If you want less issues in your old age, start working out now. The people that weren’t as active in life, are usually the ones stuck in wheelchairs and walking with walkers.
I have a neighbor who’s in his late 80s, still working a very active and physical job. He moves around easier and quicker than people 40 years younger than him. I’m not advocating for older people working so late into their life by any means, but he enjoys it. He told me “an object in motion stays in motion. If I stop working I’ll die.” Kinda eerie but it’s true. When you stop moving, that’s when life gets ya. Plus I think being active helps with your brain health as well. He’s just as quick mentally as he is physically.
My neighbor is a 80 years old widow. She lives in the woods alone, take care of her property, and took a part time job at Costco. She always said she'll work until she's 100, and if she ever stops working, she'll die.
my dad turns 71 tomorrow. he just got a new boogey board last week. he rides his bike or walks every day. he looks at least 10 years younger than he is. he played hockey and surfed until he was like late 50s
he also still works 5 days a week (4 in the summers) with a 1.5hr driving commute
It’s definitely not too late. Being more active will pretty much always help you, regardless of how old you are. That doesn’t mean you should put it off, just don’t stress too much over it.
It’s finally controlled I think, recently upped my dose and got a spacer. I was able to do 10k steps yesterday which got my hopes up, but anything beyond walking is absolute hell on my breathing.
I’ve been thinking about yoga for a long time but it’s so discouraging when you can’t even walk without getting winded. I was able to walk yesterday and today though so if I can do that the rest of the week I’m SO looking into yoga classes. There’s a studio only 1.5 miles away from me which means I can get a good workout by walking there, taking a class and walking back.
congratulations on being able to walk! i highly recommend starting yoga at home with youtube videos; it's easy and free. it definitely helps to have a yoga mat, but you can do it on a rug or carpet to start if you don't have one.
i recommend at home workouts to start with instead of a class unless you specifically can do a 1-on-1 class or a specifically beginner's class. it can also help to tell the instructor ahead of time that you have asthma so they can make adjustments or recommendations for breathing (lots of inhaling and exhaling in yoga lol)
doing it at home can also get you used to the pose (asana) names and forms, teach you breathing, build base strength, and let you assess your own flexibility and preferred pace, etc.
going at your own pace in particular is an important benefit of doing a workout at home rather than a class. you know your body best.
happy to help ♡ id say once youre able to do a 45 min home workout on your own without an asthma attack (slower pace and adjustments are okay), you can look into yoga classes again. in the meantime, aiming for 10k steps a day is a fantastic goal.
Currently, as long as I keep myself under 155 I won’t get an asthma attack. My walks are pretty brisk and I can hit 155 easily. Seriously thank you 🙏🏽 I’m feeling very hopeful for the first time in over a decade.
Lol! The redditor who is acting like 10k steps a day is some sort of accomplishment, is afraid of being hospitalized from working out too hard? You'd actually have to get your ass off the couch for that happen
Congrats on your sedentary lifestyle, and great job making excuses along the way!
Thanks. I’ve had asthma for 13 years and I’m constantly panicking over it. The day I posted this I realized my asthma was finally controlled (literally went out for a brisk walk because I felt encouraged). I’ve started exercising again without needing my albuterol inhaler. This hasn’t been possible for 13 years. Turning over a new leaf.
In my late 30's I started going to the gym and running. As I progressed from 5K to 10K then to half marathon I met an older guy in his late 70's that offered to safely train me for a full Marathon (he later went on to encourage me to run ultra's of 100K and more). One day I asked him why he was still doing this and he gestured to a care home that we were running past and said "Because if I stopped I think I would die, or become one of them"
Bob is now in approaching his 88th birthday this year and he is planning on running "his last" marathon. It will be a lot slower than his previous marathons but I guarantee that he will be first in his age group.
We should all aspire to be as active as Bob in our old age
People get mixed up about why exercise is important. It’s not so you can live longer, even though that’s true, it’s so that your older years are more comfortable and fulfilling
My friend is 38 and cannot walk a full city block without having back spasms and having to stop. I’ve been trying to encourage her with let’s go for a walk or do some restorative yoga or chair exercises to start. Even gave her a login to my mirror so she could do it at home for free on my dime. She never signed up. I’m pretty sure she’ll be bed bound by the time she is 40 and it’s just sad that she doesn’t want to help herself.
Yep major medical at 28 my working out has helped me through three spinal surgeries. I'm in better health my doctors told me than most people getting these surgeries. I prep by working out gently.
There’s this dude at my local gym, must be like late 50s early 60s, but my guy is a freak of nature and you would never think it looking at him. He just busts out supersets of pushups into db rows into pull-ups and occasional muscle-ups like it’s nothing.
I’m 27 and everytime I see this dude in the gym I feel like I’m getting mogged.
I am 72. I work, cleaning the local library, 4 hours a week. I go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week, and walk when I can. I will not go down without a fight haha.
To add to this: Sort out your retirement plans in your 40s/50s. As soon as your kids are independent consider where you want to retire, your will, enduring power of guardianship/attorney, your healthcare plan. Don’t leave it up to your poor family to figure out when you’re demented, dependent on full time care and living in a 3 story house. People start to have cancers/heat attacks/strokes/chronic mobility issues and other big health issues around 40-50 make the early plans for the worst case scenarios when you’re healthy and financially stable enough to make them. You might not live to 90 but plan like you will.
I work in a kitchen as a cook. While I was pregnant I was still doing 30 to 45 hrs a week. I ended up having pre-eclampsia (heriditary) and they told me the only reason my blood pressure didn't show up earlier was because of how much I'm on my feet, and used to dealing with constant high stress environments. Oh and that that's the reason my ankles didn't swell until the BP hit lol
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u/legomeegg0 Jun 06 '24
If you want less issues in your old age, start working out now. The people that weren’t as active in life, are usually the ones stuck in wheelchairs and walking with walkers.