What Does it Mean to be Fit?

Being fit doesn't just mean you can run a marathon or bench press your body weight. Being fit after 50 is more about feeling good in your body and being able to move without pain. Being fit is a spectrum of feeling physically strong and mentally flexible.

Let's begin with what we know. Too much stress is not good for a body, right? Some stress can be tolerated. Exercise is a form of stress. There are times when demanding too much of a body is just plain stressful. Too many HIIT classes, long cardio sessions, no recovery days or even lifting super heavy weights. If you hurt when you move then you know you've gone too far. As we age we have a different body than the one we had when we were young, therefore we need to treat it differently. I'm not saying we should give up exercise, what I'm saying is we need to adjust the demands we put on our body. Here's an idea, frequently change up your workouts and gauge them based on how your body feels afterwards. There is a clear difference between muscle soreness from a good workout and aches and pains from a bad workout. Learn the difference.

TIPS

• Take it easy, but keep up your expectations.

• There are lots of ways to change the shape of your body and it doesn't necessarily have to be a heavy hard work out.

• Ditch the no pain no gain training mantra. Not a good one!

Need help finding the right exercise that makes your body feel good?

- Lisa Greco