Staying fit in advanced age

I am experiencing this too. I am 70 and I cycle with groups and normally ride 100-150 miles per week. I also hike a bit and go to Pilates. I have degenerative discs in my spine and recently developed perineal tendonitis in my ankle, probably from too much Pilates ( lots of ankle strengthening work) which affects my ability to get out and do these activities. I find it very difficult to accept restrictions on how much I can do.I also have osteoporosis and arthritis…fun fun. I know it is better than the alternative and am grateful for what I can still do

@rodkleiss

Briefly, I am 82 and have always been slim and not particularly active and have no underlying chronic health problems. Ten years ago I retired and joined an active senior class held 3 days a week given by a very fit senior who is one year older than me. About 5 years ago I started daily walks and currently do 2 plus miles a day.
My suggestion is to join a gym where they have senior classes that focus on strength and balance and cardio. You can get some free instructions on machine use when you join. Your health insurance may cover a silver sneakers type of program. You may not find the class particularly challenging depending on the instructor but you will find a community of people your age who use the gym regularly .

I would say to listen yo your body and don’t exercise to the point of soreness or pain. That will do more harm than good and could lead to injury. Get into a comfortable routine. When you get to my age there will be days you are not as spry as the day before. Your muscle mass has decreased and you have to accept that you are not a youngster anymore.

My gym teacher is focused on not falling so his classes are mainly stretching, balance, weights and cardio. He is always reading and learning. I incorporate stretching and certain yoga type exercises into my day.

I am up at 6 to walk. I still go to the senior classes even though they are not as challenging as they once were. I want to maintain what I have but I did start to jog in spurts recently out on my walks. I found I could do this fairly well but know I can’t run with my daughter.

Ask around at some of the gyms near you….most should have a monthly fee with no contract. You can get a sense of what they offer and see the demographics of its customers. Some will let you try a class for free.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about increasing your level of exercise once you have established a routine but rather maintaining that level. You may also decide to take up biking or pickle ball. Diet is important and remember to keep your protein level up. You’re gonna get older for sure and may slow down a bit but you will be far above someone who does nothing.

My two mantras are “You are what you eat” and “Don’t let the old woman in”.

Good luck on your journey and good for you for wanting to stay healthy and active.

FL Mary

@rodkleiss , I am almost 72. I started jogging late in life. It was/ is a wonderful social and physical activity. I developed osteoarthritis in my right hip about 3 1/2 years ago. I didn’t get diagnosed for about 7 months because i first attributed my pain to not running for 4 months after dislocating my shoulder. I thought i was maybe increasing my mileage too much. When the pain did not go away i finally saw my PCP who took xrays and diagnosed osteoarthritis. I saw an orthopedist a few months later who took his own xrays and told me i had bone on bone and was an immediate candidate for surgery. That was quite a shock to me. It took me a year to decide i was ready for surgery. It was when i noticed that the osteoarthritis was limiting more and more of my activities. That i decided on surgery . I continued to walk and workout at the gym before surgery. Well except for developing anemia, the surgery went well. I did not have the 6 week back to normal that some have described. I went to physical therapy for almost 3 months, went back to the gym for weight training and back to walking 3-5 miles several times a week. I need to get myself back to a yoga class and a pilates mat class. My trainer has me work on balance . Another thing she emphasizes is practicing is going to the floor and getting up. The hardest thing for me is exercising on my own. I was easing back into jogging with a plan my physical therapist gave me and i developed a hamstring pull. I need to make physical activity more of a priority.

@rodkleiss Rod, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! You have already seen a few posts with people talking about what works for them. I think it is a matter of doing what works for you, and here we get to see different ideas.

Fitting in time to do purposeful exercise is great. Remember, everyday tasks can be their own form of exercise [I am thinking about my duties to keep our street gutters and sidewalks clean]. Sometimes we can modify those tasks to make them more challenging and create our own individualized plan!

I live in a rural area with no access to a gym, but we have some great roads for walking. Wearing a bright orange vest and going against traffic, I have seen close-up, the colors of fall and critters of all sorts. Taking along a bag to gather litter, two things get accomplished at one time.
Ginger

I am 72 and walk 3 hours/day, weather permitting (I live in Northern Michigan). I also do strength training exercises daily, indoors, with bands.

