Fitness Ideas

WyoDoug

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Apr 8, 2019
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Cheyenne, Wyoming
Kinda looking for ideas on fitness routines. My current routine is working slowly, too slowly to my satisfaction.

Keys to fitness in my situation:
1) I turn 65 in May
2) I have nerve damage in my foot and neuropathy that creates a balance issue so running is out. I have been advised not to engage in running type exercise.
3) I have had four surgeries in last 15 years that caused range of motion exercise and I want to continue working on that. I show significant improvement here but struggle to each behind my back nowdays.
4) Due to new job I took, I can really work out 3 days a week max.
5) Due to a pepsi addiction, drinking a six pack or more a day, my metabolism is messed up confirmed by doctor visit. Now I am drinking water and coffee instead.

What I have been doing is 20 minutes cardio on the treadmill followed by circuit training on weight machines. My strength and cardio fitness has improved significantly but my weight has not. What do you guys do when you need to lose weight? I want to be able to walk the ridges elk hunting much better than I did last year even at my age.
 
Police your carb intake. One way to do that is replace starch (potato, rice, etc) with another veggie. Snack on nuts or some other low carb option during the day. If your current diet is high in carbs, you’ll need to tough it through the first few weeks of cravings, but once you get past that it gets easier.
 
you'll shed weight faster than you can weigh yourself if you give up carbs and eat only high quality meats, fat, and veggies

carbs are not a necessity in life, at all, and it seems more and more are the source of many peoples problems
 
A couple more ideas.

1. Weight training gets even more important as you age as it will help you maintain bone density.
2. Yoga. Like it or not, core strength and flexibility keep you young. Also, you can do yoga at home with no equipment. Just search yoga lessons on youtube and get after it....Just don't post any pics of yourself in yoga pants...;)
 
A couple more ideas.

1. Weight training gets even more important as you age as it will help you maintain bone density.
2. Yoga. Like it or not, core strength and flexibility keep you young. Also, you can do yoga at home with no equipment. Just search yoga lessons on youtube and get after it....Just don't post any pics of yourself in yoga pants...;)
No worries LOL. I don't wear clothes at home most days. Want pics?
 
You are about the same age I was when I started to strength train seriously. I have been at it for five years so far. There are many resources for seniors regarding strength training. Starting Strength and Barbell Prescription are two excellent books. Google greysteel you tube and there will be more stuff than you can imagine.

Weightlifting has transformed my strength and metabolism. I am far leaner and more muscular than before I began.

It is simple but difficult. The difficulty is that done properly, it is hard work. Like as much as you can muster, hard work. But it is never so much that it isn't doable.

I am certain that the 70 year old version of my self could kick a$$ on the 65 or 60 year old version of myself.
 
You are about the same age I was when I started to strength train seriously. I have been at it for five years so far. There are many resources for seniors regarding strength training. Starting Strength and Barbell Prescription are two excellent books. Google greysteel you tube and there will be more stuff than you can imagine.

Weightlifting has transformed my strength and metabolism. I am far leaner and more muscular than before I began.

It is simple but difficult. The difficulty is that done properly, it is hard work. Like as much as you can muster, hard work. But it is never so much that it isn't doable.

I am certain that the 70 year old version of my self could kick a$$ on the 65 or 60 year old version of myself.
Strength training is not an issue for me. Nor is the cardio. Weight control is a huge battle I am dealing with right now. In high school I was in wrestling and weightlifting competitively and in college after I got out of Army I did swimming and weightlifting though not as a competitive sport. If you could see what I lift now, those numbers are good for someone my age, but the weight control battle is the one I struggle with.
 
hike with a 20# pack, alot

eat quality high protein food and a balanced diet w/fruit & veggies, and if you eat garbage food or eat out alot: stop
 
It sounds like you're on track with the exercise. A 3-day full body workout split would probably be best. Supplement that with walking/hiking. Weighted carries/pushes/pulls are a great metabolic tool as well.

As for diet, I would start by identifying your Basal Metabolic Rate using one of the various online calculators. This is just an estimate but will give you a starting point. Some of the calculators will let you include your physical activity level as well. From there, track your food intake and calories for a couple weeks and adjust calories down if you aren't losing weight fast enough. Diet composition is largely up to you and also impacted by how overweight you are. You can find success with many different dietary approaches and none are a magic pill. Low carb is one of the most popular because it's easier to cut out or limit an entire category of food than it is to eat things in moderation. In the end, pick something you can stick to in the long term.
 
I'll be "that guy" and say join a crossfit gym. All the workouts are scalable, and work for most all body types and physical abilities. The workouts are as savage as you want them to be. I have worked out with folks in your age range, and they have redefined my own views on aging.

If you feel like that just isn't for you, a change in nutrition and diet can do a lot of good sans any exercise at all. Throw in a few extras (daily walks, taking the stairs, parking at the end of the parking lot, etc) and you can increase fitness pretty passively.

I have struggled with my own weight and it isn't easy, but I do know that nutrition is king. Good luck!
 
There's definitely no magic solution that someone can just tell you. What I've found is the being healthy, which includes everything from eating to exercising, is simply a choice about priorities. Like you choosing water and coffee over pepsi. It's choosing to eat less. It's choosing to walk more. It's as much mental as anything else. And that mental part is where I've struggled the most. Trying to force myself to workout when it's dark and cold and I just don't want to has been a struggle of mine forever.

I personally think simply walking-not ambling, is about the best form of exercise a person can get, especially if you follow it up with 15-20 minutes of stretching when you're done.
 
I'll be "that guy" and say join a crossfit gym. All the workouts are scalable, and work for most all body types and physical abilities. The workouts are as savage as you want them to be. I have worked out with folks in your age range, and they have redefined my own views on aging.

If you feel like that just isn't for you, a change in nutrition and diet can do a lot of good sans any exercise at all. Throw in a few extras (daily walks, taking the stairs, parking at the end of the parking lot, etc) and you can increase fitness pretty passively.

I have struggled with my own weight and it isn't easy, but I do know that nutrition is king. Good luck!
Of course the crossfit guy suggests crossfit, how else would anyone ever know you crossfit? LOL

I tease, sorry I couldn't help it.
 
What works for one often doesn't work for another.
I hit the big 60 last year, I have tried short runs but having torn the hamstrings in both legs in the past 2 years they niggle me all the time.
So at Christmas we bought these scales https://renpho.com/products/smart-body-fat-scale-premiumwith-wifi
They are brilliant, so instead of running I walk, a lot, and do sit ups and press ups daily.
Monday-Friday, cut out a lot of carbs, sweets etc
Definitely no alcohol.
We weigh ourselves every Saturday morning, same time each Saturday, but we have weekends 'off' eat what we like and have a drink on a Saturday evening.
For us it's working, weight is coming off steadily.
I might try some more running when I have shed some more weight.
Cheers
Richard
 
I would say a nice mix of weight training, body weight exercises and cardio, with a focus on raising calorie burn, is the key. Then change it monthly or bi-monthly as your body will "get used" to what you do and you want to shock it.

Personally I need classes, I can't workout on my own. That said, I am also a spinning instructor, that covers my cardio, then I do 2 days/week on body weight things, various pushup formats, squat things, and ab exercises to hit everything.

Mix in some swimming to hit muscles you forgot you had.

Then just watch the diet a bit.
 
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