Am I too old to be "Physically Fit"?
I love this site, it helped me lose 40 lbs last year, by tracking my food and passive exercise. I learned so much from these forums, I hope you can help me again.
Long story short, my life did a 360 in the last couple of years, I lost my mom, my marriage, my dog of 17 years, my job, my home, my retirement account, my health insurance and had to move away from family and friends.....but I made it through. Last year, in the midst of everything, I was able to focus on myself, that's how I lost the weight. It took total concentration and keeping myself away from people, places, things that could derail my program. I was'nt working full time, and I was living with good friends, so I had few money worries.
Now, I'm in an apartment by myself for the first time in my life. I work 4 jobs, 1 full time, and 3 part time. My full time job involves paid training that will allow me to do only this job and make a decent living in the near future. I am feeling great...inside. I feel hopeful, and optimistic about my future. I want to take care of myself, and do the things I dreamed of, even if I have to do them myself. I'm an outdoorsy person, I love to hike, and bike, and swim. I want to be as physically fit as possible, for the first time on my life. The only thing is, I just turned 50. I still weigh over 200lbs. I have moderate osteo-arthritis too, and I know losing weight would help that so much. I DO NOT have any extra money for a gym membership, or trainer. I'm barely able to pay my rent on my wages now. I get most of my food from a community food bank, and while I'm grateful for it, it's not always healthy.
First, what do you think it means to be "physically fit"? Am I too old to become that? Second, I need advice. A starting point.....and what should I work up too? I want to be strong, flexible (have just started gentle yoga at home with library dvd) and much leaner than I am now. I want to get rid of visceral fat also.
Please share your advice and experience with me, Thank you!
I fortgot about Freecycle Yahoo group for training equipment. Great suggestion!
Original Post by sed06071949:
First, congratulations on youe weight loss and desire to be healthy. The definition of fit varies but if you ask cardiologists, exercise physiologists et al they will usually base it on the results of stress test, range of motion tests (ROM), resting heart rate, hand-grip and other tests. Just about everyone says women should have waists below 35 inches and men below 40. How long does it take you to walk a mile on a flat level without getting out of breath?
I believe the standard is actually your waist should be no more than 1/2 your height- so if you are 5'6" like me that's 66" so my waist needs to be < 33
Also the waist to hip ratio should be .8 or below
I feel these "measurements" are a better judge of physical fitness vs a BMI - I am in the 26 range of BMI but my waist is 32" my hip to waist ratio is just @ the .8 ratio and although my BMI puts me at overweight - I am much fitter than I was @ 20 lbs less and I also take up less space than I did back then, because I now have muscles not skinny fat.
My medical professional never tells me I have to lose weight anymore because they can see its not all fat- a lot of it is muscle.
Congratulations. Sounds like you have already discovered the answers to your situation. Suggest you keep doing what you've been doing. Age 50 is not "old." I retired-retired this May at 67. Lost 30 lb so far -- bicycling, walking, home workouts using common items, no sugar/no flour diet.
Strongly recommend Calorie Count resources, as well as the best selling book, 'Younger Next Year" (versions for men and women). The book gives the "reasons behind" humans' biological need for exercise, etc. I don't know about you, but when I understand the underlying principles, it helps me do the right thing. Osteoarthritis? We all have it. My group of 60 to 85 year old athletes swear by omega 3 fish oil, glucosamine/chondroitin, and over the counter anti-inflammatories.
Original Post by onyerbike:
I love this site, it helped me lose 40 lbs last year, by tracking my food and passive exercise. I learned so much from these forums, I hope you can help me again.
Long story short, my life did a 360 in the last couple of years, I lost my mom, my marriage, my dog of 17 years, my job, my home, my retirement account, my health insurance and had to move away from family and friends.....but I made it through. Last year, in the midst of everything, I was able to focus on myself, that's how I lost the weight. It took total concentration and keeping myself away from people, places, things that could derail my program. I was'nt working full time, and I was living with good friends, so I had few money worries.
Now, I'm in an apartment by myself for the first time in my life. I work 4 jobs, 1 full time, and 3 part time. My full time job involves paid training that will allow me to do only this job and make a decent living in the near future. I am feeling great...inside. I feel hopeful, and optimistic about my future. I want to take care of myself, and do the things I dreamed of, even if I have to do them myself. I'm an outdoorsy person, I love to hike, and bike, and swim. I want to be as physically fit as possible, for the first time on my life. The only thing is, I just turned 50. I still weigh over 200lbs. I have moderate osteo-arthritis too, and I know losing weight would help that so much. I DO NOT have any extra money for a gym membership, or trainer. I'm barely able to pay my rent on my wages now. I get most of my food from a community food bank, and while I'm grateful for it, it's not always healthy.
First, what do you think it means to be "physically fit"? Am I too old to become that? Second, I need advice. A starting point.....and what should I work up too? I want to be strong, flexible (have just started gentle yoga at home with library dvd) and much leaner than I am now. I want to get rid of visceral fat also.
Please share your advice and experience with me, Thank you!
Fantastic article on the benefits of resistance training.... http://startingstrength.com/articles/barbell_ medicine_sullivan.pdf
Cliffs: Instead of slowly dwindling into an atrophic puddle of sick fat, our death can be like a failed last rep at the end of a final set of heavy squats. We can remain strong and vital well into our last years, before succumbing rapidly to whatever kills us. Strong to the end.
