What Age Should you Stop Doing Cardio Exercise?
Am I too old for cardio?
You may imagine me getting up early every Saturday morning and typing feverishly before hitting the send button so my weekly email wings its way to your inbox (not on my list? Why? Click here to receive my highly informative and entertaining newsletter and get a free Resistance Band Workout).
The truth is, I actually write them on Monday mornings and schedule them to arrive on Saturdays...aaah, that makes much more sense, right?
There are two reasons for this:
1. I am not that creative early in the morning. In fact, it's a truth universally acknowledged that I can barely string a sentence together until I've had at least two cups of Earl Grey tea (and preferably three).
2. At the time the newsletter actually arrives with you around 8am, I'm usually setting up the Virtual Studio ready for Saturday morning Step and PiYo classes.
Someone asked me recently whether I'm planning on stopping teaching or going to this type of class. And I was noodling on when would be the right time to stop.
And where I came out was that I'm going to keep going as long as I can. Why?
Because I know that the longer I continue to do all the things, including cardio, strength, balance and coordination work, I'm reducing my risks of
1. Osteoporosis/ osteopenia
2. Falls
3. Cardiovascular disease
4. Insulin insensitivity and metabolic syndrome
5. Cancer (because I didn't enjoy it much last time round and don't fancy doing it again)
6. Poor mental health
What's the best cardio to do for overall health?
Anything that raises your heart rate is fabulous:
Cycling ✔️
Walking briskly ✔️
Dancing ✔️
Swimming ✔️
Rowing ✔️
Running/ jogging✔️
Netball ✔️
Golf ✔️ (especially if you're walking the whole course with your golf-sticks)
Any aerobic classes ✔️ (Also, do not underestimate the power of group exercise to improve your wellbeing!)
Pilates, but very fast (⬅️ Pilates teacher joke!)
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I haven't done any cardio exercise since PE at school. Isn't it too late to start now?
Would it surprise you to know that I LOATHED PE at school?
At my school, it was rounders, netball, cross-country running or hockey.
The stress of (not) being picked for a team.
The cold, wet and mud.
The threat of a hockey stick to the shins (OK, maybe this was also my least not-favourite on account of also being able to apply a hockey stick to someone else's shins).
It was only when my sister talked me into going to an aerobics class when I was in my early twenties that I found my thing and my people.
Group Exercise is THE BEST!
And that's the essential thing - you HAVE to do something you
enjoy, or you won't do it at all.
Might I injure myself if I start doing cardio exercise?
If you do nothing, you stand a much greater chance of long term health issues.
As opposed to the risk of maybe being a bit sore for a few days (always work with a qualified instructor...ahem...that's me by the way!).
I don't have time to do any exercise. What should I do?
The minimum that any of us should be doing is 150 minutes per week. Or 22 minutes per day.
Are you telling me you don't have 22 minutes spread across your 24 hours?
OK, OK, stop nagging Jane. Where should I start?
Don't think you have to start out full pelt - walking netball (or football) are fantastic. So's PiYo.
They're all low impact but can be made as high intensity as you want.
And, when you go out for a walk, make it a brisk one, not a leisurely stroll. You should be a little out of breath!
If I've still not convinced you, check out this 25 minute program on
BBC Sounds featuring an 85 year old triathlete who started exercising in her fifties!
And if I have convinced you and you'd like to try PiYo (or Step), click
here to try a class online for free
