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.

I've not exercised in a formal way for many years of my life, although I've always walked a lot. DH on the other hand has always run, played sports - particularly Tennis, squash and badminton - and been much more energetic than I have. I do swim and do pilates.

I'm now 59, no aches or pains whatsoever. DH is 63, has had 3 knee ops, has had horrendous issues with his ankle and now can't run or play squash. He also struggles with walking any distance due to Plantar Fasciatis (sp??). We've just spent Easter in Yorkshire, doing some hill walking, and he has really suffered.

I'd say that I am in a much better place than he is, injury wise.

I am not the OP, but, I wonder if she meant exercising in a way that doesn't promote functional fitness and mobility?

E.g. when I was in my 20s, I ran, shedloads. To keep my weight low. I ran so much I used to wee blood but I did not care provided I was at the magic 8 st mark.

These days I do weights, circuits, yoga, and also run 1-2 times per week. I would also like to look good but my major driver is balance, strength, athleticism, fitness.

I think that is what she means?

Depends how long the walk is really. I’m a long distance runner so generally can walk up to 20k steps a day and not really feel it. I walked 27k in London a couple of weeks back and I did feel that.

I know what you mean though. One of my student’s is 21 and complains about her legs aching after walking up two flights of stairs, she’s also excessively out of breath. That’s a worry, she is obese but to feel aches at that age after a few stairs is concerning.

Would you be able to get any advice from your rheumatologist about exercises they would, or wouldn't recommend? There are lots of resources that can help if you know what exercises you might want to do, though I wouldn't trust asking the internet or a general member of gym staff for advice unless you know the parameters you need in relation to something like arthritis. But there are studies that show (light) strength training can have noticeable benefits for people in their eighties even, so if it's something you're open to its worth looking into.
If you had an idea of what sort of exercises to do, I'm sure people on here could signpost you to videos that show you exactly how to do a movement, and how it can be done (eg bodyweight or with a weight like a dumbbell, or if there's a gym machine for it) That can make going to the gym a lot less daunting.

I too often wonder how you cope with aches, pains and illness as you get older, but I guess that you just get on with it! I try not to worry about how I look, despite the lines of my face and grey hairs. I'm very clean and I try to stay cheerful.

I find the concept of ageing quite bizarre. My cat, who I got when she was a 3 month kitten, is now at 15, older than me (around 70 in human years) and will probably go first (I'm 59). I work with lovely 22 year old girls, who I view as very as my friends, and have mentioned to them as they often ask me questions about life that when they reach 59 - I shall probably be dead! It really boggles my mind the here and now yet time seems to fly by.

I think being active is what matters, not going to the gym. Weight baring exercise is important for minimising osteoporosis risk but even walking to weight baring. You can also increase your fitness quite quickly at any age just by walking significantly more.

I'm in my 50s and have an active job (never less than 10k steps just in a normal work day) and not especially achey walking a lot because I'm always on my feet 8-10 hours a day. My cardio fitness needs work though and I get out of breath more than when I had time for more deliberate hill walking.

I noticed a few years ago that office staff in their 30s - including slim, fit looking people - were the ones who needed breaks on a work training/ team building week which included a day walking tour in a city, whilst those in active roles, including older and less obviously slim and fit *looking staff members were staying on their feet and looking around whilst waiting.

I read some research once which said that the real divide in fitness is between people who walk briskly for at least 20 mins, at least three times a week (or do equivalent exercise I guess) and those who don't.

I live in London without a car and walk briskly everywhere so this sounds like a pathetically small amount of exercise to me (and I'm certainly not super fit), but an amazing number of people don't meet this bar and statistically they are likely to suffer for it.

All my super fit friends have some form of exercise-induced strain or injury and suffer many more aches and pains than me, so I don't actually envy them!

I'm nearly 70 I don't go to the gym. I dislike sport and hate the atmosphere in gyms. I just find it very boring. I do a class once a week that focuses on stretching and I walk quite a lot because I don't drive but not miles a day. I am not overweight and I don't have aches and pains. I'm mobile can climb stairs etc. I don't think it's necessary to go to the gym to keep healthy

I walk briskly about 5 hours a day for work and I feel about 90 with horrendous hip and back pain a lot of the time so I'm afraid I don't really get on board with exercising will stop pain in afraid.

It also annoys me when people say you just need to walk to lose weight, about 11lbs dropped off me in 3 months when I started this job and I was chuffed then absolutely not one pound since, that was 6 years ago.

When I have a weeks rest my body is noticeably less painful.

My mother is 81 and has always practiced yoga and for the last ten years or so, Pilates. She has always walked at least five miles a day and more at the weekend with the Ramblers. She doesn’t have any aches and pains and is very flexible. I tried yoga but wasn’t keen, found the gym boring so stopped going and have walked at least 8000 steps a day since getting my first dog in my late twenties. I’m now in my early 60s and haven’t visited a doctor for at least five years. I do suffer from minor backache but everything else is fine. I have friends in their fifties who are on medication for various conditions and have had hip and knee replacements, so I’m doing well compared to them.

There is evidence that exercise does reduce risk of oesteoarthritis.

