So what does Exercise mean to you?

[Bklyn55]

Cardio (mix of treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine, bike) for 45 minutes 6 days a week. Free weights and techno gym circuit 2-3 days a week. Uninterrupted, stress free exercise time is one of the best perks of my retirement.

 

[Walt34]

Op - IMO, walking 3 miles a day and ranch work would be enough exercise.

Agree, but I don't have a ranch handy.

So we maintain a gym membership and (most times) go every other day. On non-gym days I go for a 2-mile walk but that is weather permitting, being defined as 50° or better and no precipitation. Okay, call me a slacker. I'm retired.

 

[Ready]

My exercise routine would consist of walking about 3 miles a day and working at my ranch doing some physical work but really nothing more. In your opinion would you consider this enough exercise each day?
What are your thoughts?

While any exercise at all is better than doing nothing, to answer your specific question, I would say no, that's not enough. When working full time it was easy to skip the exercise routine because we were so busy all day. But once we stop working, I believe we should replace our 8-10 hour work days with at least 2 hours per day of exercise.

I rotate between walking, bicycling and swimming, doing at least two of each per day. I also do some weight lifting, sit ups and push ups about five times per week. I know this seems like a lot, but what else do we have to do all day? And what better use of all this free time than to keep ourselves in great physical shape to enjoy all of these retirement years we worked so hard for?

If you don't have a fitness watch to track your exercise routine and calorie burns, get one. They go a long way toward motivating you to achieve your exercise goals. Some people think they are a fad, but I believe everyone should have one to monitor their activity. Otherwise, you're just guessing how much exercise you're getting and how many calories you are burning. Knowing the numbers will go a long way toward keeping up with your routine.

 

[Chuckanut]

There is no doubt that the only true 'Fountains of Youth' are exercise and Rock-and-Roll from the 60's.

My exercise philosophy is to do 'enough'. IOW, I do the basic stuff (cardio and strength training and stretching) that gives me 80% of the benefits and does not take to much time from my week. I could get closer to 100% if I at least doubled - probably tripled - my time devoted to exercise, but I have other things to do with my life. Exercise for me is not fun. I do it because it lets me have more fun doing other things.

 

[Music Lover]

If you lift correctly doing the right exercises with the proper intensity, it takes very little time to build and maintain good solid muscle mass. I only lift about 25 - 30 minutes every other day and do 30 minutes cardio on the opposite days and that's enough to keep me strong and in great shape.

I could do more but it's diminishing returns beyond that.

 

[mystang52]

I think a brisk 3 mile walk is good exercise. As to what exercise means to me, I NEED it for a couple of reasons. First, I really do enjoy it. I do some combination of swimming, running, weights and cycling nearly every day. If I'm injured or sick, or for some other reason miss a few consecutive days without exercise I find I am irritable and "antsy."
Second, I sincerely believe it keeps me generally healthier. In turn, that will not just prolong life, but more importantly prolong quality of life.

 

[athena53]

I'm at the gym 7 days a week. I don't particularly like running and don't like outdoor workouts in bad weather. I'm widowed, so don't do long bike rides except when I know I have a backup if I get a flat (e.g. organized charity rides). I do a little over an hour of cardio plus an upper body workout.


For me, it has a massive impact on the quality of life. At almost 64, I like what I see in the mirror, with or without clothes. I'm mobile and pretty agile. I'm on only one prescription (treats a symptom of menopause, so I can't cure THAT with exercise) and rarely see a doctor outside of regular checkups. It's partly luck, partly good genes, partly eating right, but I know that exercise is a major factor in my well-being.

 

[Music Lover]

For me, it has a massive impact on the quality of life.

When I was younger I worked out mostly because I liked having muscle and looking good without a shirt on . Now, I work out mostly for quality of life...but I still can't deny that it's nice getting appreciative looks from the opposite sex for having a flat belly and muscular arms...and it is nice to not have a sore back or be able to pick up heavy things without first wondering if I'll hurt myself.

 

[Danmar]

And what better use of all this free time than to keep ourselves in great physical shape to enjoy all of these retirement years we worked so hard for?

