50+ what exercise do you do?

[Floofydawg]

Inspired by a thread on AIBU, I'd like to understand from fellow over 50's what exercise they do. Interested to see if my activity is above average and whether I should be doing other stuff. I tend to gravitate towards what I enjoy more as that means I'll keep up with it. Conscious I should probably do some weight training but I find it boring. So here's what I do in a typical week.

At least two swims of at least 1k
2-3 45 minute spin classes, one of which is followed by a slightly shorter swim
A 30 minute dog walk most days

I have a gym membership so could do anything - lots of classes available.

What do you do?

I'm 67 and don't do any exercise, poor health and back problems haven't helped. However after reading through the recent exercise threads I am going to try to do some very gentle exercises and hope I can begin to build back a little muscle strength, which has totally vanished over the past few years, and that's scary. I want to try to concentrate on balance and strength. Probably will only be able to do 5 minutes a day but it's a start.

I discovered Margaret Martin's physio exercises for older people and I think I can do those, although not as quickly nor for as long. Got to start somewhere! Not doing anything will condemn me to all sorts of problems as I enter my next decade.

52 Swim twice a week, Pilates once a week, gym 1/2 a week, run 3-4 miles 1/2 a week and try to do at least one long walk a week.
I only really started exercising properly about 4 years ago and have noticed the difference, but it’s been gradual.

56 y.o

2-3 times a week I do weight work, concentrating on shoulders, arms, legs, chest press, and lat pull downs, then I do 6 x 20 different abs exercises. I finish this off with 20 mins on the treadmill walking at 3.5km/h on a 15% gradient. Apparently this burns as many calories as jogging, but is far less stressful on my wrecked knees. This sounds a lot but if I don't have to wait for any equipment, I can be done in 75 mins.

Swim twice a week
pilates once

running twice
gym twice
cycle once

Can you walk, @CrunchyCarrot ?
Walking is good!
Especially if you are able to wear wrist and ankle weights.

They sell them at Argos:

www.argos.co.uk/product/9224344

Do a barre class four times a week.
Ride a horse. I am 60.

It’s a great start @CrunchyCarrot. When I was really unwell and on chemotherapy I did absolutely nothing for at least a year.

When I started moving again I bought a book with pictures and two little ball hand weights. I’m sure it was from some sort of physiotherapist’s institution. It definitely was baby steps from a standing start and it was really manageable.

Yoga or Pilates 3 times a week, cycling twice a week, skipping twice a week, and walking.

Swim 4 x weekly
(One longer session of 90 mins
Three x 1 hour - drills)
Run 10 miles weekly (over 2 sessions)
1 gym sesh (weights/ intervals)
1 long walk weekly
Try to grab 10 -15 minutes daily at lunch for a short walk.
I work FT - I can manage this amount of exercise because swimming is either very early mornings or later evenings and my work place has a gym.
Any more would be difficult to fit in.

I go for a brisk walk every day, no less than four miles, and my steps and overall distance is always >10,500 and 5 miles.

I often do double that, but it’s the minimum.

I also do Pilates and swim in the summer.

I’d love to have been able to run, but I have pronation and slightly knock knees and it causes much discomfort.

I’m late 50s. I go to the gym - cardio and weights - twice a week, do pilates reformer twice a week and do a 4/5k walk with a friend twice a week. We have a pool so in Summer I swim most days but I wouldn’t really call that exercise as it’s not far/fast enough - it does let me do some stretching though. Up until last year I did a weekly boxing class at the gym but I can’t manage that anymore 😐

Early 50s. 4-5 90 min gym sessions per week each is 55 min cardio (rowing & cross trainer) plus 35 min weights. On the days I am not in the gym I go for a run on the hills. Every morning I do 25 min core work out.

I work FT from home mostly. I get up early do the core while the kettle boils, start work at 7 and finish at 3. Gym and running get done after work... If I am in the office I use a gym in town on my way back from work. Dinners have to be planned but I do that for budget reasons anyway.

50 in august so not quite there!

