Although health might seem a gender-neutral field to wander around, in reality, it is not. The only commonality can be based upon the fact that men and women need to consume a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly to keep their bodies fit. However, the needs for healthy foods and exercise differ in both men and women. As per the physiology of men, they require certain nutrients more than women and reap greater benefits with more exercise. Be that as it may, if one does not follow this pattern, the illnesses and diseases are also greater than women. Therefore, it’s extremely necessary to stay healthy and active in later life. With that said, let’s see how one can sustain men’s active life.

How Can Men Stay Healthy And Active In Later Life?

If you haven’t been consuming a healthy diet and exercising regularly, jumping into this ocean might be a bit troublesome for you. Therefore, it’s prudent to start with small steps and gradually, build a healthy routine for yourself. You can begin with walking up and down the stairs for 15-20 minutes. If you feel like you’re running short of breath, then go slow, and eventually increase your pace. 

Be that as it may, it is next to impossible to conquer, ‘healthy men, active life, with just one day of exercising and consuming healthy food. It’s important to create a routine and inculcate that as a habit. To build an active life, you need to set some realistic goals and push yourself to achieve them, no matter how big or small. Regardless of your bustling schedule, make sure that you take some time off of it and do something that you enjoy. 

To make your fitness routine more fun, you can add some music and vibe to it. No matter what you do, challenge yourself to stick to it at least for a month, because it takes one month to create a habit. While you’re in this process, learn to enjoy it and not dread it. Focus on the larger picture and you’ll realize how satisfying and beneficial all these activities are. 

Also Read: Ways To Stay Active

Activity Chart to Keep you Active

Here’s an activity chart that you can follow for increasing your fitness game. For men who’ve crossed their 40s, it is highly recommended to do at least 5 hours of moderate activity a week. However, if you’re still an amateur, you can begin your journey with the smallest steps until you clamber to the peak. 

1. Light

Light activities are generally confined to your house where you need to choose activities that enable mobility rather than stagnancy. For instance, choose to walk up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. You can also volunteer to do some work in the household instead of asking your servants, your spouse or anyone else. 

2. Medium Activity

Once you’ve prepped your body by indulging in light activities, it is important to upgrade your level. At this level, you need to go outside your house and do physical activities like brisk walking, swimming, etc.

3. Intense Activity

Now that you’ve become fairly acquainted with active life, you need to fully come into the field and be more committed to fitness. Doing intense activities such as cardio and strength training ensures blood circulation throughout your body and improves your heart’s health. 

You can start by doing half an hour of exercise at least five days a week. If that is too much for you, you can always divide half an hour into 5 or 10-minute sessions. This will help you in staying committed to your fitness routine for a longer period. With that said, let’s focus upon some specific exercises that you can do for building your muscle strength, enhancing balance and flexibility respectively. 

Exercises to Improve Strength, Balance and Flexibility

1. Muscle-Strengthening Exercises

Muscle strengthening exercises are of paramount significance to ameliorate the strength of your bones, manage your blood pressure, not to mention, maintaining men’s healthy weight. These exercises involve the usage of resistance bands, free weights and chair aerobics. If you don’t have the necessary equipment, you can always use water bottles or heavy bags.

2. Exercises to Improve Flexibility

Focusing on your flexibility after you’ve crossed the age of 40 is extremely important because it ensures a range of movement. Once you become more flexible, you’ll find that the daily activities that easily cause tension in your muscles, can be done without any pain or pressure. For instance, you might feel a slight pain in your lower back when you bend down to tie your shoelaces or your hands might get exhausted faster when you wash your hair. With yoga, Pilates and stretching, you’ll find that your body has a wider range of movement where you don’t get fatigued by doing simple activities.

3. Balance and Coordination Exercises

Do more tai chi, Pilates, yoga and posture exercise for improving your balance and coordination. These will not only help you to stay fit physically but also improve your mental health, by calming down your nerves and making you more tranquil. These are some of the exercises that you need to do at least five days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes if you want to stay healthy and active in later life. More often than not, men in the early years of their life think that they will focus upon more serious things in life, like health, in the later years under the pretense of ‘living their life’ at the moment. 

Once you get under this cycle, you’ll never be able to ameliorate the quality of your life. The chances are, it will become sedentary and you will become more prone to poor eating habits. To stop this cycle, one needs to start investing in a long and healthy life, from this moment. Once you develop this habit, your life will become relatively enhanced and fruitful where you pay constant attention to what your body and mind need.

Also Read: Body Composition Exercises