Amanda Loudin

Runners (along with cyclists and other athletes eager to track their mileage and time) can get all the data they want these days and use it to get faster. Yet, for many, that feedback can lead to overtraining, poor results and unhealthy behaviours.

Experts say that handgrip strength works as a stand-in for measuring general body strength and muscle mass, which declines with age.

Some effective tips to run in your 50s, or later.

Levitt is a big believer that athletes need to understand that stress is stress, no matter where it is coming from.

It was in 2015, at age 32, that Liz Wolfert learned that she had elevated blood glucose levels, a possible sign of pre-diabetes. Her first instinct was to work out harder and faster. But she soon learned that she needed to do the opposite: slow down and exercise at a much easier pace.

At the age of 16, Heather Troupe received a diagnosis of chronic severe depression and a prescription for an antidepressant. Eight years and 20 pounds later, she was sleeping poorly, felt a lot of anxiety and had lost her therapist because of insurance complications.

'Exercise has been the biggest piece of the puzzle for me,' says Troupe, who is now a fitness instructor. 'It's a place for me to funnel all that extra energy -energy that would otherwise turn into sadness or anxiety.'

Runners (along with cyclists and other athletes eager to track their mileage and time) can get all the data they want these days and use it to get faster. Yet, for many, that feedback can lead to overtraining, poor results and unhealthy behaviours.

Experts say that handgrip strength works as a stand-in for measuring general body strength and muscle mass, which declines with age.

Some effective tips to run in your 50s, or later.

Levitt is a big believer that athletes need to understand that stress is stress, no matter where it is coming from.

It was in 2015, at age 32, that Liz Wolfert learned that she had elevated blood glucose levels, a possible sign of pre-diabetes. Her first instinct was to work out harder and faster. But she soon learned that she needed to do the opposite: slow down and exercise at a much easier pace.

At the age of 16, Heather Troupe received a diagnosis of chronic severe depression and a prescription for an antidepressant. Eight years and 20 pounds later, she was sleeping poorly, felt a lot of anxiety and had lost her therapist because of insurance complications.

'Exercise has been the biggest piece of the puzzle for me,' says Troupe, who is now a fitness instructor. 'It's a place for me to funnel all that extra energy -energy that would otherwise turn into sadness or anxiety.'