To hope that the exercise I do now will help mobility when I'm older

My parents were the fittest people out. They didn't have a car, so walked everywhere. They cycled hundreds of miles. Ate healthily , don't drink or smoke, not overweight.

Got to mid 50's and health started declining. Mum developed rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis , heart issues, had to have a knee replacement, which impacted mobility further.

So, yes, while it can help to do exercise etc as you get older, it is still a gamble as you have no way of knowing how your health will decline.

@Magpie50 - the best thing you can probably do is resistance/weight bearing leg exercises to strengthen the muscles around your knee joints.

Plus planks and abs work for your hips.

But I'd consult with a physio to be sure I'm doing it correctly. Dr Jo on YouTube also has great advice on the most appropriate exercise for different ailments.

My knee and hip joints are kinda knackered thanks to a lifetime of obesity and serious walking.
Now in my 50s I've lost all the weight eat healthy, don't drink, run, weight train, pilates and other cardio on exercise bike and trampoline. My joints do hurt doing it but they are worse if I sit around and do nothing.

Basically I can't undo any damage but I can make sure that whatever happens in the future wasn't because of something I didn't do.

Of course many people who have problems with joints don't have the problems because they don't exercise, rather they don't exercise because every step is painful. I was unlucky enough to be one of the 50% of my family to develop early onset arthritis. I would love to be more active but my joints were buggered by the time I was 50. Sadly I have nieces much younger suffering just as much, my brother too. It doesn't show, unless you look closely at our hands. Always worth remembering too is that Osteoarthritis is a disease of wear and tear

I'm the same age as your mum OP.

I run two x 5k a week, an hour's karate and a 45 min speed walk. So basically 45-60 mins of vigorous exercise, every other day. I don't overdo it. Plenty of stretching. A couple of additional charity 10k in a year is my maximum, no marathons. I eat healthily, cook from scratch, lots of veg. I can maintain this level without difficulty. Decent shoes, running on grass rather than concrete, paying attention to warm up/cool down.

There is a man near me, at least 85, who runs every day. And quite a few 70+ park runners. They are remarkable

@CatsMother66 I love that!

I think we are all in denial about the inevitability of ageing these days, tbh

I think this is SO true, stuff has started hurting with me and I was running ultra marathons until last year. I'm finding it extremely hard to accept ageing, pain and related restrictions (late 50's)

Cardio that's kind to the joints, so brisk walking rather than running, stretches to stay supple like yoga, and some strength training should give you the best chance. However I think what you consume is equally important, so very little alcohol and whole foods plant based diet, but making sure you get plenty of calcium and good fats. Take care of your neck, avoid too much staring down at screens and use as flat a pillow as you can. Watch your shoulders, distribute the weight you carry evenly rather than on one arm. Bend and lift correctly, always. I'm 55 and do all these things now. I wish I'd have started at 30.

I do a job that involves seeing lots of very fit women across all decades. The women I know in their 60s, 70s, 80s who are active and strong are incredible.... When I compare this to people I know in my family or friends of family it's just another world. Strength, cardio, balance training and flexibility - that's what I focus on for my future body.

Saw this and thought of this thread

I take the approach that exercise benefits me now and building it into everyday life will give me as good a chance as I can have about keeping fit into old age. Lots of our health we can't control but I can do something about how much exercise I get!

I think weights are great for women and weight bearing exercise has been shown to help with bone density which is important post menopause. I have to be very careful not to lift things that are too heavy (prolapse after having DDs that I don't want to make worse!) but I still go to the gym and use the weight machines twice a week (high reps on a lower weight setting for my personal circumstances.)

I also do a quick yoga workout of around 15 or 20 mins every day. I really love yoga for having some time out and mindful activity and it's really important to keep flexible and able to balance. I really enjoy Sarah Beth yoga videos as you can pick different lengths or yoga for different purposes e.g. "15 minute full body stretch" or "20 minute yoga for neck and shoulder pain" etc. So I find it easy to fit into everyday life doing little and often. She has a few standing yoga videos that I sometimes do on my lunch break at work in a meeting room as I don't have to have a yoga mat with me.

My grandad lived until he was 94 and was physically fit until the end, when a heart attack finally got him. He walked for an hour every day and would do gentle mobility exercises in front of the TV e.g writing the alphabet with his toes to keep flexibility in his feet, standing on one leg etc.

