{"id":519933,"date":"2026-03-07T07:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/519933\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T07:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:41:18","slug":"how-to-pay-into-your-fitness-pension-follow-this-5-step-plan-from-an-expert-to-help-you-age-healthily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/519933\/","title":{"rendered":"How to pay into your \u2018fitness pension\u2019 \u2014 follow this 5-step plan from an expert to help you age healthily"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a lot of us, working out is mostly about the short-term benefits. We want to be fitter, faster and stronger, and if you train all those things consistently, they will happen in the space of a few weeks or months.<\/p>\n

However, the long-term benefits of regular training are even more important, especially when you hit midlife and want to both maintain your fitness and protect your health for the years ahead. Getting your training right in your 40s and 50s is almost like paying into a fitness pension, says fitness expert Joe Warner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou pay into a pension with your money, why wouldn’t you do it with your health?” Says Warner. \u201cIt\u2019s never too late, but you have to start doing it because it’s not exactly like your pension, where you might be able to suddenly make a massive deposit at 70 \u2014 it\u2019s accruing all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/a>Journalist and author<\/p>\n

I spoke to Warner to get his advice on the things people should be doing to pay into their fitness pension and set themselves up for better health in later years, and these are the five key takeaways on how you should set up your training.<\/p>\n

1. Start small and park the ego<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnything is better than nothing,\u201d says Warner. \u201cIf you\u2019ve not done any training before, you need to focus on baby steps. It can be as simple as walking more or using an exercise bike. Anything that’s not going to impact your joints too much, especially if you’re carrying a bit of extra weight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starting at a sustainable pace will help you maintain training consistently, even if it means walking more than running, or lifting much lighter weights than you did as a 20-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’ve got to really park the ego when it comes to this, because this is a long-term project,\u201d says Warner. \u201cIt\u2019s not about the next 45 minutes, it’s about the next 45 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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2. Strength training is essential<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you’ve got a relatively decent training history and fitness level already, strength training should be absolutely front and center,\u201d says Warner.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s even more important for women just because they’re losing muscle mass and bone density through menopause, but for men it’s really important as well because you do naturally lose muscle.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrength training will maintain or build muscle mass. It’s going to fire up your central nervous system, sending signals to the muscles and back. There’s lots of research around how hormones and compounds released after weight training can benefit brain health.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI could go on and on about the benefits \u2014 insulin sensitivity, metabolic flexibility \u2014 but everything you can think of essentially is going to benefit from lifting weights.”<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to be hitting the gym every day for hours at a time, either, or lift super heavy weights. Warner suggests a couple of full-body weight sessions a week, hitting the upper and lower body.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t even need to be getting a sweat on,\u201d says Warner. \u201cYou can rest between sets. It’s more about really making sure your muscles are moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Mix up your cardio<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt’s also really important to get cardio training,\u201d says Warner. \u201cI think this is where a lot of people are still caught in that mindset of you need to do hours and hours of cardio, where it’s about hitting the sweet spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to have one long, slow, LISS (low-intensity steady state) session, but then also some high-intensity stuff. That’s going to cover all the bases.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that can be a combination of a long hike, a long, slow, steady run, a long bike ride, and then some slightly higher intensity stuff. It could be a circuit training class.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. When you\u2019re ready, be explosive<\/p>\n

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Strength and cardio are the key aspects of your training, and once you\u2019ve established a routine with them, you can also look at some more explosive workouts to build power.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like the cherry on the top of the cake when you’re doing all the other stuff,\u201d says Warner. \u201cYou don’t want to go straight into this, but add some plyometrics like box jumps, skipping. Anything like that is making your muscles fire quickly. There’s a lot of research showing it can be really helpful in preventing muscle loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Work on your mobility and flexibility<\/p>\n

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If you can develop a consistent training routine covering the above bases, you\u2019re almost all the way there.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrength training will maintain muscle mass and strengthen bones and tendons,\u201d says Warner. \u201cThe long, slow cardio is amazing for cardiovascular health. The HIIT is going to really help in terms of calorie burn and heart health, and then the power work is going to keep everything firing and make you feel alive, essentially.\u201d<\/p>\n

One last thing to work on that makes a huge difference is mobility and flexibility<\/a> work, which will not only help you move better in later life but can help with your workouts in the here and now and reduce the aches and pains that become more common in midlife.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people think \u2018I’m getting weaker\u2019 and quite often it’s actually their tendons getting tighter,\u201d says Warner. \u201cThere’s a lot of tightness because we’re very sedentary now, so a lot of those muscle aches are probably joint or mobility issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

This 10-minute mobility routine<\/a> is a good place to start; try adding it to your morning each day, and you\u2019ll notice the benefits in no time.<\/p>\n

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