Age is catching up

Can you afford a gym membership locally? One with a pool?

See if any offer free (or short) trials and give them a go. See which "fits".

I go to one attached to a hotel. The facilities are smaller and it has less classes than the big ones but the members are warm and welcoming so actually going is less of a chore. The facilities are beautiful so it doesn't feel like a punishment!

My GP has told me I must lose some weight to bring my BP down.
I will try to make myself use the gym more. Normally I just use the pool.

Staff will give you a programme to follow abd review it with you intermittently at no additional cost.

If I wanted 1-1 sessions I can pay for a PT.

Do you have a dog? I'm over 80 and have four so I have to walk and that not only keeps me fit but I have met a lot of people through the dogs,

You're a teenager! I'm 76 and still work (love it); used to go to Pilates classes pre-Covid; since they stopped I've been doing bits I remember, but have just found an app that's useful. Good luck

Welcome to Gransnet Michael. There are some good fitness videos on YouTube for the over 50s. I follow yes2next video channel a mother and daughter combo. They are low impact walking sessions that vary from 10 to 30 minutes. So you can build up slowly. Also for aches and stiffness I agree Will Harlow is very informative and explains everything clearly. Good luck.

I do hope more people are soon going to wake up to all the lies we were told about the 'pandemic' and, of course, the vaccines. You will not get the truth on the BBC or any of the newspapers. It's pointless looking on Facebook because that was/is censored. Try channels like UK Column, and begin investigating. PLEASE do not have any more of those 'vaccines' - they were genetic experimentation (I have watched a clip of a Big Pharma executive saying as much). The vaccine can affect any part of the body - it has wrecked the health of so many, and killed so many, but this is not reported in mainstream media. I cannot give references, but there is so much information out there if you start looking.

Cadeby

Babs03

Funny thing, I had Astra Zeneca, shortly afterwards experienced a slight bleed behind one eye followed swiftly by the other eye, then suffered loads of floaters and sparkly bits in periphery of my vision. Went to hospital of course but told us my age. After this also suffered from stiff joints, fatigue, and started getting every little bug going.
These symptoms have eased but I still get stiff joints from time to time and my eyes haven’t recovered.
My husband had Pfizer and no ill effects.
Thought I had long covid at one point but thankfully I don’t think is that.

Scary, we were played weren't we?

No, we weren’t played at all. Anything that developed from a Covid vaccine would have developed much more from having the virus itself. Given that the virus was/is so virulent, it was inevitable that we would catch it!

I've watched his videos. He is very knowledgeable.

If people want to discuss the vaccines then why not start a thread. This one is about exercise and keeping fit.

Welcome.
I’m an active 68 year old but wanted to stay active and supple so I joined my local gym paid for a PT for 6 sessions to get me going and learn what I needed to keep me fit. Now I go when I can and also brought dumbbells 3kg and watch you tube for exercises using weights. Good luck let us know how you get on.

I can empathise, I am sixty but hadn’t felt fit for long time. About four months ago I committed to walk 7000 steps a day but the thing that really helps with flexibility for me is Davina McCalls earlier fitness DVD’s (they’re on YouTube, Power of Three and High Energy Five). They incorporate all the exercises my physio advised plus interval cardio. Since doing these my knees and hips are much better. I still get sacroiliac joint pain but I know how to manage it now. My core is stronger and I feel pretty fit although overweight. Only problem is I have damaged my heel from walking so I can’t do anything until I find out what it is!

I walk a lot, that has been helpful at keeping me fit without having to resort to gyms which are to hard for me. Most people can't believe I am a pensioner so walking works. Start small and increase distance as you feel more energetic, particularly good is walking in woodlands. Cheers

Chestnut

If people want to discuss the vaccines then why not start a thread. This one is about exercise and keeping fit.

Exactly!

Oh my goodness! You are just a youngster! I am 78 and wish I was 57 again.

I'm 83 (woman) just scraped the paint off the eaves of my home (downstairs) and then painted them. I cut the lawn which is 80ft x 25 ft. I dread to think what you will be like if you are complaining at 57.

At 74 my back is finally playing up. I know I've been very lucky so far. Started Pilates a few months ago and the stretching exercises really help.

