Did I Start Too Late?

greatday2u2

I am a 62 year old female with Osteopenia. Doctor told me to increase my Calcium to 600 mg a day. I am about to become a grandparent for the first time and want to be able to play with the baby without getting hurt. Am I starting this exercise/fitness pal too late in life?

quiksylver296

Nope. Check out @AnnPT77!!! She's amazing and started her weight loss later in life, too.

The only thing you need to do to lose weight is eat fewer calories than your body uses. No magic pills, shakes, wraps, exercises, etc, etc, etc.

Read through this awesome thread (written by a great personal trainer).

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

CSARdiver

Never too late to be better than you are today.

My grandfather lived well into his 90s largely due to staying active.

reversemigration

It's never too late! I would discuss exercise, particularly weight-bearing exercise, with your doctor as a means of warding off osteoporosis. In addition to helping to build bone, exercise can improve your balance and posture and reduce your risk of falls.

You may also wish to talk to your doctor about making sure your diet includes enough vitamin D (or modest sun exposure) to help absorb the calcium you're taking.

Good luck!

HeliumIsNoble

If you don't start now, you'll look back on today in three years' time and think "62 wasn't too late, but now I'm 65, it is too late."

Then five years after that, you'll think, "I could have started at 65, and my life might be drastically different to how it is now. But 70 is definitely too late."



Is your diagnosis of osteopenia very recent? I honestly have to tell you that you should not give up on positive changes at this point in your life. I imagine it must have been a tremendous shock to be given such bad news, but one of my close relatives was diagnosed with full osteoporosis at 46, after her first fracture. So as far as I'm concerned, 'only' having osteopenia at 62 means you have everything to play for. It is completely worth doing everything you can to halt its progression.

cheryldumais

Nope, I lost over 100 lbs between 59 and 61. You can do it!

brbra

Not at all! I’m 66 and lost 14.8 pounds since mid-September

manderson27

Certainly not to late. There are a lot of older people on here (including me at 62) Who have health issues but have turned there lives around by losing weight and getting fitter.

You are in good company here. I second checking out @AnnPT77 Her story is inspiring and her advice is legendary.

Vailara

This is jut my opinion, but my feeling it's the other way round - the later it is, the more you need to start, and the more you're going to benefit! I'm thinking particularly about some sort of resistance/strength training - I think it's even more important as you get older. For me, that would be the very first thing I would start doing, regardless of weight or anything. Obviously talk to your doctor first, but please don't think it's too late to do anything! Best of luck and have lots of fun with your new grandbaby when they arrive!

brbra

Also, the YMCA has a program for diabetes prevention. It’s a really scary disease. I don’t want it.

AnnPT77

greatday2u2 wrote: »

I am a 62 year old female with Osteopenia. Doctor told me to increase my Calcium to 600 mg a day. I am about to become a grandparent for the first time and want to be able to play with the baby without getting hurt. Am I starting this exercise/fitness pal too late in life?

You're doing fine: There is no "too late" (at least while we're still above ground).

There are research studies showing physical improvement from exercise for people in their 80s. Starting earlier is better, of course, but the earliest you can start is now . . . so that's a good plan!

Is your goal here simply to improve nutrition and add exercise, or is weight loss (or gain?) a goal for you, too?

I got diagnosed with osteopenia . . . hmm, when was it? . . . maybe around age 50. For me, I believe it was a side effect of a hormone treatment (anti-estrogen drug) I took as part of treatment for advanced breast cancer. I was younger than you are now when I started being active; it was shortly after I finished chemotherapy, so around age 46. At that point, I was obese, with high blood pressure and high cholesterol (and stayed that way for more than an additional decade). A few years ago, at age 59-60, I lost about 50 pounds, obese to a healthy weight, and have been maintaining a healthy weight since. (I'm now 63).

If you're starting a new fitness plan, IMO the most important thing is to start , and the second most important thing at our age is to proceed gradually, sensibly, and persistently. Keep it manageable, but keep going.

In my experience, the big difference as I age is not how much I can improve fitness (that still works pretty well ), but is more about pacing so that there's gradual, steady progress without injury. Injury is only maybe a little bit more common with age (since some of our parts may have a little wear on them), but my experience has been that the cost of injury is higher, in the sense that if I have to drop parts of my workout routine to recover, I de-train a little faster than when I was younger, and the regain is a little slower. That makes injury avoidance, which is important for everyone, just that much more important as I age.

Have you identified some kind of activity program? Some people start with walking, which is great, but for osteopenia some form of strength training will give you a high payoff. People sometimes say "lift heavy weights", which can seem alarming, so I want to point out that that means "lift weights that are heavy enough to be a manageable challenge for you". It starts from your current capability, and builds from there . . . which is not alarming at all.

Has your doctor suggested particular exercise programs? Sometimes community groups, hospital fitness centers, or YMCAs have good starter programs for 55+, if you prefer to work out with others of our age.

What are you thinking you'd like to do? What kinds of activity sound fun? Do you have weight management goals, or is it primarily the fitness/osteopenia issue? Are you trying to improve the nutrition of your eating routine, or are you pretty happy with how that is already (other than needing the extra calcium)? With a little more info about what you're looking for, and what your doctor's recommended, we might be able to suggest some ideas, if you'd like that.

But if it's merely that you're worried that it's too late . . . stop worrying: It's not. In fact, I think that age can be a bit of an advantage, as we usually know ourselves pretty well, and know how to work within our own strengths and challenges to achieve goals.

Welcome, and best wishes!