Just keep the carcass moving, man!
Well, I walked home from Islington station tonight again (1 hour) instead of taking the subway and bus. That made me feel better.
My 73-year-old mother moved in with my 97-year-old grandmother because although my grandmother still can get out in the garden and weed on her knees, she will hold your arm while walking down the outside stairs, and “just isn’t as strong as she used to be.”
As folks said,
Just keep moving a bit every day and keep it regular.
I’ve had a couple of hobbies that required physical fitness/stamina/skill of one type or another.
And all of em had this in common.
There were always a few geezer/geezerets that were 20 to 30 years older than the majority who were mostly young whippersnappers.
And these old farts could do as well as most of the youngsters, and outdo a fair fraction of em. About the the only ones they couldn’t “compete” with were the rabidly involved rising star youngster types.
And these oldsters seemed to have two things in common.
They didnt eat/drink/sleep like frat boys. Not that they lived like new age monks on a 100 percent organic tofu. They just tended towards somewhat healthy food in moderate quantities.
The other and more obvious one was this. Whatever the interest, they did it virtually EVERY week, though typically often only once a week on weekends. Like if it was hiking, Old Hiker Bob was out there tearing up the trail if there werent tornado warnings or he wasn’t having open heart surgery.
I took some “youngsters” and real youngsters (kids) on a five hour kayak/canoe trip last week. Some of them were just not IN shape and a few were definitely OUT of shape.
That trip was SO easy for me it was almost rediculous. Not trying to brag here, just getting ready to make a point.
They all did very well considering their age/inexperience. They all had a blast and I could easily see them getting into this hobby big time.
They all agreed they both had a great time and were exhausted. Then I asked them this:
Would you have sat in gym for 5 hours working out and would it have been nearly as fun?
Not surprisingly the answer was heck no.
So, find ANY hobby that will get you out and about, that will give you ANY exercise, and keep you away from the fridge and off the couch and even if it doesnt help much with the weight, you’ll at least get more fit physically and the mental improvement will probably be dramatic.
Oh, and when you park somewhere, park out on the fringes, and walk across the darn parking lot. The walk won’t kill ya and will probably do ya good!
blll
My uncle is now 87 and recently returned to upstate NY from a trip to Wyoming. A bicycle trip. Him, bike, tent. He has been taking similar trips since he retired.
I’m 52 and do a couple of sprint triathlons (swim .5 mile, bike 15 or so miles, run 5K) every year, just to give myself a goal to work toward. I find that the approaching event helps me to get out and exercise even though I’m not really “competeing” - just trying to finish. Every year I am amaze at the number of people my age and older that are kicking my ass. Some of the old folks are even competative with the 20 somethings. As you get older you loose some of the top-end speed but slow and steady still works.
Gymnastics? Why not. If you start slow and work you way up.
Growing old ain’t for sissies.
I am 49 and am in the best shape I’ve been in since high school. I was not always very dilligent at working out, but as of about 4 years ago, I “got serious” and it has paid off in spades.
For me, being introduced to using a personal trainer was the key. I’m not saying this is for everybody, but it pointed out that though I worked out regularly, I really wasn’t doing “much”.
Some key things from my experience:
-
You can continue to work out hard, but you no longer want to work with the heavier weights. That is, do more reps with less weight than trying to do a few reps with increasingly heavier weights. The problem is that though your muscles can continue to gain strength, your joints and bones are no longer as strong as they used to be. So the heavier weights increase the chances of injury. (Both my trainers have emphasized this point).
-
It takes discipline, but workout regularly - at least 3 times a week. There are/will be days when you feel worn out, and don’t feel like working out. Just make a deal with youself that you’ll just do the stationary bike for 20 minutes. 9 times out of 10, after the 20 minutes on the bike you’ll feel like doing more. But the key is to just get yourself down to the gym.
Along those lines, I’ve not had good success with working out at home (strecthing, yes. But not strength training). It depends on your personality and what you have available, but I prefer going to the gym. It takes forcing yourself to go when you don’t feel like it. But I ALWAYS feel better about myself once I’ve gone. -
It takes a while to get used to the regular workout regimine. But once you get there, your workouts are more enjoyable (less exhausted, and more energized when you leave). And you’ll actually really notice when you miss a workout or two. Like your body starts to expect/anticipate being worked.
-
Your body will adapt to exercises, so you need to continually change things up and challenge your body. This is where a (good) trainer really helps. Every session (for over 4 years now) there is at least one new exercise I’ve not done before. When I was working out on my own (with a co-worker), we got into a rut of only doing the same exercises/machines. And though we were getting “stronger”, we were only getting stronger in those muscles that were used in those particular movements - it was VERY limited. You need to not only change up upper body/lower body, chest/back, etc., but also what you are doing with each muscle group.
