Exercise and Ageing
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I was thinking about this thread when I was with my personal trainer this afternoon. She’s 73.
I was watching her zip around and thinking, being super active as an older person kind of has its pluses and minuses.
She’s so active, she’s prone to injury, like popping a rib when moving waterlogged (gym flooded) mats by herself because she’s too damn pigheaded to ask for help. She’s always running into equipment because she moves so fast, and constantly sports a collection of bruises and bumps on her head when she stands up too quick under a bar or rack.
During my session this afternoon she climbed up without a second thought and stood tiptoe on top of the dumbbells on the rack to fix the clock. She had a really bad accident while alone in the gym a couple years ago and was lucky someone found her before she bled out.
I’m not kidding when I say someone I know yells encouragement (or orders others to clean up after themselves) so loud they may or may not get hemorrhoids. She regularly lifts with the women’s team just to show them she’s still got it, and flips big *kitten* tires just to put on Instagram.
She’s unstoppable. It’s absolutely exhausting just watching.
Remember Tron, the movie? The little carts that screamed around at breakneck speed? That’s her.
A good part of me wants to be her at that age, because she’s so freaking awesome and inspiring, but sometimes I think, holy cow…… would you ever get to rest?
Where’s the line? I don’t ever want to be in my dotage. I want to think and act young, be mobile, flexible, relatively strong, and in great health, but otoh, whew!
Just idle musings as I was watching her crazy self careening around like a lit-up cartoon rocket this afternoon. I bet she put a couple miles on just in the hour she was training with me.
I do a lot of exercise. I enjoy it, it’s recreation, it’s still fun right now. But I’ve only been this way for less than three years. I do wonder sometimes, in ten or fifteen years, where will I be? Can I keep it up at this pace? Would I want to?
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I'm 70.
Use to lift 5 days a wk but after a few injuries and some age related deterioration in my rt elbow, now I only row 5 days a wk instead.
Also walk & hike a bit, still do some lifting -squats/deadlifts - and do some crossfit exercises but none of these things w/any regularlity.4 -
@springlering62
In Oct 2015 I decided to quickly do something in the early AM before work instead of waking my son. I had a workman coming that day and needed the outside water turned on. The Valve was behind a panel in the ceiling of my basement. So instead of waking my son or getting a step ladder out of the garage and taking it to the basement, I put 1 foot on the dumbell rack and 1 foot on the weight bench rack. Heavy York barbell professional equipment. I knew it wouldn't move. 2 areas about 5 inches by 3 inches. Slightly different heights. Then I had a reach up and open the access panel in the ceiling. Needless to say, I lost my balance and landed on my L foot and my Left tibia shattered at the top, the Tibial plateau area, by the knee, and my Fibula broke. Dr said basically my femur hit my tibia like a Jackhammer. 2 hospitalizations, 3 plates, 20 screws and 7 months off work and having to learn to walk again, all because I didn't want to wake my son or get a step ladder. I have big regrets and now am super cautious. Very hard for me to get up off the floor if I end up there.8 -
I started counting calories, walking and lifting weights 3/4x a week. Have been completely off my feet since April so no exercise whatsoever. I will be 58 next month and have lost approximately 8 lbs since April. Fitness is for cardiovascular and muscular health plus range of movement. Calorie counting is for weight control. Just do what you enjoy that keeps you injury free and not so exhausted that you cannot perform daily activities.1
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Thank you for all of your feed backs. Maybe trying new things is a good idea. I'm thinking boredom is kicking in somewhat. I live in a rural area with no gyms. however there is a swimming pool which is part of an HOA, so water aerobics could be my next go to exercise6
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My mom is 83 and like the Energizer Bunny. Just a few summers back she scraped and painted all of the painted part of her house (some is shingled.) Those days are surely over, as are, hopefully, her days of cleaning the gutters >.<, but she walks, swims seasonally, practices yoga, does extensive gardening, and takes care of a 250+ year old house. (My brother and I help, but she can outwork us, lol. My excuse is decades of desk jobs.)4
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kshama2001 wrote: »My mom is 83 and like the Energizer Bunny. Just a few summers back she scraped and painted all of the painted part of her house (some is shingled.) Those days are surely over, as are, hopefully, her days of cleaning the gutters >.<, but she walks, swims seasonally, practices yoga, does extensive gardening, and takes care of a 250+ year old house. (My brother and I help, but she can outwork us, lol. My excuse is decades of desk jobs.)
That hug was for your mom!!!!1 -
After I posted, I see that I wrote a novel. Guess I got carried away. But I hope you find this helpful.
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I retired slightly early end of 2017. I had had a good career, but the last 10 yrs or so were extensive travel (nearly 100%), and I was worn out. Worse, it was a sedentary IT career, and I had put on weight, including gradual buildup of weight from the travel. Plus, I was at the WTC South Tower on 9-11, and afterwards, put on a ton of anxiety weight. Needless to say, I was a physical mess.
