Seniors
Related: About this forumDo you exercise?
Out of necessity, I work out twice a day.
I have prostate cancer and the androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)
Causes bone and muscle loss. Osteopenia, in my case.
You combat that with calcium citrate and vitamin D.
And weight bearing exercise.
15 pound dumbbells and low resistance stationary recumbent bike.
I do about a mile of Nordic walking, most mornings, weather permitting.
My last bone density scan showed a 5% INCREASE in bone density.
I'm actually getting visible muscles.
My mantra: Just keep movin'
How about y'all?
Ocelot II
(120,150 posts)OAITW r.2.0
(28,175 posts)Snows melting and we are starting to take walks in the woods. He's keeping me on my toes. Glad to hear thaat your routine is giving positive results!
lambchopp59
(2,809 posts)He wears me out!
3Hotdogs
(13,326 posts)kids can go on tours to learn about N.J. swamp ecosystems.
Tomorrow's club hike will be 4 miles, with an elevation gain (climb) of 400 ft.
Most of the Hunterdon Hiking Club's members are are retired.
trof
(54,270 posts)Joinfortmill
(16,280 posts)Cracklin Charlie
(12,904 posts)I dont feel right if I have to miss for some reason. Makes me feel better all over.
FalloutShelter
(12,699 posts)25 or so minutes on the total gym 5 or 6 days.
trof
(54,270 posts)Osteoarthritis.
Just got a hyaluronic acid (rooster shot) injection today.
Avoiding total kneereplacement...so far.
I used to do a 3 mile circuit.
I miss that, but a mile or so is better than nothing.
Plus I get to swap local gossip with the geezers I walk with.
FalloutShelter
(12,699 posts)My knees are pretty good but O have pins and plates in my right ankle from over twenty years ago. I do enjoy the freezer talk and the dog club.
My pittie loves it too. Hang in there its all worth it.
Joinfortmill
(16,280 posts)trof
(54,270 posts)It's from Puritan's Pride online.
Glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin, MSM.
I've been taking it for over 30 years and it really seems to help.
NewHendoLib
(60,437 posts)I have torn ACL in both, and my meniscus is shot in both.
I've also been taking boswellia, turmeric and glucosamine sulfate daily for 25-30 years. My doc looks at X Rays of my knees and wonders how I can even walk.
ProudMNDemocrat
(18,957 posts)Work out 3 to 4 days per week. Being fit is vital as l.
multigraincracker
(33,923 posts)73 and I jog 3 to 4 miles 3 or 4 times a week. Need to add some weight lifting.
Sure makes me feel better, mentally and physically.
Got. Pacemaker a year ago because of a slow pulse. Have BPH, but doc says no signs of cancer.
c-rational
(2,853 posts)Friday-legs, Sunday-Full Body, and Tues Upper Body. Also try to get in 40 push ups every day, and also like my yoga. Our friend Norma has bone density issues and my wife got her to do the stairs in the building with a 12 lb. weighted vest. She does at least 60 flights. Her density has improved markedly.
Keep on moving.
Joinfortmill
(16,280 posts)AnotherDreamWeaver
(2,882 posts)then walked back up to the house. That counts doesn't it?
I have a stationary bike, but I can't get the screen to light up. I used to do 5 miles in 25 min. Sometimes if I pushed on the screen the numbers would come on. But that didn't work the last couple of times I tried.
Congratulations on getting the job done.
Pobeka
(4,999 posts)I walk 7 miles, 2-3 times a week. As hiking/backpacking season comes up I'll don my 30lb pack. Even though I can only get about 500' of total elevation gain in the neighborhood, it makes a noticeable difference when we hit the mountain trails.
Starting to incorporate more upper body work, literally just today. I have some TRX straps hanging in the garage. Working on upper body and core comes along for the ride with the straps.
I just looked up nordic walking -- and, while the poles get more of upper body workout, you'll not get the benefit of balance practice as you use the poles. Balance is a big deal, poor balance contributes greatly to falls. It's far easier to keep your balance than try to regain it after you've lost it.
When I'm out walking I purposely walk along curbs at times for 50 or a 100 feet just to practice balance.
I encourage you to find a way to practice/maintain your balance while moving.
Yep, keep on moving, there is no "pill" better than vigorous sustained exercise!
Useless in FL
(329 posts)I used to jog 7 or 8 miles ever day for many, many years until I was 68 but stopped. Then a few years later while I still lived in FL I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes so I started walking, then I also started to pick up litter while I was walking. Pretty soon I was walking 8 to 10 miles every day picking up litter and disposing it into apartment and church dumpsters.
Then, we moved to the North GA mountains and as much as I love it here, between the cold and the rain I don't get out to walk as much anymore. Instead, I now ride on a stationary bike and/or run on the treadmill.
Mister Ed
(6,338 posts)trof
(54,270 posts)barbtries
(29,696 posts)and i really should. I walk my dog and do housework but that's about it. I also do Octordle, Quordle, Dordle and Wordle every single day to exercise my brain.
