By Phillippe Diederich BODY September 25, 2018

Simple 30-minute midlife workout

I hate doing workouts. Exercise is boring. And yet we all need to do it, especially when we’re getting up there in age.

My distaste for exercise is simply that I don’t find it interesting. I could think of a million other thing I would rather be doing than working out.

Exercising on a daily basis is important

And now that I don’t live in a city where I walk a lot, as I used to, I need an exercise routine more than ever before.

I’m 54 years old and I’m not overweight. My 30 minute exercise routine is based on my own body type.

What works for me might not work for you. But you can modify the routine to fit your needs.

What matters here is that there be constant movement of the body in order the get a full cardio workout.

My goals might also be different from yours.

I don’t necessarily want to lose weight, I just want to keep my muscles toned and get a decent cardio workout that will help keep my heart and circulatory system in proper working order.

OK, so here’s my 30-minute workout

10 minutes of jumping jacks

25 push-ups

75 crunches

5 minutes of jumping jacks

15 curls with 20lb dumbbells

15 shoulder presses

15 squats

5 minutes of jumping jacks

Also read: Best fitness routines in your fifties

I know it sounds like very little, but in a month and a half my muscles were toned, my posture improved and I felt better. Also lost about 7 pounds.

The important thing here is to do these exercises quickly but with proper alignment and conscious breathing.

Don’t take a break, just do one exercise, then the next and the next. It will keep your heart rate up. That’s important.

Now, if you go to a gym but don’t have enough time each day to spend more than an hour working out, just either run or walk fast on the treadmill, then do a quick free-weight routine that will help tone your upper body.

This way you get your lower body and cardio workout on the treadmill, and your upper body on free-weights or machines.

You can get an excellent routine going in less than an hour. The key here, as in all routines, is consistency and continuity.

I’m 54 years old and I’m not overweight. My 30 minute exercise routine is based on my own body type. What works for me might not work for you. But you can modify the routine to fit your needs. What matters here is that there be constant movement of the body in order the get a full cardio workout. Here is my 30-minute workout. #workout #midlife #fitness

Phillippe Diederich

Phillippe Diederich is a bilingual author and photographer born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Mexico City and Miami. His photography has appeared in The New York Times, Time magazine, U.S. News and World Report and other national publications. Phillippe's novels Sofrito and Playing for the Devil's Fire are both published by Cinco Puntos Press. He is the recipient of a PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship and the Editor-in-Chief of Viva Fifty!