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Stay in shape at 50

The health, sexual, and psychological benefits of staying in shape at 50 are so overwhelming that the effort needed to get there is small in comparison, writes David Hay Jones.

Endurance

First, let's get some facts out the way. If you were a high school track star, you are not going to be as fast at 50 as you were then. You can still be fast, indeed very fast for your age, winning races against people half your age. And if you were a distance runner, you won't notice the slow-down too much.

Less junk food

Second, if you were a skinny kid able to consume dozens of burgers and gallons of soda without putting on weight, that won't be the case of 50. At middle age, excess weight loves to accumulate and hates to leave. You have to be vigilant about eating well and exercising enough to burn the calories.

Cut down on alcohol

Third, if you've developed a taste for plenty of food and lots of wine or beer, you will need to reduce your intake and change the types of food you eat. Many foods and drinks (junk food, potato chips, candy, soda, beer) do you no favors. They'll fight you every step of the way, making weight loss and fitness harder to attain. You don't have to eliminate them, but you should eat and drink them in moderation at most.

OK, that's the bad stuff out the way, and it really wasn't that bad. For me, my goals for getting in shape at 50 were: losing 30 pounds; keeping up a running program of between 30 and 60 miles a week; racing a sub-20 minute 5k. I also cut out all alcohol (I found it easier to eliminate alcohol than just stick to a glass now and again. That way there's no temptation to drink too much at parties, making it difficult to run the next day).

Drink plenty of water

I eat well, large portions in fact, but have cut out junk food, snacks and candy. I don't buy energy drinks (water only, unless it's a marathon, then I do need to replace lost minerals and give myself a carb boost). I eat lots of fruit, berries, fresh veggies, and nuts. I drink lots of water. My favorite drink is black tea, which I drink strong with milk, no sugar. I don't add sugar to anything, nor do I butter my bread.

I don't drink more than two or three cups of coffee a week, but I don't think there's a need to eliminate coffee unless you're ultra-strict. That's the diet part of my fitness program. It's not very strict, but it works for me. Fast food (burgers, pizza, etc) was easy to cut out because I didn't like it to begin with. I was always a steak and salad person. If you're really into burgers and pizza, try to eat fewer of them, and go for the low fat options -- no extra cheese on the pizza, no cheese in the burger, no fatty dressing, no fries on the side, diet soda instead of regular.

Build up gradually

The exercise part of my get-in-shape program is simple. I designed it for myself after reading Bob Glover's three excellent books, 'The runner's handbook', The Competitive Runner's Handbook: The Bestselling Guide to Running 5Ks through Marathons and 'The runner's training diary'.

I am an ideal candidate for running because I prefer solo activities, i.e. I want to exercise alone and I want to be in charge of my running. I do not want a personal trainer breathing down my neck, and I can't stand gyms. There was no way I was going anywhere near a treadmill-based program. There is nothing wrong with them or gyms, in fact they're very good especially if you feed off other people pushing and encouraging you.

First week

During my first week of training after years of no training I started very slowly. My goal was to complete three miles with a combo of jogging and walking. I split the three miles into three sections. I walked a mile to warm up, then I'd spend the next mile jogging for as long as I could, then I walked, then ran again, then walked -- you get the idea. I would finish off by walking the final mile.

I stuck to this for a week, day by day increasing the distance I ran, even if only by yards. I always walked the entire first mile and last mile. It took three weeks before I could comfortably run an entire mile.

This might sound unimpressive, but consider the alternative: You think to yourself, Man, I ran 3 miles in school. It was easy. Three miles will be no problem at all. Trouble is today you're 20 pounds heavier and you haven't exercised regularly for 20 years.

Hitting the wall

If you set off too fast, I guarantee you'll hit a wall within the first 200 yards: you'll have trouble breathing, your chest and belly will bounce, and you'll feel bad about yourself. It'll seem like you have an impossible mountain to climb. It is better to build up gradually and focus on the fact that within 6 months you'll be running three miles without any hardship, maybe even five or 10 miles.

That really is the secret: to think long term and to recognize that what you are doing is changing your entire life for the better. Often, it will not be easy but it will be worthwhile. In fact, the training might not be enjoyable for a couple of months. You might have to force yourself to do it and you will only begin to have fun when you've dropped a few pounds and noticed a marked improvement in your fitness. Stick with it, don't give up!

Increase your mileage

When I could run a mile comfortably, I kept adding small distances (no more than 10 percent a week) until I could run, not just jog, 3 miles or 5k. I ran my first 3 miles in 26 minutes. Two weeks later I ran it in 24 minutes. I ran my first competitive 5k in 22 minutes 30 seconds, not excellent but not bad at all.

If you get to the stage of being able to run 3 miles comfortably in addition to the training you need to do to make it more than a one-off performance, say 20 miles of total running a week, you can then decide to stay at that level or keep improving.

Improvement comes by adding mileage. Remember to add no more than 10 percent a week and vary your running with speedwork and tempo runs (fancy words for faster runs or runs with bursts of speed), plus one very long run a week (run for at least 90 minutes, preferably two hours).

One year on

After a year of running, you will notice incredible improvements not only in your weight loss but in speed and endurance. Let's say in the beginning you struggled to run a mile in 8 minutes 30 seconds. After a year of serious training, you might get that time down to 7 minutes or under, and you'll be able to run three 7-minute miles one after the other without rest.

It will probably take at least two years of training, maybe three or more, to reach your potential for that age. Of course, it can take longer than two or three years if your training is too gentle, if you're still carrying excess pounds, or injury slows your progress (all runners get injured at some point). Just think of the time it takes a top college runner to be strong and fast enough for the Olympics. We're talking years and years of training, even for an elite athlete.

Competing by age group

Eventually, all of us reach a point where we can't get faster, but then you have the fun of comparing yourself to others in new age groups as you get older. You might be slower as a 55 year old than a 50 year old, but you should measure yourself against people your own age.

I run about 75 miles a week for most of the year. That is more than enough. Some might say it is too much. It is certainly the case that your risk of injury increases if you run more than 45 miles a week; so there's a strong argument for not running too many miles a week.

Gym workouts

Finally, if you want to totally eliminate all that middle-age flab, you'll probably need more than running to do it. Running can give you fantastic legs, a much lighter frame, slimmer arms and chest, but excess gut is the last to leave. That's where you need a core strengthening program, sit-ups, etc -- plus a strict diet.

Have fun! You're now running for your life!

(David Hay Jones is 50, a runner and web entrepreneur.)

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