Exercise and Ageing

2

Replies

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,342 Member
    I was thinking about this thread when I was with my personal trainer this afternoon. She’s 73.

    I was watching her zip around and thinking, being super active as an older person kind of has its pluses and minuses.

    She’s so active, she’s prone to injury, like popping a rib when moving waterlogged (gym flooded) mats by herself because she’s too damn pigheaded to ask for help. She’s always running into equipment because she moves so fast, and constantly sports a collection of bruises and bumps on her head when she stands up too quick under a bar or rack.

    During my session this afternoon she climbed up without a second thought and stood tiptoe on top of the dumbbells on the rack to fix the clock. She had a really bad accident while alone in the gym a couple years ago and was lucky someone found her before she bled out.

    I’m not kidding when I say someone I know yells encouragement (or orders others to clean up after themselves) so loud they may or may not get hemorrhoids. She regularly lifts with the women’s team just to show them she’s still got it, and flips big *kitten* tires just to put on Instagram.

    She’s unstoppable. It’s absolutely exhausting just watching.

    Remember Tron, the movie? The little carts that screamed around at breakneck speed? That’s her.

    A good part of me wants to be her at that age, because she’s so freaking awesome and inspiring, but sometimes I think, holy cow…… would you ever get to rest?

    Where’s the line? I don’t ever want to be in my dotage. I want to think and act young, be mobile, flexible, relatively strong, and in great health, but otoh, whew!

    Just idle musings as I was watching her crazy self careening around like a lit-up cartoon rocket this afternoon. I bet she put a couple miles on just in the hour she was training with me.

    I do a lot of exercise. I enjoy it, it’s recreation, it’s still fun right now. But I’ve only been this way for less than three years. I do wonder sometimes, in ten or fifteen years, where will I be? Can I keep it up at this pace? Would I want to?



  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    I'm 70.

    Use to lift 5 days a wk but after a few injuries and some age related deterioration in my rt elbow, now I only row 5 days a wk instead.

    Also walk & hike a bit, still do some lifting -squats/deadlifts - and do some crossfit exercises but none of these things w/any regularlity.
  • Beautyofdreams
    Beautyofdreams Posts: 1,009 Member
    I started counting calories, walking and lifting weights 3/4x a week. Have been completely off my feet since April so no exercise whatsoever. I will be 58 next month and have lost approximately 8 lbs since April. Fitness is for cardiovascular and muscular health plus range of movement. Calorie counting is for weight control. Just do what you enjoy that keeps you injury free and not so exhausted that you cannot perform daily activities.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,845 Member
    My mom is 83 and like the Energizer Bunny. Just a few summers back she scraped and painted all of the painted part of her house (some is shingled.) Those days are surely over, as are, hopefully, her days of cleaning the gutters >.<, but she walks, swims seasonally, practices yoga, does extensive gardening, and takes care of a 250+ year old house. (My brother and I help, but she can outwork us, lol. My excuse is decades of desk jobs.)
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,342 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    My mom is 83 and like the Energizer Bunny. Just a few summers back she scraped and painted all of the painted part of her house (some is shingled.) Those days are surely over, as are, hopefully, her days of cleaning the gutters >.<, but she walks, swims seasonally, practices yoga, does extensive gardening, and takes care of a 250+ year old house. (My brother and I help, but she can outwork us, lol. My excuse is decades of desk jobs.)

    That hug was for your mom!!!!
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 825 Member
    I'm 60 and do strength training, yoga, cycling, indoor spinning, and walking. Walking has been a challenge for me that past few months as I need to have foot surgery but am putting it off until after the holidays. We missed getting together as a family last year due to Covid, so it's especially important to me this year. I have to admit, having foot pain does make it tougher to be active. But I'm grateful for wonderful bike paths here and so far, I can still do yoga without any foot pain.
    By the way, if you aren't lifting weights or doing resistance training, I highly recommend it. And the same for yoga. Yoga helps build and maintain strength and helps with balance and flexibility too! And it's a great de-stressor too!
  • HabitRabbit
    HabitRabbit Posts: 25 Member
    Thank you for all of your feed backs. Maybe trying new things is a good idea. I'm thinking boredom is kicking in somewhat. I live in a rural area with no gyms. however there is a swimming pool which is part of an HOA, so water aerobics could be my next go to exercise

    A few people mentioned strength training. It's high on my list, although admittedly I'm just getting back to a somewhat proper progressive load routine, I was haphazard and lazy/cautious for quite a while after a sedentary period. I noticed it wasn't on your list. If it's because you think you need a gym for strength training, I'm here to say that you don't. A few hand weights will help, but you could even do body weight strength training. Or if you feel like springing for some equipment, I highly recommend adjustable or "dial-a-weight" dumbbells.