If you don't have a fitness watch to track your exercise routine and calorie burns, get one. They go a long way toward motivating you to achieve your exercise goals. Some people think they are a fad, but I believe everyone should have one to monitor their activity. Otherwise, you're just guessing how much exercise you're getting and how many calories you are burning. Knowing the numbers will go a long way toward keeping up with your routine.

My views exactly. I track my weight,avg heart rate, cals burned for every workout. I have these on a spreadsheet going back to 2007, first full year I retired. I believe one of the greatest benefits of retirement is the extra time that can go towards fitness.

I’ve said this before, but while the “couch potato” approach to investing might be a good stategy, being an actual couch potato in retirement is an awful strategy.

 

[Danmar]

I'm at the gym 7 days a week. I don't particularly like running and don't like outdoor workouts in bad weather. I'm widowed, so don't do long bike rides except when I know I have a backup if I get a flat (e.g. organized charity rides). I do a little over an hour of cardio plus an upper body workout.


For me, it has a massive impact on the quality of life. At almost 64, I like what I see in the mirror, with or without clothes. I'm mobile and pretty agile. I'm on only one prescription (treats a symptom of menopause, so I can't cure THAT with exercise) and rarely see a doctor outside of regular checkups. It's partly luck, partly good genes, partly eating right, but I know that exercise is a major factor in my well-being.

That’s an excellent amount of cardio. Good for you. Agree about impact on quality of life.

 

[Chuckanut]

If you lift correctly doing the right exercises with the proper intensity, it takes very little time to build and maintain good solid muscle mass. I only lift about 25 - 30 minutes every other day and do 30 minutes cardio on the opposite days and that's enough to keep me strong and in great shape.

I could do more but it's diminishing returns beyond that.

+1 We are pretty close in our workout practices.

I should add that the exercise I don’t like is gym type stuff. OTOH, riding my bike or a vigorous walk/hike is fun.

 

[Persn]

I love to run and for a long time that’s the only exercise I got. I don’t care for gyms, but at 60, I decided to add some interval training in the form of spin classses, and strength training with a personal trainer. If I didn’t have the personal trainer, the strength training would not happen. But she is awesome and makes me actually look forward to our sessions.

So in total I run 3 or 4 times for about 20 miles a week, spin twice a week for an hour each time, and have a one hour personal training session. I will often substitute a hike or a bike ride for one of the runs, and I try to take a walk even on rest days. Since I added in the personal training and spinning, my running has gotten faster and I find I need less recovery time. I also just feel healthier. Eventually I would like to add a bit more strength training, either with weights or by running more hills, but I don’t want to overdo it.

 

[Music Lover]

+1 We are pretty close in our workout practices

I spent a lot of years over training, then got smart and did some reading....subscribed to fitness and lifting magazines for a while back in the day when people still had magazine subscriptions

I also became friends with co-worker who is a local elite ultra runner who has extensive training knowledge and who also has a couple friends who are power lifters. So, I picked their brains and learned a lot. I reduced my training, dropped a bunch of useless exercises, added different exercises, and actually got stronger working out far less.

 

[Nemo2]

It's great to hear that all you young folks are working hard......it doesn't get any easier, in fact it gets a lot more difficult.

 

[jollystomper]

Since I like to eat , any activity that keeps me maintaining my weight within my desired healthy target is exercise.

I have found that my "sweet spot" seems to be a minimum of 12,000 steps a day. That might consist of, depending on the season and weather:

- brisk walk/hike (aiming for a 3.5 miles/hour or higher pace), with an occasional jog thrown in.
- elliptical in the gym
- push mowing
- leaf blowing/raking
- snow shoveling/blowing

I also add about 30 minutes of weights 3 times a week, and 30 minutes of yoga-like exercises (yoga plus jumping jacks, squats, lunges, mountain climber, and pushups) developed by one of our sons who is a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher) 3 times a week.

I bike when I can, but since I do not like biking on local streets, and it is a little bit of a drive to get to the nearest bike trails, I do not get to do that as often as I would like. But I have set up a bike trainer in my man cave, and will often use it while watching things on the big screen.

