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Old 01-15-2015, 09:16 PM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,127,873 times
Reputation: 7373

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Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
This is the last thing I want to do, but I realize finally at the age of 66 that living in the North I am not getting the outdoor exercise I want to believe I'm getting. I'm turning into a couch potato. I'm unnerved by this. I have never done a gym on a regular basis, and in the past when I've tried it, I've had an aversion to the equipment (doing the settings on each, worrying about germs from previous users, feeling bored with the routines, etc). I have to do something or I'm going to croak. I need some advice on this, and encouragement. I realize most of you have been doing the gym for years, and it's old hat to you. I am going kicking and screaming.
I have been using gym exercise equipment for nearly 50 years now, weight lifting three times a week and doing rowing or biking the other four days.

My wife has been with me on the gym trips since I retired eight years ago, plus we take two walks during the week of a bit over 2 miles. That is in addition to the walks to and from the gym, a distance of nearly a mile each way.

Attitude is everything, I can't overemphasize that. If you view it as a chore and work you will hate it and likely discontinue going. Find a routine, or sets of routines you can enjoy, and then stick to it.
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Old 01-15-2015, 09:45 PM
 
16,368 posts, read 30,094,442 times
Reputation: 25415
I will start exercising this weekend. My wife and I have the use of 12 gyms and 13 swimming pools for $440/yr all inclusive. Up to this point, she has been more active as she has been swimming outside nearly everyday.

We walk 2-3 miles most days.
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Old 01-15-2015, 10:22 PM
 
Location: Boca Raton, FL
6,873 posts, read 11,190,451 times
Reputation: 10757
Smile Zumba?

Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
Yes, there is a Planet Fitness near me. Do they have trainers?
Do you like to dance? If so, try a Zumba basic tape in your own home to work up to a workout. If you love to dance, it doesn't feel like exercise.
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Old 01-15-2015, 10:28 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,551,406 times
Reputation: 18301
Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
This is the last thing I want to do, but I realize finally at the age of 66 that living in the North I am not getting the outdoor exercise I want to believe I'm getting. I'm turning into a couch potato. I'm unnerved by this. I have never done a gym on a regular basis, and in the past when I've tried it, I've had an aversion to the equipment (doing the settings on each, worrying about germs from previous users, feeling bored with the routines, etc). I have to do something or I'm going to croak. I need some advice on this, and encouragement. I realize most of you have been doing the gym for years, and it's old hat to you. I am going kicking and screaming.
A good fitness centers will have someone walking around wiping the equipment continuiously and then numerous stations for you to wipe before and after use. Cleaner than hospitals really or most public place with the care you see. They have TVs where you plug in and watch the screen of your choice. I use my Ipod and ear phones .My wife loves to workout listening to Andrea Bocelli and the like. They are not gyms really in the traditional sense at all. The boom is because of boomers really from what manager told me. In fact if like me you going to be surprise who works out; many of those people you remark of as always looking so fit and well; but you never wandered why.

Last edited by texdav; 01-15-2015 at 10:40 PM..
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Old 01-16-2015, 12:07 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,611 posts, read 57,588,206 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biscuitmom View Post
...
Another trick I learned is to put on my workout clothes as soon as I get out of bed in the morning. ...
I have always put on my 'farm-clothes' in the morning, cuz the animals have to eat before I do.

After I handle all the chores, and any / all crisis', then it is about getting light and I can take a break and come in to eat.

Seems I usually keep my farm clothes on till well after dark, by then I have forgotten about exercise.
In the winter I have usually just brought in a night's worth of wood, so I curl up next to the wood stove.

Oh, well... maybe there will be another day for exercise.

