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?

Hi I really sympathise. I have had CFS for 20 years. I managed pilates for the first few years but had to drop out as it was too much for me. I also have severe osteoporosis so not able to lift weights or bend. I have been trying to increase weight bearing by simply plodding up and down the stairs every so often during the day. Some days I can't do it so wait until I have a "good" day and do it then.

I use a heart rate monitor to pace myself and notice that days HR is lower I can do much more that day, conversely if HR is raised I lie low and don't push through. I guess this is similar to post-covid fatigue.

Since I have been doing this really tiny amount of exercise I have had a slightly better DEXA scan, so I really think every little helps!

as I don’t know anyone who is 60+ and used to working out regularly

Im in my mid-60s and have always done some sort of deliberate physical activity. I lift very heavy weights and run fast at the moment. (Although not at the same time!)

My level of physical fitness and energy and general sense of well being is excellent and most people think I’m in my mid to late 40s when they first meet me.

My gym has people in their 80s and 90s working out regularly. My PT trains a 90 year old so she can stay mobile and active.

The benefits are obvious.

Just shows you cannot guarantee any particular outcome of lifestyle.

I know loads of people who are active in their 60s. The ones I know do golf, gardening, hiking and cycling. They don't seem that old to me.

I know some similarly fit people in their 70s. One competes in triathlon. Admittedly they do have aches and pains - dodgy hips and knees etc. I don't know if it's related to the sports.

I’ve also got a dad who was incredible fit and active - ran and exercised daily. Pescatarian, low body fat who became very unwell in his 70s. There is some evidence that men’s hearts can be damaged by lots of exercise and not taking rest days (women aren’t impacted in the same way). He also had mental health problems and that causes inflammation too.

So yes to exercise but rest up too is my view.

I am early 60s and the biggest thing for me is l really enjoy exercise. I don't actually think too much about it being good for me but do it for fun. It's great for my mental health, social life etc. Also it makes me feel young and my dc really admire my exercise routine so it keeps them challenged. However l do notice that a lot my age have serious issues from very competitive sport in their youth eg rugby..hurling as in lreland etc. Those who have done best are those who enjoyed swimming, cycling etc..the noncontact sports. My dh has back injuries from football that do cause him issues.

My DM has osteoarthritis but still is relatively active but in constant pain. Not sure if it is genetic but I am doing what I can down incase that is my future. Hiking is my love and I don't want to lose that.

This is a great thread and actually a wake up call.

Really interesting thread op. I think things like cancer are a total wild card as anyone I know who’s had it or has it now are all the exceptions to the rules, all fit , non drinkers , non smokers etc so I don’t include cancer in this.
I’m really, really into fitness and running , very much happened after having my 3 dcs, I’m so much fitter in my my late 30’s than in my teens or 20’s. We recently climbed a mountain ( not big but reasonably challenging) and we made it up in just over two hours, in my 20’s we tried it and struggled hugely , multiple stops, totally out of breath etc etc .
I really really want to stay physically active for as long as possible. I’ve always been slim and having children actually made me slimmer with breastfeeding for years and managed to stay that way now in my late 30’s. I listened to a radio show the last day on the importance of movement, basic things like up and down the stairs multiple times , hoovering , lifting shopping, unloading it ; all these things contribute to physical health. I see in my mil who has always been been sedentary but still in good health that she is very very slow, can’t walk for any distance etc and it’s so limiting for her and I feel bad that every a walk on the beach isn’t possible (she doesn’t have any obvious health problems or arthritis etc) but on the other hand she’s v v unstressed and gets so much rest that it must help maybe too. Overall though it’s such a limit on independence when you can’t move properly. Even if you can’t get out and run constant movement definitely helps . Swimming I think is wonderful too

I am 65 and was extremely fit and active - exercising, sports, hiking. Arthritis hit at 53 and I am now able to walk only very limited distances and whilst I do keep as active as I can, that isn't very active! Staying fit might help in later years, but there are no guarantees at all.

My grandparents are in their late 90s and until fairly recently (5 years maybe) they walked/hiked every single day. They live right in the Yorkshire dales so would do really long hikes very regularly, and all their holidays were in places where they could hike daily.
They don't do it as much any more, but they live completely independently in their house and are in very good health for their age. They can still get out and walk, just not the distances they used to.

OMG yes!!

I'm 69.

I work out 60-90 minutes 6 days a week. And I mean serious workouts - Caroline Girvan, using heavy weights (8-15 kg dumbbells). I also do cardio most days (Growingannanas)

I can ski for 5 or 6 hours, non-stop, at speed. I cycle. I swim. I can run for a bus - and I mean run as in sprint. I walk everywhere I can.

I am generally very active, always on the go. i watch some of my friends and acquaintances and it's worrying to see them decline. I don't want this for myself if I can possibly help it. 🙏

I think flexibility is key once you get older. It goes quickly. I notice a difference when I don't do a yoga class for a week.

