I use hand weights, two each at 10, 15, and 20 pounds. And a yoga mat. (Actually, two, one on top of the other, for added padding.) And big rubber bands. And my own body, which is heavy.
An easy exercise to start with is just doing planks. I find just holding a plank for a minute to be surprisingly challenging, although it’s easier now, perhaps because my form is better.
This company sells good quality rubber bands
The surest way to strengthen your joints is to use weight resistance.
Nobody is suggesting you don’t be cautious. You can do weight lifting exercises slowly, under control, with weight that you can handle. Just because it feels heavy as you fatigue doesn’t mean that you must throw around huge weights.
But don’t use your age as an excuse to avoid pushing yourself physically. Getting sweaty, feeling lactic acid burn, and having muscle soreness the next day are good things.
I don’t want to sound critical, but I worry that lamenting that things heal “more slowly” is your way of lessening your expectations, so that if you cop out in this desire to get in shape you already have an excuse. How about thinking of yourself as a slumbering warrior, and once you get warmed up you’re can still fell dragons (or reach whatever standard that you’re aiming for)?
Then be careful and methodical as you build up to that!
Tone? Mostly by abusing it and pushing myself to my limits. Currently we are moving from a house that we have lived in for 33 years. We are moving a lot of our stuff. And yes I’m a computer programmer that sits all day. But moving your stuff when you live at 11-2 is a bit rough. The only tone I have is the tinnitus in my ears.
I was a sherpa for my wife that used to do full IronMans. Thank god that’s over with. Two hospital visits, and one 911 call (thank you Boulder County CO Paramedics).
I guess both my wife and I are just trying to stay moving. We are retiring, but will hand mow our 1/3 acre of grass. Keeps you on your feet.
See, getting sweaty is a bad thing. It makes me feel all nasty. Being sore is a bad thing. It hurts. That’s why i hire a woman to encourage me to do those things. Because even though they are bad, they are not as bad as losing all my muscle tone.
I am a fan of lifting weights, and if sarcopenia is a specific concern this is the best remedy. It should be emphasized any exercise is positive, and muscle can be built or maintained without going to a gym or lifting weights. But it should also be emphasized that proper weight training is exceedingly safe and will make joints, connective tissue and muscles much stronger.
The trick is to start slowly and increase difficulty gradually but consistently. No one cares how much you lift. The idea is to have a mild to moderate challenge which you can do.
There are cheap and simple things one can purchase to help workout effectively at home. Gyms in my city cost as little as $250/yr. and provide much more. If you live in a place with universities, community centres those may be good. Commercial gym chains often have discounts for certain professions or age groups or for a trial period.
But you have to enjoy what you do, and for some people lifting weights is a non-starter. Elastic bands, bodyweight squats, sprinting and classes provide some of the same stimulus.
Youtube. Seriously you can find anything there. I usually lift weights at the gym but if I can’t make it i search for videos using terms like “upper body workout no equipment” and do them at home. Here’s a couple i have done a few times:
Well, if you plan to work out at home, i strongly recommend you at least buy a yoga mat or two. I used to use one on a carpet, and now use two on a wooden floor.
Actually, i used to use a towel on a carpet (to keep the carpet clean when i sweat) but it’s hard to do pushups if your toes want to slide down every time time you push. A yoga mat provides a lot of friction, and prevents that. And it does also keep your sweat off the floor. They are pretty easy to roll up and tuck away when you aren’t using them.
I also think it’s worth buying some weights and bands. They aren’t terribly expensive, are also fairly easy to tuck out of the way, and they expand what you can do by quite a lot. I used to work out at a gym, and switched to home during the pandemic. I think i get at least 90% of the benefits of the gym in the privacy of my own home, with just some weights and bands. I’ve since also bought some balls and a foam roller, but i wouldn’t bother getting those to start.
Just wishin’ and hoping’.
Where’s that ?
I hit the gym 3x a week for cardio and weight lifting. I work with a trainer there 1x-2x a week.
At 64, I’m surely not as fit as I used to be. But my motto is to “Keep the carcass moving.” I bike 25-35 miles 2-3x/week. After biking I do 15-20 mins of light weights. Pushups, sit-ups, and 10-25# dumbbells. (I’m working through our album collection from A to Z and do 1 album side.) Now that it is summer, I go to the local pool at least a couple of times a week and swim 30 lengths. I really oughta add stretching…
I feel like a creaky old man, but I feel I’d feel much worse if I didn’t do at least this much.
Sorry, 11-2 is standard jargon around here for elevation. We live at 11,200 feet in elevation. But are moving to a low elevation of 5000’.
Thanks !
(I’m at 356 feet)
Keep it ‘in tone’? First I’d have to get it ‘in tone’…
I bicycle and walk a lot, so my lower body is in good shape. For my upper I am very casual, and I try to do a combo of 1-minute planks, stretching, and some curls with 20 lb dumbbells while watching local news in the morning. While not generating visible tone, it does keep my core in better shape and helps me avoid back pain, and I maintain a nice six-pack under my flab.
I run 3 to 5 times a week for thirty minutes non-stop. I lift weights and do ab stuff, too.
Just biked 32 miles, temp 93F when done (heat index 109F). So today it was more like “How do I try to kill myself?”
(Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. Had salt in my water bottle, and refilled it a couple of times. Nice to be able to still push the carcass…)
That sounds miserable. I just bought a treadmill because i don’t want to go outdoors if it gets above 85°, and i need to walk more.
I’ve always enjoyed the feeling when I’m exercising in the heat - biking now - used to run and hoop, and the sweat is just running off of me. For whatever reason, it makes me feel like I’m flushing out toxins or something. And makes me feel good that I CAN push myself. (We DID start an hour earlier than usual when it was slightly cooler.)
My sister is 4 years older. I woulda said she was fitter than me, but today she asked me to slow it down a tad at one point. So I realize the time I’ll be able to do this sorta thing is limited. And I remember the days in January when it was too cold and snowy to bike, so I don’t want the heat to prevent me.
Heat never used to bother me in the least. These days, it really tends to wipe me out.
Maybe she’s just more sensitive to heat than you are. I’m serious about not wanting to be outdoors above 85°F, and if i have a good reason to be out, I’m sure as hell not exercising, unless maybe I’m swimming and the water isn’t horribly warm.