AIBU to think the pressure for ‘older’ women to exercise is wrong?

[StitchInLime]

So as a woman in my late 40s, I keep getting told (via ads, from some people in my life, via tv and so on) that I need to do strength exercises and cardio if I don’t want to suffer later in life. And yet, it’s the woman I know who did f-all exercise at my age and before who seem to be thriving in their 60s/70s (eg my aunts) and the ones who did more exercise at my age now have issues with knees, hips etc. I find it difficult to find the motivation in light of this. If you have opposite examples, please share as I really need to motivate myself!

Yes. Lack of movement, at all ages, is an issue for everyone anyway. Especially true for women from peri-menopause onwards when hormones & dietary needs change. This group, I think, is less active for whole life reasons, it could be considered a feminist issue looked at this way

As others said, it's more than aesthetics. The body is past its peak, but only in terms of potential, you can still maintain and even enhance it. Not just strength, but range of motion and balance, preventing falls & injuries later in life

Where I think the effort is going wrong, for all ages and both sexes, is the social dimension. You can randomly try chatting to people, but my experience is for those who need it most confidence varies & they lack existing friends to do it with regularly. It's been a key factor for me

At a holiday hotel fitness session recently there were a lot of 50+ women.

The ones who regularly exercised could easily bend and stretch and move and keep up with the cardio work.

The ones who didn't struggled to stand up from the mat, were way less flexible and stopped before the end of most of the cardio exercises as they just couldn't keep going.

One of the most fit and flexible women there was 70+ and she told me that she started exercising in her 40s, she put a lot of the women 20 years younger to shame, not in terms of appearance - that is irrelevant and I can't even remember what most women looked like - but in terms of her body being able to do what she was asking it to do.

If I'm lucky enough to get to my 70s, I want to be like her which is why I exercise now.

Why, exactly, do you think there would be public health campaigns encouraging you to exercise, if exercise wasn't good for you?

I think a PP has a point saying that there needs to be more understanding of the barriers

Is it that habits are best formed young
That women don't prioritise themselves enough
That they don't feel comfortable going to a gym or doing c25k running outside for safety reasons, or because they feel too self conscious
That current lifestyles leave people too drained ( this to me tied in with young habits a I know I feel less exhausted and stressed if I do regular exercise but if you haven't learnt that ...)

I'm a group fitness instructor and recently did some demonstration classes at school. 16-18yo kids there, who should be fit as fiddles and full of energy. But let me tell you, it was abysmal. They could not keep up with me, a middle aged woman, the slightest. And if they won't start exercising, then if you're this bad when you're 18, what will happen when you're 40, or 60?

As for not having time, you need to prioritise and make it non-negotiable. Various ways this can be done, whatever works for your lifestyle and family set-up. If you have a plan, you don't need hours and hours, just 15-20 min will make a massive difference.

spookehtooth

"Yes. Lack of movement, at all ages, is an issue for everyone anyway. Especially true for women from peri-menopause onwards when hormones & dietary needs change. This group, I think, is less active for whole life reasons, it could be considered a feminist issue looked at this way"

I'm 56. I've often thought that the shoes we were encouraged to wear and the need to be dressed up/smart, hindered walking etc. Out with my sister (67) she asked when I thought trainers would go out of fashion and I hope never. The need for little girls to be dressed in pretty dresses and the need to keep clean has got less. The opportunity for enjoying physical play and developing body confidence was often removed. There's still teachers about who expect different behaviour from girls compared to boys.
I think staying active makes a massive difference to what life is like for the last 10-20 years. I don't care what I die from, it's what I've got to live with that I want to guard against.

https://www.wellandgood.com/balance-and-longevity/#:~:text=Balance%20and%20physical%20fitness,to%20those%20with%20poor%20balance.

Balance and why it is an indicator of life expectancy.

For all those who think running "buggers your knees" there are studies that show runners have less incidence of knee arthritis than non-runners.

Yes, this. Keeping your weight under control is good for your joints, and running helps with that.

That women don't prioritise themselves enough

Totally this. Women think that they are bad mothers if they do anything for themselves.

Men go out for four hour bike rides. Women only do exercise if they can get out at 5am and get back for "family time". That is what needs to change.

That they don't feel comfortable going to a gym or doing c25k running outside for safety reasons, or because they feel too self conscious

Yes this too. That is why I am a parkrun fan as it provides a safe space for women to run (and also people of either sex who are overweight) without being heckled or worse.

