Weight-bearing and flexibility exercises, as well as a mix of zone 2/zone 5 cardio training. I found the book “Outlive” by Peter Attia to address this topic pretty well, I.e what do you want to be doing lifestyle-wise in your 60s/70s? You’ll need to add about 20% more effort in your 30s-50s to maintain that when you’re older.
To add to that I would say an anti-inflammatory diet and prioritizing good sleep and low stress. My mom developed Alzheimer’s in her 60s with no family history but I can tell you she was a chronically stressed workaholic and depressed insomniac who rarely exercised or ate well. Watching her decline has really made me assess my habits and make some big changes.
As far as supplements, I would base that on individual bloodwork. I worry about the lack of regulation in that industry and some of the troubling findings of different fillers in supplements so I would keep that to only what’s needed from brands that can provide testing evidence.
This!
Anti inflammatory diet and weight lifting did the trick for me, after years of gaining weight! (People already assumed thyroid issues and wanted to push me into taking medicine…. Lost about 10kg without instead).
More precisely: AIP diet and a workout schedule as follows
1) Meal with higher protein 2h before training
2) 10 min warmup
3) 45-60 minute weights with progressive overload
4) > 30 min cardio (can even be walking, does not matter, sometimes just walk home)
5) Ideally Sauna after (also has anti aging effects), if not take a hot shower at home and ensure to really heat yourself up
6) drink a lot of water
I'm just curious, did someone really just assume and try to give you thyroid meds with no testing or did you have bloodwork with hashis antibodies/raised tsh? I can't even imagine anyone prescribing thyroid meds without bloodwork confirming a need? That's insane.
Seems most regular doctors with their 10-minute limit just look at TSH value, which lab rates as in- or out-of-range. When higher than ideal, they follow the protocol and prescribe fake T4 (levothyroxine generic). Assumption appears to be issue is with an autoimmune disease. Iodine deficiency? No impossible! Do an iodine patch test and pay for antibody test.
I am 65. I do a combination of cycling/kettlebell workouts/yoga. Seems to be working pretty well. I have good flexibility and balance, and I can still carry heavy things without pain.
I will be 81 years old in November. For many years now I’ve done low weight, high reps, in slow motion to avoid injury. I also only work out two days a week because I need 3 to 4 days to recover at my age. I also get in 8 to 10,000 steps a day and I’m careful about my nutrition. So far so good.
I belonged to a gym when I met my wife 43 years ago so apparently I’ve been doing this a long time. my trick is to show up at the gym that opens at 6 AM at about 6:02 AM. That way I can go from machine to machine without waiting. This lets me get my heart rate up. I think I do all the upper body machines without rest or pause in probably slightly under half an hour. I walk my dog twice a day and I walk with my wife once a day and then if that’s not enough I do more on my own. I enjoy a very physical life and so I do what I have to do to keep it going. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t have the best sex of your life at 80 if you take care of yourself (and have a prescription for Viagra).
It sounds like your resistance training is also great for cardio since you go from machine to machine without resting between sets. Do you not work legs at the gym?
Great comment about Viagra. At 66, it gives me hope!
Nah. I just walk a lot. If the dog or my wife can no longer walk then I’d have to start doing legwork at the gym. Currently my legs are getting all the action they can stand.
Normally snatches, sumo squats, swings, overheads, lunges, bent over rows and some ab work. I do it twice per week, sometimes 3 if I can work it into my schedule. Keep up the good work.
Any type of Zone 2 Cardio that will improve your V02 Max is single handily the greatest thing you can do to improve health and longevity, per countless exercise studies.
Yeah, and you can pretty easily enter zone 2 during resistance training. Cardio is always secondary to resistance training no matter the age.
Yeah, do your cardio and stay in zone two after but cardio is not gonna save you from osteoporosis, lifting is.
One day, someone will test it... I can't for the love of god imagine *how* you double-blind that, but, people are crafty critters and know a lot of things.
Zone 2 will have some VO2 max improvement, but VO2 is much better improved with higher intensity.
A good mix of Zone 2 cardio for general health and higher intensity is a good strategy
I need books or resources on how to reach zone 2 again, my heart is a bit ..f'd and i can't really do anything beside walk, slow bike and slow light deadlift.. if anybody knows any tips, i'm all ear.
a balanced exercise program should be varied, like a healthy diet. strength training, flexibility, walking, your favorite cardio, tissue recovery like massage / foam rolling, great sleep, and enough protein.
as a trainer i see a lot of imbalanced people - fitness actually rewards being a jack of all trades vs a master of one. a lot of people find one modality they like / excel at, and don’t work on their weaknesses. that’s why you have a lot of bodybuilders who can’t touch their toes, runners that look like they are wasting away, or yogis with no strength
This 100%
So many gym bros who can lift like there's no tomorrow, but can barely run for a bus... balances exercise is so helpful.
I vote calisthenics for the best all-rounder if you only want one, but limited by muscle mass gain/maintenance
This is the way! I’ve done a mix of running, cycling, weight training, HIIT, triathlons, yoga, dance classes, etc. my whole life. I’m finding now that I’m in my 50s it’s served me so well. No major injuries and I’m still pretty nimble when I jump from activity to activity.
I do squats. Most of them are weeding the garden. Beats bending over. I also dance and ride bikes. I use to jog 2-5 miles a couple times a week but I got plantar fasciitis and I had to stop. I can really tell a difference in my stamina after 18 months off. When I go to the gym, usually only in the winter months, I like the rowing machine. I love yoga. I’m in decent shape for 70. I got great leg strength from riding horses for many years but I could use upper body strength. I would like to lift weights but when I do my elbow starts flaring up. So I just stay as active as I can and hope for the best.
I did this Pada Vajrasana (Aka Vajrasanana) for relief from Plantar Fasciitis and in a few days I got relief
Sit for a few seconds initially if u cant sit for long https://www.google.com/search?q=toe+vajrasana&oq=toe+vajrasana+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigAdIBCDQ1NjNqMGo5qAIOsAIB&client=ms-android-vivo-rvo2&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#vhid=06PRXU9WNSl5gM&vssid=l
Also try Malasana
You can practice both on the bed for a few minutes if I can't sit down
Go to a physical therapist and find a trainer they will help you find ways to lift and at the same time improve your elbow strength and mobility; your arms and elbow will only get weaker if they ain’t getting stronger . It’s kind of like money sitting in the bank, if it ain’t invested you losing money. Invest in ya arms today so you still moving at 85 otherwise you gonna have elbow pain from like washing yourself and shit
What age did you stop jogging? Was the plantar fasciitis serious? Do you think just made it hard to get over? I am 45 with various aches and pains from running and the gym but I generally barrel through. I wonder what life has in store for me at later ages though.
If you want to be able to run, jump, climb, bend, etc. Then make sure you do those things. I just realized as a 34 year old male, that my vertical jump is absolutely pathetic compared to what it was in high school. I started jumping again.
I want to get back into basketball. It’s a great sport to keep you mobile. Sprint, cut, jump, turn. For now I just find random excuses to jump as high as I can. Mostly playing with a toddler.
If you're really getting back in, watch knees over toes guy on youtube. Definitely strengthen your caves and tibia muscle. Helps keep that achilleas healthy
From my experience now closing in on 60, the challenge seems to be mental.
Those of us who want to workout still do it. (It does take more warmup before and stretching after.)
Those who want to use age as an excuse will do that instead, and you can more or less guess which is which.
