Keep fit & leisure time for the over 70 s

[MyFriend You]

2 hours ago, superal said:

Sounds really good , unfortunately I am not in Bangkok but up in Issan near Surin with limited facilities but I do get out for 18 holes of golf a couple of times a week which is a start I guess .We have a well equipped gym near me but I am a bit apprehensive as I have never used one to any real extent and there is no instructor there . I might hang around there to see if any falangs turn up to give me advice . I used to enjoy brisk walking to an hotel with a pool , swim an hour then walk back but the soi dogs gave me too many problems .  

Slightly off-topic but since you mentioned soi dogs  -  I bought a "DAZER II"  that I carry with me on walks for the soi dogs, has a belt clip  - when activated, it sends an ultrasonic tone that dog's & cats can hear, irritates the hell out of them - just about stops them in their tracks and sends them running - the odd Alpha dog might stop and stare but another push of the button sends it on his/her way.  I bought this on Amazon.com, have given several as gifts to friends and I tell you, it works.  Not only for irate dogs, can be use as a training device for your own dog, teaching them when to bark, when to stop and go etc etc

 

Safe Walking and don't give up the quest to stay fit, I am 67 and still going strong, also come from a line of long living grandparents,  grandfather 96, and grandmother 101, then died quietly in their sleep, what a way to go!!   

[superal]

57 minutes ago, Juan B Tong said:

Stretch. 50 crunches, 50 push-ups (modified partially to floor) every other day walk 60-80 min. depending on the route, other day swim breast stroke 30min.freestyle now 10 min and increasing. Soon 71.

 

But that freestyle is a killer , breaststroke a bit easier but I have never been a great swimmer , despite the effort I put in girls can overtake me , gotta be doing something wrong 

[superal]

1 minute ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Slightly off-topic but since you mentioned soi dogs  -  I bought a "DAZER II"  that I carry with me on walks for the soi dogs, has a belt clip  - when activated, it sends an ultrasonic tone that dog's & cats can hear, irritates the hell out of them - just about stops them in their tracks and sends them running - the odd Alpha dog might stop and stare but another push of the button sends it on his/her way.  I bought this on Amazon.com, have given several as gifts to friends and I tell you, it works.  Not only for irate dogs, can be use as a training device for your own dog, teaching them when to bark, when to stop and go etc etc

 

Safe Walking and don't give up the quest to stay fit, I am 67 and still going strong, also come from a line of long living grandparents,  grandfather 96, and grandmother 101, then died quietly in their sleep, what a way to go!!   

Many thanks for that info , I will take a look at the " Dazer 11 " , so it sounds like you have still got 40 years left , hope you have got a good pension company 

[jobin]

U swim a mile in the pool every day, Pinot?  That's a long haul.  May i venture to say that u do sleep a good deal too.  That's what happens to me after a big workout.  Next day long snooze.

[smileydude]

Some 70 year olds are very physically strong and can still do weights, running and other stuff.  Thing is we often forget that the degeneration of our joints/discs/ligaments has already happened and will progress faster as we age especially around the knee's, shoulders and lower back.  

We all see this problem in long distance runners and athletes who suffer from injuries and faster degeneration.  Humans aren't evolved to run excessively like horses.

They don't tend to live particularly longer then the average person and often suffer from muscularskeletal problems for the rest of their life.

IMO, swimming and 30-60 min daily walks at a comfortable pace is good cardiovascular exercise which has the least efffect on joints so you can maintain your health without the risk of future problems. 

Those who live the longest and healthiest tend to be the low stress balanced diet type of people but its not about how long we live but the quality of our golden life years so we have to start being kinder to our joints.

Oh and almost forgot.  Gotta keep that Dementia/Alzheimer's away.

Word puzzles and some of those games on your iPad are great ways to keep our brain alert or having a stimulating conversation with someone with more then half a brain and preferably pretty ain't bad either.

