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masraum masraum is online now
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Central TX west of Houston
Posts: 57,089
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip Newsom View Post
I got very little exercise at work so I'd hit the gym for the StairMaster and weights after work 3X a week.

My go-to since retirement is walking and I concur that hills are critical for strength and endurance.
My usual route is 3 miles with several hundred feet of elevation change and Ive got three different routes in the neighborhood that have different grades depending on how spunky I'm feeling.

My real test for level of fitness is to put on a backpack with 30-35 lbs and go hike a trail that's got at least a thousand feet of elevation gain.

Another favorite is bicycling, I'm lucky in that respect too since I'm about 100 yards from a 30 mile paved rails to trails route with gentle elevation changes since it was a railroad to begin with.
It's a whole different set of muscles involved walking vs. hiking with a backpack vs. Elliptical vs. bicycling. Variety helps IMHO.

Tackling hills is not really feasible in Florida, however- going for an hour of walking and tossing in a few sets of lunges along the way will do you lots of good and build leg/butt strength even if it looks silly.

You can always make it known you are from the "Ministry of silly walks" and developing your abilities.

Rainy days I hit my Elliptical, weights, yoga and core. I'm usually a little sore, but it's a "good" sore

It's good to recognize something needs to change and even better to do something about it.
Good call on the elevation change. It's hard to do in FL or here in TX, so the best option is either finding some stairs (in a building, or a set of bleachers, or...) or a stairmaster is not a bad option. Going up and down (like stairs) is a more rigorous "exercise" than walking on a flat surface. I think lunges are also similar.

Yoga is a great option for anyone and everyone. Several times here on the board in various threads balance has been mentioned. Someone posted that they were told (by their Dr?) that the ability to stand/balance on one foot was an indicator of life expectancy. Yoga has got to be one of the best exercises for balance short of tight rope walking.
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