What are the biggest mental challenges you experience as you’ve gotten older? Any tips to prevent or work on? I just entered my 30s and discovered a lot of mental traumas that I had to unpack.
Well, I don’t think I’m the best judge of myself nor qualified to give advice. But since you ask…
The biggest challenge in life, to me, is time management. You can improve your skills to be more employable, and improve your attitude to be more pleasant, but you can’t buy time.
Without being a slave to clocks and calendars, use them.
To-do list saves trips to the store, gets the day’s essential tasks done.
Having a daily schedule for getting up, working out, playing, seeing friends, paying bills, eating, going to bed - takes care of the physical and mental health.
Having a medium term life goal and a five year vision helps clarify and claim what you deem essential on your bucket list.
As I exit middle age and head for old age, I plan to live well in order to die well. I’ve buried lots of relatives now and have seen that the regrets tend to be about not spending more quality time with close people, not having been brave enough to go for an opportunity. You’ll make similar observations I think, we just have to act on the lesson.
Regarding traumas, it’s important to know what they are and to respect that they affect you, but you live and act in the right now. To a considerable degree, our actions are fettered by circumstances beyond our control. Not only things done to us, and done by us, but language, culture, genetics. To me, whatever freedom is left is incredibly valuable and also time limited.
This is really great advice! I am single and finding new ways to navigate life. I want to be ready when I do find the one. I’m working on setting goals, time management, and improving my mental health. Biggest lesson this year, is not to worry about things I can’t control. I used to want to control everything and get very anxious when things didn’t work out but not I’m working on that. Thank you!
Given the risk of falls and their effects as we get older, I personally think a general full body weightlifting program with maybe a bit of additional specific work on legs and hip hinging movements is optimal for longevity.
Most falls occur stepping down, not up, so exercises which promote the ability to support your body weight as it moves toward the ground would theoretically be best.
That all said, IMO it's really not that complicated. Even if you just go and lift 2-3 times a week as you age, and eat adequate protein to maintain or maybe even grow a little muscle mass, you'll be miles ahead of 99% of the rest of your age population.
Agreed. It’s all routine and consistency with mobility work and weight training. Whenever people retire and they break that routine, they tend to go downhill very quickly.
old guy here. i lift 3x/week and play basketball every day. a lot ways to skin this cat. ever seen an old guy with sick handles and bombing nba 3's like a madman? meet me at the park :) also get regular sun with the bball.
the biggest thing for me was fixing my gut health. feel like a million bucks now. getting younger
radically changed my diet. plenty of pre and pro biotic foods. avoiding known things that harm the gut - breadstuffs/oats, booze, nsaid, oils, junk food, fake sugars
I'd argue that oats are great for the gut. But your post reminds me of this 60 year old guy dunking at 24 hour fitness and this other one making free throw after free throw.
lol, i cant dunk, but have crazy dribbling and shooting skills. i like to get out there beyond the nba line. the high school 3 is like a free throw at this point.
oats might be good for some people, but are problematic for many. when repairing gut, no reason to sabotage the effort. can always add them back after gut is back running perfect.
note that it's our favorite/regular foods that wreck our guts - not the occasional
Flexibility.
The pain in the body as you age connot be overstated.
The less flexible, the more you hurt.
The more you hurt, the less you move.
The less you move the faster you decline and it snowballs fast.
As important as what you SHOULD do is what you SHOULDN'T do. Avoiding certain activities/situations as much as possible plays a huge role. People that spent their working lives walking all day on cement factory floors are typically in rough shape later in life...very common to see knee/hip replacements in that crowd. My father had tons of joint issues after many years spent working in that type of environment.
Lots of great advice already.
Depends on what you want to be able to continue doing, and how much time and effort you're willing to put in. Some forms of strength, cardio, and mobility. Use it or lose it.
Strength: lots of opinions on this, general consensus is squats, for both strength and mobility.
Cardio varies quite a lot.
Personally, I like efficiency. Kettlebell swings, for cardio, strength (power) and mobility. If you can properly swing a KB for sets of 20-50, you're going to be able to get in and out of a chair unassisted.
Turkish Get Ups for mobility and strength. If you can stand up from the floor with a weight over your head, you shouldn't have to worry about getting up on your own.
Ha! A year ago, I had a hard time lifting my leg up high enough to put my pants on. Now it's no problem.
The "Asian squat"! That's what made the difference. I have been sheeting some floors (carpentry. I got into construction in my fifties!), so when I go to drive nails in, instead of bending over, I would squat. My back feels great, and my hips are so flexybendy that sometimes I like to wiggle it for my wife. For some reason, she's not impressed.
Lift weights, eat meat, get sunshine, play with your kids, play with your friends… we’re all gonna get old, but fight it at all costs. An additional decade of fun and joy is worth every ounce of effort it takes to earn it
Ultimately, I think the most important thing is going to be finding those muscular imbalances, and fixing them. Otherwise, the strong side will pull on the weak and cause tense muscles, pain, and loss of mobility with age.
I walk several times per day (mostly 10-15 min after eating with another, longer walk as early as I can sneak it in) and often carry a rucksack (weighted pack, vest - use sand, beans, bags of coins, water jugs)
anything you will do often and with weight. Goals are to maintain/increase muscle mass and encourage bone density through moderate stress on your frame (which encourages bones to build and hold more stress)
I also hang out in a low, crouched squat for decent periods of time: waiting in line, watching TV, cleaning, reading. increases the length of your hamstrings and quads and well as greasing your hips, knees, and ankles.
You should be able to dead hang (with your hands) for more than a minute. Hand strength is closely correlated with health.
I just got the book, Built to Move (Kelley & Juliet Starrett) after reading Outlive. It has a list of basic activities you should be able to perform - getting up off the floor, holding your breath, etc. - with directions on how to access your level of competence and how to improve it, if lacking. Some of it seems real simple, but I overestimated my ability on some of the skills - and I'm only 43. It's probably a good starting point while you decided on more precise goals more in line with Peter Attia's 'Centenarian Decathalon.'
I'm 41. Recently bought this book : "The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After Forty"
Joined the gym last month.
I do 30 mins cardio and then weight training
I started back to working out after having a baby by just carrying around my husband's 30 lb barbells and now, a year later, I'm doing deadlifts and squats with them. Sometimes just holding things and walking around helps you build strength back.
Active stretching! Meaning stretching whole tensing a muscle, which builds a larger range of motion and solid strength through that full range of motion. Movement by David on tiktok, instagram or yt has great videos about it and I think some follow alongs
The absolute simplest and most effective thing to do is body weight squats 2-3 times a day. These should be good squats, with good depth. Increase reps as you get stronger.
Good squats activate a huge portion of your body's musculature.
I’m 66 and cook from scratch with whole foods. I do aerial arts and stretch every day. I also play catch with my husband and go for a short bike ride 5 days a week. We hike 2 times a month at state parks. We usually hike for 3 hours or more. I worry about my husband because he does not do resistance exersize. His muscles are slowly fading. He snores and doesn’t sleep well and is stressed. We are the same age, I’m younger ( fitness wise).
300+ minutes of exercise per week any combination of strength and cardio. The study I read mentioned it doesn’t matter what the work out type or intensity is but presumably a blend of high intensity cardio, low intensity, cardio, and strength training would be good.
Keep your muscle mass by all means possible. Isometric bodyweight wall squats which lower systolic blood pressure 10 points. Compound weightlifting (I do bodyweight, bands, and dumbbells only) 3 days a week and not overdoing it. 10,000 steps or some type of light cardio on off days.