I think there can be over use of your body, especially with high impact exercise. I see this with running and martial arts, but then there is being sedentary and losing muscle mass and bone density. Even the martial artists I know who have had hip replacements are back up and moving quickly and adapting rather than falling into a life of no moment and that steady decline into fragility.

To me, 70s feels young to be unfit and unable to move around (unpredictable disease caveats added here).

My Nanny is almost 90, and she does a daily 30 minute walk at a bloody INCREDIBLE speed. It's also in the Welsh Valleys, so lots of up and down hills! I recently took her to the supermarket (she can no longer drive) with my VERY ACTIVE toddler, and let's just say that she was harder to keep track of than my toddler is! 😂

She is this way because she has always, always been active. My Grandad is almost 94 and has had 2 strokes in the last 18 months (my Nan is also his predominant carer!). He has been SO incredibly determined to get better. He does his physio exercises every day. And despite finding them difficult, he is almost back to his pre-stroke strength.

I work with elderly people - some 95 year olds are still running about, and some 70 year olds are almost bed-bound. Obviously there are SO many variables, but from my (non-scientific, uneducated) opinion, the people that are consistently active tend to be the fittest/most mobile. (Duh!)

I wasn't particularly physically active in my younger years, but once I hit 50 and was three stone overweight I decided to do something about it. I started running, for the first time in my life, and eventually completed two marathons. I kept up the running for over ten years, until I was advised to stop after a hip replacement. I'm now in my 70s and very active - I've kept the weight off for over twenty years and I walk for five to ten miles most days. I'm sure luck and genes have something to do with it but I'm determined to give them as much of a helping hand as I can.

My in laws were in reasonable shape when I first met them 25 years ago ( they were in their mid-50’s). Then they took up yoga and Pilates, plus walking and FIL cycles most days.

At 81 and 82, they’re now in remarkable shape for their ages, even though they’ve both had some ops like knee surgery and MIL suffers from lower back pain sometimes.

It’s made me realize how important maintaining flexibility is. I’m 48 and that’s what I’m planning to focus on going forward.

Maintaining strength, balance and flexibility is so important as you age. I’m hurtling towards 60 and go the gym 4 x a week. Have no plans to stop.

i'm 66 and i use my apple watch to keep me honest to 45 minutes of exercise, 550 calories burned and 6,000 steps a day. currently i'm biking more than walking.
my go to exercise is hiking or indoor fitness walking (huge fan of the walk at home program). i swim occasionally have tried yoga but like doing stuff on my time and hate time pressure.
my mom is 90 and did line dancing for 4 decades! she's a very fit soul and maintained an award winning garden till 88. i must note her sister is 101 and doing well was a huge fan of yoga and pilates and travelled to india on multiple occasions for long periods for lessons.
gene's or fitness?? my family was equally big on healthy eating long before it was a thing. both sides (one from the city and one farming) used fresh fruits and veggies, lots of veggies, lots of fruit, knew how to preserve their own and knew who to buy what from.

I honestly can’t remember any of my friends who did less exercise than me. I look younger than most of them so I assume that this is due to genetics or the fact that I have hardly used my body..

My Mum was a professional ballet dancer until she was 30 and has continued with ballet classes and Pilates since then. She's 82, lives alone and leads a very busy, active life. I have no doubt she is reaping the benefits of a lifetime of exercise.

Her much younger sister always hated exercise. She has become more and more sedentary over the years and now walks with a stick. You'd think she was my Mum's older sister, not younger.

Great thread

I don't know that you need to "work out" - just keep moving and bending and stretching.

My mum sat down in her chair about 75 and stopped moving around gardening etc (she'd never been a great one for exercise) by 85 her mobility was very poor and lots of falls. Dad kept going and was gardening and mowing the lawn and generally physically, mentally and socially active as normal 3 months before he died at 96. It was only the last month that he really slowed right down, turned out he had pancreatic cancer which had spread to his liver so he was very unwell.

I have always loved playing tennis and badminton but recently shoulders/ elbow and wrists can be painful afterwards. My physio has said only 1 session per day so I am limited in how often I can play.
However I have started playing pickleball and can recommend this as it is fun and so much easier on the joints .

My father had a very active lifestyle through work, hobbies and home life until he developed a serious medical condition in his 70s, and it's been commented upon by health-care professionals how otherwise fit he has remained, and how he exceeds expectations. Some of it is luck and genetics but I am certain that the earlier active lifestyle will have played its part.

Even moderate regular exercise can help tho. My DM is 80 next year and does a gentle 30 min walk most days. Nothing major. But her mobility and balance etc are still good and she's still out in the world. Her DB a year younger stopped walking in lockdown and has lost most of his mobility.
My DM swears by her walks. If you don't use it you lose it is her motto. She has never routinely exercised in a formal way but has all her own joints and BP is fine. Borderline diabetic but that's because she refuses to give up the foods she should because life is too short! She has an active mind too. Still does the cryptic crossword daily etc.
So I think even moderate exercise on a regular basis really helps with quality of life.