I didn’t grow up an athletic kid. When I was in elementary school, my mother signed me up for the soccer and basketball teams. But I was better as a bench warmer than anything else.
I broke out in hives during physical education class. Annual physical fitness test? I’d rather stick my head in a book. These feelings continued into early adulthood. I hadn’t voluntarily worked out in years, and when I did, I didn’t find any joy in it.
As I got older, that changed. I started attending group fitness classes, trying out different types of workouts, and meeting people along the way. I was also thinking about what makes my body feel good. I started weightlifting, honing in on good technique and getting excited about my ability to lift a few more pounds and do more reps.
Running came later. I started out alone, but then I found a community in a local running group. I love running, but people make the time fly by.
My own journey has made me think about the fact that you can find a path to fitness and exercise at any age. You don’t have to be an active child to be an active adult. And I want to be able to be as active as possible for as long as possible.
Over the past month, I’ve spent a lot of time with active seniors learning about the benefits, even bliss, they get from exercise. I also spoke with experts who focus on fitness for older adults.
She taught me, in my 30s, a lot about what it means to be active and live well even as I get older.
Please start
As we reported in our series on older athletes, we spoke to more than a dozen people over 50 about their fitness journeys. We asked many of them questions. “What advice would you give someone looking to start a new fitness activity?”
Deette Sauer, 83, is a competitive swimmer who took up the sport in her 50s after quitting drinking. Her advice? Don’t be afraid.
“Don’t let fear keep you from achieving anything,” Sauer said. “In order to take risks, we must use fear as a vitalizing and energizing force.”
She also encourages people to start small.
“If you’re just starting out, take baby steps. I couldn’t do that the first day I started. I couldn’t even get halfway across the pool,” she said. “But instead of listening to the voice in my head that said, ‘Get out of here, girl, you don’t deserve,’ I said, ‘You’re strong and you can do it.'” (Swim Coach) I trusted him.”
Exercise can create and strengthen social bonds
We spent time early one morning at a shopping mall in Annapolis, Maryland, with a group of women who have been walking side by side for years, five days a week. Walks got them out the door, but community kept them coming back.
Anita Snyder, 81, has been walking the mall for 20 years. She and other women said the mall’s walking community keeps them energized.
“We get here because we know there are people out here waiting for us,” Snyder told me. “I don’t always want to get up and walk, but these two have been waiting for me.”
And the community extends beyond the walls of Annapolis Mall. Snyder and her friends, Evelyn Book and Annette Smith, both in their late 70s, are all group texting. If I miss a fellow walker on my daily route, I immediately contact them to make sure everyone is okay.
“If someone has grandchildren or someone is sick or something, if they want to send a card, they can give them their address,” Snyder said.
She called the community that walks through the mall “a big family, a big family.”
Strength equals independence
I met Mona Noyes, 86, at Fivex3 Training, a strength and conditioning gym in Baltimore. Her advice for newcomers? It’s never too late to start.
Mr. Noyes worked in a large school district until his late 70s. After retiring, Noyce said she became less active and daily life became more difficult. She lost confidence in her body and independence. So my daughter suggested I try training with a trainer.
“I’m doing things now that I never would have thought of doing before,” she said.
Her trainer and owner of Fivex3, Emily Sokolinski, emphasized that staying active improves quality of life.
“So many people stop when they retire. They stop moving, they stop going out, they stop interacting with other people,” Sokolinski told me. “The last thing you want to do is stand still. Strength training is so important because it gives you back confidence in your body.”
Noyce said it gave her a lot of strength. Simple tasks that were previously difficult are now easy again.
“We were climbing up the stairs holding hands,” she told me. “Carrying things, even in regular shopping bags, was difficult for me.”
Now she can carry 4 quarts of milk. It’s a miracle, she says.
Matt Ozug and Sarah Handel contributed to this report.
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