But I swim 1k 3 times a week and run 5k 2ce a week with a longer run of anywhere between 11k and 24k depending on what I'm training for. Have also got into triathlons recently so try and do a sprint or enticer every month.

Well I started this thread and now I feel inadequate!

Also, swimming is most definitely exercise.

Post lockdown I joined an outline fitness programme where we have live interactive workouts which I love - but if work takes over they are recorded so you can catch up layer - so I exercise a lot now-

on average a week

Monday-
mornings- Body Weight work out 45 mins
evenings- Pilates - 50mins

tuesday
morning- body weight- 40mins
evening- Hitt step- 35 mins

wednesday-
Morning - body weight -45mins
evenjng- weights- 45mins

thursday
morning- body weight- 45 mins
evening - usually a repeat of a step work out
Friday
just a body weight work out - 40mins

saturday
morning - weights

sunday -rest

I also ensure I get my 10,000 steps in every day.

I track my food intake and have a high protein diet

I am very fit at 53

I literally did that on Wednesday this week (45 min. drive each way) & still got 11600 steps in according to Fitbit. Ok, so the nearest cheap parking is a mile away, and that got me 2 x 20 minute walks. Plus I went for a half-hour walk at 4:20pm to clear my head. And I was able to get cuppas & use the loo while at work, to add some steps, 8:45am-6:30pm. Otherwise my partner did all the parenting, housework, cooking, washing up, I literally did no activity but those 3 little bursts of walking; went to bed at 9pm. Fitbit overcounts steps, so call it 10k in reality. If I literally had nothing else to do and no energy then I could get down to 3k for the day, I guess. but it would be an effort to sit around so much, and would mean no cooking, no housework, no effort made. My brain stops working when I sit still so long, so would totally undermine work quality.

I've been WFH this morning since 4am & apparently already hit 1400 steps. <shrug> Half the thread is people saying they are "too busy" usually with caring for others, to get exercise, so how my-work-and-caring-duties-stop-exercise problem compatible with getting just 3-4k steps average/day ?

I have a friend who always WFH in computer-job, sleeps 10 hours/night, is on her phone constantly, hates walking anywhere, & still gets 5-6k steps/day avg.

I actually suspect PP who said 3-4k is undercounting, btw.

She clearly doesn't prioritise fitness sniffy.

I’m retired now. I used to swim before work, and walk 4 miles as my commute to and from the office.

Fitbit is so inaccurate. Dh has one and it wildly overestimates steps. My Samsung phone seems much more accurate. We can do the same things, go for a walk together etc and my phone will say 11000 steps and his fitbit will say 15000. Working out the km etc it would seem mine is far more realistic.

Gosh you lot are inspirational! I walk about 5 miles a day with my dog, and play tennis once or twice a week. And have just started T'ai Chi (which i find a bit too funny to take take seriously so that may not stick).

How big is your house lljkk?! I can be wfh all day and with chores on top not do more than 300 steps!

I keep wanting to put time in for simple walks never mind the type of exercise listed above. For various reasons it keeps stop starting for the last 3/4 years -very depressing. I’m interested to know what kind of things people do regularly socially with family, never mind friends, to fit in so much exercise.

My God you people are fit! Making me wish I never had kids so late as I am really struggling with kids and work to fit exercise in.

I am reading this thread with shame and fear at how little I do. Hope to covert that to motivation later today!

Really intrigued as to how some of you find the time for all the exercise you do? Am very envious
I have a 17 year old still at home, I'm back at college 4 days a week & work 1 day a week for my husband who works away a lot. I do all the housework, care of the dog etc. alone (dd does help but she's in school until after 6 studying & is at her dads 2 evenings a week). I'm absolutely stretched to the max time wise & though I try to make it to the gym 3 times a week I often only make it 2 times.
Am I just stupidly busy or bad at time management????

I started fitting it in by using the time of the morning school run, once the "baby" went to secondary school

It's one reason why running is popular - you can just go and do it when you have the odd 30 mins. Ditto for online work-outs (if you'll really do them, not cheat like me!) Or if you don't have a change to shower after, do something non-sweaty online (yoga or Pilates perhaps)