There’s bad news about new year’s resolutions, and then there’s good news.

First, the bad news: Most of them fail.

Now the good news: People over 50 have more life experience and tools to succeed at them. You’re more realistic, focused, and balanced.

As fitness experts, we know that plenty of people start each year wanting to get in shape. So, they join a gym or studio like ours, determined to stick with it, lose weight, eat better, etc.

That’s great. We want everyone to gain the benefits of exercise. But not as many incorporate fitness habits into their lifestyle for the long term.

We’re here to help. We look forward to answering any questions you have. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking on track.

1. Embrace Your Hard-Earned Wisdom. Nobody knows you better than you, especially at this point in life. You’ve set and reached many goals before. You know which kind of exercise you like, what time of day works for you, etc.
2. Forget Anyone’s Expectations. Along those lines, shake loose society’s standards about what your body is “supposed” to look like. If for no other reason, move your body because it makes you feel good. The rest will follow.
3. Focus on Movement, Not Weight. That number on the scale is not the most crucial factor.
4. Slow Your Roll. By now, you’ve probably learned the value of starting with one specific goal. It can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood three times a week or joining one of our sessions a certain number of times per week.
5. Revel in Your Freedom. People over 50 tend to have fewer children at home, so there’s less pressure to rush back to the daily grind after the holiday break. And retired people get even more freedom from the onslaught of job stress after the period of holiday bliss.
6. Remember What You Want – Specifically. Get specific. (“I want to play ball with Timmy this spring,”… “I want to feel stronger on the golf course,”… “I want to look good when I walk my granddaughter down the aisle.”). Remember this goal whenever you’re frustrated or need motivation.
7. Count Your Blessings. Exercise is a celebration of what we can do – not punishment for other actions. It’s a chance to show you want to be here and happy for as long as possible. Gratitude is a much better motivator than complaining or channel-surfing.
8. Grab a Buddy. Many people are more likely to succeed with someone than alone, whether with a friend, adult child, or spouse. Or come in and make new workout friends here. The social component is one of the countless blessings of being a member.
9. Avoid the Label. Don’t think of it as a “New Year’s Resolution.” That’s too much pressure! You’re moving that body every day, one day at a time.

Remember, we’re here for you! Let one of our functional aging experts help you reach your goals. You can start now by trying our 21-Day Strength and Longevity Program.

Hiking: Get Outside and Get Moving!

Martin Pazzani likes to recall a day that changed his life.

Three decades ago, when he was 34, Martin went hiking in the New Hampshire mountains. Coming down, he saw a remarkably fit man running up. As the man approached, Martin realized the runner was his grandfather’s age, and he asked how the senior citizen was able to do this.

“He said, ‘I’ve been running up this hill twice a week since I was a little kid. It’s the fountain of youth. See ya, Sonny!’ ”

Martin watched, dumbstruck, as the man kept climbing.

Today, Martin has hiked countless peaks on all seven continents. He has decades of experience as a leader in the fitness industry. And he wants more people over 50 to have the strength, agility and stamina to enjoy the outdoors more often. He has a book out in June called “Secrets of Aging Well: Get Outside.”

Exercise and Sunshine Are Vital

Martin stresses that being outdoors is good for our immune systems and mood, and hiking provides a vigorous workout, complete with endurance and high-intensity intervals. And, super-important for people later in life, it improves balance.

Gym and studio workouts make it more fun and safer — with squats, lunges, rope-jumping and more exercises. And it all combines to improve joint flexibility and more.

If you’re not sure how to begin, Martin keeps it simple: “Walking is where it all starts,” he says. So start with a short distance, then add to it, maybe carry a backpack and add some poles.

He has dozens of stories of mature people who took up hiking after health difficulties. Allan, 81, had both knees replaced, both hips replaced, and two heart surgeries. Susan started after a mastectomy and then formed a 10,000-member hiking club.

We realize most people aren’t going to reach such heights, and that’s great. We’re here to help you get or stay fit enough for fun activities like hiking, running, biking, and more that will keep you moving.

Other Wellbeing Tips

Exercise and being outdoors improve our wellbeing. Here, Martin shares other tips for a better quality of life (and less need for healthcare and medicine).

1. Unplug from technology. It’s getting harder to do all the time. But it’s important to set limits to how much time you stare at your phone or computer screen. It actually will lower your stress level and improve your attention span.
2. No music during your walk or hike. Martin says it can produce stress, tension and cortisol, the stress hormone that leads to weight gain, depression and worse. Plus, the silence is – you know – golden when it comes to heightening mindfulness and enjoying the moment. At the gym, too many people turn up their music so loud to cover up ambient noises. Let it go.
3. Go to the top of something, even a tall building, and enjoy the view. Most people focus their vision on screens or other up-close items, which affects eyesight and mood. With altitude you can take in the horizon and engage the full range of eye muscles, lowering stress levels. If no tall building or hill is available, try the beach or open field – anywhere with a long-distance view.

Getting in shape at a gym or fitness studio is a great way to spend time outside.

Wait– What?

It’s true. Getting fit or staying fit helps people over 50 enjoy tennis, golf, and gardening; playing with the grandkids; walking, jogging or bicycling the list goes on and on. Strength, endurance and flexibility are essential to enjoying all of that and more, while staying safe and preventing injury.

For active adults, the physical, mental and emotional health benefits of outdoors increases, even more, when they also are exercising, the National Institutes of Health found.

So, come on in, of course. Get fit with us, and then enjoy things like these eight fun outdoor activities.

Eight Fun Outdoor Activities

1. Visit a park. Just being outdoors, especially in green spaces, quickly improves our health and happiness, according to new research in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research.
2. George Bernard Shaw once said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Grab a kid (or any friendly adult) and toss a frisbee in the back yard, have a snowball fight, go sledding, or even play tag.
3. Find a trail, go to the beach or walk around the neighborhood – it doesn’t matter. Just move your body. Walking is basic, great, and the first step to so much. (And yes, the pun was intended.)
4. Do that out of town a bit, especially where there are hills and such, and it’s called hiking. It’s also great for your body, mind, and spirit.
5. Sign up for a community run/walk or bike. It will give you a goal date and add a social element. Plus, many of these “races” are also fund-raisers for good causes.
6. Play your favorite sport. Time at the gym makes you stronger and more agile for tennis, golf, softball, skiing and just about every other outdoor sport you enjoy.
7. The same goes for gardening, which is a real workout and requires flexibility, strength, and endurance just the same as those other “more athletic” pursuits.
8. Meditate. It’s good for focus and stress reduction, and you don’t have to chant or burn any incense (unless you want to). Start by sitting outside and paying attention to your breathing. When your mind wanders, that’s OK – keep bringing your awareness back to your breath.

The main idea is to get out and enjoy life. However, you like. That research we mentioned above says spending just 20 minutes in a park improves your well-being.

And exercise indoors or outside does make you happy, just like sunshine on your shoulder.