IT NEVER GETS EASIER. YOU JUST GET STRONGER – FITNESS AT FIFTY

These is no right time to start your fitness journey, now is as good a time as any. Though fitness in some form has always featured in my life, I started taking it seriously when I turned 50. When I say seriously, I don’t mean my efforts, I mean my approach. I wasn’t a great fan of the gym before that. But I started moderate strength training in my 5^th decade.

The reason I started, was to support and encourage my ward, Tinkesh Kaushik, a triple amputee who became a part of our family around that time. However, with time, I found myself getting quite addicted to working out with weights. We even opened our own gym which we ran with a passion in Pune, till COVID made us shut it down.

During lockdown, when gyms were closed, I continued my strength training with a few dumbbells, resistance bands and body weight training, at home. In April 21 I had Covid, post which I struggled with my nutrition and exercise. Though I did not become obese, I had a considerable amount of body fat. It was in August ’21 that my foster son Tinkesh encouraged me to go in for a professional and healthy approach to fitness. To be able to achieve something tangible in a short period of time, it was decided that I would enroll in a Transformation Challenge on the FITTR platform. So, I made the right decision and enrolled under my coach Kamal Sharma for the program. It was such a gratifying experience. When you follow quantified nutrition and resistance training using weights, which is the FITTR philosophy, you feel positive changes in your body, every single day. The results are clearly visible week on week as your body composition changes dramatically. The re-composition involves fat loss and muscle gain. Your body starts looking more and more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The results are concrete.

Many women think it’s too late to start their fitness journey at a particular age, but if you haven’t started it already, 50 is a fantastic age to do so. Let me tell you why.

1. About 80% women (and men) in their fifties have too much fat and too little muscle. Obesity at this age leads to several diseases like osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. It is recommended that older adults perform strength training at least 2-3 times a week.
2. Muscle mass in people above 50, decreases at an alarming rate of 1-2% per year. This can be avoided with strength training.
3. Strength training reduces ageing at a cellular level, it helps you look and feel younger.
4. Exercise per se makes you happier by releasing endorphins which are happiness hormones, so it is good for your mental health.
5. Exercise also improves your quality of life since you suffer less from morbidities. This also makes you less dependent on others.

Personally, for me, I finally won the runner-up place for the transformation challenge. I signed up for the next TC which started in Jan, however in December I started experiencing menopausal symptoms. Menopause takes a huge toll on a woman both physically and mentally, however with support from my coach and by staying consistent with my diet and exercise, I have managed to overcome the challenges that come with this physiological condition, and I am moving into the final weeks of my second Transformation Challenge which ends on 27^th March.

I am 53 and a half yrs. old, and I am thrilled with what I have achieved at this age. If I can, so can you.

Happy Women’s Day.