    Maybe I should add that I didn't push it with weights for quite some time because I've been injured a fair bit. I've heard that your muscles can adjust faster than tendons/ligaments can. Maybe someone can correct if that's not quite right. Anyway, it feels to me like this is even more true now that I'm 60.

  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.

    I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.

    https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E

    To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.

    I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.

    https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E

    To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.

    Yes you were! I thought it was you but was afraid of naming the wrong person. Thanks for that video. Few people think about what could happen if you're on the floor after a fall and can't get up to call for help.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    edited September 2021
    I'm 65.5 years old, working full time
    Typical week 5-6 days weights at the gym. 5-6 days hour walk often with weighted vest. Maybe longer hike on weekend. Mobility work for 30-45 minutes while watching tv.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,845 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.

    I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.

    https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E

    To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.

    Aha! I've seen (and done) that one but could not find it on YT earlier for this thread.

    I'm going to have to do it again. My recollection was that it was unnecessarily difficult. I have no problem getting up and down, but some of these videos make it harder than it has to be. But I will do it again with the idea that I am simulating a broken limb.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Someone once linked a video called "Get up!!". It was an older coach having a young man get up from the floor in various scenerios--one arm behind your back, using only one leg, both arms behind your back, etc...... I found it fascinating. It wasn't easy, and the young man had to find the right technique with each one. Being older, learning to get up from the floor could save your life, especially after a fall.

    I may have been the person that shared the get back up video from trainer Dan John. If you think about it the holding one hand on the knee, switching hands and knees then holding one's hands behind their head simulates what one would have to deal with if you broke a wrist, arm, etc, in a fall and couldn't use that limb to get back up and couldn't call for help.

    https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E

    To be honest, if you or a loved one can't do this routine relatively well, may want to consider one of those medical alert systems.

    Aha! I've seen (and done) that one but could not find it on YT earlier for this thread.

    I'm going to have to do it again. My recollection was that it was unnecessarily difficult. I have no problem getting up and down, but some of these videos make it harder than it has to be. But I will do it again with the idea that I am simulating a broken limb.

    The trainer says there are no instructions on any certain way this should be done other than holding hand to knee in various ways and hands behind the head.

    The restrictions on not using all linbs is the challenge
  • Gardensoul57
    Gardensoul57 Posts: 17 Member
    Love to hear from the 64 years olds! I am 64 now and will proudly be 65 in January. I was very active (active runner for many years) until 4 years ago when I wore out the cartridge in my right knee and had a knee replacement. That changed my life and I have been gradually building up my strength and activity level. I did retire in December 2019 and made myself a priority. I think this is what finally clicked in for me. I wrote down my weight at the time (221 pounds) and made a plan to lose 60 pounds by the end of 2022. I am down 49.5 pounds now. I started in the gym in October 2020 and slowly built up my strength and endurance. I stopped going to the gym in September of this year since I was getting bored and needed to spice things up a bit. I now workout 6 days per week. I run/strength train 3 days, and ride my bike 13-15 miles 3 days per week. Everyday I take my dog out for a 2 to 3 mile brisk walk. I feel age is just a number and I don’t feel 64. I feel the same I did when I was in my 40’s. But each person is different and you have to find the time and what works for you. I just started back running this week. My orthopedist wanted me to drop some weight before I ran on my new knee. Saw him last week and he gave me the green light. No marathons, but I just want to run some 5ks again. I am following the Couch to 5k program which is a nine week program. Again, nice and slow and build up endurance, distance and speed. Believe it or not I love to workout now. It is a very important part of the day for me. I am doing the work and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I have not felt this good in many years. Everyone wants fast results, but don’t jump into an impossible workout. You could injure yourself. Slow and easy is the way to go and of course, have fun!
  • mjc614900
    mjc614900 Posts: 30 Member
    Kathleen, being accountable is being successful. And don't think it isn't. Otherwise, we would all get up and eat a good donut in the morning.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,342 Member
    mjc614900 wrote: »
    Kathleen, being accountable is being successful. And don't think it isn't. Otherwise, we would all get up and eat a good donut in the morning.

    Or we could do both. I do.