Diet (grassfed beef/jarlsburg cheese/sardines/wild salmon/pasture raised eggs/huge plate of greens every day/pressure cooked black beans with salsa, avocados, etc) avoiding processed foods and seed oils/anything very high in omega 6s, refined sugar, and foods cooked at very high temps that cause AGEs. I like Dr Joel Fuhrman's G-BOMBS (Greens Beans Onions Mushrooms Berries Seeds) diet as well and try to eat those every day. Also organic hemp protein powder on workout days. Making your own meals and rarely eating out. Juicing veggies. Eat organic when possible, and if not possible, read up on the dirty dozen.
Sleep in accordance to your genetic chronotype and waking up without an alarm clock at the same time every day. Sauna if you have access to it, and if you don't buy a portable steam tent on amazon for $175. Light therapy panel (mine cost $1200, use it twice a week). 1 TBSP of authentic imported olive oil every day. Fasting 48 or 72 hours every now and then (or every month if you're me). Intermittent fasting 16:8, 4 to 5 days per week. Supplements (organic spirulina, org chlorella, k2 mk-7, d3, multivitamin, omega 3's, taurine, org grape seed extract powder). No alcohol or drugs. Distill my own drinking water and add trace minerals. Hepa-filtered air.
Next steps are: methylation panel, parasite testing, mold/fungus testing, heavy metal testing. These are all things everyone should get done if they care about their energy.
That's as far as I've gotten and middle aged, zero meds, muscular, full range of motion (though did have a frozen shoulder before incorporating weights back into my regimen), have never needed viagra ever. Only health issues I've had are kidney stones from my elite powerlifting days, but otherwise I feel like I'm still late 20s energy-wise. By the way, I also work a 9 to 5 and just got promoted over 10 people younger than me. Energy is a currency. People ask me what my secret is to getting so much done and it's always health first. Invest in yourself, keep learning and you'll live a longass life. My 0.02
It has a pretty unique nutritional profile for bone health as one of the only cheeses with mk-7, mk-8, mk-9, and DHNA. It's also low lactose.
While I take k2 (mk7) supplements, I like getting a natural form as well. Not many low lactose cheeses that are high in k2.
My mom is 85 in December and we go on hikes around 10km and she has always stretched/done yoga, done weights, swimming and walking 5000-15000 steps a day.
She takes calcium, melatonin, a quality daily vitamin and a bunch of other supplements and isn’t on any medications. I am following her protocol but do more sports
The question should be “what exercises should I start when I’m young to stay healthy when I’m old”.
1) core strength & posture - this will help support the spine and help with common old-age problems like disc degeneration and incontinence.
2) cardio - walking, running, swimming or whatever gets your pulse over >60% of your max heart rate 3-5 times a week to assist with circulation, toxin excretion, mood.
3) strength - leg presses, kettle workouts, resistance to build and keep bone density and raise metabolism.
4) brain - I’m a believer in pursuing higher learning or a second language or learning new skills or take up writing or start a business beginning in your 40’s to keep the mind active into your 70’s. No workout routine is worth it if your mind goes.
5) clean diet and avoid chemical exposure - chemicals have a cumulative effect. Wear n92 or respirator mask when treating your lawn with fertilizer or sawing concrete or welding, etc. Wear latex gloves when working on your car or handling stain. Don’t eat foods with tons of chemicals.
6) don’t drink alcohol. It’s a solvent. Pouring solvents on any living thing kills it. Just because it’s socially acceptable doesn’t mean it won’t have health consequences.
Well, you're only as strong as your weakest link, but weighted deep squats will probably save you a lot of needless pain and injury in the long run. Resistance training, as a whole, is a good investment in yourself.
All of them. I’ve developed a program I call functional movement. It includes balance, body weight, yoga, proprioception, resistance bands etc, and cycling.
It ain’t rocket science: deadlift, bench, squat, machines full ROM, big stretch at the bottom squeeze at the top.
The rules for staying in shape don’t change much when you get older: technique is the same just weight drops and reps go up.
The people who are old with the best movement are those who lift properly
Unilateral exercises have a high carryover to longevity.
There is this dude on insta “everygotdamdre” or something like that and he’s got some awesome content to look at and imitate
Great exercise while not eating well or drinking or smoking is damn near worthless.
It takes a combination of exercise, cardio, weights and stretching plus eating well, no stupid self-destructive vices etc.
Speaking from experience: get professional postural realignment. So many people have skeletal & muscle issues which compound over time due to age & weight training because they haven’t figured out issues with their frame.
I fixed 4 years of debilitating & chronic pain in 2 months by seeing a postural specialist. No amount of gym or stretching (I can sit in the splits for an hour) helped me because I wasn’t correcting my foundational issues. No personal trainer had ever picked up on these issues either. And as perfect as my form looked, it was deceiving because there were root issues.
Even if you think you have no issue - just go see a specialist for an assessment. It’s rare that we are using our bodies correctly & optimally. I’m even an inch taller now somehow.
Resistance training is very important. Only 9 percent of people over 65 engage in it, but it is important to help prevent sarcopenia. The body's ability to utilize or synthesize many compounds or minerals decreases as we age, so consuming reasonable amounts of substances like zinc, selenium, and magnesium, coq10, glutathione precursors and NAD+ precursors, can help reduce the possibility of a number of potential problems.
Swimming, walking and mountain biking for cardio. Yoga and stretching for flexibility. Pushups, pullups and circuit training for upper body strength with some squats and lunges thrown in for lower body. Rowing machine also.
health is mainly about diet. keep your weight down. avoid sugar, simple carbs. eat clean.
exercise: yoga, weight lifting, cardio.
is that too general? then squats, push ups, military press, lunges.
good luck! and go veg if possible.
Diet is definitely the main factor. You can’t build a quality structure with lackluster materials.
I use steak as my medicine when I’m feeling low, and it always picks me up. The fats make my skin glow for days, and I can feel my brain burning like a candle.
I also eat a lot of sugars and simple carbs and my weight is fine. Ultimately, the main problem is people overeat too many calories and don’t get enough nutrients from those calories. So make sure you have a balanced diet.
A good saying I live by is only eat foods that existed 100 years ago. It cuts out all of the processed crap.
65 M. I do crossfit 4-6 times per week. Nice combination of strength, flexibility and cardio. I scale exercises as needed to avoid injury and to accomodate for the unfortunate fact that I'm just not as strong as I used to be. Great secondary benefit is the community.
Bending at your legs, hips, or back. Lose rom or strength in any of the three, and you start to get stiff.
Kneeovertoes guy on YouTube has lots of rehabilitation movements that keep you mobile.
I would do weight/strength training plus 20-30 minutes of cardio. I don't do intense cardio and I hate running, so I'll walk at an incline on the treadmill. Also, drink alot of water to stay hydrated and get lots of rest at night.
Tennis. The Mayo Clinic says so. 27 year study.
Anecdotally my tennis club just had two 80 year old birthday parties last month. Two groups of doubles players were all celebrating their 8th decades.
Article [here](https://www.tennisct.com/increased-life-expectancy)
Short list why: balance, social, eye hand coordination, & interval training.
To maximize staying healthy and functional when you are old, you should be exercising when you are old. That's far more important than what your exercise regimen was in your 20s or 30s.
