Over-50 and Out-Of-Shape - Where to start?

[Anonymous]

Walking has many physical and mental benefits and is cheap and easy for most people to add to their day.

Make sure you are eating nutritious food especially if you work up to more intense exercise, because if you try to add exercise without a healthy diet your body won't have the fuel it needs. And if weight loss is one of your goals, a large percentage of that is related to what you eat versus exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please ignore the walking advice. You will never get inshape simply by walking. Add 10 to 30 second busts of jogging into your Walks. Do 4 minutes of walk and then a short burst of jog. Cycle through this until you can hold the jog for 30 seconds.
After you find this more comfortable, make every other burst an "all out" sprint. If you can do just 5 seconds, do 5. But cycle up over weeks until you get to 30 seconds

Add light dumbell compound exercises 2twice a week.
Keep going.
Your body will make changes to handle the additional demands you put on it over time.

OP here. This has been my experience with walking, unfortunately -- that even with a lot of it, it just isn't enough. I'll try what you suggest -- I did it once in the past and was able to work up to 20-25 min jogs. Would love to make it back there, but feeling intimidated given a few extra years and pounds.

Instead of jogging intervals, do incline intervals. You need to be careful with your joints so no pounding on the pavement. An injury now will see you back and it takes is longer to heal at 50.

8 minute warm up. 3.0 speed no incline
Then alternate incline 2-6% at 3.2 -3.5 speed
One minute higher, 3-5 minutes lower
Start with 29 minutes and add time as you can

This will burn calories and improve your cardiovascular health and endurance.

Lift weights 3x a week with a better trainer. Try a local hospital network gym. Look at bios. Find someone with a resume that includes health and special populations, not just a guy who likes to lift.

[Anonymous]

OP in my area we have a ton of organized walking groups. When I first started walking (for exercise) I found this really helpful to keep me accountable and motivated. Then I added in a organized boot camp workout in our local park. Again kept me accountable and motivated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

OP. I didn't "quit walking because it wasn't fast enough." I quit ONLY WALKING. I walked, then realized it wasn't doing much, so added short spurts of jogging, and then increased the jogging until I made it all the way to jogging 25 minutes. That took about 7-8 months. Then I injured my achilles and had to rest for months. Then I got out of shape again. Ready to start again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

OP. I didn't "quit walking because it wasn't fast enough." I quit ONLY WALKING. I walked, then realized it wasn't doing much, so added short spurts of jogging, and then increased the jogging until I made it all the way to jogging 25 minutes. That took about 7-8 months. Then I injured my achilles and had to rest for months. Then I got out of shape again. Ready to start again.

Jogging is really hard on your body, especially over 50 and if you haven’t been doing it consistently over years. I would not be surprised if picking up jogging again leads to another injury.

This is the age where many people who have been running for decades starts to decrease the distance and frequency of runs and diversify their exercise - more cycling or swimming for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

OP. I didn't "quit walking because it wasn't fast enough." I quit ONLY WALKING. I walked, then realized it wasn't doing much, so added short spurts of jogging, and then increased the jogging until I made it all the way to jogging 25 minutes. That took about 7-8 months. Then I injured my achilles and had to rest for months. Then I got out of shape again. Ready to start again.

Yes, that’s clear in your comments. My point is, anything you’ve tried could’ve been successful for you *had you not quit all of it.* This isn’t meant to insult you, it’s to reassure you that any physical movement will work for you from where you’re starting as long as you just stick with it and don’t quit. Physically fit people have one thing that helps make them fit: discipline. It isn’t a magical workout or genetics or motivation. It’s just the discipline to not stop doing it, which is what you really need to focus on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

This is So. Not. Helpful.
OP ignore this poster. Start walking, get a trainer to show you proper form to lift weights, increase protein, cut junk (sugar and alcohol). Also to the posters telling OP to jog/run, that it terrible advice for someone 50 years and self defined out of shape.

Signed 58y who was out of shape and overweight 30 lbs and now quite fit after a year walking and strength training.

[Anonymous]

I agree with everybody who is saying any form of running is a terrible idea with the OPs self explained current state. You really do need to be running for a long time to continue doing any sort of volume as a female in the 50s age category. It is what it is.

Cycling is better, but still repetitive and an injury potential. I think the walking, food focus, and slow uptake weight lifting is the way to go. And lower body weight lifting will support cycling. Exercises that strength overall hips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

This is So. Not. Helpful.
OP ignore this poster. Start walking, get a trainer to show you proper form to lift weights, increase protein, cut junk (sugar and alcohol). Also to the posters telling OP to jog/run, that it terrible advice for someone 50 years and self defined out of shape.

Signed 58y who was out of shape and overweight 30 lbs and now quite fit after a year walking and strength training.

Fake news

[Anonymous]

resistance bands
weights
do them while you watch tv

[Anonymous]

Weights and swimming is great for your age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

This is So. Not. Helpful.
OP ignore this poster. Start walking, get a trainer to show you proper form to lift weights, increase protein, cut junk (sugar and alcohol). Also to the posters telling OP to jog/run, that it terrible advice for someone 50 years and self defined out of shape.

Signed 58y who was out of shape and overweight 30 lbs and now quite fit after a year walking and strength training.

Some of you need to learn the difference between “this isn’t fun to hear” and “this isn’t helpful.” Telling OP her main issue is stick-with-it-ness and to focus on continuing with exercise when in the past she has quit IS helpful. The main reason she is out of shape isn’t because she never tries, it’s her propensity to quit anything she does try. So whatever she tries THIS TIME she needs to make it a goal to not quit when it gets boring or uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Lifting (scaled), HIIT workouts (scaled), and some sort of cardio (biking, rowing). I wouldn’t stop walking. I include walking on top of these activities just to unwind and burn extra calories.

I agree with some of the posters about self discipline. I am 50 and I am no longer a spring chicken. Staying in shape at our age takes a lot of mental discipline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op a repeated theme in your comments is you’re a quitter. You quit walking because it wasn’t working fast enough. Quit peloton because the seat was uncomfortable. Quit multiple personal trainers. Your biggest challenge is not going to be finding the magical workout. It’s going to be not quitting- you have to continue doing it even if it isn’t comfortable or fun or fast. If you can manage that, you’ll get somewhere.

This is So. Not. Helpful.
OP ignore this poster. Start walking, get a trainer to show you proper form to lift weights, increase protein, cut junk (sugar and alcohol). Also to the posters telling OP to jog/run, that it terrible advice for someone 50 years and self defined out of shape.

Signed 58y who was out of shape and overweight 30 lbs and now quite fit after a year walking and strength training.

Some of you need to learn the difference between “this isn’t fun to hear” and “this isn’t helpful.” Telling OP her main issue is stick-with-it-ness and to focus on continuing with exercise when in the past she has quit IS helpful. The main reason she is out of shape isn’t because she never tries, it’s her propensity to quit anything she does try. So whatever she tries THIS TIME she needs to make it a goal to not quit when it gets boring or uncomfortable.

Ok Tiger mom. Seriously, I hope you don’t have kids.

[Anonymous]

If you don’t want to walk do couch to 5k but get good shoes.

Do yoga.