I’m 53. I walk outside at least an hour every day. I am in good shape.
Just keep walking.
My father is 63, and in excellent shape. He runs competitively, posting times that would be highly impressive for someone half his age. He goes to the gym 3 or 4 times a week in addition to the training he does for running. He also enjoys cycling, and would put in 25 miles or so before dinner 
He does have a few injuries that occasionally restrict what he can do, but in general there aren’t too many problems, and if an injury prevents him taking one particular sort of exercise, he’ll soon find another.
+1 I love it and am going to my next session in about 3 hours. 45 yrs old…
It kicks your ass in the most addicting sort of way.
I’m 52. Tuesday I did 18 chin-ups.
The big difference is that I recover more slowly than I did when I was 25. Then I could train all out four or five times a week. Nowadays, not so much.
Start slow, but stick to it. It’s kind of fun to out-bench the kids.
Regards,
Shodan
Men who take care of themselves are hott.
I am 65 and walk my dogs in the park everyday. we go from 2 to 6 miles depending on heat and beagle moods. I play racketball 4 times a week and beat younger players a lot. My total playing time is about 8 hours a week.I also have weights at home and try to stay strong. Just do not quit. Getting restarted is very hard.
Bullllllshit
I’m older than you and I walk 3-6 miles a day on a treadmill or to work.
Pfft, 45 isn’t old. It’s not even close to old. You’re just barely getting into “masters” territory for competition at that age. There are lots of older athletes around. Hell, take a look at this guy. He’s bloody 85 and benches 250! I’ve used him before as an example of someone who makes me (age 34) look like a 98 lb. weakling, and I’m in better shape than basically everyone I know right now.
Take a look at the video on this page titled “Jim Baker’s 60th Birthday Snatch & Clean.” It shows him and a woman named Sally doing Olympic lifts. She seems to be in the early stages of getting in shape still, while he has gotten to a pretty decent level, especially for his age. His clean at that time topped out at 135 lbs. Apparently, when he first started doing CrossFit, he couldn’t even squat down and get back up again. My guess from looking at him in the video is that 135 lbs. is about 80% of his body weight. Not too shabby.
There have been a lot of studies on exercise and aging. Resistance or weight training has tons of benefits for older people, from increased muscle mass and fat loss, to increased bone density, and even some indications that it improves cognition. Here are a few example articles. While moderate cardio exercise is also good, there are a lot of people who don’t consider strength training an essential part of an exercise program. They should; there are substantial health benefits that are not obtainable with cardio alone.
If sedentary 70 year olds can see substantial improvements in just a few months, you can definitely get a lot out of starting an exercise program. Just remember, take it slow at first because you don’t want to destroy your new-found resolve with an early injury. Keep it up 3–4 days a week and you’ll be amazed at how you progress. A year from now, you’ll probably be able to do your most exhausting painful early workout as a warmup.
IIRC the average age of participants in the 135 mile Badwater ultramarathon (Death Valley to Mount Whitney. In the summer) is 47 years. At least one 70 year old finished it.
I’m not “old” (38) but I’m not as young as I used to be…the two biggest changes I’ve noticed are:
-
Injuries don’t heal as fast. So I’m more careful about listening to my body. I’d rather rest a week than curse rehab exercises for 3 months.
-
I’ve got a helluva lot more patience and know how to pace myself. My endurance is better than it’s ever been in my life.
I’m 48 (almost 49) and just got serious. For some reason the motivation and energy just kicked in – possibly out of terror at realizing that I’m getting close to 50.
I use an exercise bike at work 3-4 times a week and go biking another 3-4 times. My bike rides are usually at least 15 miles and I’ve done up to 30 miles. I think I could do more now, too. I’m rather surprised at how easy it’s been to do it. Sometimes I get a bit sore and stiff, but never enough to stop me from going out again.
Fetchund (45) has just fallen in love with kayaking so I’ve been doing a bit of that, too.
Now I just need to find something I can do over the winter so I don’t lose the habit and momentum. I’m going to get some warm bike gear so I can keep biking up until the snow falls.
Really? That was my best and it hurt like hell. So FUCK YOU!
I weigh 270, it isn’t that hard to believe. My son who is 145, squats 395. Get to a gym sometimes and you’ll find I am not even close to unique or the best in the place.
[Moderator Underoos On]Not appropriate for this forum-take it to The BBQ Pit.[/Moderator Underoos On]