How do women over 60 get in shape?

[Shelley]

Hi all!  I am starting this thread to help all the ladies from our old forum get started up again over here in the new place.  Hope you all find this thread.  Getting in shape after 60 has its own challenges especially when you have lost muscle, have slowed metabolism and hormone changes.  How are you getting and staying fit?  What s working for you?  

[tasia]

Hi, I take classes at my local senior center. I do one class that is half aerobic and half arm weight exercises. I also take two yoga classes, one is gentle and one is challenging. One class is Zumba gold. I can't do lunges and planks very well due to back and knee issues but I just modify as need be. I also have a rebounder mini tramp that I use occasionally at home. Keep up the good work!

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[coolsneakers]

How do you get it all in?  Sounds great.... good for you !!

[tasia]

It is a tough one especially in cold climates. Winter has been horrible here in MA as well and I have been in the same boat. I am starting to get back on track now with increased e excise and smarter food choices. I try to avoid the processed foods. I eat at my local senior center several days a week before or after exercise classes which makes it harder to eliminate certain foods but I look forward to it so...oh well! We have to have a little fun. Find foods that you really like that you can stick to and try to keep it as simple as possible. That works best for me. Good luck and just stay focused on moving and a diet that is 60-70% what you think it should be😊

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[Sunnylane]

I use my recumbant bicycle each night 3 to 10 miles depending how tired I am.  I use my tredmill 3 times per week.  I do Yoga at home with a video, since I have one bad knee I adjust some of the moves accordingly. On nice weather days I walk my two Airedale Terriers - they have a lot of energy so its a long walk. And recently I retired from my job and I have begun a new company to keep me busy. I am looking at  my 63rd birthday in a couple months.   Phew, now that I read this, I really sound like a very busy person   hee hee hee.   I supose I am.

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi Betti

Tell your husband that he can support your Drs. orders for your health by hiding the junk food. Lock the junk away please dear hubbie. 

Sounds like your doc. is asking you to lower your blood sugar pronto.  Lots of good things to eat to get healthy. 

When raining or too cold, it's not snowing here, I dance inside the house. I'm 74 next week so we are close in age. I walk while chatting on the phone too. 

All the best to you. Good wishes for a low A1C test.

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

Lifting light weights about 2.5 lbs and 20 reps. Sometimes I do 5 lbs and 12 reps. The idea is to increase slowly not to hurt ourselves.

All the best,

Barbara 

[anrento]

Sounds great. Good attitude. Great advice.

[Rosmilla]

The easiest way is not to have ever stopped exercising. Anyway it's never too late to join a local gym and do a variety of classes and weight regimes [circuits], building gradually to around 4 - 5 times a week.

I have plenty of muscle tone but the skin will always be much softer and not tighten up with weight loss at this age. Unfortunately you just have to acept this and perhaps wear it as a badge of honour for having survived when others have not. Walking is a very good start, build up the distance and pace gradually on a regular basis [every day].

[dancefoxtrot]

Rosmilla

We can only fill in the saggy skin with muscle after a certain age. At 73 I'm happy to feel strong, look good with clothes on and try not to focus on the wrinkly or loose skin. Like you say it is a badge of honor to have survived. I feel young when I'm dancing and walking and not staring in the mirror. I think it is vital to be grateful for health, friends, beautiful weather or countryside. 

Enjoy, enjoy, it is our choice to focus on the positive healthy things in life or not.

Best to you all,

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

Tasia

I try for a diet that is 95% what it should be. Mostly I make it. My son makes pasta dishes so when I visit I try to exercise portion control. That is hard. I don't have stuff that I don't want to eat at home but still have to watch the quantity of nuts, hummus, guacomole or whole grain cereal if I want to keep losing the weight. 

Are you in Essex Co. MA? My ancestor's on my dad's side are from Salem, Danvers, Beverly, Lynn and Haverill area.

Keep stepping,

Barbara 

[joella]

---

@coolsneakers wrote:

anybody lifting weights?

---

I had been using 3-5 lbs. hand weights in my Silver Sneakers classes. But I have recently added a class called Body Flex. You use hand weights and  weighted bars at first  then progress to barbell with weights added, like regular weight lifters do.

