Exercise For Basic Maintenance As Age?
 

Okay, those of you who know about this stuff .

How would you specify an exercise regime for a person to do as they age, through “middle age” and into “yeah, old”. The purpose is to maintain a basic level of strength, mobility, flexibility, resistance to injury. Not trying to optimize for any particular activity, sport, or appearance.

Ideally a regime that doesn’t require machines.

Any kind (or brand :D ) of stretching and a bit of cardio. Doing exercises that wear out your body part just wear out your body parts. You have to pace the amount of strain you put on your body.

IMHO only.

The most important thing, as you age, is to work on those core muscles. Your back will thank you for it later.

IMO, exercise does not need to be strenuous. Better if it is not. Stretching is a big deal, which Zeke mentioned. Just range-of-motion stuff. Simply moving is helpful. Walking. I have always been intrigued by Tai Chi, but just have never adopted the practice. I really should just do that. Yoga is good. It incorporates physical, mental and spiritual. But I am not as drawn to Yoga as to Tai Chi. Tai Chi looks so fluid and calming. Yoga looks more intense. I don't need to be any more intense than I am.

Do this and everything will be fine. No seriously, it will fix what ails you and keep it from going off the rails again.

https://www.youtube.com/@ClassicalStretchbyEssentrics

Yoga or Pilates alternatively. Core strength, lean muscle mass and bone density are your concerns

If I cut my workouts to the bare minimum (and that day is coming, I'm already 60), I plan to do about 15 minutes of yoga and a couple of miles of running or walking. The yoga helps with core and upper body strength along with balance, walking for cardio, stamina, circulation.

Don't forget about balance.
static and dynamic, eyes open and closed.

I'm 64 and have been hiking/running and rock climbing in a gym for a few years, and it seems to be working very well. I do long hikes with a lot of vertical so I can climb mountains in the Sierra that are over 14,000 feet. It's strenuous, but I go slow and steady, and I think this will keep me going strong into my 80s and hopefully 90s. Some guy recently hiked to the top of Half Dome at 93. I want to beat that record in 30 years.

What I'm doing may not be considered basic maintenance, but you can scale it back to whatever level you like. The rock climbing keeps me strong and flexible, and it's fun, unlike weight lifting.

Walking. If you have issues with your joints?... Cycling (Stationary &/or out there on the road). Mow your own lawn and wash the car. Clean out the garage. Clean your house and do the windows. Catch up on any maintenance. Clear out the gutters.

Forget discipline. The most important thing is consistency. Aim to exercise every day. Don't set a time or how. Just do something everyday. Also cut the sugar and enjoy life. Go for a walk in town or check out your local mall but don't sit and have a creamy coffee (Cappuccino).

This last one might get me into trouble but... Don't hang out with old(er) people. Find an activity that attracts younger people and do that.

Pushups and walking will keep you pretty fit (looking and feeling good) as long as you do not eat far too much.

Slow sex. That's all you need.

Walking or biking are both great exercises as one gets older.

I'm 70 and bike an average of 20 miles every day the weather permits. If I skip a day or two, I feel lazy.
Gotta get the heart rate up...whatever you do.

I started running at 57 six years ago.
I started slow, now I run twice a week 10 K and 5 K

This is great advice !!!

Marv, To be clear... I meant "old thinking people". One of my best friend's 72 and he ain't slowing down anytime soon.

One of the main problems which reduces mobility as you age is muscle loss and strength loss so doctors are increasingly recommending strength training.

Additionally, muscles hold energy reserves which can provide anaerobic support to the heart in the event of a cardiac event.

One of the best exercises you can do is gardening. It has a broad range of exercises including core body strength and it has in-built targets for motivation, and keeps the mind active too.

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I have had a morning stretching a weight lifting routine for years. I haven't been doing it much lately because, frankly, it hasn't kept the clock from ticking away. I now have a back problem that causes too much pain for me to get through all the exercises.
So exercise if you want, it probably does some good, but it isn't a miracle cure for aging.

I have a mid 80 year old family friend that was riding 100++ miles on his bike regularly. He is a beast.

Me? Yoga, walk dog 1-2 times per day briskly. Dirtbike. Mountain Bike. Ski. Hike. Mow my lawn. Do my house chores.

I am more physical than most Americans, but I don’t have a routine outside of dog walking.

I think yoga is amazing. It works all the stuff I ignore and need to focus on. And, there was an 80 year old woman next to me last week who was ripped.

Who wouldn’t want to be ripped at 80?

Yoga and walking. Done. I add in cycling and paddleboarding in good weather and rowing on a machine in the winter.

You need some form of resistance training, in addition to the cardio. One of the simplest methods is working out with a kettle bell. Several companies make a variable weight kettle bell, and there are multiple videos on YouTube that you can follow. 15 minutes a day...as the kids say 'easy peasy'

A really good book on longevity that was recently published is Outlive by Peter Attia.

Exercise is covered in the book VO2 max and strength are highly correlated to longevity.

I think you'd enjoy the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1691431462 &sr=8-1

I envy your recuperative ability. My 20+ mile days knock me out for the next day.

Well I'm 81 & trying not to slow down anytime soon. Of course at this age you can't discount the fact the precipice will arrive some time.

