Are you around 50? How much exercise can you do?

55 here and I work out almost every day ..never take off more than 1 day in a row and no more than 2 days in a week. 50-60 minutes of circuit alternating 5 mns treadmill with 5 minutes weight machines and push pretty hard. Legs one day, arms the next. Tread at 3.7-4 mph.

I couldn't do more than 1/2 hr of treadmill at 3.5 mph without weights a year ago until I stopped telling myself 1/2 hr was my limit.
I never pushed past it because I thought "at my age..." it was enough. I did 30 mins of walking for years until one day I just decided I could do more. Then I worked up slowly but kept increasing my time. MFP was a big factor..Love my MFP friends!!!

Now I believe anything is possible and I'm with the group that says they'll be in the gym at 70 and beyond.
I definitely have to pace myself but I'm much better at listening to my body than I was when I was younger.
Listen to your body, do what you can, build it up and avoid the negative thinking. You can do it if you want to. I really believe it's all what we tell ourselves.

I am 57 just finished a 100 mile century bike ride in 7.5 hours.
Two years ago 5 miles was hard. One day at a time.

I bike 4 to 5 days a week usually 20 to 39 miles each ride at about 14 or 15 miles an hour.

So great to be fit.

Cheers
Jim

My husband is 60 and has done 3 centuries so far this year! Again, it's never too late!

I am 47 and just got back in the swing of things. In May, I could barely bike ride 5 miles without being gassed. I am now up to 5 to 6 days/week of exercise, including 2 days a week of weights. I was feeling pretty good about myseflf when I ran into a guy at the gym who I remembered from years ago. He is in his late 60s and he comes to the gym every day. Additionally, he plays tennis 3 days/week.

I am 53, {man that was hard to type!} I have been consistently exercising for over 6 years now, I do cardio 6 days a week, and strength 1 hour, 3 days week.

My cardio is a combo of swimming, outdoor running, stairclimber, rowing, arc trainer and elliptical.

I'm 56 and in better shape than I was at 47

Love reading this thread and all the beautiful people getting into shape in the golden age of their lives!!!

I'm am 47 also (well, in November I'll be) and I walk 5-6 times a week.

I usually start out strong on Monday with a longer then usual walk and walk at least 2 miles the rest of the week, BUT by Friday/Saturday I am EXHAUSTED! So on those days I walk about a mile.

For me it's about making myself get out there.

Even if I only walk a little I'm still going circles around someone sitting on the couch!

You've already had tons of good advice. My own experience is that you have to do what you enjoy, start slow, build up. The more you do, the more you can and want to do. I have two big dogs, so I take each one on a separate walk. I started with short walks with the dogs - over time, we started going farther and taking on steeper hills. When I went to Yosemite earlier this year and did the hike up to Upper Yosemite Falls, it was no big deal, thanks to the daily walks with the dogs. I also started playing tennis, just because it's fun. I'm a terrible player. But for an hour and a half three times a week, I exercise a different set of muscles and I have a blast as my sweetie regularly cleans my clock. One of these days I will beat him. I've come close a couple of times. :-)

I am 47 and I work out for at least 30 min every day. The weekends I work out for about 1.5 hrs each day. Some days cardio some days weight lifting. When I started exercising a year and half ago it was tough but I started to notice that I was feeling physically and mentally a whole lot better. The more I tried the easier it got, and now I feel fantastic and I look younger than I have in years. Keep it up and stick with it, it will be worth it.

I am 47 and do Insanity 6 days/week. You will get better over time but you have to stick with it!!!

I'm 54 and I'm active every day. I either run, exercise on the elliptical trainer or lift weights at the gym. Sky's the limit.

Didn't start out that way, of course. Started off very simple: taking my dog out for a walk. That gradually became going out for a walk, then a jog and then a run. At the gym, it started off pretty simple too: running the elliptical and performing very simple weight lifting exercises.

The only catch is that I've learned to put my ego aside and listen to my body. I don't necessarily plan a "rest" day, but if my body is telling me that it needs a rest, I give it a rest even if it means a couple days in a row. Same thing goes in the gym. If I can't knock out the same number of repetitions as I did the last time I performed that exercise, I don't push it. My body is trying to tell me something, and I listen. In most cases, the next time after that, I usually end up performing that exercise more easily and end up adding more weight/resistance to the routine.

When I was younger, I followed the "no pain no gain" principle. It's a great way to over-train and injure yourself.

With age comes wisdom.