Walking and gardening are really good for you if gardening is your thing. It isn't mine, but both of those things have kept my mum in very good shape.

But women older than you also ate a lot better - not so much processed food, takeaways, alcohol intake etc.

Plus people were much more active - families didn't have 2 cars, kids walked to school, shopping was carried not delivered etc.

In 2021 I ended up with a back that was so painful that I could barely walk to the top of the street. After many tests it was found that there was nothing seriously wrong and my muscles were just weak and were made worse with the lock downs. After 9 months of physio I was mostly out of pain. I then met a trainer at a menopause event who was starting a weightlifting class for women our age and I've been going for more than a year now. I have never stuck to exercise classes ever but I feel better than ever. The trainer has taught us the correct techniques so we don't hurt ourselves but we need to keep pushing for heavier weights to build up resistance. As the least sportiest person ever I highly recommend weight training if you're able to.

I also agree with this. As a woman in her late 40s I have found that my perimenopause symptoms pretty much disappear if I keep up with my exercise - I had a break in exercising recently and I noticed the symptoms return with a couple of weeks. I have noticed this before in exercise breaks. Back to cycling for me this week! I think weight has a huge bearing on health, so I’ve tried to be a bit more sensible as I approach 50.

As a mother of teenage girls I do worry about that generation - many do no exercise at all, and in fact actively avoid PE in school. I think it is ticking time Bomb. You only have to look around.

Thankfully I have one who is sporty and one who loves dancing.

Life expectancy will start coming down soon.

Have teenage girls ever done much exercise really? No gyms when I was in my teens, and PE at school was avoided much too...there wasn't much effort to make it appealing, hockey in the rain, etc. Some girls were sporty, most were not. On the other hand, we probably walked a lot more, and to and from school on foot was the norm.

Important to keep your legs strong. Arms too. Running is bad for you though. Eight times your weight through your joints. Bound to have to pay for that as you get older. Squats and lunges best.

Those are all good points @Ponoka7 and other posters after you mentioned others. From what I've gathered from reading, its not something I can have lived experience of, the specifics vary but the common themes largely centre on gendered expectations and responses to them. It's ironic that when many of the older women being targeted were born Womens football was still banned, and professional players in a number of elite sports have or still are negotiating appropriate kit to play in 🤔

My mum is mid 70s and in good shape. She didn't do any exercise by the time she was late 40s, she's never been to a gym. But she was cleaner and always moved quickly. She's never been one for sitting around all day, she was always doing something or going somewhere. She's been carrying a bit of extra weight the last few years, but not much. I say to her that she's 75 and physically able, so who cares if she's in a size 16 now?!

Exercise isn’t just important for your physical health, it has huge mental health benefits too. I’m a runner and I also do strength training at least twice a week, it’s had innumerable benefits for my mental health which was totally on the floor two years ago before I got into it. I had counselling which was sort of helpful but the best thing for me has just been moving around more!

The pressure on anyone to exercise is a good pressure I’d say, more people should be exercising. Honestly think a lot of mental health issues and definitely the obesity crisis would be resolved if more people moved.

This is key. You don’t have to be out running 10km every day, just moving around generally rather than sitting on your arse helps.

I'm in my 50s and plan to continue exercising because I choose to, not because anyone is pressuring me to do it. I enjoy it and feel better mentally and physically when I've been exercising. If I can avoid becoming fat and creaky, then that's what I plan to do!

Your mum is doing weight bearing exercise though. That's what walking and yoga are. To say she's never been in a gym when swims and goes to yoga is very different from saying someone has never been in a gym when they sit on their backside all day.

One of the reasons exercise is being promoted now is because people's lifestyles, including the actual work they do, are not as physically active.

Active Ageing is a great thing.
Walking Sports was set up.for older people to still keep active and have fun.

Your body needs exercise.

Have teenage girls ever done much exercise really? No gyms when I was in my teens

No gyms when I was teen either, but we were certainly a lot more active. Most of us walked for miles, biked everywhere, many were doing various sports. I am pretty sure we would not have been so out of breath like the teenagers I saw.

They are talking about physical activity, and it can be of any kind, including walking round the block for 10 minutes, cleaning your patio door, dancing in your kitchen or carrying a toddler around. Any activity is better than none.

It certainly doesn't have to mean the gym or doing weights or all that shit.