I had been active when younger. HS sports (football, shot put, discus), and in my adulthood, a scuba instructor as a side gig, and some years doing recreational bicycle touring and riding, beach swimming, and more.
So, at retirement, I took stock and got a bike that fit my needs and body type now (XMAS/retirement gift from the family), began riding regularly, 2-4x/wk, 50/50 on road/off road, 75/25 paved/unpaved. At first, a mile was a major accomplishment; now it's part of the warmup to the rest of the ride. Not just riding locally - I've hauled my bike from my base in NJ to the FL Keys, Maryland Eastern Shore, Ontario Canada and points between a number of times - variety is the spice of life (I just got back from about a month in Canada visiting my daughter as the border re-opened from covid). Modified my diet (*not* exactly a weight-loss regime, but a good eating-regime with calorie and macros targets - helped by MFP recording). Amped up my associated activities (walking or lite local hiking, more swimming [beach and outdoor pool], cold-season gym workouts 2-3x/wk). I fairly quickly lost about 85 lbs (varied somewhat), felt really good, much healthier and fit. My "fave days" consisted of summertime riding to the beach, swimming all day, riding home and prepping a healthy meal - everything in the program was clicking.
At 67yo, the things I've noticed are that some days, the program is extremely invigorating and stimulating. Other days, I welcome an afternoon nap. Recovery from extreme exercise takes longer than when younger and is essential. Aches and pains, especially in weight-bearing bones and joints, are more frequent companions than when younger, and not always predictable (the bike and swimming are great for lowering demands on the joints; when walking/hiking, I pretty much always use trekking poles for their benefits). Hydration and activity-related nutrition are critical. Pre- and post-workout routines help.
Then came covid. Lockdown and quarantine. Concerns about public venues, such as pools and gyms. Due to my health neglect over the preceding decades, I am square in the crosshairs for several of the co-morbidities and preconditions, so I have adopted a fairly strict exposure protocol. Vaccinated, sure. Gym - not since, but I'm maintaining hopeful membership. Beach/pool club membership - maintained and used it this year, not so much use in 2020. Riding, resumed after first wave of lockdowns. Senior hiking group - suspended. Diet has been harder; we have abandoned some items if we can't be sure of their exposure status or clean-ability (we are still subjecting some fresh produce to a mild "bleach bath" - if it can withstand it - upon returning from the grocery). I have plateaued at the weight loss I accomplished end of 2019 and can still go another 50 lbs (but I am glad of where I reached before covid, I think it has made a world of difference). Oh, and in the middle of this, 2020, we downsized our longtime home and moved, which took a chunk of effort and the whole latter half of the year, mostly derailing specific exercise by lifting, sorting, packing-type chores and generally making meals more of a catch-as-can approach.
So, my advice:
1. get medical clearance from your doctor.
2. pick things you will enjoy doing for the long haul.
3. start out slow and build up your capabilities.
4. the program becomes your lifestyle, not something added to your day (it's easy to find an excuse to abandon your program due to the competition from other things if it's not a priority). I volunteer with the Park Service to help keep the bike riding "my job in retirement" LOL.
5. some days will be better than others. some weeks and months, the same. progress isn't linear or continuous.
6. the support of your loved ones is essential. their involvement helps tremendously.
Good luck on your journey. Pic is for eye candy. My bike on a trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, a couple of weeks ago. Going places by bike is its own motivation.
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I'm 60 and do strength training, yoga, cycling, indoor spinning, and walking. Walking has been a challenge for me that past few months as I need to have foot surgery but am putting it off until after the holidays. We missed getting together as a family last year due to Covid, so it's especially important to me this year. I have to admit, having foot pain does make it tougher to be active. But I'm grateful for wonderful bike paths here and so far, I can still do yoga without any foot pain.
By the way, if you aren't lifting weights or doing resistance training, I highly recommend it. And the same for yoga. Yoga helps build and maintain strength and helps with balance and flexibility too! And it's a great de-stressor too!2 -
Luv2eatSweets wrote: »Thank you for all of your feed backs. Maybe trying new things is a good idea. I'm thinking boredom is kicking in somewhat. I live in a rural area with no gyms. however there is a swimming pool which is part of an HOA, so water aerobics could be my next go to exercise
A few people mentioned strength training. It's high on my list, although admittedly I'm just getting back to a somewhat proper progressive load routine, I was haphazard and lazy/cautious for quite a while after a sedentary period. I noticed it wasn't on your list. If it's because you think you need a gym for strength training, I'm here to say that you don't. A few hand weights will help, but you could even do body weight strength training. Or if you feel like springing for some equipment, I highly recommend adjustable or "dial-a-weight" dumbbells.
Maybe I should add that I didn't push it with weights for quite some time because I've been injured a fair bit. I've heard that your muscles can adjust faster than tendons/ligaments can. Maybe someone can correct if that's not quite right. Anyway, it feels to me like this is even more true now that I'm 60.
