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.

Looking at older relatives and family friends there is definitely a correlation between how much they looked after themselves and how fit they still are in old age. I have hit an age now where I am starting to get aches and pains so am really trying to get myself into an exercise habit as I am positive it will benefit me in the long run.

I know a lady who is 80 who is very fit. She has never driven - she walks or cycles. Thinks nothing of doing a 6 mile walk across fields and stiles as well as walking her dog twice a day.

MIL is 95. Has always done lots of hiking and gardening. Still does some gardening although this is limited due to failing eyesight rather than mobility. Lives independently in a house though.

Two things for me

1- some people will nit be able to walk 7000 steps due to ill health - not related to them exercising or not.

2- 2.5k steps is fuck all. I’m spend most of my days lying down (because I’m ill) and I still reach between 2 and 2.5k steps a day. I’ll do more than 4K if I do some shopping. Basically, you’ll reach 4K steps of you get out if the house everyday. In which case, the issue isn’t exercise. It’s simply living a life as a recluse. And as utter posters have highlighted, doing that and nit seeing people, not being l’art if a community will also have a huge impact on their health both physical and MH.

I'm in my 50s and even now so much more "capable" than less active school friends.

I have two distinct groups of friends, people I run and cycle with and the others! The runners seems so much younger in every way, what they can do physically, their outlook, the way they dress. I think 50s is when the difference between active and sedentary people suddenly becomes noticeable.

Among runners I know a woman who ran London marathon to celebrate her 80th birthday and a mountain marathon after that. I ran a 15 mile trail race with a woman of 78 on Sunday. They're amazing in comparison to ordinary 70/80 yos.

Just general levels of activity make a huge difference as well though. My parents (late 70s) have a large garden that they spend part of everyday working in, my 90yo neighbour still uses a manual lawnmower and sweeps his drive everyday. Both walk everywhere. ILs seem much older, although they're younger.

I didn't do much till my 40s...I'm mid 60s now. I can do 3 spin classes a week, 2 strength training sessions and an 8 mile hike .
I dread getting immobile. Doing everything possible to avoid it.

My dad was incredibly fit until age late 40s then slowly, over decades, let it all go.
I don't know how much he didn't fight it & how much he couldn't fight it. He says he had back problems then he had a stroke, yadayada, but he never really found self-discipline about trying to maintain his fitness. Sad. He can't walk more than 50 feet without feeling weak now (age 80). He has had some awful falls & not broken a hip, though, which I think could be benefit of his mid-life terrific fitness.

My next big goal is to get to 65 & be happy to sit down on the beach. I realised how old my parents had become when they were horrified at suggestion they sit on ground at beach. They would have struggled to get back up...

This worries me about HRT- people thinking it is a miracle cure so they don't need to strength train or do cardio.

We lose muscle mass and lung capacity evey year - use it or lose it basically.

DM is 74 and does care work 30 hours a week in the evenings. Not that active in the day. Recently took on charity shop volunteering but the walk there and back hurt her leg muscles so she stopped as didn't want to pay bus fare. She blames leg length discrepancy. Anyway she says she is often horrified by the diets of her clients - beige junk food. Obesity also a common theme.

When I was at school in the 50s and 60s there were very few obese children. Everybody walked to school though, and food was much plainer. Although I had to go to a distant school (Catholic) I preferred to walk all the way and spend my bus fare on sweets!

DF is 93 and only just slowing down, really. He cycled/walked everywhere until about 86; his hobby was wildlife photography and he used to climb trees to spy on badger setts!
It's partly luck and partly keeping fit and active.

My grandfather is mid 70s and still sails, does long haul races etc. it's amazing to see!

My DP is 70 this year. You wouldn't know it looking at him.

He cycle toured in his teens and 20's. Started marathon running in his mid 20's - mid 30's. Got into bike (mountain bike, cyclo cross and road) racing in his 40's. Took various national titles. He had a break from racing in his early 50's, but kept cycling and running. He did some marathon length fell races in his early 60's. A skiing injury and then later cycling crash stopped him running. The injuries prompted him to start yoga (which he still does). He stopped racing soon after our son was born. He's continued to cycle. He's just got back from an epic cycle tour - 1,000 miles over 2.5 weeks.

He has no mobility or health issues. He's incredibly fit. He continues to mountain bike too. He's a machine. He has no issues tearing after our very active son. We do lots of family walks, backpacking and cycling trips. Basically the man is a product of a healthy active lifestyle!

I'm extremely fit too (I also race). I'm in my 40's. I'd never give up exercise. I've had periods of illness and injury where I've had to take a pause to recover. But I've always got back and built my fitness back up.

I know plenty of women and men racing in their 50's, 60's and 70's. So it's kind of normalised in my head that physical activity and pushing yourself is a normal part of daily life.

