Weights

I second Pahla B! She’s great.

I’m 71 and fitness has always been important to me. I enrolled for a 12 week transformation course at a local private gym over a year ago. It started with two personal training sessions a week and use of the gym and classes when I wanted.
I now do one PT session a week and up to three classes. I love it. It keeps me motivated and on top of my fitness and ongoing encouragement from my trainer. I’m now deadlifting 32kg and every week I see an improvement in my ability. It keeps my weight in check and I’ve never had a serious ache, pain or twinge in my life. Last week in holiday I was walking 12 miles a day and often go on hiking holidays abroad.
It pays to persevere and the benefits are tremendous.

Weights - be very careful! I feel sure that mucking out your horse and lifting hay bales is sufficient exercise !

I've been doing training with a coach for a while now, started with resistance bands as they are fairly low cost, don't take up much space and there are lots of exercises you can use them for. I would also recommend going to a sports shop and trying some before you buy. Aldi/Lidl have already has sports equipment in on their middle aisle deals but you might still find some bits there? Otherwise as Faxgran suggests use a plastic container/water bottle filled with something. 1 litre of water weighs 1kg without any packaging so filled water bottles are a good start.

I think one of the main problems at our age is actually keeping up with exercise routines, so rather than investing cash in equipment straight away I made myself some weights by putting sand in empty ‘Options’ plastic jars.
It works (when I remember to do my arm exercises)

I purchased 4kg from Amazon and resistant bands as well. I was advised this was good weight to start with. If there to easy to lift there not doing any good.

I'm a personal trainer. If you are buying weights go to a shop and try them out. You may need different weights for different exercises. As a rough rule of thumb, if you can do 15 repetitions easily, the weights are too light. (You could try a bicep curl or an overhead press for this). If you can't do 6-8 reps they are too heavy. You should be able to do 9-12 reps, but be feeling it for the last couple of reps. Have a look on my You Tube site for free advice and exercises specifically for older people.

You could start weight training with things you have at home, like putting water into an empty 2 litre milk bottle (2ltr equals 2kg / 4.4lbs), tin cans, bags of sugar etc Even the odd small grandchild if you have one available 🤷🏼‍♀️

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I bought some weights and bands and I think I used them once! So so boring.

What my husband and I have preferred - during and since Covid - is a little light yoga (new to us) for 10-minutes first think in the morning and last thing at night.

We use our ipads or phones and follow:

10-minute Yoga for beginners with Adriene (5.8 million views)

on YouTube

Adriene is a very calm teacher and she has loads of other workout videos too if you want a longer or more strenuous session. We don't. The 10-minutes twice a day (sitting and lying) is short enough to avoid us getting bored but long enough to feel a benefit (especially with the breathing instructions so that our lungs are exercised too).

Recommended.
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For anyone that wants a gentle yet useful exercise schedule including weights I’d recommend Pahla Bowers on you tube it’s free and a joy once you get used to her chatter!

I bought mine from Argos and they’re fine. Start off on the lightest, 1 kg. I also bought resistance bands from there and they’re fine too. Don’t leave a band on a hot, sunny windowsill though! I did that with one I no longer used and when I did pick it up again to demonstrate to my daughter it split in two. Lesson learned.

I'm 77 and use weights regularly both at classes and at home. I have a 3kg and 5 kg for home use but if you are new to weights but reasonably fit I'd get a 2, 3 and 5kg set. tbh I don't fine the 5kg is heavier enough now and would use a 10kg for leg work. It's really interesting how quickly it's possible to improve strength with consistent exercise. Good luck, I find it fun and very effective.

I'm a big fan of resistance bands. I use them about three times a week at home, at my own pace and at my own convenience. I use the BHF videos and I'm making such good progress with be looking for more challenging ones soon!
I have never lifted weights- they just don't appeal to me.

Thank you - very helpful replies! I am a horse owner so get a lot of lifting (hay bales, shavings bales and feed sacks etc!) but feel I should be doing more!

I brought weights during Covid because I couldn’t go to the gym . I got them from Amazon and have 1,2,3 and 4 kg ones . I’ve also got resistance bands . At home I watch you tube videos and there’s a Canadian woman I follow on facebook who does videos. She’s early 60s and includes stretches as well . I’ll try and find her name. I try and do 30 minutes 4 times a week at home , if I can’t get ti the gym .

My advise is to buy a medium strength resistance band to strength your legs and arms make sure it's long . To strength your inner and outer thighs a pilates ring will help with that. Also a pilates ball I have a smooth on but some like spiky ones but the spikes hurt my body . We use leg weights I can't use 1kg weights as others do most in their 70-80's . I brought a pair of 500g weights for my ankles . I have static pedals at home and do 500 rotations every morning after doing 7 exercises.

If you want to use weights best go to a sports shop to feel which are comfortable for you . I use 500g dumbbells at class. I can't use the 1 or 2kg dumbbells. But the 2kg rounded on with an triangle sort of handle I can use for 12 reps I think it's the shape is easier to use.

I go to a sit fit class and a move it or lose it class weekly . But you can use household things like tea towels, cans or bottled water .

Move it or lose it have videos showing exercises online . But do stretching and cooling down exercises. If anything hurts stop.