Breaks are normal
Nearly everyone stops for a while: a cold, a trip, a family crisis, a hard winter. A break is not a failure, and the plan is not gone. The only real question is how to come back.
There is no catching up. Trying to make up for lost time is the most common way to get hurt or discouraged.
What the guidelines say
The U.S. guidelines say that an illness such as the flu can force an older adult to stop regular activity. Their advice for coming back is to start at a lower level than before and build up again step by step until you are at your usual amount.
They also advise increasing activity gradually over time, and that inactive people should start low and go slow: begin with lower-intensity activities and gradually increase how often and how long you do them.
What this does not tell you
They give no timetable, and they are written about illness such as the flu. For other breaks, such as travel or a busy season, the ladder below is our own example, not a researched protocol.
After a serious illness, an injury, surgery, or a hospital stay, a clinician decides when and how to restart. The guidelines advise people with chronic conditions or symptoms to be under the care of a health care provider.
An example way back
Think of a ladder, not a cliff. Start below your usual, and move up only when the last week felt comfortable. If it did not, repeat it.
Week 1: about half of your usual, and easy. Week 2: about two thirds. Week 3: about four fifths. Week 4: your usual. A ten-minute walk today is a perfectly good week 1.
Use the talk test to keep it easy
Coming back, it is easy to start at the pace you remember. Use how it feels instead. At moderate effort you can talk but not sing. If you cannot say more than a few words without a breath, slow down. The Effort Check walks you through it.
When to slow down or ask
Nobody is counting
Fit after 50 does not keep streaks or send guilt. If you are a member, you can pause a program and resume it later, and the weeks you were away do not count against you. If you are not, the same ladder works on paper.
Try it today
Small, reviewed steps you can start now. Choose one, or save it for later.
Take a comfortable 10-minute walk
About 10 minutes · Easy
Choose a familiar, safe route and walk at a pace that feels comfortable today.
- How to start
- Step outside, pick a familiar route, and set a 10-minute timer. Turn around at the halfway point.
- You will need
- Comfortable shoes and a route you already know.
- How hard
- Easy: a pace where you can still talk comfortably.
- Done when
- You walked for about ten minutes, or as long as felt comfortable.
Involves: being outdoors.
Safety: Use a route and pace that are appropriate for you. Stop for a new concerning symptom.
Evidence strength: strong. General information, not medical advice.
Learn more: Fitness after 50
Do one comfortable chair-strength set
About 5 minutes · Easy to moderate. It should never feel painful or unsteady.
From a stable chair, try up to five comfortable sit-to-stands, using the chair arms if helpful.
- You will need
- A sturdy chair that will not slide, placed against a wall.
- How hard
- Easy to moderate. It should never feel painful or unsteady.
- Done when
- You did up to five comfortable stands, or as many as felt fine.
- Sit toward the front of the chair, feet flat.
- Lean slightly forward and stand up, using the arms of the chair if helpful.
- Sit back down slowly.
- Repeat up to five times, resting whenever you like.
Safety: Use a chair that will not slide and keep support nearby. Stop for pain or loss of balance.
Evidence strength: strong. General information, not medical advice.
Learn more: Beginner's guide to getting fit after 50
Take a comfortable 10-minute walk indoors
About 10 minutes · Easy
Walk at a comfortable pace around your home, a hallway, or a shopping center, and stop when the time is up.
- How to start
- Choose a loop indoors that is clear and well lit, and set a 10-minute timer.
- You will need
- Comfortable shoes and a clear path indoors.
- How hard
- Easy: a pace where you can still talk comfortably.
- Done when
- You walked for about ten minutes, or as long as felt comfortable.
Safety: Use a route and pace that are appropriate for you. Stop for a new concerning symptom.
Evidence strength: strong. General information, not medical advice.
Learn more: Fitness after 50
Where to go next
- Starting to exercise after 50
- Effort Check: the talk test
- Steady Start program Four weeks of small steps that build
- Walking Progress Planner
- How many steps a day after 50?