Training for my future octogenarian decathlon - what’s yours?

[Anonymous]

Curious- What are the 10 things you want to be able to do independently when you are 80? I have changed the way I train in the hope that I will be able to do these things.

1) lift a carryon roller bag into the overhead plane bin
2) change my cat’s litter and bring the old litter to the outdoor trash bin
3) carry 2 full bags of groceries, uphill, 5 blocks
4) crouch down and pick up my toddler grand kids
5)push a wheelbarrow full of compost to my community garden plot
6) walk up and down 10 flights of stairs in 40 minutes
7) balance on a step stool and change a light bulb safely
8) walk a 10k in less than 3 hours
9) sit cross legged and get up off the floor without help
10) power walk a mile in less than 20 minutes

Training: Absolutely have to do an 5 minute warm up and 10 minute cool down before strength days. When at gym, added in more sled, sandbag and kettlebell work instead of just dumbbells. Lots of one sided farmer carries and walking up and down stairs with weight. More twist and swings with weight. Stall bar or monkey bar shoulder hangs. Yoga or pilates 1x a week. Balance work on body ball. Treadmill incline walks or air bike versus indoor cycling class/ elliptical. Full recovery days- sometimes 2 in a row. Lots more mobility/stretching work

Context: I am a 51 year old woman who played sports in high school (soccer/field hockey/skiiing) and D3 field hockey, then downshifted to moderate activity in my 30s-40s (running, yoga, weights, etc…), am the mother of a teen, work a computer focused job and had my share of injuries/surgeries over the years (ACL reconstruction, C-section, concussion)

Thanks for any shares- I am always curious about how people are improving their healthspan through movement.

[Anonymous]

I’ll do you one better: I’m almost 55, menopausalAND osteoporosis diagnosis since age 48. Completed five years of Fosamax, gained recommended 15 lbs (of muscle), solo walking with weighted vest 3 miles, 4 days week. Added protein to my diet. I’m a non smoker and never drink alcohol. Recently learned that my osteoporosis has worsened. Nothing I’ve done has helped.

My short term goals are figuring out next steps. I have to find a rheumatologist to learn if maybe there’s a physiological explanation to my significant bone loss.

In the meantime, I’m now taking additional calcium supplements and magnesium recommended by my GP.

My goals are short term: maintain muscle mass, strength and flexibility. Figure out why Fosamax was not effective and why at 55 I have the bones of a frail elderly woman. There’s a clear genetic link: my mother, grandma and great grandmother all had severe osteo with dowagers humps. My older brothers have osteopenia.

[Anonymous]

OP here- thanks for share. Weighted vest- how heavy of a vest do you use?

[Anonymous]

And wishing you good luck with your health conditions. I know it is tough when you have tried lots of options but it’s not working for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks for share. Weighted vest- how heavy of a vest do you use?

Np. I walk with a 20 lb vest. It’s about 16% of my weight.

[Anonymous]

You really should give credit to Peter Attia here and his book Outlive if you are going to take the concept.

People that are interested in answering this post would also be interested in the book where the concept came from.

[Anonymous]

Live this thread!

[Anonymous]

I am not really a goal setter or list maker. But my parents have aged so differently - my dad still walks a ton, plays golf, can run up and down stairs; my mom has Parkinson's, arthritis, a bad back, and can hardly walk anymore. It's terrible for her. Some of what she's going through was preventable had she been more active all along, most wasn't.

I don't want to run a marathon when I'm 80, but I would like to still be able to more freely without pain. I'm 50 now, at the age where you really do use it or lose it, and I am trying to use it and build as much strength and resilience, and good habits, as I can. And I also know a lot of this will be a matter of luck.

[Anonymous]

44F here. Not an 80yo-goal setting mindset, but a preventative health mindset:

1. I am eating as clean as I possibly can to lower my genetically high cholesterol and blood pressure... want to avoid meds for as long as I can. I'm already slender, so I don't actually need to lose weight.

2. I exercise in a joint-friendly way, with aquatic fitness, because I've seen the wear and tear on joints in my relatives and in-laws. So no running or too many lunges and squats.

3. I want to stretch more, because I've seen the benefits my father has received from his lifetime of daily stretches.

4. And I want to improve my meditation practice, because it does wonders for my husband and his brothers.

[Anonymous]

45F - I loved Attia's concept of this. My mom, who is 75, and a lifelong fitness enthusiast, is a great example of this. When I was growing up, I always remember her doing Jane Fonda videos, long walks, etc. She was never super thin, but always in great shape. In their 50s and 60s, my parents cycled all over the world; as they've aged, they've toned down the intensity, but just did a 2 week bike ride through Germany last summer.

She does some kind of exercise every single day - mostly those cardio stepping/walking classes you can find online, and usually with some weights in hand (2-5 pounds), though she's also doing squats and lunges with heavier weights (10 pounds). She tells me that she's stretching a lot more and always trying to work on her flexibility.

I can tell she's aged, of course, but she's super inspirational to everyone around her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious- What are the 10 things you want to be able to do independently when you are 80? I have changed the way I train in the hope that I will be able to do these things.