**** it... You're still here. Just keep going.

Keith Richards says hello! ;)

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Lot of fantastic advice so far.

Will now add my 2 cents......

Best shape I was ever in was when I did a mini-triathlon every week.

Would train for it other days of the week.

Myself and 2 friends would meet every Wednesday after work at one of their homes which was on a lake out back.

Swim 1/4 mile in the lake.

Back out and run 3 miles.

Then on the bike for another 10 miles.

I ended up re-locating to where I live today and never got back with it again.

Maybe it's time.

Being in shape is the best gift one could ever give themself - period.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1752963211.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1752963292.jpg

I try and lift some weights and do core exercises daily. Up until my dog passed away I was hiking 3-4 miles every morning. Not so much now. My deck project is taking up all my time. At 73 I’m pretty slow mostly because I’m in the full sun. 3-4 hours is all I can handle.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1752964383.jpg

Two hours full sun while gardening or a little less when doing physical labor is all I can do. However, I can do much more time on my bicycle.

Cardio would be my number 1. Just finished my regular staurday hammer head ride this morning. 50 dreadful miles. When I tore my knee, the guy that made my knee brace tell me I should be in a lot of pain but I shown no signs of any real pain, just a bit disconfort. He tells me because I am activity. My friend's wife, jsut turned 62 survived breast cancer few years back. She was never a big fan of any real, regular exercise. She will train for a 10k when necessary but once its over, goes back to the couch. Since her surgery, she picked up Tai Chi due to low impact. Now she does it twice a week. I tried following her thinking its slow and effortless. NOPE, was I wrong. I was sore the next day due to the lack of use on those muscles. She explain that its lack weight so its all body weight and the surprising thing is, its like going slow motion and that made it even more difficult. Its like holding one's arm in one position moving ever so slowly.

Core and weight lost is the key.

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And that's what he looked like when we was 23! So you're saying "lots of drugs, sex and rock and roll?"

There's the urban myth that Keef once burned a doob with a bit of dear ol' dad's ashes mixed in with the laffy-tobaccy.
Maybe that's the secret to eternal life.
Sorta like lighting one cigarette with the butt of the old one, ingesting a little familial DNA just keeps the train rolling!

Move up north where the gardening is tough and the snow is deep. Throw in a 1/2 dozen rambunctious grand-kids, and go camping.

Then get some exercise.

I agree that you need 2 things, strength and flexibility.

I think one of the best ways to get both at the same time is yoga. And yoga develops strength on a wider range of muscles (in some ways) than weights. Some of the balancing poses work the small muscles around the big muscle groups as well as the big muscle groups, where I feel like most weight exercises seriously target the major muscle groups really well but don't get the smaller muscles as well. Kind of like the difference between dumbell curls vs barbell curls.

But I feel like yoga doesn't get the biceps much.

If you want to try some yoga, check out this guy. I think he's a bit of a surfer/skater dude, but is pretty good about the yoga without too much touchy-feely stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithtim/videos

If you want a more manly yoga, then I have had a buddy tell me that he likes this guy
https://ddpyoga.com/

This lady is also a good option.
https://www.youtube.com/@Tara.Stiles

the Child pose.

I am actually trying to build up the nerve to step into a yoga class. hahah..

I’lol be 79 in August, live alone with two dogs, 10 acre property,home, two outbuildings, two cars. My wife passed away a year ago in June from cancer. No words can express how much I miss her. She was the landscaper, gardner, kept the home clean, great cook/baker. I have always done the home repairs, a couple additions, took care of most anything mechanical. Anyway, now I do the housecleaning, vacuuming,dusting, laundry, cooking (which I suck at). Mow the lawn, about 1.5 acres, some by hand around her flower beds, which I now take care of. Walk the dogs. I’m busy all day long, well into the evening. Exercise? F*#k that! I get plenty of push/pull, lift,grunt,groan, walk run. Don’t need a gym, weights. Today I bought 15-60# bags of red river stone for a converted flower bed I dug up, Roto tilled and will be spreading the stone today. I am interested in tai chi though, but gotta find a class locally. Getting old ain’t for sissy’s gents!

Yoga, Pilates, anything involving functional strength. Don't really need a weight machine. Bodyweight exercises done at higher repetitions are sufficient. You can add a set of adjustable dumbbells for weight if you want.

Lots of great advice in this old thread. Bob Deluke's post above is probably the perfect way for an older person to maintain some strength, conditioning, and mobility. I'll turn 83 in about two weeks and still keep busy with chores and repairs around my place, along with some walking (up & down hill - that's the way it is around where i live) and occasional hikes of 4 to five miles. Today I fired up my tractor, hauled some dirt, filled in some depresssions in the yard, and cut some long, dry grasses with one of those old blade cutters you swing. In a few minutes, I've got to get up onto the roof and clean my solar panels. One negative thing that's occurred in the past couple of years for me is SARCOPENIA. I've discovered I've lost an inch to inch & a half in height and lost almost 20 lbs. of useable muscle. That sucks. I'm also beginning to notice my balance isn't exactly what it has always been (excellent), and activities that involve the effort of large muscle groups is more tiring and require more effort. You go through life feeling like all these things will never visit you, but it happens. My advice is to take some of the advice in this thread to heart and keep it up.