Help, oh expert fit people of Gransnet!

I love my fitbit...keeps me motivAted x

We of it it but I cycle a great deal and have gone from just doing a few miles to 30 odd miles, even with a hill thrown in! I use the cycle paths and Wales have some great ones like the Taff trail which are traffic free and very sociable. Also walk e ery where where I cam and my fitness is also boosted by going up and down the stairs hundreds of tines because I have either forgotten something or need to use the one and only loo in the house which is upstairs. Also Pilates is an excellent exercise. Good luck, just find what you like doing and go for it!

I've just discovered a local church does stretching and keep fit for 50plus. More my style. Going to pop along and see what's what. Dog walking doesn't work for me because he's a sniffer so brisk walking doesn't happen

Well done on the weight loss janipat and hope your final leg of treatment goes well

I bought my fitbit charge 2 about 5 or 6 weeks ago. I'm on the final leg of cancer treatment and had gained a lot of weight. In the last 5 weeks I've lost over half a stone because I find the challenge of meeting the fitbit targets motivating ( for the most part anyway) I love to turn the various categories green, but don't mind the days I don't manage a clean sweep. Some people find them useful, others don't. I'm in the useful group

Dear Crumble, I saw only last week, a public health notice at a bus stop suggesting a 10 minute BRISK walk everyday. Housework also counts. There is an issue about fitbits not being totally accurate. I personally don't think you need one. Not sure about the gym, and it can be expensive and you may not feel like going every time. I started eating a proper balanced diet 18 months ago, and lost the weight I wanted to lose and it has stayed that way. I don't miss out on anything I just eat less of it, 3 times a day, no snacks (biscuits!)

I have a fitbit HR which does heart rate as well as stairs and steps. I have a 15000 step target which I manage to meet in summer but not winter. They've brought an Alta HR out now -you can get different pretty straps for it.
I also taught myself to hula hoop about 10 years ago. I could never do this as a teenager but you can get heavier and larger hoops now which makes it easier. I try and do 20 to 30 mins a day and can do it both ways round. ( new years resolution 2015)
I also dance around to Planet Rock. This is a digital radio station that plays all the classic rock hits from the sixties onwards and is GREAT fun.
I have osteoarthritis and one replaced hip by the way!
Might as well grow old disgracefully!

I'm just beginning to be able to make changes and take myself in hand. Can anyone recommend a place to find (or a dvd showing) some basic stretches and exercises for beginners please? I'm very impressed with all I've read here today!

Just found it in my old Amazon orders. Fitbit 1.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-851908-img-0175.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-859131-img-0174.jpg

Oh yikes Henbane I've had it 18 months so I can't remember that but here's a photo or two.

I've taken it out of the clip on bit so I hope you can make it out.

I get up and do yoga stretches, Pilates and some weights. About 20 minutes. Then If I don't do anything for the rest of the day, at least I know I have done something. This is all before breakfast and a shower. It's a great way to start the day.

When my sister retired a few months ago we decided to take a walk together three times a week. She has a heart problem and I suffer with breathlessness. We don't walk fast, we can't yet but we still raise our heartbeat. We do about three quarters of a mile which is pathetic I know but it's still more than we did before. We've also found a local park with outdoor gym equipment and we've had fun using that. Compared to you lot we're useless but we're having a go and hoping we'll soon feel the benefit.

Anya, what sort of fitbit do you have that clips on your jeans? One that you don't need to wear on your wrist would suit me - my pedometer just goes in my pocket.

Oh gosh. I've just been mentioned in Anya's post above and I feel as though she can see right through this screen to me sitting here aimlessly browsing Gransnet and snacking. I'm getting up now, Anya, I'm off for a walk, honest!

GN - better than a Fitbit.

I walk on my own or with DH & combine with bird watching & an interest in fungi &, though I thought I'd hate group walking, have joined a Ramblers group for a bit of socialising & new & longer routes. I also go on free Walk London walks (from 1 -17miles, along green routes, 3x pa) for variety & to get to know the wider city better. Although very sorty when young, I rested on my laurels, have no self-discipline & hate macho gyms. Although I resisted American franchises, I tried women only Curves gyms which suited me really well & the regular gentle wxercise machines solved knee problems & built strength & flexibility. Then it closed & I haven't found anything else like it. I have a Jawbone Up tracker which got me going but doesn't rule me. I've tried contemporary dance & never thought I'd be rolling around on the floor at 70. We oldies padded our knees & hips with flannels. I'm often away so regular commitments to classes don't suit me. Walking isn't really enough as you need stretching & muscle building too. As others have said, start with what suits you in a small way, alone & with others who give you ideas, & see where it leads. Don't listen to people making judgements about fitbits etc nor to your own prejudices. I'm fighting a horror at going to anything under the patronising title, Ageing Creatively. Just do something & keep searching.

feel lost without my Fitbit now.Challenging myself and I go to bed weary.

