Hi, everyone!

Getbusyliving24
Getbusyliving24 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I joined MFP about 2 weeks ago and started tracking my diet. I'm a 62 year female and would LOVE some fitness advice! I have found that most of the exercise programs on the app are really geared more toward fitter individuals even though they made be tagged as "beginner".
Your thoughts and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I use YouTube videos at home and then walk, jog, or run outside and lift weights in a gym. What kind of exercise do you like and what are your goals?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    Hello, and welcome!

    I'm not sure where you are, but there are some senior-friendly workout resources online. Hereabouts (USA), Silver Sneakers and AARP have a range of options, with a little different focus at the beginner end of the track. They have things on YouTube or their websites, some of them free. They do have some live online classes, as well - or used to. AARP even sponsored some local free classes here (mid-sized metro, not some giant city).

    Other YouTube sources for seniors may also be useful, but be careful about those trying to sell something: It's all too common for marketers to exploit disempowering myths about seniors' capabilities (unless we buy their magic solution). Don't fall for misinformation or low expectations in that way!

    Many of my senior friends have said how much they like the Silver Sneakers and AARP videos. I've tried some of those videos to see what they were about, but don't currently use them regularly. I'm 68, but have been more active for around 20 years, so I have my workout routine pretty well worked out to stay in reasonable shape and make incremental progress still, just in different ways.

    For sure, we can make progress at our age, with commitment and a manageably challenging routine that respects our current fitness level but pushes it a little bit. For me, overdoing has a higher cost these days than it did when I was 20 (I'm not as resilient as I was then), so I try to just keep a manageable challenge going. When I started being active in my later 40s after cancer treatment, I started slowly, gradually increasing duration, intensity, frequency, or changing exercise type as needed to make gradual incremental progress.

    If you start working at fitness improvement, I predict you can surprise yourself with how much progress you'll make in a few short months, let alone a year or two. For me, improved fitness and reaching a healthy weight were each really major improvements in my quality of life.

    Best wishes!

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