Thanks to you all for the comments. This is the first time I've been able to connect with folks my age and older who are experiencing this aspect of continued fitness at advanced age. I see that I am lucky not to have real medical limitations to my fitness. Which is not to say I haven't gotten hurt. One of the first things I learned was to take breaks between workouts. I had this brilliant idea one day that I should run or work out every day because that is what I did with good success when I was a kid. And then I strained my glutes and realized I had to stop running. It took almost three months to get back to running and some really good physical therapy. And I learned that I can't train like that at my age. I now limit training to 3 sessions a week of either running or training. I do have a great young trainer who seems to know the body quite well. He keeps me from hurting myself when I actually listen to him. For instance I have become very cautious about raising heavy weights overhead for the effect that might have on my shoulders. And that kind of thing is really what leads me to address this forum.
I don't think I'm the right one to be coming up with the best training scenario for my age. Once I tried silver sneakers but it's a very laid back program and I just don't think it addresses my desire to maximize my fitness. We focus on good things such as balance, flexibility, endurance, and strength. All these things have improved tremendously since I began this effort some years ago, but I know I am in uncharted territory and it is bound to become more difficult as I age further.
I don't know what the answer is. Doctors seem to focus on injuries and getting well, but I'm looking for methods to keep from getting injured while continuing to improve my physical condition. I've been relatively successful to date albeit with occasional injuries that could have been avoided had I been aware. That discrepancy is bound to increase as I age further. I can see that from you older gentlemen and women who relate your stories.
I live in a small town so I'm lucky to have this excellent trainer and physical therapist. I'm in better shape than most people here but that is not a bragging point. I'd travel 70 miles to Minneapolis/St Paul if I could meet others working through the same problems and solutions. I'd love to have a doctor who actually focused on increasing elderly physical condition rather than just working to keep us healthy. Just look at the internet. They talk about elder fitness and workouts, but I think they mostly try to fit everybody into some kind of body builder and that is absolutely not the goal.

Hello, I am in the Philippines. Thank you for sharing and giving me a goal to aspire to as I age. Here in my country, there are Zumba classes we can join or a tai chi club so as to have weekly, if not daily exercises as we age. I am sure there is one there as well. You try searching for groups in Facebook and there might be a club you can fit in. I am happy at your health. Just keep a regular check up and hope to live to your age and beyond as well.

I think you have gotten in touch with a lot of folks who are as motivated as you are to stay active. Like Ginger (@gingerw) a lot of my "fitness" activities focus on maintaining my house and extensive gardens. I have been known to turn even mundane activities into a workout by folding as fast as I can, then going up the stairs to put away small batches of items - much safer than filling the big basket up the stairs.

In winter, I drive my friends and family crazy when we go to the beach - I bring huge trash bags, which we walk and fill. This winter I'm going to get my friend to bring his pickup onto the beach so we can pick up bigger items and haul them up to the dump location (in South Texas we can actually drive on the beach!)

Today we ran errands - I put the shopping cart in a central spot, then move briskly up and down the aisles picking up items and making frequent trips back to the cart to drop off - and park in the farthest spot... with just 3 stops plus 5 loads of laundry, I traveled 4 miles. Not to mention the bending, stretching and reaching. Yesterday we unpacked after a road trip - I carried everything from the curb to the house -20-25# at a time. Sure, I could have parked in the drive, but after 1400 miles in 48 hours, I needed to MOVE.

But, I also have been through Pain Rehab Therapy, and learned I need to stretch the vulnerable parts of my body - thoroughly and more than once a day. I stretch for 10 minutes in bed before I even get up, to mobilize my spine and shoulders - my worst spots. And during a Zoom meeting, I did my neck work...

So even though I didn't go to the gym, or make it out on my neighborhood walk, I guess it wasn't too bad these past 2 days. Looking forward to a walk to the lake tomorrow - the leaves are gone, so I should be able to see 2 Bald Eagle nests.
Sue

Oh gosh! I meant 3 MILES per day, not three hours!!

I was very impressed with 3 hours 😂 Three miles a day is great too!