Edited July 28, 2017 by smileydude

[sandy102uk]

I'm in my 70's and go to the gym every other day. Mostly brisk uphill walking on the treadmill and another 30 minutes on the cross trainer. In between I do tummy crunches and weights, not too heavy but enough to keep the muscles toned. Also every other night I go bar hopping but sadly the horizontal press ups are now only once a week.

[superal]

1 hour ago, sandy102uk said:

I'm in my 70's and go to the gym every other day. Mostly brisk uphill walking on the treadmill and another 30 minutes on the cross trainer. In between I do tummy crunches and weights, not too heavy but enough to keep the muscles toned. Also every other night I go bar hopping but sadly the horizontal press ups are now only once a week.

Maybe you need a little more vitamin V   . Your routine sounds doable but mentioned before , what is a cross trainer ?  

[superal]

3 hours ago, smileydude said:

Some 70 year olds are very physically strong and can still do weights, running and other stuff.  Thing is we often forget that the degeneration of our joints/discs/ligaments has already happened and will progress faster as we age especially around the knee's, shoulders and lower back.  

We all see this problem in long distance runners and athletes who suffer from injuries and faster degeneration.  Humans aren't evolved to run excessively like horses.

They don't tend to live particularly longer then the average person and often suffer from muscularskeletal problems for the rest of their life.

IMO, swimming and 30-60 min daily walks at a comfortable pace is good cardiovascular exercise which has the least efffect on joints so you can maintain your health without the risk of future problems. 

Those who live the longest and healthiest tend to be the low stress balanced diet type of people but its not about how long we live but the quality of our golden life years so we have to start being kinder to our joints.

Oh and almost forgot.  Gotta keep that Dementia/Alzheimer's away.

Word puzzles and some of those games on your iPad are great ways to keep our brain alert or having a stimulating conversation with someone with more then half a brain and preferably pretty ain't bad either.

Good post but I think there will be 1 or 2 exceptionally fit guys in their 70 s who will disagree with you  . Interesting point regarding  dementia & Alzheimer .

[robertson468]

I have a little gym in my house that has weights, bench press (the back of which can be lifted, this is important peeps, so read on) and crash mat.

 

I work out for about an hour each day, which incorporates cardio and aerobic exercises, however when I do the weights, I sit on my bench press with the back support up and work the weights using the back support.  If you don't do this, you might find in a fairly quick time you are not only stressing muscles that you don't want to stress, but also your hip bones and vertebrae will start having a one way conversation with you that might need the assistance of a third party!  At our age (I am 27 and dyslexic, work it out peeps) you do not want to be damaging these areas of your body, not only does it hurt like hell, but now it takes a much longer to repair.

 

Oh, and don't forget do some warm up exercises before you start and stretch exercises once you finish and drink plenty of fluids whilst exercising. 

 

It amuses me when most of my Wife's younger Friends ask her how old I am and like the silly egotistical (getting older) sod I am, I ask them to guess.  Most say about 55 to 60 years of age.   Maybe they are just pacifying Papa, but ..........it adds to the feel good factor. 

 

Keep working out team and keep socialising.  Happy days!

[superal]

2 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

I have a little gym in my house that has weights, bench press (the back of which can be lifted, this is important peeps, so read on) and crash mat.

 

I work out for about an hour each day, which incorporates cardio and aerobic exercises, however when I do the weights, I sit on my bench press with the back support up and work the weights using the back support.  If you don't do this, you might find in a fairly quick time you are not only stressing muscles that you don't want to stress, but also your hip bones and vertebrae will start having a one way conversation with you that might need the assistance of a third party!  At our age (I am 27 and dyslexic, work it out peeps) you do not want to be damaging these areas of your body, not only does it hurt like hell, but now it takes a much longer to repair.

 

Oh, and don't forget do some warm up exercises before you start and stretch exercises once you finish and drink plenty of fluids whilst exercising. 