 

[friar1610]

I ran for probably 35 years and then just got sick of it 6 or 7 years ago. So now, at 72, I go to 2, maybe 3, spinning classes a week, hit the gym another day or two for some combination of elliptical, C2 Rower, treadmill speeding walking and stretching. (Have never been able to stick with weights). Also walk outside with the dog about 3 days a week, generally 45 minutes or so. Occasional kayaking and snowshoeing seasonally. I try to take stairs vs elevators/escalators when appropriate. I'm beginning to feel myself slowing down a bit but have a goal to be that guy at the gym about whom 50 year-olds say, "I hope I can do what he does when I'm that age".

 

[Danmar]

I'm beginning to feel myself slowing down a bit but have a goal to be that guy at the gym about whom 50 year-olds say, "I hope I can do what he does when I'm that age".

Im 67 and still feel about the same. I also hope to be the “guy at the gym” except they think I’m 10 years younger than I really am.

 

[littleb]

Well, this is a very inspirational thread with so many who are serious about exercising. Some of the posters would put 30-40 year olds to shame with their exercise routine.

We do not know anyone except one family member over the age of 40 who attempts to exercise even moderately.

For me, I have run for 40 years (some years on and off) and it has always been the only exercise that exhilarates me. After retiring 6 months ago we found wooded trails near our house and have been trail running and hiking. The trails are so much easier on the body than running on pavement. My mileage is up to about 6 miles without stopping. A good run is 5-6 miles without tripping over roots or an uneven trail and falling. These are mountain bike trails which are worn down and rutted with many above ground roots.

We started road cycling 7 years ago and try to cycle 25-40 miles during a session. We competed in our first cycling race this year and really enjoyed it.

We hike in the woods or mountains when visiting different areas. Last month we spent a few weeks in the Smokies and hiked 71 miles in 8 days but had to cut it short due to swollen feet that took days to go back to normal.

Since retirement our mini trips have been to places where we can cycle , hike, walk or camp. Our current plan is to exercise 5-6 times per week with weather permitting. I agree with the poster who suggested a fitness watch since you can track your progress for years.

 

[MRG]

Im 67 and still feel about the same. I also hope to be the “guy at the gym” except they think I’m 10 years younger than I really am. [emoji23]

A gentleman at the gym told me he was 75. That looked about right. I watched him walk to the assisted dip/pull up machine, kick the assist lever out of the way and do 8 reps of each with zero assist. I'm 60 and can't do that.

However I cut my assist in half after watching him.

 

[6miths]

My step counter says about 5-6 miles a day. Maybe 4 of it purposefully at a brisk pace. Sometimes much more. Always take stairs. Cut 3 lawns in the summer. Usually 2 at a time if space allows. Play hockey 2-3 times a week which is essentially 60-90 second wind sprints with 30-60 second rests for an hour. Hoping this counts as interval type training. Hoping hauling bags of soil and rocks and various other things while gardening counts as strength training but could definitely get more serious about this.

 

[Music Lover]

^^

I can still knock off 20 or so chin-ups...I sometimes wonder at what age will I no longer be able to do a single one?

 

[2soon2tell]

fast walk 4-5 x a week. Sat walk up to 10 miles while training for the half-marathon. Also visit Y 2-3 x a week for weight training.

 

[Freedom56]

My wife and I work out just about every day - walk, bike, or run. We try to keep our BMI below 24 and our resting pulse in the low 60s. We have a home gym for strength training and we do that at least 3 times a week. Doing regular exercise keeps our heath care costs down. We only take low dose Aspirin for medication and only use doctors for preventive care. The only drawback I have is finding cloths that fit me. It's hard to find jeans at stores that are 31 waist and 34 inseam and also slim fit shirts. I end up ordering them online or sometime I can find clothes at Calvin Klein stores. We may not live that much longer but our quality of life is certainly better. In my opinion, making obesity socially acceptable is dangerous.

 

[littleb]

Oh, I forgot about my 89 year old aunt who walks 2 miles daily on the treadmill. This keeps her healthy and mobile at her age.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

 

[REWahoo]

I knew an elderly lady who walked 5 miles a day. Her family had a heck of a time finding her...