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?  

[kflannery]

my pleasure..it is too easy to get discouraged and feel bad about your progress...we must support each other and make this a safe place to come with questions and to ask advice....

[Chamois]

Hi all hope everyone has a good weekend and Christmas. I have mostly been on the other group site but still come here as well. Trying not to do too much damage durning the holidays but wow it is hard for me. My steps are down but they are starting a hot hula class as work the beginning of the year..this old gal is gona give it a try.. should be interesting. Also now that the longest day has occured we will start getting some sun back ...slowly but I cant wait... take care everyone and have a great Christmas

[Shelley]

Thank you, Daylight!  You made me smile!

Yogini-Gayle, it sounds like you and I eat very similarly.  Yes, I have seen the Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead video and it is a very inspiring documetary, I recommend to others.  I went out and bought a juicer right after seeing it!  I hope we will see more of you on the forum and that you will share what you learn that works for you.  I love having my fitbit and find the logs and dashboard to be quite helpful in keeping me motivated.  I also have the Aria scale and it helps to track the body fat ratio and make sure I am losing fat rather than muscle.  

Chamois, a hot hula class sounds interesting!  You will have to keep us posted on what that is like!  Might be quite a workout!!  And thanks for posting about the daylight hours.  Hadn't thought about that but it will be nice to be getting more of them when it comes to getting outside and walking!  

kflannery, you are doing so great with the 7Ks!  You are so right that we can change after 60 and continue to build our fitness levels.  You are out there walking the talk (or should I say, "running" the talk?) 

This forum is a place to share our experiences and receive support on our individual and collective journeys toward health.  I thought some of you might find the Michael Mosley documentaries interesting where he reports on cutting edge exercise and diet research that found large variances genetically in some people and their ability to shed weight.   The research showed there are some outliers that fall at two ends of the spectrum and they have a blood test that can identify where the individual  falls.  At one end, there is a small percentage of people who have a fantastic response and really lose weight fast if they go to the gym regularly to work out.  At the other end of the spectrum there is a small percentage of individuals who, no matter how much they work out, they will not lose weight.  Most of us fall somewhere in the middle.  They also found that if people (including the non-responders) did a super intense, short spinning session on a stationary bike for just a few minutes as hard as they can go and did that only periodically, they would lose weight.  Doesn't that just turn everything you have ever heard before upside down?  I haven't tried this stuff, but I have to say, it is very interesting to me.  If you want to learn more about these research studies, watch Michael Mosley's documentaries at the links below.  Please open the links within the Fitbit Forum, not through your email to ensure there are no viruses.  There is also a new book coming out December 31st and available on Amazon, called The Calorie Myth that reports similar exercise research results and explains why it works.  

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz2fwb_the-truth-about-exercise_lifestyle


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms?search_algo=2

[yogini-gayle]

Well I am absolutely LOVING  my Fitbit Force.  I especially love that you can set up how many pounds you want to lose per week and then the log keeps real time numbers how many calories you can eat based on your activity.  I've tried to keep logs before on Spark People and Weight Watchers and they were tedious, and not easy to track.  I can find most of the food I eat and it's easy to calculate.

On the topic of metabolism again, slowing metabolism as we age is a fact, not an excuse.  If you do any online system of finding out how many calories you can eat per day to maintain your weight, it always decreases depending on your age.  There is only one reason for that--metabolism.  One way to trick your body into burning more calories is to really switch up the activities and the intensity.  For example I recently started running again.  I mostly cycle but I don't like to ride in the really cold weather.  Since I hadn't run in years when I initially started running just two or three miles I was burning 300-400 calories which is a lot for such a short distance.  However now that I've been running for a few weeks for that same distance I'm only burning 180-250.  I wear a heart rate monitor when I'm working out so that's how I know. The body does easily adapt.  

This morning I really switched it up.  I cycled 3 miles the local high school and did laps on the track field interspersed with running the bleacher stairs after every two laps.  At the end I threw in a few sprints. Then cycled back home.  

Shelley, I'm definitely one of those people who no longer loses weight easily.  But I also recognize that I sometimes miscalculate just how many calories I'm eating because I'm such a healthy eater and don't eat any of the things that we are told not to eat--chips, soda, sweets, etc.  I also am having to check the wine. I love a couple of glasses of wine in the evening but those extra calories aren't worth it right now anyway.  The food tracker is keeping me honest.  

I'm going to be skiing for 10 days right after Christmas so I hope to burn lots of calories on those slopes.  And hopefully the food tracker will keep me "on track" while I'm on vacation.

Happy Holidays to all the ladies on the forum.

[Chamois]

I am beginning to believe in the calorie myth or at least partially. If you combine the calorie theory with my current metabolism I should eat about 500 cals to loose weight, so they give me 1200 no matter what and that does not work .....so something is amiss.. NOW we know I can not eat only 500 cals for many reasons.....so what is the issue? I saw last night on pbs brainchange, a neurologist associating gluten and sugar to dementia,depression and brain shrinkage and aging. It was very interesting. While cals in and out can make sense it is not the complete picture given the differences in calories and metabolisms. We also need healthy fats to burn fat. In the 80's I tossed fat out the window...wrong thing to do.  Much more research for an individual approch to weight loss is needed. Till then I will keep doing my own research and see what works....because do know what does not work!!

[Cande]

I am terribly sorry that what I said was offensive in any way to anyone! I apologize. I apologize and I am sorry.

