Fitness at 50: the everyday tech habits that make a real difference

Collaborative Post | There’s something wonderfully liberating about reaching your 50s,  a sense of clarity about what truly matters, paired with the confidence to pursue it. For many of us, that includes prioritising our health in a way that feels more sustainable, empowering, and tailored to our own specific lifestyle, not someone else’s ideas on their Instagram highlight reel.

Photo by Bar Kochba on Unsplash

Introduction: thriving, not just surviving, in midlife

Fitness in midlife is not about chasing extremes or measuring up to arbitrary goals. It’s about feeling strong within your own skin, supporting your energy levels, and staying mobile for the life you want to lead going forward, whether that is walking with the dog, hiking at the weekend with friends, or joining a local Pilates class.

And in my own experience, one of the quiet game-changers has been fitness technology, particularly my smartwatch. Far from being a flashy gadget on my wrist, it has started to become a daily companion that gently nudges me to move, breathe, and keep myself accountable throughout the week. But as I’ve learned, it’s not just about owning the tech, it’s about how you use it that makes the real difference.

Why tech belongs in a 50+ fitness routine

There was a time when the idea of tracking your step count, monitoring your heart rate, or logging your sleep scores felt a little overly technical, the kind of thing reserved for elite athletes or personal trainers. But these days, fitness trackers and smartwatches have evolved into really user-friendly tools that can genuinely support wellbeing, particularly in midlife.

For me, using a Garmin smartwatch has been much less about data obsession and more about gentle guidance. A polite nudge to stand when I’ve been sitting too long. A reminder that I slept better after a walk the day before. A simple tap on the wrist tells me I’ve hit my step goal, not just because it’s all about numbers, but because it’s a small celebration of movement throughout a busy day.
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More importantly, tech helps to foster some added self-awareness, something we can lean into more as we age. Whether it’s checking your heart rate during a brisk walk or simply seeing how your body responds to new types of exercise, these small insights really do add up nicely. They help us make better, more informed choices, and they make it easier to build lifestyle habits that stick.
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Midlife is the perfect time to embrace smart tools that simplify your health journey. You don’t need a high-intensity bootcamp schedule or a complicated app stack; just a little bit of the right tech, used consistently and intentionally, really can make all the difference.

The hidden habits that make a difference

We often talk about motivation, commitment, and finding the “perfect routine” when it comes to fitness, but the real magic usually lies in the quiet and understated habits we barely notice day to day, the ones that quietly support consistency.

For me, using a smartwatch became more than a gadget novelty. It formed the backbone of my daily rhythm and acted as a soft and friendly prompt to move after sitting too long, a morning check-in with my resting heart rate, or a gentle buzz when I’d hit my step goal walking the dog. These small cues help me stay present and connected to my body, without adding pressure.

But there are other habits I didn’t expect to matter so much, like how I cared for my tech gear. Over time, I realised that discomfort from a watch strap, or a bit of skin irritation after a longer walk, wasn’t just an annoyance, it was something quietly chipping away at my consistency. If it doesn’t feel good, you stop wearing it. And if you stop wearing it, you stop tracking, and all of the dominoes can fall quickly.
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That is when I started making the decision to be slightly more intentional, not just with how I moved, but with the tools I was using to support me. Little things like cleaning the strap regularly, swapping out materials when needed, and adjusting the fit made a bigger difference than I would have ever expected.

The one thing often overlooked: strap hygiene

I’ll admit it myself,  when I first started wearing my smartwatch regularly, I didn’t give the strap a second thought. It was just on my wrist every day, throughout workouts, daily errands and cooking. I’d wash my hands, wash my face, but the watch strap? Never.

It wasn’t until I started noticing some minor skin irritation around my wrist, a tiny bit of redness and an uncomfortable itch after longer walks, that I realised I might be missing something obvious. A bit of online digging later, and it turns out I wasn’t alone in this at all. 
According to dermatologists, smartwatch straps, especially those that are worn daily, can become a breeding ground for sweat and bacteria, particularly after any exercise. The friction, combined with trapped moisture and dirt, can lead to skin irritation or even allergic reactions, especially for those of us with more sensitive skin in midlife. 

The solution I found, though, was thankfully very simple; I just needed to start cleaning the strap regularly. I now follow a gentle weekly routine using warm water, mild soap, and a soft cloth or toothbrush to clean the watch strap, especially after longer walks or gardening. It takes no more than a few minutes, but the difference has been night and day.
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I actually followed this handy little step-by-step guide on how to clean a Garmin watch strap, and it’s become part of my regular routine. Not only has the irritation stopped, but the strap itself looks and feels better, and so does my skin.

Final thoughts: small tech habits, big wellbeing wins

Midlife fitness doesn’t ever need to be intense or intimidating, it just needs to be intentional. And often, it’s not the big flashy moves that keep us going, but the small, sustainable ones that we quietly integrate into our everyday routine.

Wearing a smartwatch has become one of those small-but-mighty habits for me. Not because I obsess over data, but because it helps me stay connected to my body, my goals, without me having to make too much effort in return.

What I’ve discovered along the way, though, is that how you care for the tools matters just as much as how you are actually using them. Taking a few minutes out to clean your watch strap, choosing one that suits your skin and lifestyle, and being mindful of comfort can mean the difference between a habit that sticks and one that slips away after a few weeks.

So if you’re looking for simple ways to support your health and wellbeing at 50 and beyond, never underestimate the power of some thoughtful tech habits. Because thriving in midlife isn’t about doing everything perfectly, it’s about finding what works for you and doing it with care.

​​Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post.