If you are in your 60s and 70s and used to exercise, are you better off that people your age that don’t do as much?

My dad was incredibly fit until age late 40s then slowly, over decades, let it all go.
I don't know how much he didn't fight it & how much he couldn't fight it. He says he had back problems then he had a stroke, yadayada, but he never really found self-discipline about trying to maintain his fitness. Sad. He can't walk more than 50 feet without feeling weak now (age 80). He has had some awful falls & not broken a hip, though, which I think could be benefit of his mid-life terrific fitness.

My next big goal is to get to 65 & be happy to sit down on the beach. I realised how old my parents had become when they were horrified at suggestion they sit on ground at beach. They would have struggled to get back up...

I didn't do much till my 40s...I'm mid 60s now. I can do 3 spin classes a week, 2 strength training sessions and an 8 mile hike .
I dread getting immobile. Doing everything possible to avoid it.

I'm in my 50s and even now so much more "capable" than less active school friends.

I have two distinct groups of friends, people I run and cycle with and the others! The runners seems so much younger in every way, what they can do physically, their outlook, the way they dress. I think 50s is when the difference between active and sedentary people suddenly becomes noticeable.

Among runners I know a woman who ran London marathon to celebrate her 80th birthday and a mountain marathon after that. I ran a 15 mile trail race with a woman of 78 on Sunday. They're amazing in comparison to ordinary 70/80 yos.

Just general levels of activity make a huge difference as well though. My parents (late 70s) have a large garden that they spend part of everyday working in, my 90yo neighbour still uses a manual lawnmower and sweeps his drive everyday. Both walk everywhere. ILs seem much older, although they're younger.

Two things for me

1- some people will nit be able to walk 7000 steps due to ill health - not related to them exercising or not.

2- 2.5k steps is fuck all. I’m spend most of my days lying down (because I’m ill) and I still reach between 2 and 2.5k steps a day. I’ll do more than 4K if I do some shopping. Basically, you’ll reach 4K steps of you get out if the house everyday. In which case, the issue isn’t exercise. It’s simply living a life as a recluse. And as utter posters have highlighted, doing that and nit seeing people, not being l’art if a community will also have a huge impact on their health both physical and MH.

I know a lady who is 80 who is very fit. She has never driven - she walks or cycles. Thinks nothing of doing a 6 mile walk across fields and stiles as well as walking her dog twice a day.

MIL is 95. Has always done lots of hiking and gardening. Still does some gardening although this is limited due to failing eyesight rather than mobility. Lives independently in a house though.

Looking at older relatives and family friends there is definitely a correlation between how much they looked after themselves and how fit they still are in old age. I have hit an age now where I am starting to get aches and pains so am really trying to get myself into an exercise habit as I am positive it will benefit me in the long run.

Not there yet (mid 50s) but I do see a number of 70+ people out running and I think they are inspirational. I hope to be that person one day.

My dad played tennis regularly all my life. He is much healthier than my mum who doesn't exercise.

Oh, I would love to hike the Inca trail! I hope DH's health keeps up. He is not so good at the moment as he has less time than me. Hope he can improve it in retirement.

I went for a mammogram the other day, and it was like looking at the ghost of Xmas yet to come. Every woman there over 50 was overweight, and some could not even climb the stairs. Was a wakeup call ( she says as she eats a pack of Maltesers).

Also, it is not even massive amounts that make a difference (for the people who've mentioned exercise isn't really their thing) - this study from 2019 looked at women with a mean age of 72 over 4.3 years and found that women who did an average of 4,400 steps compared to those who did around 2,700 had significantly lower mortality:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2734709?guestAccessKey=afffe229-3940-4dd1-94e6-56cdd109c457&utm_source=jps&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=author_alert-jamanetwork&utm_content=author-author_engagement&utm_term=1m

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/well/move/even-one-extra-walk-a-day-may-make-a-big-difference.html

And I aim at 7,000 steps now, as 10,000 is just too much for me (I do other exercise too, but I have an autoimmune disorder too):

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/06/well/move/10000-steps-health.html

Both my parents (DM is 70, DF is 72) work out - they run, do a lot of walking, and garden too. They each have a personal trainer once a week. They travel regularly, and recently hiked the Inca Trail.

