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I just started working out regularly last year. But I've kept it up. Monday-Wednesday-Friday are my days and I keep pretty much the same routine all the time, although I have added weights, reps and added exercises. Couple of weeks ago I started doing squats on the Balance Ball.
I never stop between exercises or events, so I am constantly in motion for an hour.
I've gotten good results. To me, that means I feel great. I have no problem climbing stairs, doing yard work, rising from the couch, picking a 25 pound object off the floor and so forth.
I'm 76 and had open heart surgery a year ago. Retired since 2010. This workout - 15 minute stretch and floor exercises; 25 minute cardio and 20 minutes resistance machines - was recommended by the cardio therapy people.
So how do you do it? If you're over 60 and reading this, you must have some interest in working out regularly. Share your experience!
good for you! may you enjoy many more decades of strength, health, vitality, and exercise!
i am turning 64 this year.
Three years ago at age 61 i had two very minor routine surgeries in the same month, and became quite ill and did not recover, i got worse and worse until i felt like my systems were shutting down, and my immune system just was not working at all. My teeth were falling out, my hair was falling out, i went from low energy to no energy to bedridden in a very short time. I burned through 7 weeks of leave, and then a few more months of leave without pay, and was looking at medical disability retirement. the doctors had no idea what was going on or what the problem was. I was in full robust health and working full time prior to that so this was really a shock to me.
Anyway i was bedridden and became so weak i could not even hold a book to read (previously i would read books for several hours a day, always have for over 50+ years). it was just too exhausting. i haven't owned a TV for over over 35 years so that was out. I was able to get on the internet so i would lay in bed and do that for a brief amount of time each day. i found articles (i was literally doing searches for things like how can someone bedridden exercise and regain their health) that talked about yes exercises that help people regain their health even if they are old and bedridden. that caught my eye because it was actually a thing and not just my rhetorical question asked in desperation.
well i started doing qi gong. yes, bedridden and horizontal, i was doing the qi gong routine for people who are bedridden and horizontal. after a while i started doing the qi gong routine for people who could sit on their bed for a few minutes. then i was able to do the qi gong for a few minutes at a time standing but leaning against a wall for support. then i was able to actually do the qi gong standing .
my boss meantime really really really wanted me to come back to work (it had been months, and she did not want to hire someone else or do my job herself) and she said before quitting to try at least coming in for one day and see if i could do that. i was amazed that i actually made it through a full day of work. i had told her i would try a half day, but actually was able to work the whole day. i was very surprised.
i went again for one day the following week, and that was fine too. So i started going to work one day a week. Then two days a week. And eventually i was able to go back to work full time.
i have continued to do qi gong ever since, and i love it. i particularly like knowing there are routines to do if i become sick or ill, and they help speed my recovery time. i have increased energy and vitality, am calmer and less stressed, immune system is strong and fully functioning, and i have not been sick a day since recovering from those surgeries 3 years ago. i live on the second floor of my building, and i remember even climbing the one flight of stairs i would feel winded and have to stop. that was so scary and discouraging. since doing qi gong i notice that i can easily climb the stairs carrying two bags of heavy groceries and don't get winded at all. before i would notice mid week working full time i would become tired and by thursday or friday come home and just drop into bed, no energy for anything else. now i have energy throughout the week and notice at the end of a work day, even at the end of the week, i have more energy than in the morning. i've tested positive for Covid three different times, and it never felt like anything more than a mild cold. i continued to work full time through these 2years of Covid and haven't missed a day of work from it.
for the first couple years the qi gong which i did was "Stand like a tree" qi gong. i have since added the "Eight Pieces of Brocade" and also "Dragon and Tiger " Medicinal qi gong. working full time i will do 1 or 2 sessions every day (20-40 minutes each), and on days i don't work and on weekends, 2-3 sessions a day.
Heart issues is why cardiovascular exercise is important, even walking. You need to do it long enough and at a medium to fast pace. Weightlifting does not provide the necessary cardiovascular benefit.