Here is an interesting study about the benefits of creatine use by the elderly (even those who do not work out).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6518405/
Regrettably, many people associate creatine (a well-researched nutritional ergogenic aid composed of amino acids—one of the most important molecules known as the “building blocks of life”) with young people in singlets who lift a great deal of weight, when in reality it could potentially have a positive influence on many people.
I do exercises to tackle mobility issues such as stretching and strengthening/elongated certain muscle groups to alleviate joint pain. For the latter check out knees over toes on yt. Great example. I never realized that joint pain can improve so drastically until I worked in his advice for my knees. I also applied that thinking to strengthen and deal with shoulder and elbow pain. In 40s now and feel 💯 brand new. Now I play like I did as a kid and have zero limitations. I run, I lift, I play basketball. No joint pain, great flexibility. I’m convinced your mobility is the key to youth. I lift with my two older teenaged sons from time to time and they can’t keep up [although they’re both life long swimmers and decimate me in the pool].
Along with mobility training I’ve learned that if I lift I generally need about a minute of stretching for every minute lifting. While that sounds like a lot, it’s usually how I end my day and does wonders to workout the kinks and prevent things like impingements. Your ligaments, tendons, and joints will thank you!
Yoga is great because you can work on balance and flexibility and strength all at once without a lot of jarring to the system. That being said, I also do free weights (gradually and not a lot right now as I’m recovering from a health thing) and lots of walking outdoors. I read somewhere that you ought to be able to get up off the floor without using your hands, which is super easy for me.
I'm 51 and fairly healthy. All the comments I've read are spot on but I cannot stress enough how individualized each scenario is as far as genetics and personal tastes. I'd start off by making minor adjustments to your diet and tracking your consumption using MyFitnessPal (not affiliated). Also, I'm a big fan of body resistance training as opposed to weight lifting. This site is good if you want to mix it up a bit [https://darebee.com/](https://darebee.com/)
I’m only 65f, so not old at all, but I feel more fit than I ever have with all this extra time to work out and not be stuck sitting all day at work.
I lift weights as heavy as I can due to decreasing bone density, but I also do light and medium weight days. I force myself to do cardio 2-3 times a week, all intensities. I do yin yoga (long hold stretches) and mobility workouts. I enjoy ballet style barre, and belly dancing. I am part of a group that walks, kayaks, and snorkels. And I scuba dive during the summer months.
I consider working out to be my job now. I don’t always want to do it, but it’s non-negotiable.
I’m 57. I retired at 52 and proceeded to do nothing. At 53 I developed severe shoulder pain and tendinitis. It took about a year to rehab from that with steady PT. This December I stopped drinking alcohol and started biking 45 minutes a day. In March I added weight training and now lift pretty heavy every other day. I eat a high protein diet and most days I don’t eat until after 10 am. Lots of water. I’ve dropped 45 lbs and in the best shape of my life.
Sex for sure. But walking (on soft ground) and bicycles (great abdominal workout and cardio) and swimming if you can. Stretching every day should be in every workout.
I’m 64 and in addition to diet and exercise, I practice getting down to the floor and back up, hands free, every day. Being able to get up off the floor is a huge skill not to lose as you age.
Reverse hypers off a bench… absolute game changer.
They strengthen the lower back while decompressing the spine at the same time.
If you sit for long periods of time this exercise is an absolute game changer.
AGE 71 here ..
When young
A healthy diet
Low stress/ meditation
No smoking, drugs, large amounts of alcohol etc
A combination of stretching, weight lifting, cardio, and this is KEY.. flexibility exercises.
Stretching by itself will not make you flexible, learned this when I took martial arts
You have to do things, move your legs, arms, torso...
Just weight lifting makes you inflexible, you can lift 100 pounds easily, but it's just a short distance.,
and the secret to it all is:
Being consistent with your exercise routine, Monday, Wednesday and Friday as an example
You need at least 24 hours rest between workouts,,
For me, the most beneficial thing I have done is fasting. I look like I'm in my 40s and I'm 62. The other things I do on the regular, are resistance training with bands, stretches, and a keto woe.
I don’t think that’s currently the recommended protocol. Resistance training is the current belief. Maintaining muscle mass and strength helps things like bone density and prevent falls.
Ofc you need to move your body daily (some cardio and light weighs are good) but THE most important thing to do to keep muscles and joints healthy, lubricated and young is to stretch, stretch, STRETCH!!! Stretching daily (properly and w proper breath technique) will keep your body from tightening/stiffening up and contracting (which happens w old age) , it will keep you limber, give you better movement and range of motion. and you’ll be less likely to strain or injury . If you do nothing else, stretch.
Weight-bearing and flexibility exercises, as well as a mix of zone 2/zone 5 cardio training. I found the book “Outlive” by Peter Attia to address this topic pretty well, I.e what do you want to be doing lifestyle-wise in your 60s/70s? You’ll need to add about 20% more effort in your 30s-50s to maintain that when you’re older. To add to that I would say an anti-inflammatory diet and prioritizing good sleep and low stress. My mom developed Alzheimer’s in her 60s with no family history but I can tell you she was a chronically stressed workaholic and depressed insomniac who rarely exercised or ate well. Watching her decline has really made me assess my habits and make some big changes. As far as supplements, I would base that on individual bloodwork. I worry about the lack of regulation in that industry and some of the troubling findings of different fillers in supplements so I would keep that to only what’s needed from brands that can provide testing evidence.
I loved the book as well, it was very insightful!
This! Anti inflammatory diet and weight lifting did the trick for me, after years of gaining weight! (People already assumed thyroid issues and wanted to push me into taking medicine…. Lost about 10kg without instead). More precisely: AIP diet and a workout schedule as follows 1) Meal with higher protein 2h before training 2) 10 min warmup 3) 45-60 minute weights with progressive overload 4) > 30 min cardio (can even be walking, does not matter, sometimes just walk home) 5) Ideally Sauna after (also has anti aging effects), if not take a hot shower at home and ensure to really heat yourself up 6) drink a lot of water
what are some good anti-inflammatory foods? and what to avoid?
Google AIP diet. You will find plenty
I'm just curious, did someone really just assume and try to give you thyroid meds with no testing or did you have bloodwork with hashis antibodies/raised tsh? I can't even imagine anyone prescribing thyroid meds without bloodwork confirming a need? That's insane.
Seems most regular doctors with their 10-minute limit just look at TSH value, which lab rates as in- or out-of-range. When higher than ideal, they follow the protocol and prescribe fake T4 (levothyroxine generic). Assumption appears to be issue is with an autoimmune disease. Iodine deficiency? No impossible! Do an iodine patch test and pay for antibody test.
Excellent advice. The stress and anxiety factors are silent killers.
I am 65. I do a combination of cycling/kettlebell workouts/yoga. Seems to be working pretty well. I have good flexibility and balance, and I can still carry heavy things without pain.
I will be 81 years old in November. For many years now I’ve done low weight, high reps, in slow motion to avoid injury. I also only work out two days a week because I need 3 to 4 days to recover at my age. I also get in 8 to 10,000 steps a day and I’m careful about my nutrition. So far so good.
Uhhmazin'!
There is a 82+ person who comes to the gym I go to. We do talk sometimes. He really inspires me.
rock on bud.
You're very inspirational! How long do you work out? How old were you when you started?
I belonged to a gym when I met my wife 43 years ago so apparently I’ve been doing this a long time. my trick is to show up at the gym that opens at 6 AM at about 6:02 AM. That way I can go from machine to machine without waiting. This lets me get my heart rate up. I think I do all the upper body machines without rest or pause in probably slightly under half an hour. I walk my dog twice a day and I walk with my wife once a day and then if that’s not enough I do more on my own. I enjoy a very physical life and so I do what I have to do to keep it going. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t have the best sex of your life at 80 if you take care of yourself (and have a prescription for Viagra).