Through my job I come into contact with numerous people (my clients) who are not healthy and don't do any physical activity. They suffer poor mobility, poor mental health or general poor physical health (eg with chronic conditions). Many are my age and younger. That encourages me to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm not saying that lack of exercise leads to these issues. However, I'm well aware of the benefits of being physically active - the research is there! Likewise I try to maintain a more generic healthy lifestyle - minimal booze, plenty of sleep, good diet etc. My DP is the same.

Good physical health in older age isn't just about physical activity - but also about a general healthy lifestyle. It's a holistic thing.

My nan was regularly ballroom dancing up to 95. She was also getting the bus at 100 to go to visit friends and to go to lunch with them.
I am also in the ramblers, we have members in their 80's who can bounce up hills like mountain goats, better than I can in my 50's.
My mum ( mid 70's) who has never exercised can barely walk round the block.

If any one is interested in the research between physical activity, health and ageing I really recommend the book ‘Exercised’ by Daniel Lieberman. It talks in detail about how exercise helps protect health into older age, recognising that those in poorer health would naturally do less exercise, but also looking at all the physiological impacts of how exercise protects the body.

The chapter on exercise and dementia was particularly mind blowing. He also talks about lots of studies showing the benefits of starting to be more active in your 50s, 60s, 70s and older.

He also fully recognised all the barriers we face … excellent book

Four of my neighbours cycle, jog, walk, swim. They are all in their 70s and a real inspiration. My recommendation to you is a mix of ..

flexibility (yoga or Pilates twice a week)

resistance (gym or home weights twice a week)

aerobic - getting out of breath (cycle or swim twice a week)

Muscle tone is incredibly important as we age

I think it's a bit of a lottery as to whether you will develop arthritis of whatever kind as you age. In my Mid-60s, I walk miles every day, and have been hill-climbing today but I wake up every morning with stiff, achey limbs and back.

One thing I’ve learnt from my Dad’s (85) experience is that I must definitely deal with medical issues as soon as they’re identified. My active Dad has needed knee replacements for about 20 years, has kept putting them off, and now he needs a walker to get around. He’s OK, but he’d be far more mobile if he’d had the operations years ago. My FIL had one replacement and really benefited from it.

Rheumatoid arthritis runs in my Mum’s family so I may develop it, but I’ll do everything I can to combat it.

Thank you for this.

@Abracadabra12345 getting arthritis may be a lottery, but taking care of our bodies isn’t. I have arthritis and started exercising about the same time as my diagnosis. Strength and functional fitness exercises combined with a low inflammation diet help control the symptoms. There is also some good information on pain management on the arthritis uk website. The bonus is that exercise and low inflammatory diets don’t just help with arthritis but all those other illnesses that are associated with age.

We are not passive passengers on our journey to old age.

Thinking out loud here, but I do a physical job. I am lucky enough to work part time, so I'm able to commit to exercise like pilates/swimming/hiking in order to be fit enough to do the job. My colleagues who are full time are shattered by the time they get home, and are less likely to then exercise. So they are forced to consider the job their exercise, and it's the sort of activity that puts strain on the body.
I agree with a poster upthread who noted discrepancies in health outcomes between working class and middle class workers.

Also agree worth looking at the anti inflammatory diet, but noticed that's inevitably more expensive to purchase

I was thinking this too. A physical job is likely to involve repetitive actions which can strain muscles or wear certain parts of the body, especially joints. It may also not be done symmetrically - e.g. if you were digging, plastering etc. you would do it primarily on one side. For optional physical exercise you can generally avoid causing yourself damage.

I'm a couple of years short of 60, my fitness regime is as follows
Daily yoga 20 to 30 minutes
2 x 5 mile runs per week
4-5 x strength training sessions per week
Don't drive so walk everywhere, walk to the shops carry shopping home in backpack etc.
Starting to get a bit of arthritis in my feet so i plan to go back to swimming if running and walking causes problems.
I have to be careful not to overdo it with strength training or I get aching joints that I didn't used to get, this is quite upsetting because my strength is still good!

Since reading this thread, I've looked up joining a Pilates class so thank you OP!

@Worldgonecrazy (love your user name!) what strength and flexibility exercises do you do?

My dad is 88 and still spends 3 hours a day dog walking.
I'm 58 and do strength training with Caroline Girvan 4 times a week, I run 4 times a week, at least 60km a week. A,d dog walk every day, cycle sometimes. I have time, it isn't the case for everyone. And yes, when I see most women my age (apart from running club friends) they look a lot older than I do, and move with a lot more difficulty.

I run 4 times a week, at least 60km a week
woah, that's good going@samthebordercollie you must be one of those bullet proof runners, power to you!
I had a 60km+ running habit for a while but I picked up too many injuries and now I have to keep it minimal, I do miss the buzz but I'm grateful that I can still do it at all.
Running is strong medicine!