You are NOT too old! I am 62, and 12 months ago I decided to lose weight, finally. 79lb so far, 11lb to go. I do have a gym membership, but you don't need one ... you can go for fast walks (not strolls to look at the scenery), and carry weights in each hand as you go. It doesn't matter what they are, as long as they are easy to hold and both weigh the same as each other! At first I started running, but have had to stop because of arthritic knees - but I can still walk fast, and do sit-ups, and press-ups. And I am still working full-time at a desk job; I park my car about 3 miles from the office (I live 9 miles away, and that is too far to walk before work. And then home again!) and walk that last bit, and then back to the car at the end of the day. The weight loss has helped with the pressure on the knees, but of course arthritis will never actually go away. And if you love biking - well that is one of the best exercises (but go as fast as you can to burn calories) because it does not put any strain on the joints. Just make sure the saddle is at the right height so your legs are almost, but not quite, straight when the pedals are at the lowest point. Good luck, and you CAN do it!
I would like to suggest googling your geographical area for community gardens, gleaning programs, and food banks. In WA we have an emergency food network that works with farmers and community members to freeze excess produce. They also have coupons for the farmers markets that allow you to get free produce. Gleaning is where you pick someone's excess produce from orchard or farm.
Eating healthy foods will allow you to keep inflammation down, fuel your body, and help you look terrific.
I don't think you need a gym, but a MP3 player (they start at $20?) with headphones and music really helps the exercise flow out of me. Good luck.
Original Post by onyerbike:
I want to be as physically fit as possible, for the first time on my life. The only thing is, I just turned 50. I still weigh over 200lbs.
First, what do you think it means to be "physically fit"? Am I too old to become that?
So the Q is whether 50 is too old to be fit? Uh, NO!
I'm 57 and run 60 to 70 miles per week. I run 5 or 6 marathons each winter. So, NO, you are not too old.
All you need to do is find 1 reason to start/keep going. That is where talent is. Finding just one reason to do it. What the reason is less important than that you found it.
You're 70 years old? You've done well.
I am 67 and walk my dog twice a day. Two times a week, I walk with a friend 2 miles at a rapid pace. But this winter, I worked out 2 or 3 times a week in a gym. Summer came. I stopped.
My diet is good. But! Since I stopped working out, my midriff and tummy have expanded. A lot! My blouses are tight. So is my bra.
Without conscious 'toning', your body relaxes and muscles sag. Don't do it? It shows
Going to the gym costs money. However, it's an investment in one's overall physical and mental health. My husband has Alzheimer's disease so it's extra important for me. I think the stress of his illness thwarts my energy. Writing this and seeing it in print is a good motivator.
dayofbattle, you need and deserve the gym "break" time for both physical and mental recharge ... to keep you healthy as you care for your husband experiencing Alzheimer's. Trust you are enlisting care providers, paid and/or volunteer, to help share the care time. You local Area Agency on Aging, center for independent living, or state health and human services office can help you line up care providers. Take care of yourself first, so you may continue to care for your husband.
First of all, go you! You can definitely be fit at 50 :)
Start by doing, or build up to starting to do at least 30 mins moderate exercise 5 plus days a week (or 20 mins vigorous exercise 3 plus days a week) and then build up to doing 1 hour most days of the week. You should also do flexibility exercises 5-7 days a week - you can incorporate these as your warmup and cool down exercises and you should definitely do resistance (think weights, resistance bands etc) 2-3 times a week (but no more than 3 as resistance requires longer recovery time).
Let me know if you need ideas about how many reps and sets to do for resistance and flexibility training. I have just been learning about this in one of my classes at university.
I'm 51. a little over 1.5 years ago I was obese and on meds...on my way to diabetes. I'm now what you see in my avatar (taken yesterday), I'm running in marathons, training people, and living life. I don't really cotton to much of what I read here, but that's for you to decide. I don't go for fad diets and my approach is very simple....lift hard, lift heavy, run your ass off, eat clean (that's the rub..."eating clean"....kiddies will tell you that eating saturated fat is OK. It's not when you're our age. Wanna talk? I can help you, but maybe offline as I'll incur the wrath of the fanboys.
Original Post by dayofbattle:
You're 70 years old? You've done well.
I am 67 and walk my dog twice a day. Two times a week, I walk with a friend 2 miles at a rapid pace. But this winter, I worked out 2 or 3 times a week in a gym. Summer came. I stopped.
My diet is good. But! Since I stopped working out, my midriff and tummy have expanded. A lot! My blouses are tight. So is my bra.
Without conscious 'toning', your body relaxes and muscles sag. Don't do it? It shows
Going to the gym costs money. However, it's an investment in one's overall physical and mental health. My husband has Alzheimer's disease so it's extra important for me. I think the stress of his illness thwarts my energy. Writing this and seeing it in print is a good motivator.
Hi, I just wanted you to know that I've lost 124 lbs. and I NEVER set foot in a gym to do it. Everything I've accomplished, I've done it at home, or the local park. I'm unemployed for over 2 yrs. and can't afford a gym membership. It CAN be done!!!
I am almost 53 yr old. I walk outside and have managed to lose over a 123 lbs. I look years younger than I am and I also didn't have the money to join a gym. I have about 20 lbs to go. I know every single place that has walking paths including every place you can hike in my area. I mangage to walk even in the winter no matter what kind of weather there is our mall is open for walkers if I get into a pinch. You are still young. Heck the more you work out the younger you feel. Even through life changes are very hard it makes you stronger or it did me. Great Luck your doing wonderful.
Congratulations. I can't add much to what's been said except the Craigslist is a great place to find equipment. I paid $40.00 for a $700.00 Nordic Track Ski Machine and have been using it for 6 months. Equipped a Gym at work with weights, universal, treadmill, bike, and ski machine all from craigslist for about 25% of the cost of new!
Keep up the good work!
