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’d also be careful about confirmation biases.

People who are well enough to exercise regularly are also more likely to be well enough to do a lot in their 70s.

eg my gran had several abdominal surgeries from her 40s onwards (doctors linked that the quality of her muscles and several pg - nothing she could have done iyswim). And yes she had some mobility issues quite early on. She still lives independently well into her 90s….
Grand father never exercised but was active all his life and lived at home independently until he died aged 97yo.

Personally, looking at older people, I feel it’s tte carrying on being active, moving, walking that makes the difference rather than ‘exercise’

I’d advise you to look at an app called Visible.
It tracks your HR and HRV and lets you know if it’s a day where you need to be more careful energy wise or you can do a bit more. And ut helps You pace too.

Really really good for anyone ME/CFS or LC.

And it raises a good point.
I have ME and there is no way I can exercise. Exercise will actually make me ill, even more than I am now.
And there is a huge challenge there of keeping mobile/moving but not doing too much so you don’t relapse.

My mum is in her late 60s, she took up running in her late 40s and is now very fit and healthy, still runs regularly and when she visits me in winter does cross country skiing and enjoys a good quality of life. My dad, on the other hand, is 70 and has always been more sedentary, especially as he got older, and struggles with walks (short ones are ok but longer than half an hour is getting difficult) and stairs and general mobility, though this is at least partly thanks to getting a particularly bad dose of covid (5 weeks on a ventilator so muscle wastage happened). So judging by my parents, exercise can make a big difference to quality of life.

On the flip side, my grandmother was also active but she got Alzheimer's and the good physical health from her active lifestyle meant she suffered longer with it

One of my friends mother's is 80. She always tried to keep her weight down and lost about 2 stone 6/7 years ago. She walks about 2 or 3 miles most days. If the weather is horrible she might miss her walks and she told my friend she feels stiff or her knees feel worse when this happens.
This lady has a few sisters. Some of them would also do a decent walk each day, do gardening or be active.
One sister then was always a few stone overweight and was not into walking. She had a stroke a few years ago and now uses a walker.

My friends mother has several friends and the ones who did a good walk each day, stayed active and watched their weight generally are in better health than the ladies who did not do this. Most of these ladies would try to not put on to much weight before they eat less and move more to lose it. They like to stay say at a size 12/14/16 depending on their height or build.
Then most of these woman did not smoke and they would not be heavy drinkers either.

I also think as you get older that having friends and getting out of the house each day helps.
I know a a lady who is in her mid 80s who reads 2 newspapers each day & does puzzles. She is involved with several groups and meets friends regularly. She is still very sharp mentally. She is slower getting out of a chair say than 5 years ago but is still driving and does not need help to stay in her home.

My mum has always been super active with many interests. She is now 78 and still healthy, happy and able to travel long distances. Also a very good diet.

Boring as it is, I plan to do the same.

apologies, have read the full thread but I regularly go to the gym and a lot of the women there are in their 60’s/70’s - regularly doing cardio/yoga etc. Many of them are fitter and more flexible than me! (40)
My own DM is late 70’s - she walks her dogs every day, vigorously gardens, goes to Pilates classes. Most people think she’s 10 years + younger than she is. In fact she’s much much fitter than any of my friend’/ younger parents. Maybe it’s genetics. My grandfather (her father) was the same. Hall and hearty into his 90’s. Very active. Neither of them have ever gone out running or even stepped foot in a gym (except to use a jacuzzi 😂) so I think it’s a combination of a generally healthy, active lifestyle (as opposed to a strict exercise regime) and genetics.

That should say I haven’t read the full thread.

On the flip side, my grandmother was also active but she got Alzheimer's and the good physical health from her active lifestyle meant she suffered longer with it

This also happened to my father. He was incredibly fit and strong, always at the gym playing sports, but was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his 50’s and battled on for years. The doctors said his fitness and cardio health kept him alive but his quality of life was wretched, poor bloke.

Poor man, its not nice to watch that happen to them :(

Ha didn't they use them for astronauts? The stairclimbing has firmed up my legs a bit, apparently it works the same muscles as squats....I tried those but tended to keel over ;-)

Can I also comment about HRT? I had my osteoporosis diagnosis after 5 years of HRT. I read threads on here where people say taking it is essential for avoiding osteoporosis. Well it ain't necessarily so! You could still get it, so try and look after your bones in every way possible.

I am in my 50s and most of my friends have given up the battle of the bulge. I am keen to watch my weight and keep exercising, after seeing how my slim and active mum is really enjoying her old age. She doesn't work out as such; she walks, gardens and does yoga. My friends think I am a bit joyless, but honestly old age is not for the feeble or the weak.