That issue is much discussed. Actually, it appears weightlifting does, indeed protect the heart. Some sources even go so far as to say weightlifting is BETTER for the heart than cardiovascular exercise. It was a surprise to me, but I'm not so flabbergasted that I am going to give up my treadmill time. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20...an-cardio.aspx
good for you! may you enjoy many more decades of strength, health, vitality, and exercise!
i am turning 64 this year.
Three years ago at age 61 i had two very minor routine surgeries in the same month, and became quite ill and did not recover, i got worse and worse until......................
I just started working out regularly last year. But I've kept it up. Monday-Wednesday-Friday are my days and I keep pretty much the same routine all the time, although I have added weights, reps and added exercises. Couple of weeks ago I started doing squats on the Balance Ball.
I never stop between exercises or events, so I am constantly in motion for an hour.
I've gotten good results. To me, that means I feel great. I have no problem climbing stairs, doing yard work, rising from the couch, picking a 25 pound object off the floor and so forth.
I'm 76 and had open heart surgery a year ago. Retired since 2010. This workout - 15 minute stretch and floor exercises; 25 minute cardio and 20 minutes resistance machines - was recommended by the cardio therapy people.
So how do you do it? If you're over 60 and reading this, you must have some interest in working out regularly. Share your experience!
Retired within the last year and quickly started noticing that I had neglected my physical fitness during my working years. I am a mechanical engineer and I was pretty much sitting in a chair 10 hours a day staring at a computer screen, and had done that for decades. When I was working I was so exhausted mentally after a grinding day I didn't have any energy left for exercise.
Then I had two doctors in different disciplines tell me I needed to have regular exercise routine, which started me down the same path as yourself. One was to improve core strength; the other was to improve leg strength to help support a wonky knee.
My schedule is every other day. 30 minutes on exercise bike at the house, or at least an hour on the bike trail in good weather. Then some moderate weight lifting to improve my upper body strength, and calisthenics.
Just a couple months of this routine has given big benefits to my general fitness. Now I am in the mode of expanding the routine to a higher level which I plan to maintain as long as I can.
I’m in my 60’s and for most of my life my biggest form of exercise was bending my arm, and holding a fork and then lifting food to my mouth. Talk about strenuous!
This poor habit caught up to me almost 4 years ago when I fell off a small step walking backwards, couldn’t catch my balance and experienced a small fracture in the lumbar region. The fall didn’t directly cause it; it was all the twisting and turning I did just to try to avoid landing on my butt.
But from lemons comes lemonade. My doctor prescribed physical therapy and the office was located inside a gorgeous gym. I joined the gym, and after I finished physical therapy I began working with a physical trainer (also same gym).
What a difference over these 4 short years! I can open jars, carry heavy groceries and take a misstep or two without losing my balance. I’ve lost only a few pounds, but my clothes feel so much better, and I feel better too.
I exercise about 6, 7 days a week, walking the dog anywhere from 1 1/2 miles to 5 miles a day (depending on weather). Depending on how much I’ve walked the dog, I’ll go to the gym and get on the recumbent bike for an hour. Every other day I do a series of circuit weights (curls, leg extensions, etc.) and I meet with my trainer twice a week for 30 minutes where we do squats, planks, barbell lifts, etc.
That issue is much discussed. Actually, it appears weightlifting does, indeed protect the heart. Some sources even go so far as to say weightlifting is BETTER for the heart than cardiovascular exercise. It was a surprise to me, but I'm not so flabbergasted that I am going to give up my treadmill time. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20...an-cardio.aspx
Yes, I've read some of the research. The study at Iowa State seems to be the most quoted.
There is obviously some benefit, but it seems hard to believe that two sessions of weightlifting a week can compare to the recommended from the American Heart Association of:
Quote:
Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.