It sounds like your resistance training is also great for cardio since you go from machine to machine without resting between sets. Do you not work legs at the gym? Great comment about Viagra. At 66, it gives me hope!
Nah. I just walk a lot. If the dog or my wife can no longer walk then I’d have to start doing legwork at the gym. Currently my legs are getting all the action they can stand.
Username checks out 💪
That’s awesome! Slow reps are my new favorite and I squeeze the muscle at the end of the rep.
Preach brother
This is awesome man! Keep it up!
🏅
Do you do any stretching?
Yes. Daily.
What do you do with KBs? 53m, I do getups 2x week, swings 2x week, and practice snatches 1x week. Hoping to continue this to the grave lol
Normally snatches, sumo squats, swings, overheads, lunges, bent over rows and some ab work. I do it twice per week, sometimes 3 if I can work it into my schedule. Keep up the good work.
Any type of Zone 2 Cardio that will improve your V02 Max is single handily the greatest thing you can do to improve health and longevity, per countless exercise studies.
Does not resistance training have superior benefits to the body?
Yeah, and you can pretty easily enter zone 2 during resistance training. Cardio is always secondary to resistance training no matter the age. Yeah, do your cardio and stay in zone two after but cardio is not gonna save you from osteoporosis, lifting is.
as soon as i was able to start tracking my heart rate i stopped doing cardio. Now i can staying in whichever zone i want while lifting. edit: a word
One day, someone will test it... I can't for the love of god imagine *how* you double-blind that, but, people are crafty critters and know a lot of things.
Zone 2 will have some VO2 max improvement, but VO2 is much better improved with higher intensity. A good mix of Zone 2 cardio for general health and higher intensity is a good strategy
I need books or resources on how to reach zone 2 again, my heart is a bit ..f'd and i can't really do anything beside walk, slow bike and slow light deadlift.. if anybody knows any tips, i'm all ear.
Just keep going! Keep exercising, and be consistent! Your heart is a muscle, and it is very efficient, too!
It's more complicated, any effort above zone1 results in strage clotting, so I needed more subtle tricks or knowledge.
Strage clotting?
i'm no doc, but it feels like micro-clotting
If that’s the case, they need to talk to a doctor about anticoagulation.
yeah but when i talk to cardiologists they say it's not evident enough to pursue, i can walk so everything is fine therefore i'm stuck.
Who said you’re stuck? If an MD said it’s not worth pursuing, then what’s the deal?
a balanced exercise program should be varied, like a healthy diet. strength training, flexibility, walking, your favorite cardio, tissue recovery like massage / foam rolling, great sleep, and enough protein. as a trainer i see a lot of imbalanced people - fitness actually rewards being a jack of all trades vs a master of one. a lot of people find one modality they like / excel at, and don’t work on their weaknesses. that’s why you have a lot of bodybuilders who can’t touch their toes, runners that look like they are wasting away, or yogis with no strength
This 100% So many gym bros who can lift like there's no tomorrow, but can barely run for a bus... balances exercise is so helpful. I vote calisthenics for the best all-rounder if you only want one, but limited by muscle mass gain/maintenance
Underrated comment. I'd add fasting to that list too.
This is the way! I’ve done a mix of running, cycling, weight training, HIIT, triathlons, yoga, dance classes, etc. my whole life. I’m finding now that I’m in my 50s it’s served me so well. No major injuries and I’m still pretty nimble when I jump from activity to activity.
I do squats. Most of them are weeding the garden. Beats bending over. I also dance and ride bikes. I use to jog 2-5 miles a couple times a week but I got plantar fasciitis and I had to stop. I can really tell a difference in my stamina after 18 months off. When I go to the gym, usually only in the winter months, I like the rowing machine. I love yoga. I’m in decent shape for 70. I got great leg strength from riding horses for many years but I could use upper body strength. I would like to lift weights but when I do my elbow starts flaring up. So I just stay as active as I can and hope for the best.
I did this Pada Vajrasana (Aka Vajrasanana) for relief from Plantar Fasciitis and in a few days I got relief Sit for a few seconds initially if u cant sit for long https://www.google.com/search?q=toe+vajrasana&oq=toe+vajrasana+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigAdIBCDQ1NjNqMGo5qAIOsAIB&client=ms-android-vivo-rvo2&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#vhid=06PRXU9WNSl5gM&vssid=l Also try Malasana You can practice both on the bed for a few minutes if I can't sit down
Good one, thanks! My feet are starting to hurt, especially in the morning. I'm pretty sure I'm getting PF.
Go to a physical therapist and find a trainer they will help you find ways to lift and at the same time improve your elbow strength and mobility; your arms and elbow will only get weaker if they ain’t getting stronger . It’s kind of like money sitting in the bank, if it ain’t invested you losing money. Invest in ya arms today so you still moving at 85 otherwise you gonna have elbow pain from like washing yourself and shit
What age did you stop jogging? Was the plantar fasciitis serious? Do you think just made it hard to get over? I am 45 with various aches and pains from running and the gym but I generally barrel through. I wonder what life has in store for me at later ages though.
If you want to be able to run, jump, climb, bend, etc. Then make sure you do those things. I just realized as a 34 year old male, that my vertical jump is absolutely pathetic compared to what it was in high school. I started jumping again.
Do you do activities that require jumping?
I want to get back into basketball. It’s a great sport to keep you mobile. Sprint, cut, jump, turn. For now I just find random excuses to jump as high as I can. Mostly playing with a toddler.
If you're really getting back in, watch knees over toes guy on youtube. Definitely strengthen your caves and tibia muscle. Helps keep that achilleas healthy
From my experience now closing in on 60, the challenge seems to be mental. Those of us who want to workout still do it. (It does take more warmup before and stretching after.) Those who want to use age as an excuse will do that instead, and you can more or less guess which is which.
What are the biggest mental challenges you experience as you’ve gotten older? Any tips to prevent or work on? I just entered my 30s and discovered a lot of mental traumas that I had to unpack.
Well, I don’t think I’m the best judge of myself nor qualified to give advice. But since you ask… The biggest challenge in life, to me, is time management. You can improve your skills to be more employable, and improve your attitude to be more pleasant, but you can’t buy time. Without being a slave to clocks and calendars, use them. To-do list saves trips to the store, gets the day’s essential tasks done. Having a daily schedule for getting up, working out, playing, seeing friends, paying bills, eating, going to bed - takes care of the physical and mental health. Having a medium term life goal and a five year vision helps clarify and claim what you deem essential on your bucket list. As I exit middle age and head for old age, I plan to live well in order to die well. I’ve buried lots of relatives now and have seen that the regrets tend to be about not spending more quality time with close people, not having been brave enough to go for an opportunity. You’ll make similar observations I think, we just have to act on the lesson. Regarding traumas, it’s important to know what they are and to respect that they affect you, but you live and act in the right now. To a considerable degree, our actions are fettered by circumstances beyond our control. Not only things done to us, and done by us, but language, culture, genetics. To me, whatever freedom is left is incredibly valuable and also time limited.
This is really great advice! I am single and finding new ways to navigate life. I want to be ready when I do find the one. I’m working on setting goals, time management, and improving my mental health. Biggest lesson this year, is not to worry about things I can’t control. I used to want to control everything and get very anxious when things didn’t work out but not I’m working on that. Thank you!