Yoga is actually brilliant as you age.

My Dad is 80 and has always been very active, a keen walker and gardener. He’s doing really well and looks great for his age.

My mum is a few years younger and is the kind of person who takes the car to the shops even though they are 5 mins away. She now struggles to walk any kind of distance, though she has back trouble so it is a bit chicken-and-egg.

My sister and I are both really active, there are some things you can’t help health wise, but ww want to have the best possible chance of an active old age. I walk for miles, lift weights and do yoga.

People in their 60s and 70s who exercise are better off in exactly the same way as people in their 20s and 30s or 40s and 50s who exercise.

People in their 60s and 70s are normal human beings you know!

I can go further than this - I am on a master's swimming team and our oldest member is 96! He still competes! He swims for an hour each day, walks everywhere, and is in brilliant healthy for his age. I know this is not normal at his age, but he puts his spritely abilities down to keeping active, having a good diet, keeping good company, not drinking alcohol or smoking. He is brilliant.
My mum is in her 60s and physically active and has a good diet and in a much better state than a lot of her friends who are, sorry to say it, fat and inactive.

There are plenty of studies that show that strength training in particular is beneficial as you age.

Here's just one:
these exercises build muscle strength and muscle mass and preserve bone density, independence, and vitality with age. In addition, strength training also has the ability to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and the signs and symptoms of numerous chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes, while also improving sleep and reducing depression

I'm 62 and have always been active. I trained to teach yoga when I was 55.

I'm in great shape physically and mentally and yes, much better than my peers who haven't been and stayed active.

I'm not on any medication and my weight is healthy, although like many post menopausal women, keeping weight and abdominal fat under control takes more effort these days!

Good diet makes a big difference - The Dr Chatterjee books and podcasts are a good start if you don't know how to live more healthily.

Touching wood of course - we never know what's around the corner.

I know from my yoga training and experience that 'use it or use it' is vitally important.

You may want to modify the type of exercise you do as you age - I cycle, play tennis, lift weights, swim and walk (not all at the same time of course!)

Then yoga keeps everything from seizing up and also builds strength.

My mum is 76. She does yoga, keep fit and walks a few miles a day when she doesn't have any exercise classes on.
I have an illness at the moment which has caused me to be sedentary this year and she's fitter than me!

*use it or lose it

Diet plays a big part too. DF was a runner and now gardens a lot but a penchant for cheese and a sedentary job took its toll and he had a heart attack last year. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. And sleep and stress. But yes point of thread is to point to whether exercise makes a difference - 100%.

Zoe Nutrition podcasts are excellent.

Both my parents (DM is 70, DF is 72) work out - they run, do a lot of walking, and garden too. They each have a personal trainer once a week. They travel regularly, and recently hiked the Inca Trail.

They are loads more capable than my PIL and friends' parents, many of whom can barely walk a mile or two and get out of breath walking up a flight of stairs.

My DP have friends who are similarly inclined, and they are also fit, healthy and active. There's a stark constrast between those who exercise and those who don't, that wasn't so apparent a decade or two ago.

Obviously there's a lot of luck involved (you never know when you'll get an illness or injury) but it's also just as much about being active. Past 50, you have to use it or lose it (and never get it back) where health and mobility are concerned.

DH and I are determined to be like my DParents rather than DPIL!

Also, it is not even massive amounts that make a difference (for the people who've mentioned exercise isn't really their thing) - this study from 2019 looked at women with a mean age of 72 over 4.3 years and found that women who did an average of 4,400 steps compared to those who did around 2,700 had significantly lower mortality:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2734709?guestAccessKey=afffe229-3940-4dd1-94e6-56cdd109c457&utm_source=jps&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=author_alert-jamanetwork&utm_content=author-author_engagement&utm_term=1m

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/well/move/even-one-extra-walk-a-day-may-make-a-big-difference.html

And I aim at 7,000 steps now, as 10,000 is just too much for me (I do other exercise too, but I have an autoimmune disorder too):

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/06/well/move/10000-steps-health.html

Oh, I would love to hike the Inca trail! I hope DH's health keeps up. He is not so good at the moment as he has less time than me. Hope he can improve it in retirement.

I went for a mammogram the other day, and it was like looking at the ghost of Xmas yet to come. Every woman there over 50 was overweight, and some could not even climb the stairs. Was a wakeup call ( she says as she eats a pack of Maltesers).

My dad played tennis regularly all my life. He is much healthier than my mum who doesn't exercise.

Not there yet (mid 50s) but I do see a number of 70+ people out running and I think they are inspirational. I hope to be that person one day.