My Fitness + Eating Routine for Healthy Aging

I’m an active person, and I love to try new things. . . and I hope when I’m 60 or 70 I’ll still be active and able to try new things! That’s why I started eating healthier, and doing more aerobic activities in my late 40s than I’d ever done before. Now, at 50, I’ve got my cholesterol under control without medication, and I’m not experiencing “middle-age spread”. People ask me for my secret to staying in shape, but it’s no secret. . . I just stick to a fitness and eating routine for healthy aging.

I’ve been a regular exerciser my entire adult life and I’ve also been on a lower cholesterol/lower fat diet since my 20s. But in spite of all that, my cholesterol still crept up to the “medication zone” by my mid-40s. To avoid taking the drugs, I’ve had to eat even healthier while adding more aerobics into my workouts. And that’s not an easy task when all the restaurant food is smothered in cheese or deep fried, and my aging body has new aches and pains yearly! Fortunately, I’m a disciplined person so most days it doesn’t bother me. . . but sometimes it still does.

Sometimes I feel like the list of foods I don’t eat is getting longer than the list of foods I can eat, but there’s so much variety at the grocery store now, it’s not hard to cook leaner meals that are delicious and satisfying. To watch my video on what I eat in a day, click here: Video: What I Eat In A Day

My Eating Routine:

I don’t eat: butter, eggs, cream, beef, cheese, or deep fried anything (fries, chips, donuts, tortillas).

I limit: butter or cheese crackers, puffy breads, muffins, cookies, cake, pie… in general, all baked goods (that are mainly butter & eggs) to special occasions, or bake healthier options at home.

I do eat: low fat granola, flat bread, turkey, chicken, fish, whole grain everything, fruit, veggies, yogurt, dark chocolate, nuts, olive oil, legumes.

My typical dinner: Pan roasted salmon with quinoa pilaf and mashed squash

It’s hard to be active without the occasional ache and pain, and as we get older, they seem to appear more frequently. My knees creak, my wrists get sore, I recently had a bout with plantar fasciatis, but instead of stopping my work outs, I’ve found modifications that allow me to keep going, like choosing DVDs that feature low impact aerobics, and use smaller weights but with a wider variety of movements.  Adding new and different DVDs to my collection has helped keep me interested and motivated! I’ve got a list of my favorite DVDs here on my blog, so if you want to see them, just click on the “Exercise” tab at the top of the page.

My exercise routine:

I work out 3-4 times a week at home with DVDs. I’ve selected ones that offer lower impact aerobics for my creaking knees, and I wear knee supports and wrist supports when needed. I also bike once a week from April through November for added aerobics. We usually ride between 15 and 25 miles. I go for hikes up the nearby nature trail a couple times a month, and in gardening season, I can always be found out in the yard pushing around a wheel-barrow full of mulch, or yard waste.

My workout space~ weights and equipment in the closet, DVD playing on the tv, small fan to keep me cool!

I hope you’ll join me in my effort to be a healthy older person because it’s never too late to start, and the benefits are priceless!