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← Return to Staying fit in advanced age
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@rodkleiss
First congratulate yourself for wanting to stay fit. It is half the battle to be motivated.
I have exercised all my life and played a lot of sports. I am now 76 like you. 7 years ago my main exercise was playing tennis 3-4 times a week. When I got a pacemaker the extreme arm movements and jerking caused problems with my AICD/Pacemaker wire in my heart.
My cardiologist asked me to consider doing Spring Triathlons. I was already walking, swimming and biking just you do all three on race day. You have to train for it so that required me to train. I have heart failure but no exercise restrictions. So I trained and did my first race back in 2017. I got hooked and have done about 50 of them now. Placed (1/2/3 finished medals) many times but just happy to cross finish line. I do them at a moderate level of exerticon not maximum.
Do you like to bike? Great exercise. How about just walking instead of jogging and try to stay on asphalt or soft surface not concrete sidewalk. I race walk the run portion of Spring Triathlons because of pain in back. Do you like to swim? One of the best exercises out there. Do you have a YMCA around you. Most have lap swimming lanes.
My cardiologist and heart failure doctors have told me that being an exerciser all my life has allowed my body to compensate for the heart failure. I see one recommended yoga. Great for your body. I do chair yoga. It does not mean sitting in a chair. You use the chair for balance. I have trouble getting up from a prone position so none of those posses are in chair yoga. You will be surprise but yoga is exercise and the first time you do it you will be sore.
Stay motivated and find something you like to do. If it hurts don't do it find something else. Being sore is not the same as something hurting.
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I've read these comments on fitness and they are quite positive and I agree. We have to keep active or we will lose that ability. And we have a number of standard methods available. The one I've heard most about is Silver Sneakers. The few times and places I've tried Silver Sneakers, I have to say it was pretty light weight. A lot of moving while sitting in a chair. These are old-folks exercises in my book and I'm not quite there yet. And of course there is walking and running (if able). All good things there too. And then the idea of working with a trainer after setting some goals. Balance, strength, flexibility, endurance. All of the above are what I think we are looking for. How can we stay fit.
Recently we watched a movie about old people called 'The Great Escaper' with Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson filmed in 2023. He's 90 and I look at his body and that is what I am trying to avoid. Losing all upper body strength, along with mobility and flexibility. The question is how to move forward.
I'm doing the usual things. I work with a trainer. I try to find groups in my area with some small success. And I run and X-country ski to round things out. But I can be my own worst enemy. I tried running every single day because that's how I got fit as a youngster. At this age though (76), I just hurt myself. My hip started hurting and I just worked through it until it became a real problem. I'm finally getting over that now.
And that is exactly what the big problem is here. What is the best way to improve? My young trainer has all sorts of ideas but he's young and I wonder if he can really put himself in my shoes. I know I had no idea the body took these changes. So far what we are doing seems good, but it is still a guessing game.
I keep thinking that someone somewhere in the medical community has focused on how to navigate age related changes in the body with the overriding goal of improved fitness, not just maintaining the status quo but improving. I'd join that kind of movement in a moment and travel to join such people because I'm convinced we can overcome some of these little troubles and get on a better track for fitness and health.