I am only up to the 12 lbs weighted bar after 2 weeks at it 2x a week. Music is upbeat.  I am loving it. I am 65 and retired, so it is giving me a project to work on, I want to get to barbells with some heavy weight on them.

Body Flex seems to be similar as another class given by some gyms under the name Body Pump, I was checking it out on youtube.com and found my class to not be so much like the old 80's Bodyflex videos but more like the newer Body Pump videos.

I also attend 3 yoga classes, along with some yoga sessions at home with DH,  and that uses your own body weight in several positions. Weight bearing exercise is a Good Thing at  this stage for all of us.

[Rosmilla]

Hi there

I do Les Mills Body Pump classes and have been enjoying for a number of
years about twice a week along with step classes [ same brand ]. I am 64
this year and have never been better muscle to fat ratio.

I have added Pilates which is like the yoga you mentioned; boy that's hard
when using your own body weight in poses for extended periods. The only
problem I have is stiffening up over the night. Once I'm up and moving it's
fine. I know I should take in more fluids for this and have started using magnesium [powdered] again.

[lindrab]

Hi Shelley, i am new to the community.  I am over 60 and attend Body Jam and Zumba classes at my YMCA.  The music is motivating me to move and doing this with other members is so much fun.  It is not at all like excercise.  I am however, trying to figure out the most accurate way to tell how many calories I burn in that 60 minutes.  If I look at my Charge when I start and then again when I finish I just calculate by subtracting.  I am getting different answers every time I do this. 

[Rosmilla]

I agree it's pretty confusing; you really can only use it as a guide. The calorie count must factor in age, weight etc. So if you have all that information in it can give you an average count of calories burnt.

I believe it varies because sometimes you may be putting more effort in and perhaps the routine is slightly different....I know with the step count while doing step aerobics it can differ from week to week and even daily as different instructors may vary the routine. Each new choroegraphy impacts on the intensity and step count; these are changed every few weeks at our gym. I wouldn't worry too much about this; better you reduce some of your food intake if you are looking to reduce weight. I'm sure you will be getting fit and healthy so don't worry about calorie expenditure.

[lindrab]

Thanks so much. I did find a Zumba calculator that you put in your weight, time in class and intensity. 🙂 

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[bikerbooker]

Just starting now. Have been sically exercising for many years but had surgery a year ago and now looking to start again fitbit has me paying more attention to what i eat and im starting to lose a little again i have added stairs more often and sometomes do treadmill at ymca thats about it. i know i need to start slow (im an expert at re-starting exercise!) so i plan to walk or bike every day we have an almost mile loop around our housec which is perfect to start. im going out now to walk it, regardless of the tree pollen!

[pcmom]

Hi everyone,

I just found this group today.  Since I'm in my mid-60's, I figured I would fit right in.  Actually, I'm really new to all of this.   My dh gave me  the "One" for my  birthday and I've been using it every day for almost one month now.    It really motivates me to move more as I always try to at least get 10,000 steps in each day.  Personally, I don't like exercise classes but I LOVE walking so this works out great for me.  I also have a recumbent bike which I use.  So far, so good.  I've lost 2 lbs and if I can just lose a few more, I'll be happy because I don't really have a lot of weight to lose.  Mainly I'm trying to firm up my old lady muscles. 

[tasia]

Sounds like you off to a good start. I rely on classes and DVDs as well. Good luck!

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[Ladydiet]

Hi,

I just started FitBit, I would like to join your group. On April 29, 2015 I will be 70. I honestly haven't changed that much, I was fortunate to read an article a long time ago that said "if you can hold it together at 40 than thats good, I think it was a glamor magazine. Anyway I thought to myself why stop at 40. So I kept on doing what I was doing before 40 and so far so good. If you go to my facebook page and  click on my page you will see a picture of me taken Jan. or Feb. of this year. I have lots of things to share with allof you so I hope we can journey together to reach our goals.  Diane Quilghini  

[Rosmilla]

Hey you look fabulous [just looked on Facebook]. I'm 64 in October and no way is my neck ever going to look as good as that. However my body does look better than it did at 40 in some ways. It has more muscle and definition thanks to the gym and running but still the skin is going south and has lost it's elasticity which is very normal post menapause. At near 70 is it possible to look that good without makeup and help from a surgeon or HRT?