Exercising for over 60

sdpatterson1234 · May 2020

I need some help with exercising I’m 62 and weigh 195 I’m not motivated like I use to be I was on here five years ago and did good but since this virus I don’t want to do anything I’m 5’2 suggestions please

mmapags · May 2020

Well, I'm 69 and I do many of the same exercises I did at 29 or 39 or 49....
Honestly, exercise is exercise. Your age doesn't really matter except in terms of recovery. It is still all about appropriate volume and load management. There are tons of resources here and other places.

I was weight training and doing a lot of walking pre-quarantine. Now, body weight exercises, still lot's of walking and some stair climbing (I am fortunate that I have a set of outdoor stairs near my home that is about 1/3 of a mile and a very good incline. 3x up and back down is quite the workout!)

As far as motivation goes, my take is: thinking about motivation is just a big waste of time. Decide what is important to you and what you value. If that includes fitness and health, then form a plan and develop habits that support what you value. Your motivation comes from what you value. So either you do, or you don't.

Do or do not. There is no try.
-Yoda

sgt1372 · May 2020

Sorry but no one can help you to "get motivated." Motivation comes from "within" and only you can generate it.

You can however get a lot of support from others on MFP, many of whom like you and me (69) are seniors and have been successfully exercising and managing their weight for years.

However, the insipration to start and continuing to do this still has to originate with you. There are countless videos and pages of info info on the Net to advise you on what and how to do it.

So, that seems to me that would be the best place to start to find the kinds of things that you will like to do to achieve your current fitness and weight goals.

Good luck!

snowflake954 · May 2020

The people that do best at exercise and make it a habit, choose something that they like doing. For me, choice of exercise can determine if you keep going. It helps if your exercise is something that you can slowly push yourself at as it gets easier. Most apply. Then you can branch out. I'm 65 with OA and have to exercise to keep functioning. I keep trying new things thanks to the discussions and videos posted on here. Some I like and keep doing. So, don't look at exercise as a chore, just something that you do and hopefully grow to love.

AnnPT77 · May 2020

At 64, I'll endorse the idea that I can still do most of what I could ever do, subject to some limitations related to past injuries or the equivalent. (Me, I have an iffy knee and some osteoarthritis, so I pick activities that don't aggravate that too much, but there are plenty of options.) What I find different from when I was 20 is that I'm not as resilient, i.e., my body doesn't bounce back as fast from injuries or simple overdoing, and if I do cause a problem and take a multi-day break, I de-train faster than when young. That puts a premium on managing activity duration, frequency, and intensity smartly, so I don't injure myself, but still make progress.

So, if you haven't been exercising much, start gradually, and increase slowly from there.

To start, aim to do something that's reasonably enjoyable, but just a tiny bit of a challenge (not miserable or exhausting). It can be walking, dancing, bike riding, or any of dozens of other things. There are lots of options.

Start with activities that are relatively less frequent (like maybe every other day, or 2-3 times/week with a recovery day in between, depending on your current condition), and that are "just a bit of challenge" in intensity and duration.

Then, as that becomes easy, gradually increase to keep the challenge. You can increase frequency, duration, or intensity, or exercise mode (like switch from walking to dancing or something) as you prefer. While I'd suggest avoiding intense every-day exercise for quite a long time unless already well-conditioned, you can work up to add something a little more brisk/intense once a week at first, then maybe twice, but keep most of the activity easy.

In the longer run, the recommended activity minimums for health are 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity per week (ideally spread across several days, not all one day!), or half that of intense activty, or a combination; plus 2 days a week of strength exercise. The cardiovascular exercise doesn't have to be all the same thing, it could be a walk, a bike ride, and some dancing! Work up to that 150 minutes/2 strength activities, then decide whether you want to do more, and can do more while maintaining good life balance.

I was very inactive/sedentary until after cancer treatment in my mid-40s, so I was a bit of a late starter. I was obese at the time (around your weight, but a couple inches taller). I gradually worked my way from yoga to weight training and rowing (on-water and machine), even competing as a rower for a few years . . . while staying obese.

In 2015, at age 59, I came to MFP and lost down to a healthy weight, where I've been since.

So, it's absolutely achievable to lose weight and get fitter, well along the road into . . . ahem, mature adulthood. Experiment with activities, find something enjoyable, gradually and manageably increase the challenge: You'll suprise yourself with what you can achieve.

Best wishes!

SnifterPug · May 2020

I'm younger than you (early 50s) but only discovered the true benefits of exercise four years ago. I booked a course of three personal training sessions purely to learn how to lift weights safely and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. I expected to hate it. The trainer introduced me to kettlebells and I loved them. I booked some more sessions and he introduced me to boxing. I have never looked back. Over the last four years I have come to enjoy all aspects of fitness; not just the ballistic stuff, which is still my favourite, but even planks and slow grinding stuff are ok. I appreciate that your options may be limited right now, but just wanted to explain where I am coming from.

My view is that you need to form an exercise habit. Motivation comes and goes, even if you are doing exercise you generally love. I've found it harder to drum up motivation during this pandemic but quickly discovered that taking time off results in a low mental state. So I do something every single day, whether or not I feel like it.

Block off time in your diary. The personal training helped me get into the habit both because I had sessions in the diary and because I wanted to show improvement the following session, which meant going to the gym in between.