TomSlick
(11,749 posts)I now follow the advise of Peter O'Toole:
"The only exercise I take is walking behind the coffins of friends who took exercise."
Joinfortmill
(16,280 posts)I learned about it on a Youtube video. Dude had a rare type of arthritis and couldn't afford the meds. He tried Moringa and it helped him. I checked it out on the NIH site and it's safe. They've been feeding it to folks in poor countries for decades. I've been using it for three years and I'm virtually pain free. If I forget to take it, the pain quickly returns.
TomSlick
(11,749 posts)I'll give it a try but will not admit if it works.
I do barre exercises watching YouTube videos three times a week. Helps with balance and posture and helps bone density. Also use resistance bands in between barre days. I broke my back in a fall last year and now use a walking stick so I work on my balance. (75 yr. old)
DavidDvorkin
(19,853 posts)Mostly weightlifting, but also stretching, balancing, and exercise bike.
I'm 79.
Richluu
(96 posts)Push-ups, plank, and 2-4 mile brisk walk every day. It makes me feel so good. I had a hip replacement 5 years ago and I realized that I have to move to keep it working. I'm now a 70 year old woman and feeling younger than I have in years.
Bo Zarts
(25,581 posts)I walk between 4 and 6 miles a day. Rain or shine. The only thing that keeps me inside is lightning or ice on the streets.
I'll be starting another round of physical therapy next week, to get my low back (L5-S1) loosened up for another fire season in a lookout tower.
My cervical issues have mostly abated. I had the C7-T1 surgery in July 2021, and it has helped remarkably.
The injury last (2022) fire season (spinal concussion) set me back in my healing from the 2021 surgery. But the neurosurgeon predicted a snap-back from the spinal concussion pain, and she was correct.
I'm "stove up" most of the time, from old age, but moving is the best thing for that. I'm glad to hear that you have an exercise program and are taking it seriously.
Stay well.
Mac
Long time no see.
Sorry to hear about your back.
Good luck to you.
Aviation Pro
(13,298 posts)Powerlifting.
bluboid
(662 posts)Grokenstein
(5,818 posts)Every joint from my first vertebrae to my big toe takes turns giving this arthritic old fart hell (I'm lethally allergic to aspirin and other NSAIDs so I'm giving tart cherry juice a shot). I deliberately chose a thirty-year "career" that involves plenty of physical activity because I knew a desk job would kill me, but it's never enough. Fortunately, I live in a hilly area and discovered a wonderful route that gives me options: gentle, regular slopes if my knee or hip isn't up to it, or take a turn midway through for sharp long inclines to get my ticker quicker.
That's for my days off; at work, I'll spend an hour-long break walking up and down an on-site underpass. At least, I should. I'll fall into lapses until I get so miserable I have no other choice but to start again.
Liberal In Red State
(453 posts)took over my life. I retired 11 months ago and have been mentally and physically exhausted. Im tired during the day . . . and up all night. I need to start moving . . . for health and wellbeing. I need that fatigue to be from physical exertion . . . rather than boredom. Wish me luck!
Sky Jewels
(8,788 posts)Even if you feel tired, you can tell yourself youre just going to get a little fresh air and walk around the block, or whatever short distance works. Usually once you get moving, you feel like staying out longer. And the more you move, the more you want to move.
Being outside is so essential for mental health. I listen to music and audiobooks on my walks, which makes me even happier. I used to think, Meh, walking, thats not going to do much, but, boy, was I wrong. If you do it consistently, youll really reap a lot of benefits on many levels. Plus, its cheap (I do have to replace my shoes fairly frequently, but thats the main expense.)
Once you become a regular walker and feel like youre in better shape its much easier to add in other activities without as much risk of injury.
Liberal In Red State
(453 posts)decided to drive to the lake . . . Walk around the lake (about 1.3 miles) . . . and drive home. Second day and we both added listening to blogs. So far . . . Good. . . Not great yet.
Sky Jewels
(8,788 posts)Thanks for telling me!
trof
(54,270 posts)Mickju
(1,811 posts)I like to walk outside, but if the weather is bad I walk in the house.
justhanginon
(3,321 posts)asthma along with arthritis and some other stuff. Lately on the treadmill it has become a race to see which will give out first, my hips or my breathing. I use to alternately walk and bike ride in the neighborhood daily until a few years ago. I really do miss it but age and health does sometimes change ones plans. I do still stay active aroung the house and try not to veg out too much.
GenThePerservering
(2,495 posts)you might consider some basic yoga if you don't do it now, too.
I'm 72, a lifelong anti-exerciser, but i started exercising to help get in shape and lose weight before my daughter's wedding.
I do a bunch of stretches/yoga-ish stuff in the AM, and do 8 miles on the recumbent bike every afternoon.
swimboy
(7,306 posts)Three times a week most weeks
Hope22
(2,545 posts)I do exercise every day. Its the only thing that keeps me going. 💗🙏
15 20 minutes 6 days a week one day off and repeat. 15 lb dumbbells upper body Monday and Thursdays, core exercises Tuesdays and Fridays and legs on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Long walks whenever possible. 76 with rheumatoid arthritis but still getting around pretty good.
masmdu
(2,562 posts)3 days a week resistance training at the gym. Went from high BP of 170/110 to 95-100/70-75. Eating better and sleeping better, too
piddyprints
(14,799 posts)Well I skipped the week after my second total knee replacement (docs orders), but did the PT exercises and went right back to my workouts in week 2, in addition to my PT. Lucked out that colonoscopy days were yoga, which I could do after I got home.