During working life... it was ez. Lunch time = go swimming. (drown the sorrows of work, and 'freshen up' for the second half (usually worked 12 + hr days (nights)).
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Old 01-16-2015, 05:17 AM
Status: "Octopi tastes like snake" (set 22 days ago)
 
Location: in the miseries
3,573 posts, read 4,488,799 times
Reputation: 4401
You're in the Mass area. Go to the indoor malls. Nicer than a gym if you want to walk.
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Old 01-16-2015, 05:30 AM
 
11,558 posts, read 12,001,016 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav View Post
A good fitness centers will have someone walking around wiping the equipment continuiously and then numerous stations for you to wipe before and after use. Cleaner than hospitals really or most public place with the care you see.
Obviously I attended the wrong work out facility because I never saw any of the staff cleaning off the equipment, and very seldom saw any customers cleaning off the equipment. It was more common to see/hear customers sneezing and coughing.
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Old 01-16-2015, 06:51 AM
 
16,368 posts, read 30,094,442 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katie45 View Post
Obviously I attended the wrong work out facility because I never saw any of the staff cleaning off the equipment, and very seldom saw any customers cleaning off the equipment. It was more common to see/hear customers sneezing and coughing.

Our recreational facility is co-op with a limited staff. EVERYONE is expected to clean off the machine(s) they work out on. And everybody watches everybody else to make sure that they do so.

My old gym paid people to clean the machine and provided towels to everyone for $106 a month for two. My current place does neither and charges $37 per month.
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Old 01-16-2015, 06:54 AM
 
11,912 posts, read 6,488,715 times
Reputation: 13875
In the spring, summer and fall i use gardening and hiking up steep roads or trails to stay fit.
We did gyms for years, and I hated them and never could maintain fitness due to my aversion to going there -- boredom, germs, all the clothes changing routines, smell of disinfectant, time spent having to drive there, loud music, and obnoxious people.

Now in winter time I use our treadmill (cost of a gym membership) for aerobics and catch up on news or movie watching while using it in front of TV which distracts from boredom. And I use spry elastic bands for muscle building and joint stretching plus some yoga. We have a simple treadmill without all the fancy high tech programs -- just uphill and speed features.
Good luck!
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Old 01-16-2015, 07:05 AM
 
538 posts, read 533,375 times
Reputation: 2810
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuzzant View Post
NEG, I don't mean this for you, but people in general.

The best motivation to start working out, is to stand naked in front of the mirror and take inventory of what needs to improve.
I hope I didn't offend anyone with my statement, but it's true. If you are not happy with the way your body looks, YOU are the only one who can change it. I'm not talking 6-pack abs and bulging muscles, but maybe trimming and toning a bit.

We all know that as we get older (this is the retirement forum) we lose muscle mass and find it harder to keep the pounds off. But now that we are retired, we should have the time to do things for ourselves, i.e., take care of our physical and mental selves.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to enjoy the rest of my retirement in good health, so I've been trying to keep myself in good shape. I plan to continue to travel, spend a few winter months in FL, take care of my vegetable garden, learn Italian, etc.

However, three months at the gym to shed a few pounds, only to gain it all back is not the answer. It's really a change in lifestyle. Look at your eating habits and the type of food you ingest. Do you take the elevator up one or two floors? How about shopping, do you always look for the parking spot closest to the mall entrance? Do you drive the 1/2 mile to buy your lottery ticket instead of walking? Make the change, it'll be good for you. Next time you go shopping, park in the first available spot. You won't be upset that there isn't a closer spot. Take the steps to the second floor of the mall, to hell with the escalator.

Just making a few simple changes in your lifestyle can make a huge difference over time. It's not difficult, just different. Eat smarter, take the stairs, find the time to exercise - it could be at the gym, at home, or at a park. It could be simple calisthenics at home, gyms have tons of different classes, many aimed at seniors. Walk, ride a bike, swim, play tennis. Find something physical you enjoy and ENJOY it.

Make the time to take care of yourself. Let's face it, we're only here for a visit. There are many challenges we are faced with, but shouldn't your health be in your top three?

DO IT. AND DO IT NOW. If you feel yourself slipping back into your old habits, take off your clothes, stand in front of that mirror, and ask the person you see, if they are happy.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not talking about folks with severe health or mobility issues.
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