My daughter used Fit with Frank for a while. After a long period of chronic illness, she struggled even to do the warm up to begin with but stuck with it. Sometimes her RA is too bad to permit exercise at all, but she does what she can when she can. She also likes couch to 5K, because you can just do as much as you are able and repeat sections as often as you like. Who knows you might even get to 5K!
My husband manages long term back problems with pilates. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth going without other things to keep moving. There was a time when he couldn’t walk a mile, but we’ve done several long-distance footpaths now. Slowly, of course - definitely don’t have the speed and stamina we have when we were younger!

Depending on what exctly is wrong with your back, walking or swimming is probably the best exercise you can take and you certainly should not start anything else without consulting your GP. or a specialist first.

Yes, I too remember the feeling of slowing down in my late 50s and from then on, I am 72 now ,at regular intervals I have been forced to realise that this or that has become surprisingly more tiring or harder to do.

At 57 you can still follow the advice to walk rather than drive all the time (if that is what you would normally do) as walking regularly for a short time per week , about 20 minutes I believe, is now said to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's later on. You might also want to consider if there are other things in your lifestyle that it would be wise to reconsider.

Nor is it too early to decide what you really want to do when you retire, when it will be possible to retire, etc. and start planning. And, as we never know when we will need them, a valid will and funeral plans discussed with family is advisable too, a provisional power of attorney, which hopefully never will be needed is a wise precaution as well.

Life does sometimes thow googlies, you know.

Well, rather than criticising Michael for feeling old I say Good On You for recognising early that things are slowing you down and considering how to ensure that doesn't continue while you are young enough and keen enough to do something about it.

My hubby is now 78 and never taken any notice of his body since he was about 20 and as a result his mobility is only a stone's throw away from being in a wheelchair. His posture is grossly stooped, he cannot bend his joints, has less strength than me (a 5-foot-three weakling), and simply doesn't care. Everything is too much effort/bother. Whilst I am not a lover of exercise, I am a member of a walking group (he stopped going cos he couldn't keep up with the 90-year-old leader), I deliver political leaflets regularly, and use a treadmill at home. I keep my brain exercised too, with daily puzzles of different kinds, quizzes, a cryptic crossword class, the household finances (he has never been interested in our 52 years of marriage), and as a retired accountant am Treasurer of local charities as well as auditor for a couple of others. Indeed, at 72 I've just landed a part-time job marking accounting exam papers. I'm also on the committee of three other local bodies.

I have suffered with scoliosis for 35 years but keep on top of it with floor exercises (getting up and down is a tad difficult now!) and eat healthily.

I have a close friend who has suffered RA for donkeys years and am impressed by her perseverance with keeping as fit as possible.

I might not live a long life cos nobody knows what might come along, but I am doing what I can to make the best of it while hubby does bu%%er all. I resent the likelihood that before long he will be totally immobile and I will be the one having to do everything for him.

So, Michael, good on you for recognising that old age is not something to be approached willy nilly and being prepared to ensure that you enjoy it as best you can.

I think he's trying to be healthier in future than he feels now.
I assumed he wasn't complaining, mabon1 just looking for a way forward - like many of us.

And some who have had ill health, very physical (or conversely sedentary) lives are not in your fortunate position.

Good post I think, Madmeg.

My DH and I use a personal trainer. We are in our 60s and are fitter than we were in our 50s. We do weight training, cardio and pilates type stretches and balance which maintains our muscle mass, stability and flexibility. It's hard work at the time, but we feel so much better for it. At 57.you have time to prevent a lot of issues.

mabon1

I'm 83 (woman) just scraped the paint off the eaves of my home (downstairs) and then painted them. I cut the lawn which is 80ft x 25 ft. I dread to think what you will be like if you are complaining at 57.

That will probably be me at that age 😂 I’m 78 and still doing much the same as you.
Keep going 👏👏👏

I don't think we are competing with each other are we re.fitness. I have chronic back trouble due to medical negligence.

I try to keep active, yoga is good.

I’m almost 78 don’t feel it and do lots of things to keep fit. Watch what I eat but enjoy a few glasses of wine n even go to belly dancing classes. My mother is 104 and very alert. Keep doing things don’t be sitting around get out as much as you can n meet people have a laugh it keeps you young

Listen to your body, perhaps you are run down and need some time out.