Get into your exercise clothing. I could perfectly well exercise in my pyjamas, but I find that I simply don't. Or I make some half-baked attempt and then read the paper.

You do need to find something you enjoy at least to some extent, or which will give you a sense of achievement afterwards. Rather than have the day on/day off approach (which is fine but would not work for me, especially at the beginning) my suggestion would be to block off 20 minutes or half an hour every single day. Find work out videos on You Tube and try a variety of things. Maybe stretching one day, yoga type stuff another day, cardio another day, bodyweight another day, resistance training another day and just cycle through. if you do something high intensity one day, then follow it with a stretch type day as active recovery.

If things like star charts work for you, then use them to award yourself a star each day if you do a workout. If improvements in performance work for you then note down what you did for any given workout and increase it the next time, either in duration or number of reps or whatever.

Eventually you will find yourself gravitating towards particular activities that you enjoy and you can increase the proportion of time you spend doing those. But remember you need balance and ought to spend at least the occasional session doing stuff you don't love so much. Once you are in the exercise habit you are much more likely to manage yourself well, which means you can say "I don't want to do work on my abs today" but will do something else rather than just miss out ab day.

Good luck.

lauragreenbaum · May 2020

Walk and stretch. There are videos on line for stretching, yoga, etc. You don't need to do the long ones at first- even 5-10 minutes of stretching will help you with flexibility. Walking daily is very good exercise to get you started.

Jthanmyfitnesspal · May 2020

@AnnPT77 and and @SnifterPug always keep me inspired! I'm 59.

I go through phases. Sometimes I'm energetic and I want to do everything. Other times, I'm tired and want to rest. I try to do something active every day at varying levels. A good mantra is "what active thing can I do right now?" If you are standing and moving, it counts! (Examples: Sweep the patio. Walk around the block. It doesn't need to involve spandex!)

90% of weight control is controlling what you consume. It helps to have activities that take up your time and focus. These can be church groups, book clubs, you name it.

Best of luck!

sdpatterson1234 · June 2020

Just wanted to thank everyone for the encouraging words I have lost 21/2 pounds and I’ve started to dance everyday and I love it !!!

Chieflrg · June 2020

sdpatterson1234 wrote: »

I need some help with exercising I’m 62 and weigh 195 I’m not motivated like I use to be I was on here five years ago and did good but since this virus I don’t want to do anything I’m 5’2 suggestions please

Please state...
1. Training history.
2. Lay off time if any.
3. Your goals short and long term.
4. Equipment you have available.
5. Time available to train.

I highly suggest resistance training if you are not already.
It is especially beneficial to someone of advanced age in preventing loss of LBM, increasing bone density, lower risk of disease, improving quality of life as well as extending it.

teresadannar · June 2020

Hi there! I'm 62 also. I'm 5" and started at 180lbs a year ago. I exercise at home and my routine has increased from 20 minutes a day 3-4x weekly to 45 minutes a day 5-7x days a week. In the last couple of weeks I've added another 30 minutes at lunch maybe 2-3x weekly. I do have exercise equipment and here's my routine now:
Lunch:
30 minutes treadmill: 10 minutes@3.5, 10 minutes@3.7, 5 minutes@3.9, 3 minutes@3.7, 2 minutes@3.5
Evening:
23 minutes recumbent bike
10 minutes of 8 exercise routines with 55 cm exercise ball (15 reps of each exercise)
2 minutes ab roller (15 reps)
2 minutes facial stretches (trying to get rid of my turkey neck & droopy eyelids)
5 minutes with neoprene weights: 2 8lb weights & 1 12lb weight, 15 reps of 6 routines.
18 minutes treadmill: 4 minutes @3.4, 4 minutes@3.6, 4 minutes@3.8, 4 minutes@4.00, 2 minutes@3.8, 2 minutes@3.6.

A year ago I could barely pull myself up from the floor and pity the person who was behind me on the stairs. Still working on stairs, but vast improvement!
What's the cliche, if I can do it, anyone can??? It's true though, I'm living proof. And trust me there are days I don't work out..dinner was late, couldn't take a lunch break, etc. But you know what, that's OK, there's tomorrow or the next day to get back on the horse, because the alternative is going back to where we started.

alteredsteve175 · June 2020

I'm 65 and have been a walker and hiker most of my life. Started lifting when I was 58. I wish I had started sooner. I recommend adding lifting in the future as part of your regimen.

There's a great book titled "The Barbell Prescription" by Jonathon Sullivan and Andy Baker. Specifically written for older people. I found it informative and inspirational.
https://www.amazon.com/Barbell-Prescription-Strength-Training-After/dp/0982522770

Sullivan also has a YouTube channel with lots of good info.
https://www.youtube.com/greysteel

ritzvin · June 2020

mmapags wrote: »

Well, I'm 69 and I do many of the same exercises I did at 29 or 39 or 49....
Honestly, exercise is exercise. Your age doesn't really matter except in terms of recovery. It is still all about appropriate volume and load management. There are tons of resources here and other places.

This. Some of the most active dudes in the local cycling club are in their late 60's, 70's , 80's. One of our members just turned 90.

Taking adequate recovery time does become much more important.

Exercising for over 60

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