Cande

[Chamois]

Question...I went from a jogger to a recovery runner under my name. Can anyone tell me what that means?

[Shelley]

Chamois, they are rankings that have to do with how long you have been on the forum and how many posts you have made.  I am now a "base runner." All of these so far are funny since I don't run or play baseball!  I think it goes something like this:  You start out with "first steps" then after your first post, you move to "jogger" and then after 4 days and a certain number of posts, maybe 5, you change to "recovery runner."  Not sure what it takes to become a "base runner."

[Carol]

I would like to put my 2 cents into this age/metabolism argument.  I tend to agree with both sides here.  To me it is like the chicken and the egg question.  Do our metabolisms slow down and that in turn slows us down or do we slow down and that in turn slows the metabolism?  I tend to think that as we age, we just naturally do less than we did.  When we are young, we have lots of energy,  we are dating, goind out with friends, etc.  From there, we chase our young kids and are constantly on the go.  But when those kids grow up and we are required to do less and less, we tend to do just that.  I used to be very active, and now that I'm retired, I am sedentary. 

I can already see a difference since I've been going to the gym.  I am building muscle and my metabolism is improving.  I find that I am warmer, can do more without getting winded and I can go farther without stopping to rest.  At first I gained weight (muscle) then I started to lose 1 lb a week and now I am losing a little more per week.  We are responsible for ourselves and we must accept that responsibility if we want to change.

There are plenty of old people who are still very fit and exercise regularly and then there are those who sit in a rocking chair and knit (much like I used to do).  So I can't see that age is the only factor to our changing metabolism.  

[Chamois]

I agree Csrol. We ate poorly and moved little to start the gaining process...then age hit and the loosing process became more complicated for some. I am just thinking of myself as a science experiment finding the tool to unlease what I have done!!

[Chamois]

Thanks Shelly for the explaination. 

[Daylight]

Similar to my story. I agree. But then you also have to factor in getting sick or injured. Can really be a set back. Age is a big factor. The need to move becomes greater. Glad we are all here taking care of ourselves and supporting others

[evmac51]

Just joining this group because I'm over 60 and have been a Zumba fanatic for several years. Zumba and some dieting helped me to lose 25 pounds and keep it off. The Fitbit is a little fun thing I bought to help me keep on track and I'm liking it already (after using it for one day). I hope to find inspiration in this group!

[Cande]

Extremely well said! And I agree.

[Cande]

I recently started Zumba at home, alone-- it's taking time to pick up the steps, and putting them together is crazy for me. Even so, I like it, and I think it will give me a different kind of flexibility I'm not used to-- the quick, rhythmic movements feel great for maintaining balance, which I think should be practiced in some way every day. Exercise of almost any kind does that, and I love variety. My friends who do Zumba at our little "Island Fitness" just love it.

[Shelley]

Cande, keep us posted how the Zumba goes for you!  Who knows, you might inspire me to pull my DVDs out again.  I seem to be in a routine of walking as my only exercise and it probably is good to mix it up some!

Carol, I know what you mean about getting stronger and not getting winded.  Yesterday, I was in a parking garage and had to walk back to my car up an incline.  That would have winded me a few months ago and I would have felt it in my thighs, straining to get to my car.  But not so, this time!  It was so easy walking it, that it was obviously different from the norm.  I was thinking "What's this??!"  LOL  I know that is just a small thing but it comes from a big thing - sticking to exercise for the last three months!  We can get fitter even if metabolism is not the same as it was when we were younger.  I love that your weight is coming down now along with your inches!  Good going!  

[evmac51]

I'm such a booster for Zumba because I'm a lot healthier as a result. Keep
going! I go to a gym because I feel more competitive if I'm with a live
instructor and lots of other people (all ages) trying really hard. You feel
like you're dancing and it's very good for your brain because you're trying
to remember steps and what comes next. It doesn't hurt that my favorite
instructor is a cute, wonderful, supportive guy who's 29 years old! Ha ha!
Happy to be in the Fitbit group with like-minded women and I'm having fun
using my brand new Fitbit. We'll see how it goes!

--
Evelyn McCormack
http://about.me/evelynmccormack/bio

[eileenjez]

Well I made it to the gym this morning. I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it but if did. It's hard after takeing a week off. We just walked the track for about 1 1/2 hrs. Nice and easy. Having COPD and getting a cold is not fun. It sure knocks me for a loop. Got my steps in so I'll be back to my usual numbers.

With all the talk about zumba maybe I'll give it a try in the New Year. I know my daughter loves it. I generally stick to an aerobic step class and the treadmill.

eileen

[SusanC]

Finally back in the swing of things after an ankle "injury" on the ice in Dallas. Back home, rested, healed, and now ready to be sore in another place for a change!  I have started rowing, along with other "stuff" I already do. It uses about twice as many calories as anything else I do, so I'm going to stick with it, building strength as I go. I've been keeping up with  you all in my email inbox and want to say "welcome" to the new and cheer on the "veterans".  My main goal is to NOT gain during the holidays and to post more often...after all, I can't wait to get to be a "high flyer"....or a rainbow rider, or a straight-shootin' son-of-a-gun.  Cheers and Merry Christmas to all!

[DonnaJ]

Hi Eileen, that's great.  I started back using my "Walk at Home Video"  I love it because it just walking in place too.  I didn't think I could sweat this much just walking in place but the beat gets faster.  I know what you mean when you have COPD, I have Asthma and this is not my time of the year to get too short of breath.  The main thing is though is that we're doing something  '=)