How To Get Fit At 50 For Men

For men, getting fit at 50 years of age isn't quite as easy at it would have been at an earlier age. While you may have been able to get away with unhealthy habits during your 20s and 30s, at this point you'll have to run a tight ship. For best results, follow a program that focuses on diet, cardiovascular exercise, resistance training and a moderate lifestyle.

Step 1

Revamp your diet to ensure you're getting your daily recommended values of all essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Consult the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid calculator for an outline of your ideal diet. Input your age, sex, height and weight to receive customized values for the amount of meats, dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables that you should consume in a given day. In order to cover all your bases, consider taking a daily multivitamin as well.

Step 2

Engage in cardiovascular exercise at least three times per week. As recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine, choose between three weekly sessions of 20 minutes of high intensity activity or five weekly sessions of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity. Select any activity that will reliably raise your heart rate over the prescribed period of time.

Step 3

Engage in resistance training three times per week. At each session, perform a full body workout, stimulating every muscle group, for maximum efficiency. Build your workouts around the following fundamental compound exercises: squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press and bent over row. For each exercise, aim to complete five sets of five repetitions, using the heaviest weight that you can manage without sacrificing proper form. Rest for 90 seconds to two minutes between sets.

Step 4

Adjust your lifestyle to facilitate good health. Get at least eight hours of sleep each night because sleep deprivation can stress your immune system and make you more susceptible to health problems. Avoid alcohol and tobacco because they can cause diseases of organs such as the liver and lungs.

Tips and Warnings

At you age, the health of your joints may be a significant concern. If this is the case, consider a low impact cardiovascular activity in order to avoid joint related difficulties. Low impact activities include swimming, use of a stationary bike or elliptical machine, or anything else that wont exert impact related pressure on the joints. Use a lifting partner as a spotter at the gym to reduce your risk of weight related injury.
Always consult your doctor before beginning an unfamiliar program of diet or exercise.