They are loads more capable than my PIL and friends' parents, many of whom can barely walk a mile or two and get out of breath walking up a flight of stairs.

My DP have friends who are similarly inclined, and they are also fit, healthy and active. There's a stark constrast between those who exercise and those who don't, that wasn't so apparent a decade or two ago.

Obviously there's a lot of luck involved (you never know when you'll get an illness or injury) but it's also just as much about being active. Past 50, you have to use it or lose it (and never get it back) where health and mobility are concerned.

DH and I are determined to be like my DParents rather than DPIL!

Zoe Nutrition podcasts are excellent.

Diet plays a big part too. DF was a runner and now gardens a lot but a penchant for cheese and a sedentary job took its toll and he had a heart attack last year. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. And sleep and stress. But yes point of thread is to point to whether exercise makes a difference - 100%.

*use it or lose it

My mum is 76. She does yoga, keep fit and walks a few miles a day when she doesn't have any exercise classes on.
I have an illness at the moment which has caused me to be sedentary this year and she's fitter than me!

I'm 62 and have always been active. I trained to teach yoga when I was 55.

I'm in great shape physically and mentally and yes, much better than my peers who haven't been and stayed active.

I'm not on any medication and my weight is healthy, although like many post menopausal women, keeping weight and abdominal fat under control takes more effort these days!

Good diet makes a big difference - The Dr Chatterjee books and podcasts are a good start if you don't know how to live more healthily.

Touching wood of course - we never know what's around the corner.

I know from my yoga training and experience that 'use it or use it' is vitally important.

You may want to modify the type of exercise you do as you age - I cycle, play tennis, lift weights, swim and walk (not all at the same time of course!)

Then yoga keeps everything from seizing up and also builds strength.

There are plenty of studies that show that strength training in particular is beneficial as you age.

Here's just one:
these exercises build muscle strength and muscle mass and preserve bone density, independence, and vitality with age. In addition, strength training also has the ability to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and the signs and symptoms of numerous chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes, while also improving sleep and reducing depression

I can go further than this - I am on a master's swimming team and our oldest member is 96! He still competes! He swims for an hour each day, walks everywhere, and is in brilliant healthy for his age. I know this is not normal at his age, but he puts his spritely abilities down to keeping active, having a good diet, keeping good company, not drinking alcohol or smoking. He is brilliant.
My mum is in her 60s and physically active and has a good diet and in a much better state than a lot of her friends who are, sorry to say it, fat and inactive.

People in their 60s and 70s who exercise are better off in exactly the same way as people in their 20s and 30s or 40s and 50s who exercise.

People in their 60s and 70s are normal human beings you know!

My Dad is 80 and has always been very active, a keen walker and gardener. He’s doing really well and looks great for his age.

My mum is a few years younger and is the kind of person who takes the car to the shops even though they are 5 mins away. She now struggles to walk any kind of distance, though she has back trouble so it is a bit chicken-and-egg.

My sister and I are both really active, there are some things you can’t help health wise, but ww want to have the best possible chance of an active old age. I walk for miles, lift weights and do yoga.

I am in my 50s and most of my friends have given up the battle of the bulge. I am keen to watch my weight and keep exercising, after seeing how my slim and active mum is really enjoying her old age. She doesn't work out as such; she walks, gardens and does yoga. My friends think I am a bit joyless, but honestly old age is not for the feeble or the weak.

Yoga is actually brilliant as you age.

Ha didn't they use them for astronauts? The stairclimbing has firmed up my legs a bit, apparently it works the same muscles as squats....I tried those but tended to keel over ;-)

Can I also comment about HRT? I had my osteoporosis diagnosis after 5 years of HRT. I read threads on here where people say taking it is essential for avoiding osteoporosis. Well it ain't necessarily so! You could still get it, so try and look after your bones in every way possible.

Poor man, its not nice to watch that happen to them :(

On the flip side, my grandmother was also active but she got Alzheimer's and the good physical health from her active lifestyle meant she suffered longer with it

This also happened to my father. He was incredibly fit and strong, always at the gym playing sports, but was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his 50’s and battled on for years. The doctors said his fitness and cardio health kept him alive but his quality of life was wretched, poor bloke.

That should say I haven’t read the full thread.