Podcasts aimed to help you get fit and stay motivated
Finding a fitness plan that you enjoy is an important strategy to making sure you keep on it. It’s a challenge that can only be exacerbated by the frigid temperatures of New York State winters. Not to worry. There are fitness gurus galore who understand the need for motivation and who know that bodies over 55 require a different focus than those of 25 year olds. Here are a few boomer fitness podcasts designed with you in mind.
The Silver Edge Over 50 Health and Wellness Podcast
If you’re looking for a podcast that shares inspirational and motivational stories about staying fit past your forties, this is the first place you should look. The creator, Kevin English, is passionate about helping people find their healthiest selves in whatever way works best for them, and seeks people to share their successes and failures so that listeners know they’re not alone in their struggle to stay strong.
Found My Fitness
This one is for those of you who like the science behind staying healthy, but the kind of science that goes well with crunchy granola and Birkenstocks. With topics such as “The Omega-3 Index” and “Sauna Use to Cure Depression,” the podcast focuses on strategies you can easily use in everyday life to potentially increase longevity and optimize your health. Some of the topics can be a bit quirky (we are always leery of topics like “Vitamin D and Covid Prevention”) but many of the ‘casts explore the legitimacy of certain concepts as much as the latest studies.
Fit Strong Women Over 50
The “Becoming Elli” community is a huge movement started by two friends who discovered fitness in their 50s and want to share their successes with other women “considered invisible” by the fitness community at large. Elli is the Norse goddess of “old age.” She was so underestimated by Thor that she was able to defeat him in a wrestling match. We really like that idea (where is the Marvel movie for this?), and we really like their podcast, which covers strategies for staying motivated, strength training routines geared towards bodies that aren’t 20 years old, and other wonderful topics that will motivate, inspire, and educate.
40+ Fitness
Host Allan Misner is driven to “educate, encourage, and entertain” in order to get people excited about their personal health and fitness journey. One of his main messages is moderation: many health fads involve a cultish following that requires adherents to follow strict regimens that are intimidating and often exclusive to people of privilege. Misner doesn’t believe that strategy ultimately will help people find their best selves, and so invites guest experts each week to discuss ways to moderate popular fitness fads into something that can be approachable for anyone.
Pushing 60 Aside
Senior Fitness Specialist Gene Fleming is passionate about the little habits that can be added to everyday routines to increase the odds of a long, happy, healthy life. He focuses on finding your motivation and offers suggestions such as how to keep moving in the bitter cold of winter. In addition to physical fitness tips, he also has episodes that focus on the mental health of seniors, and the importance of maintaining a sense of community as your social circle may dwindle.
Never Too Late For Fitness
Don’t let the odd graphic for this podcast turn you off. Never Too Late for Fitness is a great podcast for those looking for fitness ideas that go beyond heading to the gym or joining a club. Getting outdoors, realistic meal planning, and health screening are just a few of the many topics. Experts join the podcast to advise people on types of exercise geared towards achievable goals. The guests are top-notch — many of them are well-known chefs, celebrity trainers, and reputable book authors — and the dialogue is always engaging.
Pursue Your Spark
This is one of our favorite fitness podcasts geared towards women. Heike Yates is a fitness and nutrition coach whose life mission is to empower women over 50 to “take back their health and strength to lead a vibrant life.” She breaks down complicated health, fitness, and nutrition theories into little, digestible steps that are easy to add to a daily routine and mindset so that women can add new habits without overhauling their entire lives. She regularly interviews women who have found their fitness after 50 as a way to help inspire and motivate people to do what they can to embrace their best selves.
Mind Pump
This one is kind of a palette cleanser, as it is nothing like any of the other podcasts we’ve recommended. It isn’t geared towards the over 50 crowd, per se, but it is one of the most highly followed fitness podcasts around the world, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention it. It was started by four fitness-obsessed gym rats who were sick of snake oil salesmen trying to take advantage of people who were just trying to get healthy. They use this platform to debunk myths and educate people regarding workout programs, supplements, and faux science while emphasizing methods that they know are safe and effective. It’s been described as the “Howard Stern Show for the fitness crowd,” and the word “provocative” is featured on their website several times, so you’ve been warned that it is likely just as shocking as it is helpful.