It's good, but you need to keep doing it - and once the children are older and you aren't running around after them you need to increase your cardiovascular exercise. It's important not to stop exercising!

I think weights are great for bone strength but actually it's regular movement and not sitting too long that is key.

For example, and I appreciate you aren't doing this but, lifting weights 3 times a week is not as good walking, gardening, swimming in old age.

You lose muscle mass and fitness very very quickly once you stop so consistently consistent is the way to go.

This is a very true devils advocate, there is a balance isn't there. I know people with constant injuries with running hard. But hopefully gentle cardio, yoga/pilates and weights would be beneficial throughout old age

It's always a gamble, though exercise tips the odds in your favour.

But my Dad (70) has always exercised and been very active all his life he now has knee and back problems and this is limiting what he can do.

My grandma (his Mum) is 95 and never exercised - she has the reputation in the family as being the one sat 1/3 of the way up the mountain and then sitting down to picnic while the others went on. Whilst she is now slow and frail, she can still walk, can still drive and mobility has not been a particularly limiting factor in her life.

I'm in my 60s. So far no aches or pains or lack of mobility. But I've exercised regularly for over 40 years. A mix of cardio, walking, dance, Pilates and yoga.

As PP have said weight training is great for strength and bone density but you need to mix things up to maintain flexibilty and also endurance.

Absolutely, it will help strength, mobility, protect bones, mental health etc
Also stopping smoking, drinking, drugs, keep weight down
I've seen and known a lot of ill older people, through their illnesses/diseases/disabilities and then death. Life is much much harder if they don't look after themselves.
They say "we're a long time dead"
I see so many people who are also a long time ill before they go. No quality of life for years sometimes decades

They say exercise is the 'magic pill' for a good old age

I think a rounded mix of exercises is probably our best bet- lifting weights is great, but you probably should have some flexibility stuff and cardio in there too

Yes, at the moment I run 3 times a week, do a strength session once or sometimes twice a week, walk every day with a view to getting at least 10,000 steps (averaged out across the week and including my runs - this week I was away so have done twice that) and follow various routines on a Pilates app. I hope the combination, along with an occasional swim, will keep me functionally fit into my old age.

I know I'm fitter at 55 than my mother was, but I don't know how much of that is down to what exercise I do.

I've been doing karate for 21 years. Used to train 4 x a week, now only once or sometimes twice. A lot of those in my class are in our 50s, having trained together all that time, so we're all very aware of our limitations and what we can do to mitigate them. For instance, karate can be very hard on the knees, so we take care to do more thigh-strengthening exercises. We keep working on flexibility too- although it can go very quickly if you have a couple of weeks off!

To continue thigh-strengthening and add in cardio, I cycle a lot with ds2. I also do long walks as and when I can fit them in (decent pace, not an amble).

Then other physical challenges such as a mountain climb, or building an extension!

I do know that I was shocked recently when my friend, who is the same age, told me that she can no longer put on her pants standing up. Obviously balance is fairly key in karate so I have no issues putting on knickers standing up, but it did make me wonder what the general standard is for my age group.

I think a rounded mix of exercises is probably our best bet- lifting weights is great, but you probably should have some flexibility stuff and cardio in there too.

@WindsurfingDreams I agree completely. Have also ended up in hospital after pushing through.

That's lovely but not all illnesses are like that. I am under very strict instructions not to push through my symptoms which is beyond frustrating as I am a "pushing through" person by nature. But pushing through tends to land me in hospital so I know my dr's are right. Sadly willpower isn't the solution to everything.

I teach dance 25 hrs a week and my knees are basically fucked to the point that I need a knee replacement on one knee soon and the other one doing in the next 5 years or so, and I have ongoing shoulder issues too. I can’t lift weights, ride a bike or go to the gym, so if I give up dancing I’d be screwed- and I absolutely hate swimming. In my case, exercise has knackered up my body.

Maybe. I used to walk and run for miles. Then I contracted a long standing illness that has poleaxed me.

I think it's also easy to think 'ooh, that's a bit sore, I'd better rest up' and then just never get going again.

I have arthritis in both feet. However, having been checked out by the doctor, it's not going to get any better, so I still run five days a week on the grounds that I'd rather be fit with arthritis than unfit and still have arthritis.