Over 65 but I just don't feel like it!

hvonville

Hi all,

I retired July 1, 2025 and turned 68 a few weeks later. I found out in the fall that my cholesterol is extremely high. I took a statin for a bit but my hips hurt so much that I couldn't maintain my activity level. I didn't realize it was the statin, but I got off it once I figured it out.

My cholesterol had dropped fairly significantly while I was on it, but it's way up again. I'm hoping I can drop 15 pounds and improve my diet (I'm a vegetarian but I eat too many sweets). I also joined Club Pilates at the end of November. I decided to go for the unlimited membership in December and went 5 times last week, 4 times this week.

I've been fairly active much of my life and have a background in modern dance which has been a benefit in the Pilates classes. My next goal is to start running again (run/walk). I'm signed up for a half marathon in May- another reason to drop the weight since it will be so much better for my joints!

What do you do to stay active? How do you maintain your discipline? I used to be amazingly disciplined but being married sucked that out if me. I'm single again, but it's hard to keep my eyes on the prize!

Oh- I bought a Shakti mat for meditation. Has anyone else tried it? What do you think? I've used it just 3 times and I have to say, when I fall asleep, I stay asleep! But it takes getting used to!

AnnPT77

Hello and welcome!

We have some things in common, but I think I'm at a bit different phase of the timeline right now. I'm also retired, and am currently quite active, but not lifelong. I'd been routinely active since my late 40s after full-bore cancer treatment for stage III breast cancer, but stayed overweight to obese for another dozen years, finally losing weight at 59-60. I'm now 70, still active, and have been at a healthy weight (admittedly with some minor ups and downs) and in the same jeans size since that initial loss. I'm also vegetarian (ovo-lacto) and have been for 51+ years now. I'm single, too - a widow (since 1998).

One of my main triggers for weight loss (finally) was high cholesterol/triglycerides, as well as high blood pressure. That, despite working out pretty hard 6 days most weeks, and eating lots of healthy foods. My doctor was increasingly encouraging me to take a statin, but I kept refusing. It has a reputation for possibly having brain fog as a side effect, and I felt like I'd already given up enough cognitive bandwith to chemotherapy.

I tried various changes in what I ate, or supplements, without much benefit. Finally, I decided I should commit to losing weight. I had much more to lose than you mention: Around 50 pounds in my case. I started eating less, rough-counting calories, and lost some pounds, about half of what I wanted to lose. To make weight loss more predictable and steady, I joined MFP and started logging food. In a bit under a year, I'd lost from class 1 obese (which 183 is at my height) to a healthy weight, All my health markers had become solidly normal, and they've stayed there. That was 2015-16. I'm still here!

My understanding is that some people have familial hypercholesterolemia, i.e. genetic tendency. Exercise and diet alone may not be the whole solution in those cases, but theory is that that applies to only 1 in 200 or so people. I think it doesn't apply to me, since my lipids are solidly and consistently in the healthy range now.

BTW, weight loss very definitely reduced stress on my joints. I have some joint issues, not a big surprise at my age, and weight loss dramatically increased frequency and severity of discomfort or pain. I think it took a while for the full benefit to phase in, perhaps because some healing needed to happen after the weight-stress was removed, before I got the full positive effects?

I have to be truthful. I don't do discipline, motivation, or willpower, to speak of. I'm a hedonistic aging hippie flake, to be honest. Mostly, I tried various activities until I found something so fun to me that I'd do it even if it weren't good for me, but it is. Because of that, I do other active things to get better at my main thing, or to stay in shape for it during the off season. It's kind of magical, honestly. I've been doing it for close to 25 years, fat and thin.

When it comes to how I do the closest thing I have to "motivation" or "discipline", I just typed a long-ish answer to a similar question here by someone around our demographic, so I'm going to link you to it, rather than retyping or cutting/pasting. It's here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48894452#Comment_48894452

I hope maybe there'll be something in there that might help you, not sure. I do kinda babble on, sadly. 😆

I've gone through phases in life for a while where I meditated semi-regularly, and have made other attempts to get a practice going. I know it would be good for me. I haven't been able to stick with it in recent years for whatever reason (flakiness?), other than that when I go to the sauna at my Y once a week or so, I usually meditate during sauna time, as long as no one else there wants to be chatty. 😆 I have no idea why it's easier in the sauna! I've never tried a Shakti mat. Maybe I should.

I hope you're able to chart a course that will help you accomplish your goals. I know it's possible, even in our demographic, and I'm cheering for yiou to succeed.

Best wishes!