Fun, feel-good ways to make exercise a part of your life as you age

( Natural News ) Physical activity is an important part of maintaining health. However, it will only be effective if it is done consistently. And for some people — like those between 40 and 65 years old — committing to staying active may be difficult. Here are seven fun and enjoyable exercises to help you stay active as you age: Commit to a walking program: Walking is the simplest and easiest way to exercise. Everyone knows how to walk, and you don’t need a gym membership or a personal trainer to do it. You can start gradually and build your way up to five or six days every week. Make it more fun by walking together with your friends or family. You can also commit to a walking program such as EverWalk , which was launched by a veteran marathon swimmer named Diana Nyad. The program aims to encourage over one million Americans to start walking each day. Engage in strength training: At midlife, building muscle becomes more important as you tend to lose muscle mass and gain weight with age. You can start building your muscles by engaging in strength training. Try simple exercises that use your own body weight, such as planks, pushups, hip bridges, squats, and lunges. Enroll in a yoga class: Practicing yoga benefits both the body and mind. Yoga is a great way to enhance strength and flexibility, and an even greater way to practice mindfulness. Hormonal changes occur in midlife and it can be challenging to manage your thoughts. For people who are in their forties or fifties, being able to release their negative thoughts is helpful. At this age, you may feel that you have lost your connection to yourself, and yoga can help you get yourself back. Yoga also helps reduce […]

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