If you want to lead a long, healthy life, optimize your workout routine with these exercises.
If longevity could be bottled and sold, everyone would want to buy it, no matter the price. But the truth is, you don’t have to pay a dime to get your body into excellent shape—you just need the right plan on deck and consistency in sticking with it.
Exercise is the key to leading a long, healthy existence. It can actually help slow down aging by strengthening your heart and muscles while lowering your risk of age-related diseases. In fact, some research shows that high-intensity exercise can add more healthy years to your life, while walking or strength training can lower your risk of death significantly. Basically, the right training regimen allows you to live an active, independent lifestyle.
“From a fitness and longevity standpoint, staying young means maintaining functional strength, mobility, and cardiovascular health. It’s not solely about and for muscle mass, although this may be a gain as well. Additionally, for the exercises for staying young, consistency beats intensity. It’s better to do simple exercises daily than an hour-long workout once a month,” explains Far Samji, a five-time Canadian golf champion and the founder of Smashing Golf. Samji holds degrees in Psychology and Kinesiology from McMaster University and regularly works with men in their 60s who want to remain fit for golf.
With so many workouts available, it could be overwhelming knowing what to do. To help you get started, we are here with five exercises men should do every day to stay young after 60.
Due to Samji’s background, she recommends squats, hip hinges, lunges, pushups and hamstring stretches for men 60+. She notes “they’re great for training the core and leg muscles, along with the hips—[which are] essential for mobility and strength.” Here’s how to do them.
Squats
“Squats are ideal for older men because they increase bone density and reduce fall risk,” Samji tells us.
- Stand tall, feet shoulder-width apart on the floor.
- Extend your arms ahead of you or place your hands on your hips.
- Bend at the knees and hips as you lower into a squat.
- Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Press through your heels to rise back up to standing.
Bodyweight Hip Hinges
“Hip hinges help protect the back and train the body for proper lifting,” Samji notes.
- Stand tall, feet hip-width apart.
- Place your hands behind your head.
- Press your hips back while keeping your chest tall.
- As you hinge forward, feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings.
- Activate your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hips forward.
Lunges
“As for lunges, these build leg strength for climbing stairs and for walking in general,” Samji explains.
- Stand tall with your feet parallel, hip-distance apart.
- Place your hands on your hips.
- Step forward with one foot.
- Engage your core as you bend your knees, lowering to form 90-degree bends in both legs.
- Keep your upper body straight.
- Press through your front heel and the ball of your back foot to rise back up.
Pushups
“Pushups are great for maintaining strength for carrying and reaching,” Samji says.
- Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Activate your core.
- Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor. Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
- Press back up, straightening your arms.
Hamstring Stretch
“Hamstring stretches, and stretches in general, are great for sustaining mobility by preventing stiffness in the joints,” Samji tells us.
- Begin by lying flat on a mat with one leg bent and the other extended on the ground.
- Lift your bent leg, bringing your thigh in toward your chest.
- Hold behind your thigh.
- Gradually straighten your lifted leg, extending it toward the sky.
- Make sure your lower back remains neutral and your hips grounded.
- Gently pull your leg closer as you feel a solid stretch in the back of your thigh.
- Hold the position.
- Lower and repeat on the other side.
Alexa Mellardo
