What sport or fitness did your mum do?

[lljkk]

My mother was born in the 1940s. When I was a child (1970s), my mother regularly did ... swimming, tennis, jogging, cycling, softball, horse-riding, aerobics, yoga, walks. + random other fitness or sport.

My dad's mom didn't do sport, my other grandmother (short person!, born 1900s) used to coach basketball as an adult, and rode horses as a youngster. I'm not aware she did any other sport, though.

Did your mum do any fitness or sport?

No formal exercise but, we didn’t have a car so lots of day to day walking and also leisure walking. She worked full time as a primary teacher as well. Born in the 1930’s

Despite being obsessed with weight and diets, only ridiculous shit like toning tables and anything else that promised magical weight loss without any actual effort 🙄

Never having had the example set nor encouragement to be active myself it's been a struggle for me to train myself into it as an adult.

I'm in awe of the families at Parkrun that all go together every week and the kids just grow up with exercise being a normal part of life.

She did aerobics at our local community centre once a week, nightly yoga at home (she had a book she did exercises out of), swimming once a week (she’d swim in the lanes while we dicked about in the leisure pool) and lots of walking and cycling when we were kids. She also had a male friend that took her to swing dancing nights as they were both really good at it. Anything she could do for cheap or free, I think.
She was always slim, fit and strong without being ‘sporty’.

She’s late 70s now and does weekly aerobics & tai chi classes, swims a couple of times a week and walks 10,000 steps a day minimum. She only stopped cycling everywhere at about 70.l and prefers to walk, She’s fitter than I am! <couch potato>.

Nothing. She couldn't swim or ride a bike either

Lots of medium energy things like a job that had her on her feet, likes a walk, rarely sat down, but not much actual proper sweating exercise. She had a stage of 90s aerobics and of doing step at home. She's 70 and healthy but not as fit as she thinks she is!

My dad joined a gym when they became a thing, but not any more.

DH and I are not much better tbh. I do home workouts from phone apps, try to mix up aerobic / weights / yoga types. DH plays tennis regularly. So the kids do at least see both "exercise" and "sports" happening I guess!

@Bonfire23 snap!

My mother was born in 1940. She rode horses as a toddler until she was well into her sixties.

She was also a very good ice skater.

In the 60s she saw a film of a boxer skipping in a gym and as she used to live skipping as a child she bought a skipping rope and taught herself to skip like a boxer!

She could also hula hoop very well.

My mum was born in 1942 - she did badminton in the church hall late 70/early 80s and swimming for the remaining decades - stopped swimming around COVID and hasn't got back into it sadly

My DM was born in the 1930s and did loads unlike me hockey, athletics, tennis, squash, keep fit & yoga mainly ... still does yoga at 90!

Both parents did nothing, literally, we never even went for walk. Conversely I’m sport obsessed. No idea where I got it from. I guess it got my out of the house a lot!
I’m still very sporty and they’re still very slovenly.

My mother same as @QueSyrahSyrah

She was born 1934, always the “fat mum”, we did no exercise and hated it at school. I still struggle with my weight. Think I may opt for gastric sleeve.

My kids are very active with exception of one for valid medical reason (cerebral palsy).

Mine was born in 1936 and was a county hockey player at school and rode and played tennis apparently. I never saw it as she took no exercise other than walking and gardening by the time I was born and still doesn't. Dad was a fell runner (ran for his regiment) and did all the trips to the swimming pool etc. He still swims a mile every Friday morning....

My DM was born in the 1950s in a different country. Growing up, we would go swimming and DF would mess around with us while DM swam lengths. We had a rowing machine at home which she would use. And when she was about 50 she took up running and did a few 10ks, which I will forever be proud of her for doing. DF was in the army and took me running from about 4 years old, which has stayed with me throughout childhood and adulthood. I think it’s so important for children to see their parents doing something active because they do copy that behaviour.

Neither of my parents really did any formal sport when we were kids. My mum occassionally joined a keep fit class but she would more often than not make excuses not to go. She didn't drive and she cycled places that were maybe 1-2 miles away. She was overweight and on a diet most of my childhood/adolensce. If I was frustrated that I didn't get the hang of a sport or wasn't good at it, the stock phrase was "we're not a sporty family" and that was the end of the conversation!

Dad was more active in that he did a gardening job at weekends (office job during the week)
We used to go on walks on a Sunday afternoon but they weren't ever long or strenuous.
When my DM died he took up yoga, keep fit, personal training etc and did lots of walking.

Not much till she retired, she was a full time teacher so on her feet all day and she also walks very fast, she also did Scottish country dancing. She joined a gym when she retired and still goes to that in her 80s, still walks very fast, does lots of voluntary work and goes to the dance classes. She is slim and healthy, slightly high blood pressure but that's all.

Hockey, squash, windsurfing, tennis.
Stopped hockey
Started running, pilates.

My DM was born in 1920.

As a teenager in the 30s, she rode a tandem with her BF, covering considerable distances, but all that stopped in 1939. She never learnt to ride a bike herself, which is why she was on the back of a tandem.

When I was growing up, the only exercise she did was housework and the daily 200m walk to the shops at the bottom of our road.

After my DF died and there was no car, she walked more, but I never knew her to do any structured exercise. In fact none of the women in our family did, until an aunt took up bowls in retirement.

Despite this, my inactive DM made it to 96, whereas my DF, who was equally inactive, smoked heavily and also had high levels of stress, was medically retired in his fifties and died at the age of 75.

I walk five miles or so a day, take a weekly Pilates class and exercise my brain as well as my body. DMIL did the Times cryptic every day until a week before she died at the age of 98!

My mum was born in 1940 and tells me that she was a good swimmer and hockey player in her teens but was prevented from competing by her own mother, who didn't think girls should do competitive sport. She continued to swim and ice skate recreationally, go for short bike rides, and walked a lot. She took up lawn bowls in her late 40s and played at county level, and despite some significant health problems she still makes sure she logs a mile of walking most days and throws a few bowls but can't manage more than a couple of ends.

If he'd been born a couple of decades later I suspect my dad would have been a decent triathlete.

She did keep fit in the library(!) and played tennis. And walked a lot. She does a lot more now she’s retired!

My mum did absolutely zero. She hated exercise, and couldn't see the point of it. My DP's mum is the same.

My mum used to do swing into shape in the 1980s, she also did horse riding, hiking, swimming etc. she’s now 79 and does Pilates.

None at all, but she didn't drive so walked everywhere, and worked in fairly active jobs (eg shop assistant), so I think she kept fit anyway.

None! Well she had 4 kids in the 60s and didn't drive then, and prams didn't go on buses like now, so she would have walked more out of necessity then. But later none.

Mine is another like @QueSyrahSyrah now she’s in poor health, with limited mobility. Seeing how limited her world is I’ve taken the bull by the horns and finally started doing exercise, I wish I’d done it earlier and I wish I’d instilled it in my dcs.