Gaining weight and restoring reasonable muscle mass at 60+

Yes, you certainly are, but it's going to be quite a bit harder at your age. You have hormones working against you, probably poorer sleep, one or two disorders or co-morbidities...? But I admire your spirit and drive. You CAN gain back muscle mass. In turn, it will keep you warmer, and it will help you to slow weight gain that is age related. Those extra muscles will need fuel and oxygen, that latter of which comes from good lungs and an efficient heart. Don't avoid some aerobic activity, and of course that's at a reasoned pace, not all-out or too hard for too long. Slow stair climbing does wonders if you have some considerable stairs nearby. The pace will almost seem too slow to be of any good, but by the time you're into your fifth or sixth climb or landing, you'll begin to appreciate the actual work being done.

@xmohashi ,
I hope you’ll get some responses on this issue. I’m in the same situation, except I’m losing weight intentionally. I have a few more pounds to go.

I realize that muscle is important, so I workout at the gym 5-6 days a week. I got some tips from my former physiotherapist. I do cardio and strength training, but I don’t see much muscle improvement. I eat a tight diet that should help me with building muscle. I wish a personal trainer was in my budget. I do watch what other people do at the gym. Tennis elbow hasn’t helped matters.

xmohashi, gloaming, and celia16: Congratulations to all of you! You can all get stronger through exercise and repetitive exercise. We may never get back to being as strong as we were when we were younger, but we can get stronger than we are now! Good work to all three of you!!

I'm quite grateful for your valuable advice. Thank so much for kind encouragement, Indeed!

To all - my regimen this winter has toned muscles, improved breathing and flexibility. For 5 months -
3 times weekly 45 minutes "senior yoga" -slow controlled movement, some seated and some standing with stress on balance and flexibility
2 times weekly light weights with slowly increasing reps (limited by arthritis)
4-5 times weekly walking 1-3 miles. Pace varies day to day based on walking partners and goals.

Don't discount the value of yard and housework- weeding, mowing, sweeping and cleaning can all be done at an aerobic pace!

Those are great tips. I will check out the classes at my gym! I’m also going to get some hand weights for home.

While a balanced diet and any exercise is beneficial, for optimal results you need to adjust each by age due to unstoppable biological changes (such as collagen production, bone density, testosterone in men....). On the diet front, one may need to change the amount of protein intake to maintain and / or build muscle. I encourage you to either research the changes that happen by age brackets and the dietary, supplementation, types of exercise adjustment to make to counterbalance those changes or engage with someone who already has the wisdom.

I consulted with the nutritionist at my Endocrinologist’s office about my diet. She was quite helpful. Still….i do feel a person trained in physical therapy would be helpful. I got good tips from my former physiotherapist. I need instruction for women over 50.

You can also get great workout classes online to do at home. Silver sneakers is one I use and also YouTube. Line dancing is fun a good cardio workout you can learn online or many senior centers offer free classes.

I love walking! The only times I don't walk outside are when it's icy. Snow and cold don't stop me. They may shorten each outing, but I go out several times each day. I do modified push ups and want to add planks back in my routine. Following breast cancer, I began to incorporate stretching. Tai chi is great for developing better balancing, (that has saved me from several potential falls).
I loved going to silver sneakers. It was so much fun socializing while exercising. But alas, the gym memberships are quite pricey. I know that the advantage health plans often include them, but with my health issues, I don't want to switch.
I do think that any movement is key to keep these aging bodies on the go, so let's get movig!