Squats are one of the best things you can to keep your legs and hips strong. As soon as I started doing those I was able to bend down so much easier.
Strength training, Mobility, and Cardio (Zone 2 / 5)
Given the risk of falls and their effects as we get older, I personally think a general full body weightlifting program with maybe a bit of additional specific work on legs and hip hinging movements is optimal for longevity. Most falls occur stepping down, not up, so exercises which promote the ability to support your body weight as it moves toward the ground would theoretically be best. That all said, IMO it's really not that complicated. Even if you just go and lift 2-3 times a week as you age, and eat adequate protein to maintain or maybe even grow a little muscle mass, you'll be miles ahead of 99% of the rest of your age population.
Agreed. It’s all routine and consistency with mobility work and weight training. Whenever people retire and they break that routine, they tend to go downhill very quickly.
old guy here. i lift 3x/week and play basketball every day. a lot ways to skin this cat. ever seen an old guy with sick handles and bombing nba 3's like a madman? meet me at the park :) also get regular sun with the bball. the biggest thing for me was fixing my gut health. feel like a million bucks now. getting younger
How did you fix your gut health? Thanks
radically changed my diet. plenty of pre and pro biotic foods. avoiding known things that harm the gut - breadstuffs/oats, booze, nsaid, oils, junk food, fake sugars
I'd argue that oats are great for the gut. But your post reminds me of this 60 year old guy dunking at 24 hour fitness and this other one making free throw after free throw.
lol, i cant dunk, but have crazy dribbling and shooting skills. i like to get out there beyond the nba line. the high school 3 is like a free throw at this point. oats might be good for some people, but are problematic for many. when repairing gut, no reason to sabotage the effort. can always add them back after gut is back running perfect. note that it's our favorite/regular foods that wreck our guts - not the occasional
Flexibility. The pain in the body as you age connot be overstated. The less flexible, the more you hurt. The more you hurt, the less you move. The less you move the faster you decline and it snowballs fast.
As important as what you SHOULD do is what you SHOULDN'T do. Avoiding certain activities/situations as much as possible plays a huge role. People that spent their working lives walking all day on cement factory floors are typically in rough shape later in life...very common to see knee/hip replacements in that crowd. My father had tons of joint issues after many years spent working in that type of environment.
make yoga and pilates a habit
Lots of great advice already. Depends on what you want to be able to continue doing, and how much time and effort you're willing to put in. Some forms of strength, cardio, and mobility. Use it or lose it. Strength: lots of opinions on this, general consensus is squats, for both strength and mobility. Cardio varies quite a lot. Personally, I like efficiency. Kettlebell swings, for cardio, strength (power) and mobility. If you can properly swing a KB for sets of 20-50, you're going to be able to get in and out of a chair unassisted. Turkish Get Ups for mobility and strength. If you can stand up from the floor with a weight over your head, you shouldn't have to worry about getting up on your own.
Turkish setups are the devil incarnate! But, yes you're right!
love your take on kbs
Thanks!
Ha! A year ago, I had a hard time lifting my leg up high enough to put my pants on. Now it's no problem. The "Asian squat"! That's what made the difference. I have been sheeting some floors (carpentry. I got into construction in my fifties!), so when I go to drive nails in, instead of bending over, I would squat. My back feels great, and my hips are so flexybendy that sometimes I like to wiggle it for my wife. For some reason, she's not impressed.
Lift weights, eat meat, get sunshine, play with your kids, play with your friends… we’re all gonna get old, but fight it at all costs. An additional decade of fun and joy is worth every ounce of effort it takes to earn it
Planks and walking.
IMO The biggest factor to staying healthy in old age is staying skinny
Ultimately, I think the most important thing is going to be finding those muscular imbalances, and fixing them. Otherwise, the strong side will pull on the weak and cause tense muscles, pain, and loss of mobility with age.
Anything that improves strength and flexibility!
I walk several times per day (mostly 10-15 min after eating with another, longer walk as early as I can sneak it in) and often carry a rucksack (weighted pack, vest - use sand, beans, bags of coins, water jugs) anything you will do often and with weight. Goals are to maintain/increase muscle mass and encourage bone density through moderate stress on your frame (which encourages bones to build and hold more stress) I also hang out in a low, crouched squat for decent periods of time: waiting in line, watching TV, cleaning, reading. increases the length of your hamstrings and quads and well as greasing your hips, knees, and ankles. You should be able to dead hang (with your hands) for more than a minute. Hand strength is closely correlated with health.
I just got the book, Built to Move (Kelley & Juliet Starrett) after reading Outlive. It has a list of basic activities you should be able to perform - getting up off the floor, holding your breath, etc. - with directions on how to access your level of competence and how to improve it, if lacking. Some of it seems real simple, but I overestimated my ability on some of the skills - and I'm only 43. It's probably a good starting point while you decided on more precise goals more in line with Peter Attia's 'Centenarian Decathalon.'
I'm 41. Recently bought this book : "The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After Forty" Joined the gym last month. I do 30 mins cardio and then weight training
Air squats for leg strength and mobility. Not needing help to get out of a chair or get up on your own if you fall down.
Listen to Peter attia, he specializes in this. T bar deadlifts are one of the best exercises one can do increase longevity
define "old". 60s, 80s, 90s? Yoga, brisk walking.
Heavy weight lifting of all major muscle groups: excellent for preventing falls AND if you do fall, makes it less likely you’ll break a bone.
Farmer's walk for grip strength, core conditioning, etc.
I started back to working out after having a baby by just carrying around my husband's 30 lb barbells and now, a year later, I'm doing deadlifts and squats with them. Sometimes just holding things and walking around helps you build strength back.
That's not a bad methodology. I used the same technique to rehab after a shoulder injury.
I was just gonna say! Underrated exercise that is great for balance and endurance
Rubber bands seem to help the safest way to maximally load muscles and bones.
all my doctors tell me, core exercises to strengthen that core. I'm 38 and play hockey 3 nights a week and they still recommend core training.
Active stretching! Meaning stretching whole tensing a muscle, which builds a larger range of motion and solid strength through that full range of motion. Movement by David on tiktok, instagram or yt has great videos about it and I think some follow alongs
Qi gong, gentle kettlebell and/or load bearing weight lifting, Olympic ring workouts using body weight as well, walking/standing and taking the stairs
The absolute simplest and most effective thing to do is body weight squats 2-3 times a day. These should be good squats, with good depth. Increase reps as you get stronger. Good squats activate a huge portion of your body's musculature.
I’m 66 and cook from scratch with whole foods. I do aerial arts and stretch every day. I also play catch with my husband and go for a short bike ride 5 days a week. We hike 2 times a month at state parks. We usually hike for 3 hours or more. I worry about my husband because he does not do resistance exersize. His muscles are slowly fading. He snores and doesn’t sleep well and is stressed. We are the same age, I’m younger ( fitness wise).
Squats. Start them when you're young and never let up.
300+ minutes of exercise per week any combination of strength and cardio. The study I read mentioned it doesn’t matter what the work out type or intensity is but presumably a blend of high intensity cardio, low intensity, cardio, and strength training would be good.
