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?

[Londonder]

Just curious as I don’t know anyone who is 60+ and used to working out regularly. I‘d like to hear how working out regularly throughout life is helping you being in good shape at this stage of your life. And what do you do?
My parents led a very sedentary life and now that they are in their late 70s they are not able to do much, even a 20 min walk is difficult to manage. I want to do my best to avoid that.

Most of the ladies at my gym are retired. You have to be up early to get a chance to book into the classes ( yoga, Pilates, body balance etc). We didn't have time to go regularly when working .

I'm 70 next birthday and have been fit and active throughout life.

In earlier years, I did a lot of watersports (windsurfing, surfing, canoeing, etc.) and skied at least a couple of times a year until I had a serious accident six years ago. I also went swimming, played badminton, and various aerobics/gym activities on a regular basis.

Currently, I do a session at the gym each morning (Body Pump, Zumba/Shbam, gym circuits, yoga - 7 in total) with one rest day, plus general activities - walking, gardening, etc. I eat well and grow as much fruit and veg as I can, make my own bread and yogurt and cook from scratch. I don't buy cake, biscuits, crisps, sweets or alcohol but would have them if I'm out.

I've been fortunate with my health (so far). I'm slim-ish (BMI about 20.5) and not on any medication or needed to see a doctor for at least a couple of years. I do take a range of supplements and try to keep up to date on research into nutrition and longevity (Tim Spector, David Sinclair, etc.)

I feel great and have a busy life, which I see as all part of staying fit and healthy.

So it’s not a given that the sedentary will be disabled in old age, or the sporty be more active. Much is due to your genes, or how much damage your sport has inflicted in the past.

Phew, all is not lost for me. I agree about the importance of keeping physically and mentally active when retired but am exhausted just reading about all this activity.

You can find me in front of my laptop after 10 mins of exercise.

I see a lot of old People through work.

You can really tell the ones who keep fit and active compared to the ones who don’t. The ones that don’t go on to have the stoop, and then the shuffle and then use a stick, then have falls etc.

I have osteoarthritis and loss of mobility terrifies me, it’s why I’ve started adding mobility exercises to my exercise days. I’m determined not to end up like my inactive DGM (immobile & wheelchair bound) or DM early 70’s (stiff, in pain, unable to walk far, puffing and out of breath, overweight). I saw a lot of people drastically lose mobility over lockdown due to even less activity than usual.

I’ve known a 96 year old who was digging her own garden & my other DGM was up a step ladder washing her own windows at 92, she was cycling 5 miles a day until shortly before she was 90. Other people seems to give up and sit in a chair as soon as they retire and go downhill fast.

My next door neighbour is 83, mows her own lawn, walks to the paper shop and back each morning (40 minute walk altogether) and swims 3 times a week! She often plays football with my son in the garden and has more energy that 40 year old me!

I remember I heard somebody something on R4 about exercising. They said that roughly the amount of time you spent exercising, is the same as the amount of time exercise adds to your life.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

Great thread

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.

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..

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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).

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. 🙏

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.

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.

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

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

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.