My personal experience from being both a long distance runner and weightlifter is it is almost impossible to get your heart rate high enough for long enough to get a good cardiovascular workout. Many weightlifting exercises are not exercising large enough muscles to significantly raise your heart rate enough.
I have had to stop running and playing basketball due to a torn meniscus in my knee. I've only been lifting weights and I have no doubt my cardiovascular health has really suffered.
The articles I have read say a combination of weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise performed every week.
Early 60s, got somewhat out of shape and overweight during the pandemic, now working out 5-6 days a week at a gym, and working with a trainer to build core.
My brother the doctor sees a lot of older people who overdid it at the gym and blew out a tendon, then needed six months to recover.
Those of us older than 30 need to remember that our bodies are not as durable as they once were, even though we may feel great while working out. Just don’t overdo it!
I'm 90 and have been attending a gym since I developed osteoarthritis of the knees and couldn't walk around the block any more at 65. I had knee replacements at 72 and a stent put into a heart artery at 73.
I attend once a week and do a 2.5 hour overall workout. As distinct from other posters here, I rest between sets to a stage of full recovery. I believe that substrate needs to be restored to muscle between sets if I'm going to get maximum benefit.
My main reason for posting is that I had a pleasant surprise yesterday. Because of flooded roads here in Brisbane, I was unable to attend the gym for three weeks.
When I went back yesterday, I started on the pecs deck and expected to do about 15-20 kg less that normal. On the contrary, I started with 10 reps at 39 kg, then 10 x 52. My PB was 10 at 66. I started a couple of reps at 66, but found it easier than I thought, so I set the pin at 73. I did a personal all-time best of 10 x 73, although the last couple were a squeeze. I paused for about 2 secs at the end of each return to avoid a swinging rebound. I was pleasantly amazed at doing a PB, especially after a 3-week layoff, and still trying to figure it out. I have a 'party trick' on the pecs too where I lift the whole deck of 134 kg (295 lbs) with one arm. i did 7 reps yesterday, although I have done 15 on a previous occasion.
I went on to do 3 sets reverse flys at 39, 46 & 52 kg, 3 sets of lats pull-downs at 35, 40 & 45 kg, 3 sets of seated rows at 40, 45 & 50, 45 reps on biceps bar bell at total 24kg, followed by 55 at 19kg. I do biceps as well with a set biceps bar, as well as direct curls with dumbells. I do 3 sets of shoulder crinches with dumbells. All of my biceps curls are alternated with triceps pull downs using the triangle, rope with wrist twist, and reverse horizontal bars. All of these were in my general performance range, though maybe a few kg lower.
I work bit more on biceps and triceps because over the years I have ruptured the long head of my right biceps, torn the lower one third of my left biceps and experienced the partial separation of both triceps from their attachments to the elbow region
Then I did 60 backbends on the 45 degree bench and 20 knee lifts forearm-support frame. I usually do 100 sit-ups but found it was causing sacro-iliac problems, so started off planking again with a 6 minute effort and then a lazy 500 metre row on the rowing machine. I didn't push it any further because of the 3-week layoff.
About 20 years ago I tried going to the gym twice a week, but started to become bored.
I still don't understand why I did so well yesterday, because in the past I've had to start working up again after a 3-week layoff.
Yup. If for nothing - take a “Learn how to fall” class. Falls are the start of the downhill slide for many people. Can even lead to death.
Oh -and the heart IS a muscle. Upper Body strength training WILL help keep it in check.
Learned the hard way about falling improperly. About 20 years ago fell on ice on concrete - extended an elbow and totally wrecked a shoulder, ripping off several ligaments. Got it fixed through a good ortho surgeon but recovery took a long time.
This winter I slipped on ice again, but this time, instinctively, I tucked my arm instead of extending. I got some scrapes and bruises but no broken bones or sprains or other injuries. Not sure that's the right thing to do but in that split second I remembered how I wrecked the shoulder the first time.
I did a search for "falling classes" but really didn't get any legit hits. How did you find this class?
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