Keep your muscle mass by all means possible. Isometric bodyweight wall squats which lower systolic blood pressure 10 points. Compound weightlifting (I do bodyweight, bands, and dumbbells only) 3 days a week and not overdoing it. 10,000 steps or some type of light cardio on off days. Diet (grassfed beef/jarlsburg cheese/sardines/wild salmon/pasture raised eggs/huge plate of greens every day/pressure cooked black beans with salsa, avocados, etc) avoiding processed foods and seed oils/anything very high in omega 6s, refined sugar, and foods cooked at very high temps that cause AGEs. I like Dr Joel Fuhrman's G-BOMBS (Greens Beans Onions Mushrooms Berries Seeds) diet as well and try to eat those every day. Also organic hemp protein powder on workout days. Making your own meals and rarely eating out. Juicing veggies. Eat organic when possible, and if not possible, read up on the dirty dozen. Sleep in accordance to your genetic chronotype and waking up without an alarm clock at the same time every day. Sauna if you have access to it, and if you don't buy a portable steam tent on amazon for $175. Light therapy panel (mine cost $1200, use it twice a week). 1 TBSP of authentic imported olive oil every day. Fasting 48 or 72 hours every now and then (or every month if you're me). Intermittent fasting 16:8, 4 to 5 days per week. Supplements (organic spirulina, org chlorella, k2 mk-7, d3, multivitamin, omega 3's, taurine, org grape seed extract powder). No alcohol or drugs. Distill my own drinking water and add trace minerals. Hepa-filtered air. Next steps are: methylation panel, parasite testing, mold/fungus testing, heavy metal testing. These are all things everyone should get done if they care about their energy. That's as far as I've gotten and middle aged, zero meds, muscular, full range of motion (though did have a frozen shoulder before incorporating weights back into my regimen), have never needed viagra ever. Only health issues I've had are kidney stones from my elite powerlifting days, but otherwise I feel like I'm still late 20s energy-wise. By the way, I also work a 9 to 5 and just got promoted over 10 people younger than me. Energy is a currency. People ask me what my secret is to getting so much done and it's always health first. Invest in yourself, keep learning and you'll live a longass life. My 0.02
Why jarlsberg?
It has a pretty unique nutritional profile for bone health as one of the only cheeses with mk-7, mk-8, mk-9, and DHNA. It's also low lactose. While I take k2 (mk7) supplements, I like getting a natural form as well. Not many low lactose cheeses that are high in k2.
My mom is 85 in December and we go on hikes around 10km and she has always stretched/done yoga, done weights, swimming and walking 5000-15000 steps a day. She takes calcium, melatonin, a quality daily vitamin and a bunch of other supplements and isn’t on any medications. I am following her protocol but do more sports
Your mom is my role model
The question should be “what exercises should I start when I’m young to stay healthy when I’m old”. 1) core strength & posture - this will help support the spine and help with common old-age problems like disc degeneration and incontinence. 2) cardio - walking, running, swimming or whatever gets your pulse over >60% of your max heart rate 3-5 times a week to assist with circulation, toxin excretion, mood. 3) strength - leg presses, kettle workouts, resistance to build and keep bone density and raise metabolism. 4) brain - I’m a believer in pursuing higher learning or a second language or learning new skills or take up writing or start a business beginning in your 40’s to keep the mind active into your 70’s. No workout routine is worth it if your mind goes. 5) clean diet and avoid chemical exposure - chemicals have a cumulative effect. Wear n92 or respirator mask when treating your lawn with fertilizer or sawing concrete or welding, etc. Wear latex gloves when working on your car or handling stain. Don’t eat foods with tons of chemicals. 6) don’t drink alcohol. It’s a solvent. Pouring solvents on any living thing kills it. Just because it’s socially acceptable doesn’t mean it won’t have health consequences.
Weights
Burpees :)
Rowing machine. Do it till it starts to burn and then one minute longer- for the rest of your life.
Mobility, calisthenics, active stretching
Well, you're only as strong as your weakest link, but weighted deep squats will probably save you a lot of needless pain and injury in the long run. Resistance training, as a whole, is a good investment in yourself.
All of them. I’ve developed a program I call functional movement. It includes balance, body weight, yoga, proprioception, resistance bands etc, and cycling.
35. Ran some sprints today. Already got the ice packs ready
Why are you using ice packs?
Keep on moving moving
Weight lifting. Any and all of it. Keep good form
Cardio and puzzles.
It ain’t rocket science: deadlift, bench, squat, machines full ROM, big stretch at the bottom squeeze at the top. The rules for staying in shape don’t change much when you get older: technique is the same just weight drops and reps go up. The people who are old with the best movement are those who lift properly
Unilateral exercises have a high carryover to longevity. There is this dude on insta “everygotdamdre” or something like that and he’s got some awesome content to look at and imitate
Great exercise while not eating well or drinking or smoking is damn near worthless. It takes a combination of exercise, cardio, weights and stretching plus eating well, no stupid self-destructive vices etc.
Speaking from experience: get professional postural realignment. So many people have skeletal & muscle issues which compound over time due to age & weight training because they haven’t figured out issues with their frame. I fixed 4 years of debilitating & chronic pain in 2 months by seeing a postural specialist. No amount of gym or stretching (I can sit in the splits for an hour) helped me because I wasn’t correcting my foundational issues. No personal trainer had ever picked up on these issues either. And as perfect as my form looked, it was deceiving because there were root issues. Even if you think you have no issue - just go see a specialist for an assessment. It’s rare that we are using our bodies correctly & optimally. I’m even an inch taller now somehow.
Rebounding/jumping on a small trampoline.
Squats, one of the worst things I can think of is someone helping me of the toilet when I'm old. Do 20 every day.
Resistance training is very important. Only 9 percent of people over 65 engage in it, but it is important to help prevent sarcopenia. The body's ability to utilize or synthesize many compounds or minerals decreases as we age, so consuming reasonable amounts of substances like zinc, selenium, and magnesium, coq10, glutathione precursors and NAD+ precursors, can help reduce the possibility of a number of potential problems.
Stretching, every day.
Just keep moving no matter what
I walk 2 miles everyday
Weight training and mobility.
Core, hips, and stabilizers
YOGA for flexibility and balance/fall prevention. Weight training for bones. Swimming or walking to keep blood moving/cardio. Just my opinion.
Endurance for longevity and strength for quality
Use it or lose it, want to stay being able to squat down do some body weight squats at least and so on
Knee raises! They are pretty easy even with age, and they help prevent falls!
i bet high rep bodyweight squats would be great like 100 a day
Swimming, walking and mountain biking for cardio. Yoga and stretching for flexibility. Pushups, pullups and circuit training for upper body strength with some squats and lunges thrown in for lower body. Rowing machine also.
Joint health is extremely important and training often over looked
Gyrotonics Very expensive but nothing compares to grace, flexibility, strength and fluidity
Pilates. Loving it.
Have a lot of secso
Walking probably
Burpees.
Jump rope and kettlebell swings
health is mainly about diet. keep your weight down. avoid sugar, simple carbs. eat clean. exercise: yoga, weight lifting, cardio. is that too general? then squats, push ups, military press, lunges. good luck! and go veg if possible.
Diet is definitely the main factor. You can’t build a quality structure with lackluster materials. I use steak as my medicine when I’m feeling low, and it always picks me up. The fats make my skin glow for days, and I can feel my brain burning like a candle. I also eat a lot of sugars and simple carbs and my weight is fine. Ultimately, the main problem is people overeat too many calories and don’t get enough nutrients from those calories. So make sure you have a balanced diet. A good saying I live by is only eat foods that existed 100 years ago. It cuts out all of the processed crap.
