50ish and staying fit.

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Looking for fellow 40 to 50ish group discuss and encourage fitness challenges as we get older. I am balancing the office, the family, and a bum knee but still setting fitness goals and seeking others who enjoy going to the gym. Does anyone have a balanced program they like?
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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I guess my program is balanced as it's a mix of cardio and strength training. In the summer I'm a cyclist who lifts weights and in the winter I'm a weight lifter who cycles. When time allows I will train six times a week, three strength and three "cardio" sessions or rides.

    Few knee injuries and restricted to a degree by a damaged lower back but fitter at 55 than (probably) I've ever been and getting back to fairly close to the strength I used to have in my 20's & 30's.

    Probably train smarter than I used to and certainly take more care over nutrition but my self-competitive nature is the same. Always aiming to go further/faster or increase weights.
  • psposey
    psposey Posts: 29 Member
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    I also have what I think is a balanced routine, 3 times of week of cardio and 2 to 3 times a week in the weight room. My fitness "barrier" is osteoarthritis in my right knee which has effectively killed my running routine. I have had to stop impact training and running and given up on half-marathons. I am also 6'5" and have a fairly large frame so strength and definition while trying to get back into the 220s is a challenge. MFP has certainly helped me watch my calories but I haven't made the ultimate commitment and given up pasta!
  • corrymeela
    corrymeela Posts: 24 Member
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    i alternate running and rowing(on water) through the week,but also have a knee which lets me know when it's had enough!current age 56.
    interesting stat re knee arthritis is 98% sufferers are in obese wt range-and just 10% wt loss is more effective pain relief than any medication.
    have a concept 2 at home which tends to be used for h.i.i.t
    enter competitions through the year(10-15km run races,up to 21km rowing races) for motivation
    aim to run 10km in 45mins.
    find mfp great to get back on track if weight creeps up,prefer to be 70kg but can get to 77.
    btw cooking pasta,letting it cool then re heating converts it to low g.i. resistant starch so i cook a batch,then freeze portions.
    good luck to you guys!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,872 Member
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    I don't really have what I'd consider a balanced program (I keep trying to add weight training & more core work, but backsliding). What I do have is one activity I love so much that I'll do other things just to stay fit for it

    My "thing" is rowing (on water), and do that 4-6 times a week in season. I live where it gets cold enough for the water to get crunchy, so I do rowing machine workouts in winter of course. I started doing spin classes a couple of times a week in the winter for variety, but liked it so much I now do it year 'round. I mix in other things in winter, too (like some video aerobics sometimes), and ride my bike in summer a couple of times a week for fun. I've even taking swimming classes to improve my swimming for self-rescue purposes. I do small amounts of yoga (daily).

    Like some of y'all above, I have an Evil Knee (torn meniscus) and a bit of arthritis in both. I have problems with things involving impact (so I don't run, or walk in large volumes) or torque (so I keep any aerobics on the low-impact side). Losing weight (just over 50 pounds so far) has definitely reduced the knee pain, but I still usually ice after spin, and sometimes after rowing.

    I have fewer lifestyle balancing issues, though, than you: I'm retired, and widowed/childless, so I can pretty much do what I wish, when I wish. I'll be 60 in a couple of weeks.

    I need to get serious about more weight work over the winter this year! (I was consistent about it a few years ago, for 2 years or so, but . . . . ;) ).
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
    edited November 2015
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    56 year old male, 21.5 BMI
    Back can be stiff in the morning but no real limitations

    I conscientiously do floor exercises every day soon after rising. Right around sunrise is best, but it varies :)
    Around 20 - 30 minutes now, but I want to reach 60 minutes. Most of the exercises are core and upper body; I have to add flexibility and balance sometime in 2016.

    I average an hour or so a day of "cardio" -- swimming, bicycling or both during the 9 months of the year that our climate is nice. I haven't found a consistent activity for the lousy weather days.

    I used to be an avid player of racketball and squash but stopped due to shoulder pain. I'm sorely tempted to see who is about the courts at our local Rec center.
  • srcurran
    srcurran Posts: 208 Member
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    Do to cardio workouts for every session with weights. I am 54. I work out 6 days a week and strive for 10k steps every day. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and do my weight machines, elliptical, swimming laps or stationary bike. When I work out at home it's calisthenics and/or lots of walking. I don't run, but I walk a lot.
  • jimskelton
    jimskelton Posts: 13 Member
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    In the winter, I try 2x/week at the gym with 3 days cardio (trainer or cross country ski). In the spring/summer, it's 1x/week at the gym and 4 days cycling 20-30 miles. But I still need to watch my food intake at 54!
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    48 yrs old, do weights 5 days a week, cardio anywhere from 3 to 5 days of varying intensities.
  • MikeNakagawa
    MikeNakagawa Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm 51, full weight workouts Sat & Sun because I have time, then 2/3rds of a weight workout Tues, Thurs... and on the Sat & Tues I finish with 10-15min on the elliptical.
  • BikeTourer
    BikeTourer Posts: 191 Member
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    50, female, most consistent with cardio. I know I should strength train but don't care much for it so it always feels like a chore so not very consistent about it. Most active Spring through Fall. I find winter a bit of a chore to find actives I'll do consistently when I tend to be cold no matter how hard I work out...
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    I'm quickly pushing 53, and still get at it when I can. I got lazy for a while and packed on some pounds, but right now I'm back at about 180, and starting to strengthen up some over where I was for a while.