 

It amuses me when most of my Wife's younger Friends ask her how old I am and like the silly egotistical (getting older) sod I am, I ask them to guess.  Most say about 55 to 60 years of age.   Maybe they are just pacifying Papa, but ..........it adds to the feel good factor. 

 

Keep working out team and keep socialising.  Happy days!

You paint a good picture 

[jeab1980]

7 hours ago, superal said:

I hear that jogging can also be bad for your joints especially when you get older 

My knees and ankles are shaged anyway to much running and carrying heavy weights when younger.

[superal]

6 minutes ago, jeab1980 said:

My knees and ankles are shaged anyway to much running and carrying heavy weights when younger.

I have a pal who was a plasterer and could carry 2 x 1 cwt bags of cement on his shoulders , also was a body builder , he has some great photos of when he was at his prime & competing in competitions but now at 70 his knees are playing up and cannot lift his arms above his head . Apart from that he is very active at 70 .  

             

[superal]

5 hours ago, robblok said:

Far younger, but turned into a fat slob here in Thailand.. at some point i realized that that was not who i wanted to be. Changed my diet (always exercised but you can't out train a bad diet). Lost 25kg in a year kept it off.

 

Currently (what I do varies through the year I always lift weights but the cardio sometimes gets neglected)  i start the day with 25 minutes on a cross trainer (aim for 7 days a week) and lift weight heavy compound exercises 4 times a week for an hour. Its a lot.. but at times I got new goals and to reach them one has to go a bit more extreme. I never get really bored with the lifting of weights / fitness but the cardio usually drives me nuts after a while. So far so good.

 

I bought all the equipment i needed years ago (still buy some new stuff once in a while) because there were no gyms here. I now got a fully stocked home gym with loads of weight and a few machines. 

Not wanting to drift off the post  but the medics say that the main driver for a man is the hormone testosterone which starts to diminish from the age of 35  . HRT is now a common action in the states I believe and works wonders for many . Also resistance weight training creates testosterone within the body naturally . From what I gather the loss of muscle & skeletal frame is attributed to the lack of testosterone as we age but keep fit guys will almost sustain the levels needed to maintain a healthy body . However from what I read it is possible to halt & possibly part;y reverse the aging process by HRT . Only quoting what I have read , maybe you know better .

[robblok]

Just now, superal said:

Not wanting to drift off the post  but the medics say that the main driver for a man is the hormone testosterone which starts to diminish from the age of 35  . HRT is now a common action in the states I believe and works wonders for many . Also resistance weight training creates testosterone within the body naturally . From what I gather the loss of muscle & skeletal frame is attributed to the lack of testosterone as we age but keep fit guys will almost sustain the levels needed to maintain a healthy body . However from what I read it is possible to halt & possibly part;y reverse the aging process by HRT . Only quoting what I have read , maybe you know better .

No I don't know any better then you do HRT is something I do I had low levels i keep them up with one injection a week. I am quite sure it helps with the lifting too (not in a major way but every little bit counts). Just lifting weights can (but not always) keep levels up. I just wanted to go to optimum levels. 

 

Bodybuilders will do easily 5 times (often more) then HRT levels during a cycle. I have even tried HGH, but can't say i found that effective (real expensive but not much benefits) HRT helped a lot more. 

[superal]

31 minutes ago, robblok said:

No I don't know any better then you do HRT is something I do I had low levels i keep them up with one injection a week. I am quite sure it helps with the lifting too (not in a major way but every little bit counts). Just lifting weights can (but not always) keep levels up. I just wanted to go to optimum levels. 

 

Bodybuilders will do easily 5 times (often more) then HRT levels during a cycle. I have even tried HGH, but can't say i found that effective (real expensive but not much benefits) HRT helped a lot more. 