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snowflake954 wrote: »Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.
I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.
https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E
To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.3 -
springlering62 wrote: »I do a lot of exercise. I enjoy it, it’s recreation, it’s still fun right now. But I’ve only been this way for less than three years. I do wonder sometimes, in ten or fifteen years, where will I be? Can I keep it up at this pace? Would I want to?
Based on the older individuals I know, I'd say if you keep up the pace you'll be able to maintain it fifteen years from now, barring any serious injury or infirmity.
When I moved into this house one of my neighbours was an 85 year old woman who lived alone in her home, an average three bedroom bungalow. I met her because she would come over and chat with me while I shovelled my driveway. She had already finished shovelling her own. She'd always done it, she didn't think twice about whether or not she should be shovelling snow at her age, she just kept doing it. As well as the rest of the usual household chores. I hope I can be just as self-sufficient and capable at her age but I'm just going to keep on assuming that I AM and carry on doing.
I didn't start any kind of deliberate exercising until about 9 years ago, age 48, when I realized that maybe I should do some resistance training to improve or at least maintain bone density. I'm the most unathletic person on the planet but eventually I discovered heavy lifting and I was hooked. I do all the normal household maintenance stuff like lawn mowing and snow shovelling and pretty extensive gardening too, plus I walk a lot. I'm still no athlete but I'm probably decently fit.5 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.
I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.
https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E
To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.
Yes you were! I thought it was you but was afraid of naming the wrong person. Thanks for that video. Few people think about what could happen if you're on the floor after a fall and can't get up to call for help.2 -
I don't have that much advise other than do what you can and listen to your body. I'm going to be 57 in a month or so. I have a heavy workout load, relative to many my age, but not relative to this group that has responded. I'm in a stage where I'm getting frustrated with performance metrics, but I have good functional strength, look decent and kept my weight off.
Just be consistent, incremental and don't "power through" pain that doesn't feel right. Be gentle on yourself and find things that you can do. I fell in love with running at 44 and ran until around 49 and then, I couldn't any longer. I'd sit inflammed for 3 to 4 hours after every run. Then I started indoor rowing and spinning more.
Also, just wanted to say that this group is, in general, who I admire most on these boards. All these folks are really inspiring to me personally.6 -
I'm 65.5 years old, working full time
Typical week 5-6 days weights at the gym. 5-6 days hour walk often with weighted vest. Maybe longer hike on weekend. Mobility work for 30-45 minutes while watching tv.2 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.
I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.
https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E
To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.
Aha! I've seen (and done) that one but could not find it on YT earlier for this thread.
I'm going to have to do it again. My recollection was that it was unnecessarily difficult. I have no problem getting up and down, but some of these videos make it harder than it has to be. But I will do it again with the idea that I am simulating a broken limb.2 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.
I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.
https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E
To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.
Aha! I've seen (and done) that one but could not find it on YT earlier for this thread.
I'm going to have to do it again. My recollection was that it was unnecessarily difficult. I have no problem getting up and down, but some of these videos make it harder than it has to be. But I will do it again with the idea that I am simulating a broken limb.
The trainer says there are no instructions on any certain way this should be done other than holding hand to knee in various ways and hands behind the head.
The restrictions on not using all linbs is the challenge1 -
Love to hear from the 64 years olds! I am 64 now and will proudly be 65 in January. I was very active (active runner for many years) until 4 years ago when I wore out the cartridge in my right knee and had a knee replacement. That changed my life and I have been gradually building up my strength and activity level. I did retire in December 2019 and made myself a priority. I think this is what finally clicked in for me. I wrote down my weight at the time (221 pounds) and made a plan to lose 60 pounds by the end of 2022. I am down 49.5 pounds now. I started in the gym in October 2020 and slowly built up my strength and endurance. I stopped going to the gym in September of this year since I was getting bored and needed to spice things up a bit. I now workout 6 days per week. I run/strength train 3 days, and ride my bike 13-15 miles 3 days per week. Everyday I take my dog out for a 2 to 3 mile brisk walk. I feel age is just a number and I don’t feel 64. I feel the same I did when I was in my 40’s. But each person is different and you have to find the time and what works for you. I just started back running this week. My orthopedist wanted me to drop some weight before I ran on my new knee. Saw him last week and he gave me the green light. No marathons, but I just want to run some 5ks again. I am following the Couch to 5k program which is a nine week program. Again, nice and slow and build up endurance, distance and speed. Believe it or not I love to workout now. It is a very important part of the day for me. I am doing the work and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I have not felt this good in many years. Everyone wants fast results, but don’t jump into an impossible workout. You could injure yourself. Slow and easy is the way to go and of course, have fun!3
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Kathleen, being accountable is being successful. And don't think it isn't. Otherwise, we would all get up and eat a good donut in the morning.0
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