Think I'm going to start walking for fitness and health.....

[Baz]

I turn 70 in June and have been considering what needs to happen for continued health.

Although I have a fairly active lifestyle....I'm admittedly not hitting things as hard as I used to.

I think I need something more as a baseline. Walking provides many benefits and really doesn't require a whole lot in infrastructure.

I happen to live in a very favorable for walking environment too.....picturesque, great climate, and very safe!

I figure 30 minutes minimum 5 days per week. On the beach an hour long walk wouldn't be out of the question, either.

Lots of options for music with my portable MP3 players and earphones.

Take my camera for pics.

Any walkers here - if so would love your take!

[Tobra]

I walk about an hour every morning with my dogs, that is it. People think I work out, but they are big dogs.

[Zeke]

I walk, try to break into a jog for a block or so which is 1000 feet. Not very far, but the jogging portion is for the cardio. I don't expect to do 20 min straight of cardio at my age. I'm getting to the point that my hips can hurt so I ride a bike on odd days. Not much cardio but I tend to spend more time on the bike so maybe that helps with endurance.

I don't have a lot of time before I get winded but my recovery time is excellent. Never a smoker but I do live in L.A. and under an airport pattern that is considered the 2nd dirtiest in the nation. 250 planes a day directly overhead, most burning leaded gas.

[Scott Douglas]

They suggested I start walking right after my quad bypass surgery, so I went on down the hall as soon as I was back in my regular room. I couldn't get out of bed on my own in the cardiac ICU.
Anyways, I continued walking when I got home from the hospital.
That continued until I strained a hammy trying to get under 2 miles in 30 minutes.
So now I bike instead. Got a good 'comfort' model TREK and outfitted it with things that the guys who bike down at the beach have, namely a rear rack.
It works well and I get to see a lot more than I would if I were just walking.
I take my camera and bike down to the beach. I need to get back into it now that it's warming up some and I'm over the 'little kids disease' my grandkids shared with me a couple of weeks ago.

When I went into the hospital I was at 205-210 lbs. Last time I stepped on the scales I was right at 170 lbs.

[masraum]

My grandmother in her 70s and 80s walked several miles per day, and walked fast. In her 80s and 90s dropped down to 1 mile per day and got slower. She's 98 now, and I think has not been walking for about the last year, but still lives on her own. She uses a walker, I think mostly to alleviate anxiety about falling.

I think Granny has good genes on her side, but I suspect the walking hasn't hurt.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by scott douglas

they suggested i start walking right after my quad bypass surgery, so i went on down the hall as soon as i was back in my regular room. I couldn't get out of bed on my own in the cardiac icu.
Anyways, i continued walking when i got home from the hospital.
That continued until i strained a hammy trying to get under 2 miles in 30 minutes.
So now i bike instead. Got a good 'comfort' model trek and outfitted it with things that the guys who bike down at the beach have, namely a rear rack.
It works well and i get to see a lot more than i would if i were just walking.
I take my camera and bike down to the beach. I need to get back into it now that it's warming up some and i'm over the 'little kids disease' my grandkids shared with me a couple of weeks ago.

when i went into the hospital i was at 205-210 lbs. Last time i stepped on the scales i was right at 170 lbs.:d

nice!

[recycled sixtie]

Hi Baz, I find walking is quite easy to get into. I wear a fitbit that gives me heart rate, steps done and atrial fibrilation info
which I occasionally experience. Lots more info on a fitibit and app. This morning for example I did a brisk walk for an hour covering approximately three miles. I did some jogging but mostly walking. My hr got up to 144. So my fitbit showed 2 minutes peak, 23 mins cardio and 32 minutes fat burn.

I actually prefer riding my mountain bike but my fitbit does not show a very high heartrate while biking. I am not going fast enough and the bike is too efficient. However a bike is good for balance but walking is probably good too.

Let us know your progress.

[Skip Newsom]

Walking is fantastic!
Do start a routine, it will get easier and easier.
Stop and stretch periodically, ear phones with music or a podcast makes it very easy to cover some miles without focusing on the plodding.

I'm lucky to have tons of options right outside my door, I too wear a fitbit to track activities.

I've got three common routes, first is a perimeter neighborhood mostly sidewalk route with about 200' elevation change. 3 miles in under an hour.

