AIBU to wonder how non-exercisers cope with aches as they age?

[secretgoose]

This is a curiosity post not a judgemental post.

But those who don’t go to the gym and don’t do any exercises, what kind of ailments are you living with and how old are you?

I’m 32 and I’ve been going to the gym for 4 years. I have some problems with my health occasionally such as hip tightness. I went out with my friends who don’t gym and after so long walking they both complained their legs were aching and I wondered how they will cope when they’re 40,50,60…

this isn’t judgemental because I think we have a real huge problem with exercising for aesthetics rather than how it makes us feel (as proven by the uptake of weight loss jabs). My bmi is currently in the overweight category. To look at me, I don’t look like a “gym person”. But I know I feel 10x fitter than I did in my 20s and for me, that’s what counts. Just wanted to add a little explainer so people don’t roll their eyes at me.

Maybe having a gym free/weight lifting free life isn’t as bad as I think it would be in terms of health but yeah, judging by how some of my friends are in their 30s, I really worry about it.

The focus on the gym in the last few years has been around building muscle, especially in the legs, which isn't achievable for most people at home. It's much easier to improve cardio vascular fitness at home than it is to make noticeable differences in strength or physical muscle at home unless you're at a very low starting point.
Many gyms have also become more community focused and social as well which I think is an aspect that hasn't been mentioned much on this thread. Eg the CrossFit style gyms. There are still gyms where people go and train on their own with headphones in of course, but there's a lot more variety than there used to be.

I don't do vast amounts of exercise - my commute includes brisk walking to & from stations at either end, i swim every weekend, and we do walks and bike rides with the kids but these are very much recreational - walking in local woods & footpaths etc.

Nothing aches. I actually think too much intense exercise and gym based training actually isn't good for your joints - lots of older athletes are left with a lot of injuries and excessive wear. I'm a big believer in an active outdoor lifestyle, lots of fresh air, walking etc. I tend to try and build in weight bearing activity naturally through things like lifting sacks of garden refuse, walking carrying shopping rather than driving.

All my grandparents lived to old ages and were like this, they walked and swam a lot.

You can build leg muscles at home with body weight exercises like squats, you can add hand weights without spending a lot of money.

Yes, we need a wide variety of natural movements, but ordinary daily activities are unlikely to give us that - which is why exercising is so important.

Human beings evolved for millennia without gym training. An active outdoor lifestyle with time spent on tasks like gardening, lots of walking, swimming etc, is all you need be healthily fit and strong.

Also we've got some bulky young people in my team at work who are real gym obsessives but when we did a walking based team activity that involved a couple of hours walking they couldn't cope!!

It will build your endurance and stamina if you do enough of them, and cardio fitness if you do them fast enough. It won't build muscle or make much difference in strength unless you're at a low starting point, eg someone who struggles to do a bodyweight squat. Even then, most people would quickly outgrow the exercise and need something more challenging. To build strength you need progressive overload, and if you're already capable of moving your own bodyweight then it's really quite difficult to find ways to do that at home. It's not to say it's not useful, some movement is better than none, but it depends what you're trying to achieve.

Humans were a LOT more active in previous milennia though. Of course if you already carry heavy buckets of water up the hill several times per day, you don't need to add farmer's carry at the gym. Most of don't do that any more though.

The idea that exercise “wears out joints” isn’t supported by research. Regular exercise actually protects joints by strengthening muscles and improving joint stability. Increased joint damage is seen in cases of extreme overuse, professional athlethes - you do not need to skip your weekly hour at gym for that reason.

Body weight exercise is fine and better than nothing but doesn't build significant muscle. It can be more effective when adding resistance bands too.

I’m 46, and I don’t go to the gym. I walked 17k on Saturday and my legs didn’t ache!

I do walk or cycle every day though. Need to do some weight training now I’m getting older though. At the moment I just do a few push-ups so need to increase that.

Most people can't live that kind of life. I spend 8-10 hours of my working day 5 days a week sitting down. Dedicated exercise time, as time effective as possible, is essential.

I'm mid 60s with arthritis in my back and hips. My aches and pains are MUCH better if I spend my day sitting on a heat pad on the sofa with my knitting. I recognise that probably isn't good long term, but what is long term? It's very tempting.

I stand up to do all my weights unless it’s a chest press as do plenty of others

you can increase strength without hypertrophy, you would need a very different regime to ‘beef up’ you can still be pretty visually non muscular but strong, a lot of the women in my gym can lift a shit load but you can’t tell just from looking at them because you don’t need to look like a body builder to be strong.

