

At 56 years “young”, I have found that yes, I can stay strong; but I have to stay consistent with my strength training. I know that with age, we definitely lose muscle faster and heck it is even harder to stay lean too. But don’t be discouraged, because with a well balanced life full of exercise, eating clean on most days & keeping a positive attitude; you can stay strong at any age!

What I do personally? And what I recommend as a personal trainer?

So with everything going on right now, you might feel like it’s not easy to get a workout done or maybe you feel fearful of going to a gym. Well, let me tell you that for almost 2 months my gym was closed; yet I was still able to complete my strength training workouts at home or in a hotel. And I have been able to kept my strength during this time. But, I did put on some extra pounds? Yup ! As it had become too easy to eat more while being at home so much and also having happy hour too often. But like many of us, I realized that’s ok . . . but now what am I going to do to change that?

The Ways I Kept Strong + Lost a Few Pounds

Strength training is my number 1 rule for staying strong + lean . As I can not stress the importance of this enough. As it will keep your body strong & lean and even your mind strong. So whether you go to a gym or not, it does not matter! Because being at home for months, I used my dumbbell weights (nothing higher than 12 pounds) and my resistance bands to do my strength training workouts.

Muscle Symmetry is Key!

Also when you do your workouts, you need to think about training your entire body. Because this will keep your muscles strong everywhere. As when your body is strong universally, you are less likely to have weak points. So when I train my clients or do my workouts, I make sure that all of these muscle groups below are getting exercise to create symmetry.

✻ SYMMETRIC MUSCLE TONE (focus on these areas) : 1. Shoulders 2. Biceps 3. Triceps 4. Chest 5. Back 6. Abs/Core 7. Quads/Thighs 8. Glutes/Booty 9. Hamstrings 10. Calves. Then you can divide your workouts throughout the week to concentrate on each of these certain muscle groups. If you need some workout ideas, link here FITFAB WORKOUTS .

Another huge benefit of strength training is the “fat burning after-effect”. Because as soon as you stop your weight training, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours afterwards. So the benefit of extra calorie burning is another awesome benefit for keeping our bodies lean, in addition to staying strong. Also, I recommend strength training 3-4 times per week.

Creative Cardio at Home!

If you personally know me, you know I am not a huge fan of cardio. Now what I mean by that; is I hate to be on a piece of cardio equipment in a gym just staring at the clock! Ugh! But not this summer. Actually I have so enjoyed my cardio workouts, as I crave variety. And you know what, your body does too! So here is some of the cardio workouts I have been doing lately.

First, I always love my pool workouts (link here) for a fabulous HIIT & I get to be in the water while doing it! And if you have access to an indoor pool, you can also do this year round. Second, I enjoy hiking (link here) for the awesome heart pumping cardio in the beautiful mountains. So if you are thinking, “I have no pool or access to mountains for climbing”, no worries. Then you can do my “at home cardio workout”, as it’s a fast & effective way to get your heart rate going.

Cardio Burn at Home!

Remember how I said, I do not like (actually said “I hate”) long, boring cardio workouts in the gym. Well, that’s why I designed my home cardio workout that is fast & furious with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and it’s over quickly!!! Plus, your body responds better with HIIT to burn calories & fat and it only takes about 20 minutes! As this is what helped me lose those extra few pounds (hello extra happy hours) these past few months. Plus, you can take any of these exercises outside for nice weather workouts too.

✻ CARDIO BURN HOME EXERCISES: Do 1-3 sets depending on your athletic ability) 1. Run in place as fast, and I mean fast with knees up, as you can (30 seconds) 2. Mountain climbers (30 seconds) 3. Squat + Jump (15 reps.) 4. Skaters (30 reps.) 5. Burpees (15 reps.) 6. Jump Rope (or pretend rope for 60 seconds ) 7. Jumping Jacks (60 seconds) {bonus: last 30 seconds stay low in squat form . . . quad burner!!! }. If these exercises are too intense, you can absolutely do any of them low impact & adjust the timing and/or reps. You can customize each of these exercises for your own ability and needs.

Keeping My Gut Clean (most of the time)!

The phrase “eating clean” has been around for awhile and once you really look at it, it totally makes sense! First, let me disclose, I do NOT eat clean everyday, nor do I want to. As I like to enjoy my life by living a life of balance and that includes what I eat and drink. But during these past few months I had to get back on my 80/20 rule of eating whole, nutritious foods. This means 80% of the time I eat clean foods and 20% (usually part of the the weekend for me) I enjoy foods that aren’t part of the “eat clean food guide”.

Now I find when it comes to eating, keeping it simple is key! The media & many companies complicate what you should or should not eat or why you need to buy their product(s) to lose weight. Instead, all you need to remember when preparing a meal, is follow my guide below.

✻ EAT CLEAN FOOD GUIDE (for meal planning, choose 1 of each): 1. Lean Protein (size of your palm) 2. Vegetables (size of your fist) 3. Complex Carbs (size of your cupped hand) 4. Healthy Fats (size of your thumb) + fresh garnishes + seasonings. And that’s it! With this guideline & the 80/20 rule to eating clean for the week, you will be able to stay lean and/or lose weight.

It’s a Mental Thing!

I don’t know about you, but these past few months have challenged me more than ever with my mental attitude! And remember stress does cause our bodies to put on extra weight (cortisol increase) . . . and we are not needing this in our lives too! Now, I have always been a half-full kind of girl because I believe that a positive attitude is the only way to go through life. But, with everything going on lately, I found I had to focus more on my mental state. So here is what I have found that has worked for me to release stress, see below.

✻ POSITIVE ATTITUDE ACTIVITIES (for stress relief): 1. Yoga (I always feel better afterwards, and the end of the day is the best time for me) 2. Stretching (the more I do this, the less stressed my muscles, joints and mind feel) 3. Quiet time (lay down and just close your eyes for 20 minutes, with no electronics, unless it’s soft, spa-like music playing) 4. Go outside (take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery around you) 5. Get plenty of sleep (I try to go to bed most nights at the same time, and so far this has totally worked for me, as I sleep like a baby).

#AgeIsJustANumber

“Don’t let your age be an excuse for the way you look, feel or act. Let your age be your motivator, that’s filled with wisdom and a thankful attitude for all that your body has done and will do for you in your future. But remember, you must continue to always take care of it!” – Christie.

FitFab Amazon Favorites for Fitness, Fashion, Healthy Cooking and Fun! (link below)

If you are looking for affordable fashion, fitness wear, athleisure wear, workout equipment or cooking essentials for nutritious foods, then check out some of my favorites below at Amazon. You can link on my picture to see my favorites. ⬇️

in Health + Happiness, 💗Christie