    It's just a number. My goal is to be lighter (already there) and at least as fit as I was when I got out of the military 25+ years ago.

    And here is a link to one of the 50's groups. Near the very end there is mention of another group for 40's and 50's.

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10125551/over-50-group-recruiting-new-members/p1
  • BettyBoles
    BettyBoles Posts: 68 Member
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    Weight workouts, cardio and running is great exercise for you that you can do everyday with a balanced diet plan..
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I'm 56 and have been maintaining several years. I walk to work. I had a fitbit, now an apple watch, and try to hit my steps. I always do in the spring/summer/fall. I lag in the winter. I eat modestly but work hard at making every bite as delicious as possible. I really like the watch feature that reminds you to get up every hour. It also calculates steps and active steps/calories differently, which I like.
  • Carnhot
    Carnhot Posts: 367 Member
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    Female, 52, BMI 22 (just!) At times of year with lots of daylight I walk. I am a teacher, so in school holidays I walk incessantly. In term time, and at this time of year, I tend to get to the gym 3 times a week, doing mainly cardio but disciplining myself to do some weight/resistance/core stuff too; I want to look like arditarose but am not sufficiently hardcore :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I'm 48, I workout in the gym 3 times a week, once with a PT and do a mixed bag of cardio, HIIT, calisthenics and free weights ...the heavy progressive lifting has been significant in turning my body younger in terms of fitness, strength, spring in my step and looks

    I also walk a few miles each day

    I've been in maintenance most of this year ..my BMI is around 24 and my body fat around 23% ..I'm no longer medicating for asthma and I can beat my 14 year old son at push ups ...I'm pretty pleased with me :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I'm 50 and menopausal.
    BMI 21.8.
    I'm reasonably active. Don't know how balanced others would say I am.
    I walk or ride to work daily. ( a couple of miles each way)
    I run 5k or so 3x a week.
    I manage to get 10,000 steps a day, sometimes 15,000 or so.

    I do a pretty advanced Pilates class 2-3x a week
    Now adding Yoga back in.
    I lift 2x a week (was 3x for the last 20 years, but recently got bored, thus the Yoga)

    weekends we do something active, especially in winter.

    I'm struggling a bit with insomnia and fatigue with menopause, but managing to keep my activity level up!
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    edited December 2015
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    Very good company here!
    I have to say I feel very balanced. Maybe not daily, LOL. But weekly? Monthly? Yes, and yes!
    In your late 40s and early 50s you get the great gift of really knowing yourself, both strengths and weaknesses. My fitness plan really reflects that now. I'm not chasing some external ideal but just building & expanding what I authentically enjoy.
    And the same goes for food. I cook & eat simpler, but focus on what is enjoyable to me... @robertw486 ¡TACOS! ... and I really feel like I'm in control of my weight & nutritional needs.
    But it is a 'balancing act' that on some days feels like full on carney juggling. With knives. Flaming knives. And for that it helps to stay flexible & have a sense of humor... I had a baby close to forty, so I've still got a 13 year old at home. And my big one is at Berkeley with big Cal bills to match. I'm done with menopause -hallelujah! - and because of that I sleep better than ever & seem to lose weight easier than in the peri menopausal wasteland that was my forties.
    I walk a lot, 100k steps a week usually. I do yoga and a few dance type classes that incorporate HIIT intervals and terrific music. I do body weight training now & want to branch out into free weights with some guidance. I stopped coloring my hair. I still believe squatting might someday get me a little more junk for my trunk. I banished high heels from my closet. I still love frye boots with an unholy passion. I'm really really really comfortable in my skin, wrinkled & freckled such that it is. So yes, balance.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    I also for the first time in my adult life have a cat. That may be the clincher. Cats all around!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I can beat my 14 year old son at push ups ...I'm pretty pleased with me :)

    Better get that kid to work :) .

    I'm almost 60. I'm 6'2" around 205 pounds. 40+ year weight trainer and runner. I don't fill them out as well but I can wear the same size clothes as my 24 yo son who is the same height and maybe 5 pounds heavier and has been approached about fitness modeling.

    My biggest challenge is trying to fight off the effects of 35+ years in an office job and 2 hours a day of a driving commute. I've had 6 shoulder operations and 2 hand operations, the need for which, per the surgeon, were at least partially caused by sitting hunched over a computer for my work life. Also bad mobility in hips and upper back from office work.

    I do about and hour of flexibility/mobility work 5-7 days a week and an hour of strength training 5-7 days a week. Want to get back to the running but feel I need to concentrate more on mobility.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I am noticing how many old familiar avatars there are who have been here for a LONG long time.