18 Tips How To Get Back Into Shape and Save on Life Insurance!

Are you feeling out of sorts and want to get back into shape?

Well, don’t despair simply because you’ve gotten older.

Why You Should Get Back Into Shape As You Get Older

Maybe you can’t turn the clock back to when you were 20 something years old, but the good news is that you can still find some of the old you.

With renewed health comes the energy to embrace and really enjoy life again and the chance to save 25% on your life insurance!

Getting back into shape may seem like a challenge but like every new adventure, it all begins with taking that first big step. Surely you want to know how to get back in shape fast – but you need to be realistic about making lifestyle changes. Don’t just jump in without a plan. And above all else – be patient!

A great bonus for improving your health in your 50’s is up to 25% reduction on your life insurance premiums.

Read More: Understanding Life Insurance

By losing a few pounds, lowering your cholesterol or blood pressure levels, you can save as much as 25% on what you pay for a life insurance policy!

RELATED: 5 Critical Tips You Must Know Before Buying Life Insurance

That’s right! Life insurance companies take more than your age into consideration.  They actually evaluate you on your overall health. Each rating adjustment works out to about a 25% increase in savings on what you pay for a policy. The healthier you are – the more positive your rating and the more money you save! Think about it!

To help you get started on shedding those pounds and getting your cardio back on track, we’ve put together 17 tips to help get you back into shape.

18 Tips How to Get Back Into Shape

Tip 1: Speak to Your Doctor

At age 50, everyone is at a different fitness level. You might already have health issues so you should be fully aware of what you can do and can’t do. Remember, your doctor knows best. Keep in mind that certain medications which you may have already been prescribed can affect your activity and recovery time. As your health and fitness levels improve, the type of physical activities you employ can change to match your current health situation.

Tip 2: Meet with a Fitness Professional

A qualified fitness professional can help you design a suitable and realistic exercise regime for your particular age and health limitations. They work with people of all ages and are familiar with how age affects the body, particularly if you have been relatively inactive for a while.

Tip 3: Find Your Purpose

Ask yourself what you want to achieve. It’s not about what you look like, so don’t focus on your appearance. Concentrate on becoming healthier and the rest will fall in line. Be practical about your goals and don’t expect it to happen overnight. Plan activities that are enjoyable and suit what you like to do.

Tip 4: Change your Diet

Duh! You are what you eat! If you want to lose some body mass and improve your overall metabolism and health, it really is time to focus more on eating healthy colorful fruit and vegetables. Lose the sugar and salt, eat more fish and a lot less red meat. Processed foods are especially unhealthy, so if you want a new you, then you need a new diet.

Tip 5: Cross Train

Try to mix up your physical activity as much as possible as repetitive exercise regimes can stress your ligaments. Try different modes of exercise to avoid straining the same muscles groups because your back, knees and other joints aren’t what they use to be.

RELATED: Check Sample Life Insurance Rates by Age (No Personal Info Required)

Tip 6: Allow for More Recovery Time

Don’t force it!  If what you’re doing hurts, stop. That’s the body telling you to wise up and allow for some rest and recovery time. There are plenty of other physical activities that allow you to exercise other muscle groups.

Tip 7: Cardio! Cardio! Cardio!

Improving your cardiovascular system is key and it’s not that hard to do. The Center for Disease Control recommends that the minimal amount of moderate exercise that you need is 150 minutes per week. It’s okay to break it up into say 10 minute periods of moderate but active movement. Ideally, as your cardio improves, you should strive for 300 minutes of cardio exercise. You can achieve this by walking, biking and/or swimming. The main goal is to get off the couch!

Tip 8: Balance Control

When was the last time you tried standing on one leg without tipping over? Getting to know your body is a good way to get your balance back. Try standing on one foot and propping the other up on the back of a chair or a counter as support for 10 seconds or more.  This a great exercise to get your sense of balance back. You can make this a more advanced exercise by standing on the tips of your toes.

Tip 9: Stretch Those Muscles

Your flexibility decreases as you age. If you start exercising without stretching and warming up those muscles, you could make yourself more prone to incurring an injury. Rotating your head, stretching your legs and arms can help improve your current flexibility and make your new exercise program less stressful thus decreasing your chances of aggravating muscle groups.

Tip 10: Muscle Building

Those with stronger muscle mass are healthier. You can start by using light weights or doing push-ups off the wall to gradually increase your muscle strength. Doing simple arm curls and other forms of weight training will help improve bone mass and help offset osteoporosis. Doing leg squats will help strengthen the legs and buttocks which improves your balance. It’s best to let 48 hours elapse between training sessions to give your body the recuperation time it needs at your age.

Weight training exercises not only help you maintain the muscle you have now and build more muscle, but it also offers other significant benefits. That includes boosting your energy, raising your resting metabolic rate, relieving stress, and preventing disease and degenerative conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Tip 11: Crunch Time

If you want to improve your back strength and tighten up the gut, crunches are the best way to work both muscle groups. Don’t do full sit-ups as this could do your back more harm than good. Keep your back flat on the floor, and start with 10 for the first week or so.

Tip 12: Walk, Walk, Walk and More Walking

Try to walk more every day. Even if you just walk in place while watching TV, it better than being sedentary. Walking strengthens the legs, gives you the cardio you need, burns calories, and has many other positive health effects. Take walks during your lunch hour, after supper or even start walking to work.

Tip 13: Sleep

You need at least 8 hours of sleep. Either throw out the alarm clock or go to sleep earlier, but one way or the other get the sleep your body needs.

Tip 14: Do More Household Chores

There are many ways to keep active, but a healthy body needs to move and the more you move, the more you improve. Household chores are a pain but they are also a necessity. They also help you work and stretch your muscles. Raking and mowing the lawn or even vacuuming and dusting gets you moving. So, instead of hiring the kid next door, do the job yourself and reap the health benefits.

Tip 15: Take Time to Chill

Stress is a killer and life is both challenging and hectic these days. You have to find time to step back and take some deep breaths to drain that pent up stress from your body. Do something that helps you chill such as meditation, listening to music or yoga. These are great stress busters.

Tip 16: Get a Hobby or Volunteer

Work isn’t the end all, and if you have retired or are about to – what are you going to do now? We all have to do something other than work and tend to family obligations. Let’s face it, we each need some time to ourselves. Do something you love or feel passionate about, as it will give you a more healthy perspective.

Tip 17: Drink More Water

Water is about the best beverage you can ingest. Do you really need that second beer or scotch? Water is nature’s own and can help you flush out the toxins you have built up over the day. There’s no sugar, preservatives or artificial coloring because it’s the most natural substance you can find. Your liver isn’t what it use to be so, reduce your alcohol intake.

Tip 18: Take a Lifestyle Evaluation

Are you still puffing on tobacco products or quaffing bags of chips and Oreos in the evening? One of the most important things you can do to kick off your healthy lifestyle is to ask yourself whether you are really serious about improving your health and to honestly assess how you live and eat. It doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love – because we all need to treat ourselves once in a while. It’s about finding balance!

Learn More About Saving Money on Life Insurance

Wanna find out where you stand, how you might be rated, or how you can save money on life insurance while getting in shape?