Looking healthy and happy is always crucial for models. Whether you are in your twenties or fifties, in the modelling industry, your appearance is always key. And in order to be able to permanently show off your good looks, apart from keeping a balanced diet, you should include regular workout and fitness sessions in your weekly routines. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re aged 50 or older.

Over the years, your body keeps changing. For Best Agers, this means that your endurance, strength and coordination skills can decline by up to 15 percent. Additionally, muscle mass often decreases with age and is often replaced by body fat. However, regular exercise and adequate workout sessions can prevent these symptoms. Which means that after the age of 50, it is even more important to take care of your body and make sure you stay fit at your best age.

The Benefits of Exercising

Everyone knows that exercise is good for your body and health, but why exactly is that? When exercising, your body releases hormones such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. These are also known as happy hormones and they not only make us feel more awake, attentive and focused, but also cause a sense of well-being and make us happier. On top of that, especially endorphins make us look younger and healthier. And to give you even more motivation to keep exercising after turning 50, here are some more positive effects that exercise has on the body.Sports and fitness help prevent illnesses. For example, exercising helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and prevent diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and obesity. It also improves your blood circulation, which is especially important to keep your brain fit and healthy. Exercising also reduces stress and can lower the risk of depression. However, the most important aspect of fitness at any age should be having fun and enjoying the activity. For that, it is important to find the kind of exercise that is just right for you.

Finding the Best Sport for You

When you try to find the right sport for you, first of all, you should define your goal. Whether you want to increase endurance or build up strength, at a certain age, it is important to make sure that your workouts are gentle; keep in mind that your body might not be in the same physical condition that it was in 20 years ago. Don’t be afraid to try new things, of course, but don’t overestimate your ability and always take it easy in the beginning.

If your goal is to build muscle, you can start with strength training even at an older age. But make sure that the exercises are as easy on the joints as possible. There are fitness studios specifically for the elderly generation that are a good place to go. Start off with light weights and gradually increase the intensity of your training over time. The trainers at your gym will be happy to help you with correct execution of your exercises or give you tips.

If you want to focus more on endurance and simply being active, we’d recommend sports like swimming, Nordic walking, cycling or brisk walking. Especially swimming has many benefits for the body: It burns a lot of calories, it is a full-body workout and it is particularly easy on the joints. If you can’t find the time to go to the swimming pool or a gym, or bad weather prevents you from exercising outdoors, practising yoga is a good alternative that you can easily do at home. The Indian practise can help increase flexibility even later in life and the meditative elements will help you find your inner peace and serenity. This will also help you calm down before photo shoots and find the energy for your work.

Improving Muscular Strength at an Advanced Age

In order to have regular photo shoots as a Best Ager model, you should at least have a moderate level of physical fitness. Photo sessions can often take several hours, which is why endurance is so important. At a certain age, your body starts losing muscle and many people begin to avoid sport because they think it’s better for their joints. However, this is exactly the wrong approach. Regular exercise and fitness can make a huge difference for your muscle and keep your body strong and fit. Still, you should take it a little easier now, as your body needs more time to recover after a training session at the age of 50.

Strengthening your muscle can often have a relieving effect on your body. For example, stronger leg muscles help with climbing stairs. This will not only make it easier to move, you also won’t be out of breath as easily which is good for your heart. Your back muscles are vital as well. This is where the widest muscle in the body is located, the latissimus, which helps you move your arms and torso.

Apart from increased mobility in your everyday life, improving your muscular strength also tightens your skin, improves your body posture and increases the interaction of the muscular and nervous system, also known as coordination.

The different body types

To best understand your own fitness, you need to know your own body. After all, not all bodies are the same. Generally, there are three different body types that each have different qualities: there are ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph body types. But what exactly are these three types?

• The ectomorph

  Ectomorphs are usually very tall and skinny. They tend to have rather short torsos, narrow shoulders and long, thin arms and legs. Because of their fast metabolism, they have a low body fat percentage. Building muscle mass takes longer for this body type, which is why they need additional strength training. However, they should also plan for longer rest periods between their training sessions as their bodies need more time to recover.

• The mesomorph

  Mesomorphs usually have an athletic build, wide shoulders, a narrow waist and a typical V-shaped body. They usually find it easy to build muscle mass or lose body fat. For this body type, full body workouts are ideal. Their advantage is that their bodies only need little time to recover, which is why they only need short rest periods between workouts.

• The endomorph

  Wide shoulders as well as wide hips are signs of an endomorph body type. Endomorphs tend to build muscle pretty easily, but due to their usually higher body fat percentage, their muscles are less defined. The ideal training for this body type consists of strength training in addition to regular endurance training sessions, which increase the energy expenditure and prevent weight gain.

Conclusion

An advanced age is not an excuse to stop exercising, as fitness becomes even more important after the age of 50. To improve their health and prevent illness, Best Ager models should make sure to exercise regularly, too. A wide variety of activities will keep it interesting, but always make sure that your training is easy on the joints, and don’t overestimate yourself. Take your time and treat yourself and your body well.