Fitness exercises related to senior citizens.

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SusanWinter2
SusanWinter2 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am a senior citizen new to MyFitnessPal and I think that keeping a chart of your intake, including water is a great idea. My only hangup is that in the exercise, strength reports, it is based on young people who walk distances, ride bikes and swim etc.. It also has a strength training category with exercises that may not be done by senior citizens because our abilities are not as great as when we were younger. Wish these categories could be "fixed" to include this for senior citizens.

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  • PatriciaFrancesPage
    PatriciaFrancesPage Posts: 1 Member
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    I have just started today, am 68, very overweight and want to incorporate safe gentle exercise. Loved ballroom dancing- knee swells, love swimming, painful joints...walking for even short distance becomes painful....now what?
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    Lift weights. It doesn't matter that the weights you lift will be lower than younger people. Get on a program and stick with it. It will help you regain muscle lost over the years, help to increase bone density, and ultimately give you a better quality of life.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited July 2016
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    PatriciaFrancesPage wrote: »
    I have just started today, am 68, very overweight and want to incorporate safe gentle exercise. Loved ballroom dancing- knee swells, love swimming, painful joints...walking for even short distance becomes painful....now what?

    Seated exercise or Chair Dancing (brand name)?

    Lots of seated workouts on YouTube.....check your library for Chair Dancing

    Tai Chi?

    Video Clips: https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=tai+chi


    Gentle yoga will help your range of motion......not on YouTube, but look for Peggy Cappy DVDs at your local library. She was on PBS for years.

    Video Clips:

    http://www.collagevideo.com/collections/workouts-for-seniors

    https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=seniors
  • grannynot
    grannynot Posts: 146 Member
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    Yay! I finally found the "old Pharts Group" (said with reverence - "Old Age ain't for sissies" they say). I've been wading through many posts from younger folks wondering how to get a "bikini-ready body" or how to train for your first 5k. Um yeah - those goals were decades ago, long before arthritis and a hip replacement became my companions. Now I'm hoping to fend off osteoporosis and dementia... and oh yeah - lose about 30 lbs, too. For the moment, I'm back to counting calories, and for one whopping week now, I've done pretty well. I despise doing that - riotous eating is so much more fun - but it seems to work for me.

    Regarding exercises for Seniors - we can do most activities as long as they're low impact, with lower weights. The bonus to weightlifting is that is helps build bone - something most of us desperately need. And then, incorporate it into your everyday routines. Are you putting away groceries? Do a few bicep curls with that can of beans. Stand on a step and do a few calf raises before you walk up the steps. I wear a bracelet that says "N.E.A.T." - it stands for "Non-Exercise-Activity Thermogenesis". In other words - ANYTHING you do that uses muscles (especially the bigger muscles), burns calories. It ALL counts, so get up and do something. Anything.

    We are at an age where the old adage of "Use it or lose it" has never been so true.
  • twalkerdmi
    twalkerdmi Posts: 3 Member
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    New to this group...63, ex-athlete...looking to lose weight and stay active...thanks!
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Swimming. Whatever your dr says is safe, and whatever you enjoy.
  • twalkerdmi
    twalkerdmi Posts: 3 Member
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    Just went to the pool today...love to swim:)
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    Hello! So happy to meet someone in my age bracket! Now to find that "Old Pharts Group". :)

    I've been using MFP for 4 years and haven't run across a community for folks 'like me' yet!
  • twalkerdmi
    twalkerdmi Posts: 3 Member
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    Glad there are some 60+ gals here!
  • Rick_1953
    Rick_1953 Posts: 596 Member
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    Hi seniors, I am 62. Been on mfp about 6 months. Freind me if you like. I swim, hike and do strength training. Happy to help anyone with modified exercise ideas.
  • jtfaz
    jtfaz Posts: 2 Member
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    I will be 64 in a couple of weeks. Recently retired. Lost 45 lbs over about 18 months. Gained back 15 and having a difficult time losing it again. Somehow got to this site via my Garmin Fitness Tracker?!?!? It's good to have a place to log calories. Walk, ride stationary bike. Trying to figure the proper technique for lifting weights but avalanched with data. My local community center has personal trainers, may sign up with them. Good luck to all!
  • Polixeni001
    Polixeni001 Posts: 11 Member
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    Yeah.... I found people over 60... so excited.
  • mj0409
    mj0409 Posts: 1 Member
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    Yea, over 60 people! Have about 20 pounds to lose. Can't run anymore because of an arthritic knee. I walk 5 miles a day but need to do more. Used to love to exercise but I'm really struggling with getting motivated. Someone else with this problem that would like to buddy up. Could use all the help I can get!

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