I am sorry but are you just trying to convince yourself that exercise is pointless because it is coming across you are just saying any old rubbish but none of it is factual or real. If you don’t like the gym then just say that, but going down a weird conspiracy theory muscle rabbit hole is making you sound like a fantasist

How often do you go to Disneyland? Hardly regular exercise if you're just drifting around with Mickey once a year is it

Agree, of course it does. The anecdotes are a bit ridiculous and sound like people protesting too much because they don't exercise enough if at all. I run and go to the gym, of course I carry injuries sometimes but I still think I'm vastly fitter than someone sitting watching TV all day. It's pretty obvious really, we were built to move after all.

Most people can’t or don’t want to lead the kind of active lifestyle that could give them a degree of fitness that is equal to what you get with focused weight and resistance training.

However, one doesn’t necessarily need to go to a gym or use machines to achieve this. I have several sets of dumbbells (5kg for weighted HIIT plus 8, 12, 15 and 25kg for weight training), plus a couple of strong resistance bands. That’s it. The 15 and 25 kg are excellent for leg exercises like squats and lunges, as well as deadlifts.

I’m 72 and started exercising during the menopause, though mostly just generally aerobic exercise, following a variety of exercise gurus I found on TV. I only started weight training 6 years ago, but it - thanks to Caroline Girvan’s programmes on YouTube - has been life-changing. It’s not just about being very fit - it lifts my mood and sets me up for the day.

NB: I would highly recommend exercises that strengthen the core, such as ab work (leg raises, Russian twists, crunches, planks). A strong core makes everything else so much easier, including walking.

I know, I am also baffled by people denying decades of scientific research and branding it a ‘trend’ 😐

Exercise popularity does change over time but the benefits do not. It’s good for you. If you don’t enjoy it, you are doing the wrong type of thing. There is something out there for everyone that will benefit you physically and mentally.

I know it can seem like an extra chore but women should invest in themselves. How many women are sitting at home with the kids while their husband is out on a run/cycling? Loads. What about your wellbeing?

I'm not saying exercise is pointless, I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying sitting down all day then spending an hour at the gym is not nearly as much useful exercise as an active everyday life.

Yes but its not the olden days anymore and people mostly have desk jobs and need cars to travel. We do not live in a country that has a workforce of manual labour anymore. I have a desk job, but I add in exercise alongside this. It’s not pointless to do a purposeful hour. In an ideal world everyone would be in an active job but they need to pay their bills. Housework is not strenuous enough every day to really count as exercise. It’s activity, which is movement, which is helpful but hoovering and doing some laundry isn’t going to build muscles, we have modern tech of very smooth hoovers and automatic washing machines, not like our grandparents who washed things by hands or swept carpets. I feel like only a very financially privileged retired person or SAHM would have this viewpoint

I think it's also a bit rose tinted too suggest that active jobs were great too. There's a big difference of being able to choose your activity level and being required to do something beyond your capabilities because the job required it. Many working class people in blue collar jobs were worn down by bad working practices, eg those in construction, care work, cleaning etc before machines took some of the physical labour away.

Choosing to garden as a hobby, and farm work by hand as a job, are very different things!

That simply is not true of disabled people.
my friend is quadriplegic. What would you have her do?

I’m sorry about your friend’s situation, but surely you can see that this thread is aimed at the general population. A large proportion of physically able people do little or no exercise. And that is deeply concerning, because in their old age many will be debilitated and unable to live life to the full.

NB: There are physiotherapy options for paraplegics:

https://www.flintrehab.com/physical-therapy-for-paraplegia/

@Hansolemio There are exercises for people with disabilities in fact I think it’s really offensive to suggest that people with disabilities can’t exercise!

Pilates was invented for bed bound injured soldiers who had lost limbs. Yes it’s not seen that way now, but you can do Pilates with ANY ability level!

People with disabilities usually have had physio or OT assessments of their physical limitations to help them with staying mobile - for instance someone who is bed bound would need to be careful of pressure sores and their circulation so would need regular movement to prevent stiffness and further issues. They might need support to exercise but there literally is ‘something for everyone’ because the variety is absolutely huge. If you don’t like one exercise, try another type. It’s also about what it can give to you mentally, not just physically.

So true

I exercise at home. My job is sedentary but I try and stand up and walk around the room when I can
I have a peloton bike and membership plus adjustable dumbbells and resistance bands. Means I can do spin, weights, yoga, mobility etc without leaving the house and I’m more likely to do it