 

31 minutes ago, robblok said:

No I don't know any better then you do HRT is something I do I had low levels i keep them up with one injection a week. I am quite sure it helps with the lifting too (not in a major way but every little bit counts). Just lifting weights can (but not always) keep levels up. I just wanted to go to optimum levels. 

 

Bodybuilders will do easily 5 times (often more) then HRT levels during a cycle. I have even tried HGH, but can't say i found that effective (real expensive but not much benefits) HRT helped a lot more. 

Can you advise on the cost of the weekly injections , also the dosage and is it cipronate ? interesting when you say low levels cos a doctor may say normal for a guy of your age , which is low , or it is low for a guy of your age . Most of the time in the UK the doctor will say normal  ( meaning for your age and send you away ) but that is a long way from where you want to be to remain in a good physical shape . I hope that does not sound too confusing . I would appreciate it if you can share your experiences with us , very interesting .

[robblok]

First off your in Thailand, you can do tests of your levels here for around 800 bt, also estrogen tests are useful. I am using ethanate.. price for 20 vials is 2500 bt. (Bayer testovirion) Each vial contains up to 250mg of test E.  I have heard about guys taking a vial per week, can take less too, it depends how high it takes your levels. You can only find that out by doing lab tests. I also take an anti estrogen cost is around 3000 bt for 200 days. I have taken a vial.. i have taken less too (vial was easy then you don't have to split it) did not notice much difference. But its better not to go too high. 

 

I still do tests once in a while to see if the levels are good. I do my own injects so no extra costs (you need someone to teach you how to do it). 

 

To be honest, it gave me more energy, not sure how it influences the training. I have in a long distant past ever did a real cycle with test E at much higher levels. Then I really noticed it that it build muscle.. HRT is nothing like that, its just a gentle push in the back and is supposed to keep your belly fat low (though you still need diet) 

 

Seriously.. HRT is nice.. but if you don't exercise with it and do an healthy diet.. it still wont work. 

[fordguy61mi]

Benjakitti park is a nice place to exercise in the heart of the city.

[SpokaneAl]

But that freestyle is a killer , breaststroke a bit easier but I have never been a great swimmer , despite the effort I put in girls can overtake me , gotta be doing something wrong 

While I love swimming it is a tough sport, for me at least, to master. It really is so technique driven - one cannot bludgeon one's way through the water with much success or speed. I am continually working on refining my technique.


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[SpokaneAl]

Some 70 year olds are very physically strong and can still do weights, running and other stuff.  Thing is we often forget that the degeneration of our joints/discs/ligaments has already happened and will progress faster as we age especially around the knee's, shoulders and lower back.  
We all see this problem in long distance runners and athletes who suffer from injuries and faster degeneration.  Humans aren't evolved to run excessively like horses.
They don't tend to live particularly longer then the average person and often suffer from muscularskeletal problems for the rest of their life.
IMO, swimming and 30-60 min daily walks at a comfortable pace is good cardiovascular exercise which has the least efffect on joints so you can maintain your health without the risk of future problems. 
Those who live the longest and healthiest tend to be the low stress balanced diet type of people but its not about how long we live but the quality of our golden life years so we have to start being kinder to our joints.
Oh and almost forgot.  Gotta keep that Dementia/Alzheimer's away.
Word puzzles and some of those games on your iPad are great ways to keep our brain alert or having a stimulating conversation with someone with more then half a brain and preferably pretty ain't bad either.

Fortunately there is no data concerning your points on the increased degeneration and injuries resulting from distance running. And actually scientific studies are reaching the exact opposite conclusion. While swimming is wonderful, especially for those with skeletal and joint problems, it does not provide the high impact that one needs to maintain healthy joints.


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[SpokaneAl]

Do you think that if you are slim there is less impact on your joints as opposed to a newbie who may be overweight ?

 

If one is overweight I would suggest starting off walking and then as you progress perhaps add a couple minutes at a time of jogging into the mix. If any problems begin to arise, back off to strictly walking. Be very careful in beginning any exercise regime, especially if you are older. And watch out for the heat - it is a killer - drink plenty of fluids. You should probably also talk to your doctor first before starting.