1) lift a carryon roller bag into the overhead plane bin
2) change my cat’s litter and bring the old litter to the outdoor trash bin
3) carry 2 full bags of groceries, uphill, 5 blocks
4) crouch down and pick up my toddler grand kids
5)push a wheelbarrow full of compost to my community garden plot
6) walk up and down 10 flights of stairs in 40 minutes
7) balance on a step stool and change a light bulb safely
8) walk a 10k in less than 3 hours
9) sit cross legged and get up off the floor without help
10) power walk a mile in less than 20 minutes

Training: Absolutely have to do an 5 minute warm up and 10 minute cool down before strength days. When at gym, added in more sled, sandbag and kettlebell work instead of just dumbbells. Lots of one sided farmer carries and walking up and down stairs with weight. More twist and swings with weight. Stall bar or monkey bar shoulder hangs. Yoga or pilates 1x a week. Balance work on body ball. Treadmill incline walks or air bike versus indoor cycling class/ elliptical. Full recovery days- sometimes 2 in a row. Lots more mobility/stretching work

Context: I am a 51 year old woman who played sports in high school (soccer/field hockey/skiiing) and D3 field hockey, then downshifted to moderate activity in my 30s-40s (running, yoga, weights, etc…), am the mother of a teen, work a computer focused job and had my share of injuries/surgeries over the years (ACL reconstruction, C-section, concussion)

Thanks for any shares- I am always curious about how people are improving their healthspan through movement.

I think this is a great plan, OP. I am 51 and am committed to working out to make sure I can do all of these things if we make it to our 80s. Someone, who doesn’t work out hard, asked me this weekend if I am “obsessed” with working out to look good. I said no. I want to have my balance, strength, etc if I make it to my 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You really should give credit to Peter Attia here and his book Outlive if you are going to take the concept.

People that are interested in answering this post would also be interested in the book where the concept came from.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:44F here. Not an 80yo-goal setting mindset, but a preventative health mindset:

1. I am eating as clean as I possibly can to lower my genetically high cholesterol and blood pressure... want to avoid meds for as long as I can. I'm already slender, so I don't actually need to lose weight.

2. I exercise in a joint-friendly way, with aquatic fitness, because I've seen the wear and tear on joints in my relatives and in-laws. So no running or too many lunges and squats.

3. I want to stretch more, because I've seen the benefits my father has received from his lifetime of daily stretches.

4. And I want to improve my meditation practice, because it does wonders for my husband and his brothers.

Peter Attia and just about any of his guests on the subject would tell you 2 is a mistake unless you have some specific predisposition you are trying to avoid. Particularly as a female. You need to load your skeletal system with weight bearing exercise. Avoiding it is a bad plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:44F here. Not an 80yo-goal setting mindset, but a preventative health mindset:

1. I am eating as clean as I possibly can to lower my genetically high cholesterol and blood pressure... want to avoid meds for as long as I can. I'm already slender, so I don't actually need to lose weight.

2. I exercise in a joint-friendly way, with aquatic fitness, because I've seen the wear and tear on joints in my relatives and in-laws. So no running or too many lunges and squats.

3. I want to stretch more, because I've seen the benefits my father has received from his lifetime of daily stretches.

4. And I want to improve my meditation practice, because it does wonders for my husband and his brothers.

Peter Attia and just about any of his guests on the subject would tell you 2 is a mistake unless you have some specific predisposition you are trying to avoid. Particularly as a female. You need to load your skeletal system with weight bearing exercise. Avoiding it is a bad plan.

I'm sorry but that is ridiculous. Women need to do weight bearing exercises. We don't have to destroy our joints. I don't care what health guru says otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:44F here. Not an 80yo-goal setting mindset, but a preventative health mindset:

1. I am eating as clean as I possibly can to lower my genetically high cholesterol and blood pressure... want to avoid meds for as long as I can. I'm already slender, so I don't actually need to lose weight.

2. I exercise in a joint-friendly way, with aquatic fitness, because I've seen the wear and tear on joints in my relatives and in-laws. So no running or too many lunges and squats.

3. I want to stretch more, because I've seen the benefits my father has received from his lifetime of daily stretches.

4. And I want to improve my meditation practice, because it does wonders for my husband and his brothers.

Peter Attia and just about any of his guests on the subject would tell you 2 is a mistake unless you have some specific predisposition you are trying to avoid. Particularly as a female. You need to load your skeletal system with weight bearing exercise. Avoiding it is a bad plan.

PP you replied to. Every individual is different. My joints are fragile and everyone in my family who overimpacted them needed surgeries. The ones who were active in a gentler way didn’t. You need to customize your health plan for the genes you have.

I have 2 autoimmune diseases, family predispositions to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and breast cancer: that’s what I’m focused on managing. The weight bearing would be helpful for the osteoporosis, but not at the expense of my joints - it can be managed with meds. My mother reversed her osteoporosis with the treatment her doctor prescribed.