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.

I am early 60s and the biggest thing for me is l really enjoy exercise. I don't actually think too much about it being good for me but do it for fun. It's great for my mental health, social life etc. Also it makes me feel young and my dc really admire my exercise routine so it keeps them challenged. However l do notice that a lot my age have serious issues from very competitive sport in their youth eg rugby..hurling as in lreland etc. Those who have done best are those who enjoyed swimming, cycling etc..the noncontact sports. My dh has back injuries from football that do cause him issues.

I’ve also got a dad who was incredible fit and active - ran and exercised daily. Pescatarian, low body fat who became very unwell in his 70s. There is some evidence that men’s hearts can be damaged by lots of exercise and not taking rest days (women aren’t impacted in the same way). He also had mental health problems and that causes inflammation too.

So yes to exercise but rest up too is my view.

I know loads of people who are active in their 60s. The ones I know do golf, gardening, hiking and cycling. They don't seem that old to me.

I know some similarly fit people in their 70s. One competes in triathlon. Admittedly they do have aches and pains - dodgy hips and knees etc. I don't know if it's related to the sports.

Just shows you cannot guarantee any particular outcome of lifestyle.

as I don’t know anyone who is 60+ and used to working out regularly

Im in my mid-60s and have always done some sort of deliberate physical activity. I lift very heavy weights and run fast at the moment. (Although not at the same time!)

My level of physical fitness and energy and general sense of well being is excellent and most people think I’m in my mid to late 40s when they first meet me.

My gym has people in their 80s and 90s working out regularly. My PT trains a 90 year old so she can stay mobile and active.

The benefits are obvious.

Hi I really sympathise. I have had CFS for 20 years. I managed pilates for the first few years but had to drop out as it was too much for me. I also have severe osteoporosis so not able to lift weights or bend. I have been trying to increase weight bearing by simply plodding up and down the stairs every so often during the day. Some days I can't do it so wait until I have a "good" day and do it then.

I use a heart rate monitor to pace myself and notice that days HR is lower I can do much more that day, conversely if HR is raised I lie low and don't push through. I guess this is similar to post-covid fatigue.

Since I have been doing this really tiny amount of exercise I have had a slightly better DEXA scan, so I really think every little helps!

I am 63 and have never been keen on exercise. Over the last year I have started to feel stiff particularly around my hips. So I have started walking and swimming gradually building up the steps and lengths. I am also doing some yoga. I do feel much better and will keep going. In a way I now have a motivator to exercise and that motivator is aging. I also only work part-time so at last I have the time.

Anecdotally I have two parents: one for whom sport, walking, running was always a regular part of their lives; the other who would take the car to drive 2 mins to the shop even when they were in their 30s and who never really exercised regularly. Both in their late 60s now. The active one is still pretty active and could easily walk 6-10 miles a day without too much hassle. The other, is now all but housebound and can barely walk at all - much to their distress.

That said, the opposite is true of my grandparents. My grandad was a serious hill walker. Died in his early 70s. My grandmother liked the hills but was no where near as serious about walking as my grandad. She's in her mid 90s and only recently has started to seriously decline.

So maybe there is no telling!

It depends. My DM never walked or did any exercise in her entire life. The only shoes she owned were high heel, and she only wore dresses! She died age 93 of COVID, and didn't really have much wrong with her. Genes okay a big role, and I suppose when she was young, she did lots of physical work in the house, and had four children, and didn't drive..... So in her 20's and 30's was probably quite fit.

I'm 60 and I still run park run, practise martial arts and cycle with my ds. I also work full time, mow the lawn, do the decorating etc etc.

So far, no deterioration other than a slightly slower 5k time.

I heard that Liam Neeson once that said motion is lotion, that really stuck in my head.
And judging from this thread the old everything is moderation is very apt advice.

My parents are about to be 70 and both still go to the gym regularly, cycle, walk long distances and my mum jogs.

They both look way younger than they are and have always been active and are not overweight. Occasionally they have niggles and temporary injuries so do less, but keeping active has definitely made them look way less old than some 70 year olds I know.

