50 plus loss of strength, attempting comeback

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gothchiq
gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
in Motivation and Support
OK so last year I just kept getting sick and hurt, I guess it was a year of many viruses, and I deconditioned very badly. It is worse than similar times in the past as I am 51 years old now, and I am very dismayed at how difficult the formerly easy exercises now are. I am working to get my strength back (carefully, so as not to injure myself again.) Without the gym, now, it is an extra challenge to find ways to do this that are arthritis friendly. There are ways, but it's not the same as hopping on the stationary bike or the elliptical! blahblahblahblah!

I will do it because I must do it. I am not going to become that frail person who goes downhill just because time is passing.

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  • TooDamnSweet
    TooDamnSweet Posts: 63 Member
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    It is surprising how quickly you can become deconditioned... :(
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    I understand that it begins in only two weeks!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,058 Member
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    It's also the case for most people (even at my age, 64, let alone yours) that once we've achieved a certain strength level, it's easier/faster to regain it than it was to build it in the first place. I'm not suggesting that's true if it's been decades, but it still should be true after a year or two. Keep in mind that strength and performance isn't all about muscle mass, but also neuromuscular effects.

    Persistence and gradual (injury-minimizing) progress are powerful things. I know the current situation makes it harder, but you sound determined, and that's precisely what you need.

    Hang in there! :flowerforyou:
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    Here we are a year later lol and I'm still working out at home. Can't manage a gym workout with a mask on the whole time. About to cancel Planet Fitness and just buy some more weights and stuff for here. I'll say that yoga routines on youtube and a weighted hula hoop have been very useful!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,058 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    Here we are a year later lol and I'm still working out at home. Can't manage a gym workout with a mask on the whole time. About to cancel Planet Fitness and just buy some more weights and stuff for here. I'll say that yoga routines on youtube and a weighted hula hoop have been very useful!

    Curiosity: In the initial post, you were concerned about not being able to make (re-)gains within the limitations of the situation - i.e. sounded a little pessimistic. Now, you're saying YouTube yoga & your weighted hoop have been very useful, but I'm interested in your perceptions now versus then.

    Do you feel that your initial skepticism about progress was justified, based on your fitness level now? Or do you feel as if you were better able to make progress than you'd feared might be the case? Has anything changed in how you perceive age as part of the picture?

    Obviously, you don't have to answer; but I'd be interested. And, in case it may be a suspicion, this is not in anyway a set up or a "gotcha" question. I'm just genuinely interested in what you've observed or learned over the year.

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