Any other women over 60 active on MyFitnessPal?

Fireblossom1

Hello! Did you read that article about the Stanford Medicine study finding that our molecules and microorganisms go through "dramatic changes" around ages 44 and 60? Well, I can attest to the big shifts after hitting 60. Things I could always do easily I no longer can, parts of my body hurt all the time, the weight gain (oof! the weight gain!). I rejoined MyFitnessPal a week ago and joined the group "Women Over 60 Getting Fit and Fabulous." It doesn't seem to be active with other people at the moment. So, if you are a Woman-Over-60-Getting-Fit-and-Fabulous, how about joining that Group, too, so we can support each other as we negotiate the new challenges we're encountering?

springlering62

I’ve had little luck with groups. Most go dead pretty quickly. They are awkward to retrieve, can be confusing to follow, and to keep up with. Sadly, they killed off the newsfeed, which is where the action was, and there’s been no replacement.

However, to your point, I’m 62, have been in maintenance five years now. This morning I’ve done recumbent bike, my lovely trainer for an hour (who, instead of cutting me slack after a two and a half week vacation absolutely kicked my butt), swam as many laps as I could manage in twenty minutes, and did aquafit, so I qualify as an active senior.

Couldn’t have done any of it six years ago. Could barely climb the stairs without resting. Ironically, sooooo many things I couldn’t do then, I can do now. I scared the bejesus out of a guesthouse operator last week. He walked in carrying a tray of breakfast items for our group and found me standing on my head. Watching him slowly back out, with trembling tray, between my hands, viewed upside down, was awesome. It was the stuff of sitcoms.

That’s my current “yay, senior me!” moment. I bet he’ll remember his senior American visitor for quite a while lol.

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome!

No, I didn't read that study. I figure that if I stay active, get good overall nutrition (including plenty of pre- and pro-biotic foods), and stay at a healthy weight, I'm doing everything I can for my molecules, micro-organisms, and overall physicality, so I don't much worry about it.

Weird coincidence in context of your post: For me, the big change at 44 was getting diagnosed with advanced cancer; after treatment of that (at around 45-46) I finally got routinely active athletically, which was a huge improvement in my quality of life. The big change around 60 was losing from class 1 obese to healthy weight at 59-60, another huge quality of life improvement.

Either of those changes was a big deal. The combination of both was gangbusters. (I'm now 68, still active, still at a healthy weight. I feel stronger and more capable than I did in my mid-40s, for sure. Home chores that were a drain, fatigue-inducing back then are a trivial effort now.)

An alternative to the groups would be some of the motivation or challenge threads in these parts of the Community:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/motivation-and-support
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/challenges

Some of those have been quite long-lived (some of which re-incarnate as a new thread every month or quarter), others fairly new. They tend to have a rolling cast of participants, but the thread often lives on. You can read their intro posts, learn how to join in, join any that seem to suit you.

Myself, I tend to participate in some more topic-specific threads (sharing workout reports or foods we've tried/made). Those tend to have all ages and sexes participating.

I'm definitely over 60, don't really think of myself as getting fit (or even staying fit - I mostly just happen to love doing some things that have fitness as a happy side-effect), and definitely don't aspire to fabulousness (I strive for adequacy, mostly ). No diss to others who may benefit from a "Fit and Fabulous" group, but I suspect a hedonistic aging-hippie flake like me wouldn't be a great fit!

Wishing you success with all your goals - MFP can be a great tool!

ETA P.S.: IME, there are quite a few women over 60 active on MFP, at all stages: Beginners, fitness focused (strength, general cardio, specific sports, etc.), long-term weight maintainers, "I'm back" yo-yo-ers, and more.

cynmj58

Hi All-67 years here and really leaning on on the MFP app-looking to improve glucose and drop some weight. 3Lbs 4 weeks-I’ll take it!

springlering62

Hi @cynmj58 welcome to MFP

this thread has been dead for months.

Come join us over here. This is an active thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10718336/60-yrs-and-up