 

 

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[Craig krup]

21 hours ago, BritTim said:

Aerobic classes, suitable for most fitness levels, are easy to find in big towns in Thailand. They are a good way of retaining basic fitness, and a great way to meet new people. 

Absolutely. Well over a hundred turn up five days a week in Nong Khai in a school car park just off the main street, complete with sound system and thumping music. Same think in Udon. At seventy, with the heat and humidity, the aerobics will be more than hard enough. 

[Craig krup]

22 hours ago, blorg said:

Not over 70 myself but I ride a bike and know other over 70s that do the same, 1 septuagenarian in my building thinks nothing of going out and doing a 160km ride. It's low impact exercise... usually, although I have had a couple of high impacts in my time here one from a pickup and another from a scooter so that might be a concern at your age. Swimming is also great and also low impact, with less risk from traffic.

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The great thing about a bike is that you're pushing a wall of air, so very small differences in speed mean huge differences in effort, particularly on the flat. So if you're an awesome rider you can manage 25 miles in an hour when you're young: 300 watts (or thereabouts) all the way. When you're seventy your power output might be down a lot, but you'll still do one hour and ten minutes: you can do a lot less and not lose much, you can still do the same rides, and so long as you don't look at the clock when you leave and get back it'll seem just the same.  

 

Old cyclists never die, they just use smaller gears. If you've got two or more riders with different abilities having the weaker rider sit some of the time behind the stronger rider allows everybody to ride at the same pace. At 28 miles an hour (unlikely!) it's 400 watts at the front, 200 watts behind and 160 watts in third place.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Craig krup
Typo

[Craig krup]

2 hours ago, fordguy61mi said:

Benjakitti park is a nice place to exercise in the heart of the city.

 

Nong Bua park in Udon has a load of exercise equipment and a big sort of seating area with a handrail - just the right height for step ups. You can get quite a good workout in the park, and it's so much nicer than being stuck indoors. If you're young you do face a problem, though. Working hard and producing a lot of power will mean you overheat. People dispute this, but three British Territorial Army special forces recruits died to prove it in 2013. I've seen real runners blasting around the park near Mo Chit station and then running straight into the air conditioned trains. But once you're a bit older you aren't chucking out the same power, nor heat, so it's less of a problem. One of the advantages of aging. 

[Pilotman]

9 hours ago, superal said:

Impressive but I think not attainable for a newbie aged 70 . BTW what distance do you cover in the 40 minutes and is it on the flat or hilly ?  I have read that a steady jog of 3 or 4 minutes  then open up to a sprint , or what ever you are capable of , to make you really puff & pant and back to a steady jog , over 20 minutes twice a week should suffice . The UK medics also spoke of " high intensive training " where 3 minutes 2 times a week of flat out running is enough for cardiovascular exercise . Have you heard of that ?

I work on heart rate, so whatever resistance setting I need on any particular machine  to attain 80 % of max rate  as quickly as I can and then maintain it for the  rest of the 40 mins.  Each gym's machines tends to be different in terms of  resistance settings.  The one I'm using in Sattahip right now ( a Matrix X trainer) is on setting 9 of 12, but in other, hotel gyms its been as low as 6  or as high as 10.  I have heard of the high intensity training but  I'm not sure that I would sign up to it at my age, or even believe what they say about its worth in terms of fitness.  maybe that's an old fashioned approach, but I'll stick with what works for me.   I agree that what I do would not necessarily work  or be right for others.  As many of us do at our age,  I have some arthritis in my knees and hips, but training seems to help rather than hinder mobility and pain control.     