Ive also got some connecting neighborhoods and a nice long set of stairs through a forest, that route is 5 miles... I take snacks and water because most of it is very rural.

Centennial trail (rails to trails effort) is about 100 yards downhill from me- North or South goes a long way on nice mostly flat paved trail.
A bicycle is my favorite mode on it, 10 miles to the North end, almost 20 to the South.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Skip Newsom

Walking is fantastic!
Do start a routine, it will get easier and easier.
Stop and stretch periodically, ear phones with music or a podcast makes it very easy to cover some miles without focusing on the plodding.

I'm lucky to have tons of options right outside my door, I too wear a fitbit to track activities.

I've got three common routes, first is a perimeter neighborhood mostly sidewalk route with about 200' elevation change. 3 miles in under an hour.

Ive also got some connecting neighborhoods and a nice long set of stairs through a forest, that route is 5 miles... I take snacks and water because most of it is very rural.

Baz is not likely to be able to do a lot of "hill" work being on the coast of FL, but I think hills and or stairs are a huge benefit in addition to walking in a flat environment. Elevation change makes it harder and increases strength in addition to walking on a flat surface.

Yeah, the area around you is horrible, just horrible. So bland, blah, ugly...

[porsche tech]

Walk Bosco twice a day for about 45 minutes each time and walk 18 holes of golf 3 days a week pushing my clubs in a push cart. 77 but have a lot of hard miles on me (42 years on a concrete garage floor every day)but still nothing really hurts and I love to walk.

[herr_oberst]

Do It! If your mom is an indication, you've got at least 30 more years in you, so you might as well be active, healthy and strong.

[gregpark]

You've got 2 Heelers! They should be walking you every day for miles!

[Baz]

Originally Posted by gregpark

You've got 2 Heelers! They should be walking you every day for miles!

If only, Greg.

We lost Billabong to Lymphoma in 2020 and Winkipop to mobility/orthopedic issues in 2022.

Prior to that we did enjoy nearly 17 years of adventure. Lot's of walkabouts!

[Evans, Marv]

Baz. I turn 82 shortly after you turn 70. I've mostly been active and currently walk 2 to 3 miles mostly every other day. It's up & down hill where I live and at 3500 ft elevation. I can also recommend some weight exercises with body weight (like squats, etc.) and maybe some with kettle bell(s) or something similar. Exercising your upper muscles and doing some leg exercises maintain range of motion, strength, & balance. Be ready for your muscles to tend toward leaning down. Doing some things in addition to walking is really beneficial.

[Mike80911]

Walking is more about distance than time. They say you should do at least 10,000 steps or about 4 miles per day to get any benefits from walking. I try to do that everyday but living here it is challenging with the weather.

[gregpark]

Originally Posted by Baz

If only, Greg.

We lost Billabong to Lymphoma in 2020 and Winkipop to mobility/orthopedic issues in 2022.

Prior to that we did enjoy nearly 17 years of adventure. Lot's of walkabouts!

Sorry to hear. Losing a dog is like losing a child. Have you thought about some new Heelers? Keep you fit and young!

[Zeke]

I found that walking in the alleys in my neighborhood was a lot of fun. See all kinds of things. But, it can be dangerous and people are suspicious with good reason. I live in a good place in a bad city.

I've been on my feet, knees or hands and knees my whole life. I have probably sat at a desk in my whole life as much as an office worker does in one year. Don't try to calculate that, it's just a point I'm making. I've worn many joints out and had one replaced. That's enough of that.

4 miles seems like a lot. Anyway, unless you change venues, it gets boring.

[KFC911]

Walking on the beach is awesome .... early to catch the sunrise .... yay !

[rwest]

I’m not so sure about walking being much of an exercise. I walk the dog twice a day for a total of 6 miles and my Garmin usually says I need zero hours of recovery afterwards. When I run a couple miles, it says I need over 20 hours of recovery.

I just don’t think walking gets your heart rate up high enough for really good benefits. Although, it is surely better than sitting on the couch eating bonbons!

Will your body handle some jogging? Biking is much lower impact on the joints and can really get you heart pumping too.

[ted]

Get the best Hoka walking shoes and custom insoles for added comfort.
Walk a couple days a week.
2 hours around 10k to 14k steps.
Ride bikes on the weekend.