I wear a Fitbit and it's a great feeling when it buzzes when I reach my daily goal of 10,000 steps. My two daughters also wear them and we can connect through our smart phones and have a little gentle competition. Because I almost always 'win' they conclude I must have more time on my hands than them and they're probably right.They both work and have small children. Although their children like to bimble alongside me I had forgotten how slow toddlers walk, stopping to examine a worm or a leaf.So my fast times are with my collie Rosie who could walk to the moon and back and then want to play ball.

It's not just about what you put in your mouth (yikes! Some GP need retraining!) but also about how much you move.

Fitbits aren't fiddly. I just clip mine into my jeans pocket and that's it. I've looked at it for the first time today and I've notched up 5,200 so far. And, providing they as on your torso, they are very accurate. They're great for the sad and compulsive like Maggiemaybe and myself those who like to set a goal.

When I turned 70 I had a quiet talk to myself and now I do 20 minutes excercise (started off as 5 minutes) in my bedroom almost every morning, targeting all parts of body, literally from my neck to my ankles. It's paying off too. I'm less creaky, more toned and things that used to ache don't any more.

Id say to the OP 'go for it'! Set yourself a target and aim to achieve it.

No idea what a Fitbit is. What worked for me was doing the same route each and every day. This saved me the convenient delaying tactic of 'where will I go today'. Seems a bit robotic and.....indeed it kind of is but I tended to meet different people and see different things. At first it was a kind of novelty and then a wee bit of a chore but now I don't even give it a second thought before I'm up and out there. Really rather miss it if my routine has to change in a way that cannot include a walk of some sort. I wasn't exactly a couch potato but I think I was on the cusp. Changed days indeed and......oh so happy about the general feeling of wellbeing. The loss of three and a half stones is an added bonus!!! This has been over three years so I'm no speedy miracle worker. If I can do it anybody can. Be encouraged and go for it. Good luck.

I've just bought one. I'm fairly fit anyway, martial arts twice a week and the odd (very odd) run. But I know I need to move more and I can't move more unless I know how much I move to start with. So I bought a cheap one and it does the job. Helps you keep on top of what you're doing and doesn't pretend I've exercised when I know I haven't really!

I build walking in to my routine. In the morning I decide what I need to buy for dinner, check where it is on offer and then in the afternoon I walk to the appropriate supermarket! I only ever use a basket, not a trolley, to make sure that I don't buy more than will go in my backpack. If it is too heavy I get a bus back, otherwise I walk both ways.

Sometimes this means I'm walking for 25 minutes, sometimes 90 minutes, but because I'm doing it 4 or 5 times a week it adds up. I use a pedometer - cheaper than a fitbit but doesn't measure your heart rate - mine's an Omron which measures time & no of steps for "aerobic" walking as well as steps overall. If you still think in miles check that you get one that will do imperial as well as metric though. I put the steps each day into a spreadsheet so I can make sure I keep up a good weekly average (anal I know).

I have wondered about upgrading to a fitbit or similar, but because I need a walking stick for balance I don't swing my arms, so I'm not sure something worn on the wrist would work properly, does anyone know?

My fit bit was bought for me by my family for my 80th birthday! I love it ,use it in conjunction with my Kindle. Measures steps, pulse rate,sleep flights of stairs climbed. Sure I am fitter than 10 years ago
Encourages me to do more exercise and weigh less than I did.

Mypennyfarthing41

Also following on from the dog walking theme, is there a local rescue? They are always after volunteers to walk the dogs and you feel more committed (but not compelled) to make the effort

How l envy you fit ladies, l do exercise mostly by walking our lovely dogs, but nearly pushing 80 with 2.5 cancers behind me, on Chemo drugs etc and complete thyroid replacement, plus getting any bug around + courtesy of Chemo drug ...Ruins immune system... Plus osteoarthritis in knees .....L used to ice skate, ride and play really hard tennis. And was quite skinny - also my darling man has Alzheimer's
Ho Hum.
Actually lve now had a rant, thank goodness that's over - can't.stand moaning
Minnie's. Forgive me please.
As soon as, lm returning to Pilates_____that was great, and I'll buck myself up