It is never too late to start something new, especially exercise. Moving our body regularly has so many benefits so try not to focus on what you haven’t ever done and try to move forward and focus something new.
We all have times in our life when it is harder to exercise, and we all have periods where we exercise less that we would like to and sometimes we know we are just making excuses. That is ok, all you can do is your best on any given day.
One of the most common reasons people give for not embarking on a fitness journey is age, so many think that they’re simply too old or too far on in life to begin exercising. But the truth is, it’s never too late to begin. Besides, age really is just a number, and we all feel ‘old’ at different times. Someone in their 30s might think they’ve left it too late to begin a fitness regime, whilst someone in their 50s might think the same.
Here are some reasons and tips to motivate you to start now.
This might sound shocking to some, but scientific studies have found that someone who is completely new to exercise has the same ability as a world class athlete to build muscle! Your starting point will be different, and it doesn’t mean that you’ll have a six pack by the end of the week, but your muscle mass can still increase at the same rate in response to exercise.
The key is to start off slowly and gently, to avoid overuse injuries and strains to your muscles. An injury will not only hurt and mean that you’re unable to keep up the good work you’ve started, it will also dent your confidence in your abilities. And there’s no bigger blocker to exercise than confidence.
The way our bodies build muscle through exercise is a complex process. It surprisingly involves damage to the muscle fibres when we put them under strain by doing a push up, performing jumping jacks or lifting a weight. This damage causes tiny tears to the muscles, and then when we’re at rest, these tiny tears are repaired by the body by layering more muscle fibres over the top, hence building more muscle mass. Since your body will have this ability to build muscle, no matter your age or exercise ability, doing any exercise will help you build muscle.
Other studies have shown that beginning exercise later in life (one study looked specifically at sedentary adults aged between 45 and 64 who then began exercising) helps to reverse the “cardiac effects of sedentary ageing”. Researchers found that the cardiac, or heart, muscle responsible for pumping blood around the body, can improve in elasticity by 25%. So-called sedentary ageing can cause the heart muscle to stiffen which in the long term can lead to heart disease later in life.
These all sound like good reasons to start moving your body more, so the next time you doubt yourself or negative thoughts come into your mind, remember to quieten then and just go for it.
Join one of my friendly, gently Pilates classes in West Sussex. Not only will you move your body in a non-impact way, you can work at your own level and make some new friends too.
Comments