I'm 62, have always been active and into working out/fitness but have made changes to my routine as I age. Running gave way to 1 hour of brisk walking (wearing a weighted vest or doing hills), weight training 4 days per week and a quick 20 minute yoga routine nightly (for flexibility).

Advantages? I enjoy it, I feel good, I look good, benefits my mental health. I think the key is to be mindful of your body as you age. The "no pain, no gain" attitude is just dumb when you're older. Injuries and joint replacements will really set you back.

My advice to younger women would be...build your bones! You begin losing bone mass in your 30's and you want to slow that process as much as possible thru weight bearing exercise.

I’ve always been active but contracting cardiomyopathy from viral myocarditis slammed the brakes on 5 years ago.
I’m now unable to do anything like I could so have had to adapt big time.
Thankfully I have excellent bone density, cholesterol levels etc (I’m nearly 70) thanks to being healthy and active for years beforehand.

Exercise is the key to a happy old age. I'm in my fifties now and still work out at least 3, usually 4 times per week. I have always loved keeping fit - it's my biggest and most effective means of relieving stress. When I see other women my age, moaning and groaning when they just get up from a seat, I am so grateful that I have always exercised.

DF has always been very active - in terms of lots of verrry long walks on every childhood holiday - often up a mountain, had a minor health scare in his 50s and stepped it up to add in swimming several times a week (lots and lots of lengths not just a little bit). He's 89 and still swims a mile every Friday morning.

My mum died at 80 and was always active, regularly going for a 5k walk, doing exercises, gardening, and also mentally active.

Before she died she had to have a check up for something and the doctors were extremely impressed with her muscle definition and how toned her skin was. So while she died at 80 due to a health issue if it weren’t for that she could have easily carried on and being both mentally physically active definitely made her life more enjoyable. She went on holidays abroad with friends v friends of a similar age who’d let themselves go in their 60s on the basis they were old.

This.

My DM is crippled by a lifetime of nursing before the era of manual handling regulations and hoists. I see a lot of elderly ex-nurses with the same problems.

Similarly my DF was very fit and active but so stiff with arthritis he could barely bend after a lifetime of physical work.

My MIL - middle class SAHM - has not such issues and no arthritis at all.

My runner brother had a heart attack at 60 which he nearly didn't survive. Smoked and drank heavily as a young man though. I don't 'exercise' as such but active and garden/walk/run up stairs/ swim 20 lengths a couple of times a week. My mum was similar to me though she smoked and I never have. She's just beginning to fail health wise at 85. I'm hopeful that I can continue my activity (58)
DH was very active. Now has developed a blood disorder which makes him breathless and fatigued so he's not exercising. But it's not lack of exercise that made him unwell - he doesn't exercise because he's unwell. So the statistics can be skewed I think.

@Kendodd you talk sense 💐

None of my grandparents were physically active as they aged and all lived well into their 90s. My parents are both very active now in their 80s but both have a lot of health issues.

Being active and exercising is very important for physical and mental health but I don't think it overrides genetics.

I disagree with the term "working out".
My mother is 93. Always been active, walked, gardened etc.. never was still.
She lives alone in her own house, still gets on her knees to wash the kitchen floor, ( lifts weights her son-in-law gave her for upper arm strength, can get up from lying on the floor to do her exercises( she's an ex physio) unaided, she does her balance exercises and is better than me...
She has an allotment 1.5 miles away and has a chest freezer full of home grown fruit and veg.
She never worked out but has always been active, curious and interested in life ( which is also important in maintaining longevity, health and quality of life).

@TeaAndStrumpets
You have my sympathy! I'm so glad that your Dexa scan readings have improved! I've been using a vibration machine, one you stand on that vibrates at different rates and may help strengthen bones. No idea if it works but hopefully it will have a beneficial effect!

My 93 year old neighbour goes for a daily run. He has always been very active and says he is still far too young to give up yet.

He is my greatest inspiration whenever I am having a sluggish day.