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I’ve been lifting weights and doing cardiovascular exercise almost 30 years. I’m now 73, and you are soooo right about limitations as you age!
I used to be a runner (in my 30s) almost every day, but gave that up because
1. It was keeping me too skinny
2. It was too hard on my knees
So, I started lifting weights, a definite improvement to my body, plus a great way to gain strength. Yes, I gained a bit of weight, but it was much-needed.
I’ve had a total of 7 spine surgeries for scoliosis that began at age 58. In Feb, last year, I lost my balance (an ongoing problem) in the shower (of all places), and have been on a walker ever since. Needless to say, keeping fit has been extremely challenging when one has so many obstacles to overcome.
And you are right on point yet again - I never see many older people consistently lifting (especially women) and anyone at all on a walker, but I decided not to let younger, able-bodied people to intimidate me. I continue to lift and have pretty good definition, so I’m content.
I just wish I could do different cardio. All I can do is the recumbent bike, but I’m grateful to God I can do that, considering all the surgeries I’ve had.
Keep at it, and I promise to do the same as long as I can!
Replies to "I’ve been lifting weights and doing cardiovascular exercise almost 30 years. I’m now 73, and you..."
Your story is very interesting. You make me realize how lucky I am to be 76 and have no real debilitating injuries to work around. Albeit at this age we have enough age related soreness to partially make up for that. And as the rank amatuer civilian athlete I am, how you approach this seems seems good to me. It makes me wonder though. If ageing were a sport and the goal was to win the race or lift more than any other old codger (codgerette?), maybe there would be more science about this goal to achieve the best possible fitness. Right now we all sort of self-medicate with input from younger fitness gurus and peers. Maybe we don't do enough. Maybe we do too much or work in less productive ways. I'm quite sure that what I bring to the fitness table now are mainly
experiences from my young life and I try to match that while avoiding routines that don't seem doable to me anymore. Working with my trainer and physical therapist I seem to be learning how to work around and minimize injuries, but then I do something stupid and I'm hurt again for a few months. And every injury at this age seems to take months to really go away. Getting and staying fit in advanced age should be more science than simply human experience and hearsay. It is not just about physical fitness either.
Sleep is an issue for a number of us at this age. How much is enough? How important is uninterrupted sleep? Are there any effective sleep aids? How do you tell if you should sleep 4 or 6 or 8 hours to be fully rested? And then cognitive work - how should a person exercise the brain at our age? Are crossword and jigsaw puzzles and Sudoku really positive activities for cognitive fitness?
We all have our own answers to the above questions but I'm beginning to wonder how beneficial and supportable these methods are. Since I have no answers for any of these questions, I will just continue doing what I'm doing and hope that I don't get myself into an unfortunate situation. For instance next week my daughter and I will attempt a 40km X-country ski event. Afterwards I'll know if all of my work to get around a niggling hip issue has a lasting effect. If not it's back to the drawing board for possible solutions.
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Bravo, Wascaly!