[kokopelli]

Interesting discussion!  I am 77 and did go to a gym, until recently, for many years. Never was much into cardio, maybe 10-20 mins as a warm up. Then weights for 40 min, total about one hour/day for 4 times /week. Because of continuing heart valve problems I did stop for a few months to have a new valve inserted and now plan to continue on August 1. For me, the weight training was of extreme importance just to maintain bodily functions and am looking forward to renewing my gym membership. When at home in USA I use a fine gym located at a hospital but when in Pattaya I have been using a new gym at the Avenue (villa market) which is adequate. Hope this is of some interest.

[SpokaneAl]

The great thing about a bike is that you're pushing a wall of air, so very small differences in speed mean huge differences in effort, particularly on the flat. So if you're an awesome rider you can manage 25 miles in an hour when you're young: 300 watts (or thereabouts) all the way. When you're seventy your power output might be down a lot, but you'll still do one hour and ten minutes: you can do a lot less and not lose much, you can still do the same rides, and so long as you don't look at the clock when you leave and get back it'll seem just the same.  
 
Old cyclists never die, they just use smaller gears. If you've got two or more riders with different abilities having the weaker rider sit some of the time behind the stronger rider allows everybody to ride at the same pace. At 28 miles an hour (unlikely!) it's 400 watts at the front, 200 watts behind and 160 watts in third place.

"Old cyclists never die, they just use smaller gears." Nailed it!


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[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, kokopelli said:

Interesting discussion!  I am 77 and did go to a gym, until recently, for many years. Never was much into cardio, maybe 10-20 mins as a warm up. Then weights for 40 min, total about one hour/day for 4 times /week. Because of continuing heart valve problems I did stop for a few months to have a new valve inserted and now plan to continue on August 1. For me, the weight training was of extreme importance just to maintain bodily functions and am looking forward to renewing my gym membership. When at home in USA I use a fine gym located at a hospital but when in Pattaya I have been using a new gym at the Avenue (villa market) which is adequate. Hope this is of some interest.

well done and I do believe that just walking into the gym is a great start regardless of what you end up doing when you get there.  Being there is better than not being there.

 

I meant to mention in my other posts that I work on the formula:  208 - 0.7 x 70 to work out my MHR. 

[williet98248]

23 hours ago, BritTim said:

Aerobic classes, suitable for most fitness levels, are easy to find in big towns in Thailand. They are a good way of retaining basic fitness, and a great way to meet new people. For those who find a competitive element helps to get them off the couch, golf in Thailand is good exercise (no golf buggy) and excellent fun for many.

Golf may be fun and you may be tired after walking 18 holes  but strolling around a golf course is not good exercise.  Walking golf is ranked near the bottom of exercise activities.  Walking  for exercise means a fast stride rate and at least 15 minutes at a time to get your heart rate up.  Put that 10 kg bag on your shoulder and walk the entire course at over three miles an hour without stopping and then you will get some exercise.  I ride a bike for about two or three hours at a time and do light weight training about three times a week.  I am 75 and have lost about 26 pounds in the last several years.  From 204 five years ago to 178 this morning.  You can get some good information by googling 'exercise for seniors'.

[thaibook]

On 28/07/2017 at 11:22 AM, Pilotman said:

well done and I do believe that just walking into the gym is a great start regardless of what you end up doing when you get there.  Being there is better than not being there.

 

I meant to mention in my other posts that I work on the formula:  208 - 0.7 x 70 to work out my MHR. 

can you please explain the formula.  Is this to determine one's max heart rate?  I am starting to do some running again after some years off, trying both road runs outdoors and on machines in the gym and need more information to decide on an effective programme.   It might help others too.  Thanks 

[SpokaneAl]

can you please explain the formula.  Is this to determine one's max heart rate?  I am starting to do some running again after some years off, trying both road runs outdoors and on machines in the gym and need more information to decide on an effective programme.   It might help others too.  Thanks 

While there seems to be more and more robust, scientific discussion on the effectiveness of this method of calculating one's max heart rate, here is the simple formula.

Subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate.


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