(not prevent it completely, before someone jumps to tell me they exercised and have terrible arthritis)

I'm 48 and never do any exercise in the sense of exercising for the sake of it. I walk a fair bit, swim occasionally, and the kids keep me busy. I went for a long walk today with DD. We were out for 2 hours, fairly hilly and a variety of terrains and I'm fine. Was out of puff in a couple of places but I'm very overweight so that's not surprising. No aches and pains to speak of really. Occasionally I think my knees feel my weight a bit but they're holding up well. My friends (my age) who do the most regular exercise, especially running, tend to be the ones who suffer with the worst health in terms of injuries but also picking up viruses frequently and being off work or laid up with some issue or other. I'm literally never ill.

I'm not stupid, I know I need to do more strength work and flexibility at my age but I cant find the time and being a single parent I cant just leave the kids at home and go to a yoga class.

Things that have screwed my skeleton in order of severity: pregnancy, exercising, not exercising. I have way more issues from pregnancy and sports than i ever did from doing nothing for 3 years…

Hmmm Im early 40s and currently exercise 7 times a week (4 runs, 3 weights/strength). I have a trapped nerve in my shoulder and clicky and sometimes painful knees…. But I’m one of the slimmest and fittest of my friends because I know few women my age who seem to exercise. Every single one that doesn’t is overweight. Several of them have said they don’t want to be overweight but they don’t like exercise…. It’s about finding something you like and can tolerate multiple times a week I think!

I used to go to a yoga class and there were a few women in their 70s, more flexible than me currently in my 30s. They’re who I want to be when I grow up! I really worry about DH, he is an avid runner and healthy but SO inflexible, he doesn’t do anything strengthening or stretching, it genuinely worries me.

When i was 32 I didnt have any issues with hip tightening or anything else. I would get that checked out you may be exercising incorrectly. I'm 50 now and go to the gym three times a week but am finding in stiffer than I was in my 40s. You may be surprised. Age catches up with everyone.

I think running and other high impact sport can really mess you up as you age. Much better to keep active like you do and low impact

If I don’t exercise I feel depressed and my skin gets all rashed up because I’m not sweating out toxins etc.

wish I could exercise all day

64. No aches and pains here. Mum is 89, also still very nimble and no aches and pains. She would still easily be able to kneel on the ground, get out of the bath, mow the lawn, walk all day. Both non exercisers, hope I go the same way.

Mid 50s here and always been overweight. I used to get shin pain just walking short distances. I'm also hyper mobile so prone to joint pain generally. But since I started weight training and walking every day, my joints are better behaved and I can walk for hours with no problems.

When I think about how much pain I had in my 20s and 30s compared to now, it's so much better. Hoping to be active as long as possible, health allowing. My mother does next to no exercise - she would even take the car for the 5 minute walk to the corner shop - and now her mobility is really restricted. She wonders why my DSis and I do so much "at our ages", and of course neither of us want to tell her: it's because we have seen what the alternative is and we don't want it. 😔

The NHS website has lots of exercises for strengthening.

I'm fascinated by this subject.

God absolutely agree with pregnancy, never the same since!
I actually went to see a chiro for my bad back and he asked if I had an epidural (I had). He said the amount of problems that epidurals cause is insane and he can't beleive more information isn't given to women before they decide to have them, food for thought because I had no idea they did any lasting damage.

I have to exercise to keep the aches and pains away but I have two medical conditions which definitely necessitates this….Ehler Danlos syndrome and Ankylosing Spondylitis. I do go to the gym and do weights to keep my muscles strong which helps with both. I also do a Pilates class once a week and then do spinning for aerobic fitness. I try to walk between 10 and 15k steps a day.

If i didn’t I would deteriorate badly and have seen this a lot. I’m in an EDS support group and when we had a meet up I was the only one not in a wheelchair or using crutches. A friend of mine has EDS and is now in a wheelchair and before she got this bad she didn’t exercise even though she knew it would help. I admit it would be easy for me to say xyz hurts today so I won’t go. Or that the fatigue is too bad so I won’t go. But motion is lotion as they say so I force myself to go.

Probably some of the most helpful stuff for me is various functional exercises. So some my physio has given me to do….wobble boards, ankle mobility and strengthening stuff, dead bugs, windscreen wipers, hip bridges. I also do quite a few YouTube videos of bodyweight mobility type exercises.

while I understand for most people it won’t be as much of a priority as it is for me the body weight mobility exercises I think are vital for anyone to help improve the chances of being able to stay active as you get older. You don’t need a gym for it. But 20-30 mins a few times a week could be a game changer.

I'm in my fifties. I'm a reasonably healthy weight (slightly underweight but I think this is normal for me). I do walk places a lot rather than bus/drive and I do physical things like gardening and DIY as needed but I don't go to a gym or do specific exercise for the sake of it. I have an electric bike with pedal assist that I sometimes use for transport so I suppose that is light exercise too.

I don't have any aches and pains or physical problems. I'm pretty flexible, possibly a bit hypermobile. My blood pressure and cholesterol etc are all fine. My watch informs me that I have good heart health (not sure how reliable this is but I guess it must mean something). I can get up off the floor without using my hands (someone told me the other day that this was a good predictor of remaining healthy into later life so I tried). I seem to be able to carry a couple of big bags of shopping home so I don't think I'm especially weak.

I do try to eat a fairly healthy diet with plenty of calcium for bone and tooth health. Other than that I'm just doing normal things.

I don't think it's normal to have aches and pains and I think anyone who gets them regularly should probably see a doctor.

They don’t. Your chiro is talking bollocks which is no surprise. I’m convinced they’re all quacks! 😆. Research has repeatedly found no evidence of a link.