Fit After 50

By Charlotte Bumstead
Staying fit after 50 seems to be one trend that’s here to stay. Boomers may not be able to return to their years of youth, but they refuse to let go of their agile bodies. Just look at Jane Fonda – the 73-year-old icon who says she has actually become happier and more comfortable in her own skin as she’s aged, a phenomenon becoming more common among the Zoomer generation. “We’re living 34 years longer than our great-grandparents did. That’s an entire second adult lifetime,” Fonda says. “Why should we pack it in when you have all that time?”
People are beginning to notice it’s the boomers who are taking over the bike lanes and jogging by in the streets. And they don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. In fact, a recent British survey indicates many boomers are at the top of their fitness game. The poll found seven in 10 people aged 50 and above were exercising more now than they did in their youth. As the pressures of building a career and raising a family become a thing of the past, the 50-plus demographic are discovering more free time to focus on their health.

Nanda Smith, a patient food service worker at Grey Bruce Regional Health Centre in Owen Sound, is leading a much healthier and happier life at 53 than she ever considered possible in her 20s. And that’s even with an injury. When training for a half-marathon in September of 2008, Smith slipped and tore a muscle in her hip. She’s currently waiting to undergo surgery. “But it doesn’t hold me back,” she says, “I can still do my five-kilometre run.” Before her injury, Smith joined a group called Runner’s Den, and ran alongside fellow fitness gurus her age. She was also leading a walking group at the time. After her daughters moved away from home, Smith and her husband, Ron, found more time for sharing an active lifestyle. Now, the couple like to switch up their cardio routine with a bike ride – cycling up to 50 kilometres at a time.

When asked how having such a vigorous lifestyle at her current age makes her feel, Smith’s tone escalates and you can feel her excitement “Oh, wonderful,” she says. “I was still active before, but not to this point. I’m just so happy with the changes I’ve made.” It’s not uncommon for younger women to approach Smith at work, admiring her muscular physique and asking her for fitness tips. “It feels so good, it just blows me away,” she says.

Smith has never been to a gym before; she prefers following along with the P90X workouts from the cosiness of her own home.  She currently enjoys yoga and other aerobic activities that focus on the core muscles. But she’s always found comfort in weight bearing exercises for the upper body. Often times Smith’s brothers will flex their biceps and hold them up in comparison to hers. When out in public, her daughters will ask her to keep her arms down because her muscles are so eye-catching. Smith takes it as a compliment.

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