Im a 66 year old woman and I can do one-arm, decline, military, wide stance, and every other kind of push-ups on my toes, except for plyo, 20-30 at a time, multiple sets per workout. I can also do unassisted pull-ups and chin-ups, but only 5 before I need assist. I do modify all the jumping stuff. I had to work up to backbends in yoga, but Im doing them now. When I started, I could not do a single push-up on my knees. My heavy dumbbells were 5 lbs. Now theyre 20 lbs.
My calcium score is 0 and Im in the best shape of my life. My husband asks why I dont skip a day, and the answer is simple: I dont want to start over. So every morning I work out, even though I rarely feel like it. Then I feel like a rockstar afterwards.
When weather permits, I also do a lot of yard work. Thats going to start very soon here.
You are correct. Just keep moving! And lift those weights to strengthen your muscles and bones. Its fun when you start to see that muscle definition!
trof
(54,270 posts)piddyprints
(14,799 posts)It's one of the few things I do just for myself.
Joinfortmill
(16,280 posts)I've done this particular routine for the past ten years. Staying strong is imperative for us older folks if we want to remain active and independent. It's also great for cognitive abilities. I was able to go through a 3.5 hour brain aneurysm procedure and come out the other side good as new.
about an hour a day, six days a week
aerobics, body weight stuff, mat work, dumbbells, kettle bell, rebounder, etc.......never the same workout :0
wendyb-NC
(3,747 posts)AverageOldGuy
(1,962 posts)I was a marathoner for years, running my last one at age 55, then tapered off to a few 10K runs per year. Now, I do this:
-- KETTLEBELLS. Three days a week, do a 45-minute routine that works all major muscle groups. I'm certainly not a body builder but have plenty of muscle tone.
-- BIKE. Ride my old beater bike 5-8 miles a day on days when I don't lift.
-- Not walking or running except for 1/2 mile walk every day. Pain in my hips after 1/2 mile, don't want to go to the orthopod because I know he will want to replace my old worn-out hips. I'm too damn old for that.
AllaN01Bear
(22,937 posts)calimary
(84,011 posts)Lots of hills where I live, so weather can make it a little bit treacherous. Makes for good exercise, though!
flying_wahini
(7,946 posts)trof
(54,270 posts)Ever since I found out I had bone density loss and loss of muscle tissue as a result of hormone treatment for prostate cancer.
I'm building lost muscle and bone density has increased by 5%.
Also taking calcium citrate and D2 to help with absorption.
CarlYasutomo
(64 posts)It is essential for bone health (and also heart health). It takes calcium out of places where it doesn't belong (like your arteries) and puts it in your bones. Anyone who takes vitamin D supplements should also take K2. The vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, but without K2 some of that calcium will end up in the wrong places.
There is a fantastic book on this subject called "Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox."
masmdu
(2,562 posts)CarlYasutomo
(64 posts)NJCher
(37,637 posts)I just purchased the book.
Lotsa' good info on this thread.
trof
(54,270 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,615 posts)I determined to start walking again -as I should - but then my left ankle plate from a 2004 break acted up. It hasn't since 2004. Not hurting today, so I'll try to walk tomorrow.
Thanks for asking the question.
Sky Jewels
(8,788 posts)I exercise every day. I try to walk five miles per day, try to get to the gym a few times a week, do hundreds of reps of light hand weights (5 lbs each), and also do a lot of yard work. An older neighbor woman (Ill call her Jane) has been taking long daily walks for years and looks great. I told my husband I want to be the next Jane of the neighborhood.
NewHendoLib
(60,437 posts)and on the days in between, we are both yard work/gardening enthusiasts. We are 67 and 66, and we feel like we have to keep moving - we don't feel great if we are stuck in on rainy days or are busy with other things that prevent us from getting out.
We are both going to need new knees within the next few years - I am still getting by on cortisone shots in each knee every six months - they are still working well even after getting it for nearly 20 years
Response to trof (Original post)
Sky Jewels This message was self-deleted by its author.
plimsoll
(1,690 posts)Some inside, most on trails, some road. Took a long overdue spill on Wednesday, so im riding the couch for a couple days. Being active in any capacity is important, find what you enjoy, minimize your risks and keep at it.
Septua
(2,501 posts)I lost 10-12 lbs of weight 3-4 years ago for no apparent reason and was already thinnish. Finally started a whey supplement and muscle toning exercise. Gained back 3-4 lbs that I can lose in day. I think it's a change in metabolism in an old man...
we can do it
(12,732 posts)Love long scenic hikes with lots of elevation gain. Also gardening.
Working out with weights and cardio mixed in with 6-10 mile walks allows me to do pretty much anything I want to.