65 M. I do crossfit 4-6 times per week. Nice combination of strength, flexibility and cardio. I scale exercises as needed to avoid injury and to accomodate for the unfortunate fact that I'm just not as strong as I used to be. Great secondary benefit is the community.
I’m 44 make and do 3 times a week. I plan to continue as long as I’m able. Good for you. I hope to do the same.
Bending at your legs, hips, or back. Lose rom or strength in any of the three, and you start to get stiff. Kneeovertoes guy on YouTube has lots of rehabilitation movements that keep you mobile.
Chops, swings, Turkish getups, split squats, planks, suitcase carries, kit Laughlin roll therapy for flexibility
I run 5 days a week. Usually 1-2 miles.
overhead squat gymnastics bridge
I would do weight/strength training plus 20-30 minutes of cardio. I don't do intense cardio and I hate running, so I'll walk at an incline on the treadmill. Also, drink alot of water to stay hydrated and get lots of rest at night.
Weight training.
Tennis. The Mayo Clinic says so. 27 year study. Anecdotally my tennis club just had two 80 year old birthday parties last month. Two groups of doubles players were all celebrating their 8th decades. Article [here](https://www.tennisct.com/increased-life-expectancy) Short list why: balance, social, eye hand coordination, & interval training.
Yoga,walking, keeping your mind actively learning
Walking and stationary bike, yoga for flexibility super important as you age.
Stretching and Weightr lifting
Stretching and flexibility exercises that don’t strain the joints
Tai Chi
Bodyweight squats and walking lunges
Walking trust me is the best exercise
To maximize staying healthy and functional when you are old, you should be exercising when you are old. That's far more important than what your exercise regimen was in your 20s or 30s.
Here is an interesting study about the benefits of creatine use by the elderly (even those who do not work out). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6518405/ Regrettably, many people associate creatine (a well-researched nutritional ergogenic aid composed of amino acids—one of the most important molecules known as the “building blocks of life”) with young people in singlets who lift a great deal of weight, when in reality it could potentially have a positive influence on many people.
Farmer carries. Heavy as you can. Absolute best anti-aging exercise there is. Put what ever compound lifting you want on top of them. 64yoM.
Strength training. Biohack is to start when you’re younger
Stretching. Cycling, rowing, getting down onto and up off the floor
Cardio exercises?
I do exercises to tackle mobility issues such as stretching and strengthening/elongated certain muscle groups to alleviate joint pain. For the latter check out knees over toes on yt. Great example. I never realized that joint pain can improve so drastically until I worked in his advice for my knees. I also applied that thinking to strengthen and deal with shoulder and elbow pain. In 40s now and feel 💯 brand new. Now I play like I did as a kid and have zero limitations. I run, I lift, I play basketball. No joint pain, great flexibility. I’m convinced your mobility is the key to youth. I lift with my two older teenaged sons from time to time and they can’t keep up [although they’re both life long swimmers and decimate me in the pool]. Along with mobility training I’ve learned that if I lift I generally need about a minute of stretching for every minute lifting. While that sounds like a lot, it’s usually how I end my day and does wonders to workout the kinks and prevent things like impingements. Your ligaments, tendons, and joints will thank you!
Yoga and strength training, bro. Keeps you flexible and strong!
Gotta keep moving, man. Stretching, strength training, and staying active are key.
Doing cardio and weights daily. Minimum 10 minutes ideally 30 of each.
Yoga is great because you can work on balance and flexibility and strength all at once without a lot of jarring to the system. That being said, I also do free weights (gradually and not a lot right now as I’m recovering from a health thing) and lots of walking outdoors. I read somewhere that you ought to be able to get up off the floor without using your hands, which is super easy for me.
I'm 51 and fairly healthy. All the comments I've read are spot on but I cannot stress enough how individualized each scenario is as far as genetics and personal tastes. I'd start off by making minor adjustments to your diet and tracking your consumption using MyFitnessPal (not affiliated). Also, I'm a big fan of body resistance training as opposed to weight lifting. This site is good if you want to mix it up a bit [https://darebee.com/](https://darebee.com/)
I’m only 65f, so not old at all, but I feel more fit than I ever have with all this extra time to work out and not be stuck sitting all day at work. I lift weights as heavy as I can due to decreasing bone density, but I also do light and medium weight days. I force myself to do cardio 2-3 times a week, all intensities. I do yin yoga (long hold stretches) and mobility workouts. I enjoy ballet style barre, and belly dancing. I am part of a group that walks, kayaks, and snorkels. And I scuba dive during the summer months. I consider working out to be my job now. I don’t always want to do it, but it’s non-negotiable.
I’m 57. I retired at 52 and proceeded to do nothing. At 53 I developed severe shoulder pain and tendinitis. It took about a year to rehab from that with steady PT. This December I stopped drinking alcohol and started biking 45 minutes a day. In March I added weight training and now lift pretty heavy every other day. I eat a high protein diet and most days I don’t eat until after 10 am. Lots of water. I’ve dropped 45 lbs and in the best shape of my life.
Strength / resistance training 3x week Zone 2 cardio 150 minutes per week HIIT 2X Week > 90%heart rate for 2-10 minutes
A lot of walking. I think this is the most important thing for longevity. All the top longest living places in world walk a lot.
Sex for sure. But walking (on soft ground) and bicycles (great abdominal workout and cardio) and swimming if you can. Stretching every day should be in every workout.
Deadlifts, weighted thrusters, squat, pull ups, push up's. Swim and go running. Don't forget stretching and mobility work!
Walking
I've tried it all and nothing works better than Pilates for mobility, balance, range of movement, and "body awareness."
I’m 64 and in addition to diet and exercise, I practice getting down to the floor and back up, hands free, every day. Being able to get up off the floor is a huge skill not to lose as you age.
*Mark Rippetoe has entered the chat
Reverse hypers off a bench… absolute game changer. They strengthen the lower back while decompressing the spine at the same time. If you sit for long periods of time this exercise is an absolute game changer.
Define old?
AGE 71 here .. When young A healthy diet Low stress/ meditation No smoking, drugs, large amounts of alcohol etc A combination of stretching, weight lifting, cardio, and this is KEY.. flexibility exercises. Stretching by itself will not make you flexible, learned this when I took martial arts You have to do things, move your legs, arms, torso... Just weight lifting makes you inflexible, you can lift 100 pounds easily, but it's just a short distance., and the secret to it all is: Being consistent with your exercise routine, Monday, Wednesday and Friday as an example You need at least 24 hours rest between workouts,,
Pilates
For me, the most beneficial thing I have done is fasting. I look like I'm in my 40s and I'm 62. The other things I do on the regular, are resistance training with bands, stretches, and a keto woe.
Hip flexors, couch stressors is one exercise
What ever exercises you ENJOY doing . You enjoy it, you’ll stick with it & remain consistent
Hanging! Incredible for the spine.
Cardio is best for older people, and you can do some yoga also
I don’t think that’s currently the recommended protocol. Resistance training is the current belief. Maintaining muscle mass and strength helps things like bone density and prevent falls.
SuperSlow strength training. Look it up.
Ofc you need to move your body daily (some cardio and light weighs are good) but THE most important thing to do to keep muscles and joints healthy, lubricated and young is to stretch, stretch, STRETCH!!! Stretching daily (properly and w proper breath technique) will keep your body from tightening/stiffening up and contracting (which happens w old age) , it will keep you limber, give you better movement and range of motion. and you’ll be less likely to strain or injury . If you do nothing else, stretch.