I'm 68 and about to retire, exercise is my challenge. Arthritis is my biggest excuse.

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linza7116
linza7116 Posts: 18 Member
in Motivation and Support
Are there any older folks that have an inspiring story?

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  • ohheyitsmadds
    ohheyitsmadds Posts: 9 Member
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    I take classes at the Y and there are many ladies in that age range that take water aerobics for their arthritis. Good luck!
  • StephanieJane2
    StephanieJane2 Posts: 191 Member
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    Hello, I have dodgy hips (need replacing) bad back (compressed spine) find walking painful yet I can ride a bike, how about trying that. Good luck. Steph in France xx
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Sorry no inspiring story, but I do second @ohheyitsmadds recommendations for Aqua fit. I found it a great first exposure to exercise at the age of 54. I have gone on to do loads of other stuff but always keep that as a back-up. (62yo now and maintaining) You can do it as gentle or vigorous as you wish. It is a fun workout that includes: cardio, resistance, balance, posture, and flexibility. Being in the water makes it a low/no impact workout.

    Swimming, bicycle, or maybe even a rowing machine may be good.

    You may benifit from some weight training too, but I would get professional guidance on that.

    Talk to your doctor and get clearance for what exercise you would like to do and if possible get a referral to a physiotherapist.

    Cheers, h.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    I'm 56 years old. What you have to do is find the motivation that'll push you through your fears. There are plenty of exercise out there that you can do. some of them have been mentioned swimming bike riding simple stuff. Remember with the help of a doctor or physical therapist any exercise can be modified to fit within your needs.

    I speak from experience. Double hip replacement, bone-on-bone arthritis in the knee, I have a chronic bad back and I have arthritis in my shoulder and I need a shoulder replacement

  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    U r beginning a new phase of your life. What you have to realize is the older we get inactivity is our worst enemy. Just sitting around makes things worse. Realize your worth it and find your why. good luck
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited June 2016
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    78 year old grandmother deadlifts 245 lbs (only 225 in the video). Never lifted until 2 years ago:
    http://abcnews.go.com/US/meet-78-year-grandmother-dead-lift-245-pounds/story?id=38029643

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAoMUn84ACU

    Best of luck.
  • haroldrios1692
    haroldrios1692 Posts: 90 Member
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    Stay active no matter what ,make it a part of your daily life. Even if it's just a 30 minute walk everyday. Best wishes.
  • gawworthington
    gawworthington Posts: 1,131 Member
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    Water If there are no classes just walking is a good start. YouTube videos for people with arthritis is also a good place to look
  • bonnie824
    bonnie824 Posts: 15 Member
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    a little walking (a dog is great for this) and for me and my husband (who has arthritis in his back) water aerobics have worked best.
  • kjurassic
    kjurassic Posts: 571 Member
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    Exercise is good for arthritis. Start with short, gentle walks and slowly increase length and speed of your walks. STOP making excuses or you will not succeed. You can even do exercises sitting in your chair!
  • linza7116
    linza7116 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you all for; your responses. I am now retired and swimming for excersize. I need to lose 30 lb before I can get the knee surgery I need. I hate it but it seems to come down to calories in vs calories out even on the keto diet. Keto has helped tramendisley to alleviate inflamation, wish I knew about it years ago. God willing I will live for another 20 years or so. I hope to do it on my own 2 feet. Keep the inspiration and motivation comming.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    Maybe just make a decision on how you see your future. If. you want to be active and mobile you will have to exercise as you age.

    We all lose muscle mass as each decade passes..and if we don't exercise and lift weights.. we get weaker and limited in activity.
    That personally scares me enough to really think about exercise as much as I do my food. You are worth it.. I wish you luck in finding your motivation. :)
  • MichelleMinn
    MichelleMinn Posts: 90 Member
    edited June 2019
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    I have pretty severe arthritis in my spine and one of my knees. I was in a rehab program that taught me to stop avoiding pain, because I was slowly decreasing my mobility. Accepting the truth of this helped me a lot, and a lot of the pain reduced over time. Yeah, sometimes it hurt when I had to bend to pick up something I dropped, but I did it anyhow. I also try to avoid foods that increase inflammation.

    Sometimes if I sit in a chair, and the back hits me at the wrong spot, I'll feel the old pain for a second, but that's a drop compared to where I was.

    I've also discovered Kuru shoes, which are kinda wonderful and my knee is feeling pretty good.

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