How many here 55+?

Azdak

I stumbled across another forum topic centered around women 5'10" and taller.

To distract myself from evil thoughts, I thought I'd do a roll call of "seasoned" adults on MFP, and see if there were any common issues we might want to discuss. We could be the "Too Old to Rock n' Roll But Too Young to Die Group".

My background: 56 yrs old. I started running sporadically in 1972, and more seriously in 1976. I never did sports in high school, but always enjoyed exercising. I mainly did running and cycling. In 1987, I suffered a serious foot injury which led to a series of other injuries as a tried to come back and off and on running for the next 10-12 years. In 2000, I started a new job that was high-stress and mega hours and remarried with 2 new stepchildren. The combination pushed me to minimal exercise for the next 8 years, 60 pounds of extra weight and a variety of lifestyle-related health issues.

I lost my job a year ago and in March had a reality check at the doctor's office that provided both the opportunity and motivation to take back control of my life. I lost the 60 pounds and have resumed my workout routine. I have a chronic hip issue that has derailed my running comeback somewhat and, without a job, I don't have the $$ to have it treated right now.

I follow a pretty vigorous program. I have a treadmill and stairclimber at home and belong to a small park district fitness center that has a cross trainer and a basic weight room setup I exercise pretty much 7-10 days at a time between days off. I do cardio pretty much every day --20 to 60 minutes-- and strength at least 2x per week. I rotate my cardio between the three machines in various combinations, including 30-45 min "tempo" workouts, 45-60 min lower-intensity "endurance" workouts and 20-30 min "interval" workouts. In the past 6 wks or so, I have been adding in some "crossfit" or "metabolic" style workouts into my routine and am now assessing their effect and how I want to restructure things in the future. When I lift, I go through regular cycles--hypertrophy, high-intensity, endurance, and now the crossfit. Not that I am any great power lifter (I can finally bench my body weight--200lbs), but I am lifting heavier weights now than I ever have in my life.

I didn't really take any measurements when I was fat, so I have only a vague idea of my body fat % (I suspect around 22%). I would like to lose 15 more pounds at least, but I have seen only marginal changes since August, and where I am is not too bad.

Anyone else? What's your story?