Health

Reply to Mikie It's an interesting question, particularly for the older male.

My routine is boring but effective.

I have never been inside a gym or partaken in any sport (apart from Karate for several years when young). I used to drink a lot of booze and if I had kept it up, I would probably be dead by now. So I quit alcohol in my late 40's. I quit smoking at 39. I'm 57.

I got rid of my car so I walk most places. I live in the middle of my city, so this is easy. I almost never eat cakes, chocolate, candies, desserts or drink sodas (soft drinks). I eat two meals a day (no breakfast, which has always been a preference). I do some stretching exercises each day for my back. I have a couple of prolapsed discs which have needed no intervention for years, thanks to the stretching. I taught myself to stand up from the floor without touching anything. Not easy. I try to avoid processed foods and sugar and I eat a lot of greens and drink mainly water. I weigh the same as I did when I was 20.

Unfortunately, these days when I go to for walks with people my age, I often have to slow down and take a break so they can catch up. Many of my friends seem to be overweight, slow and sweaty. The food choices and health issues can become conspicuous post 50.

Reply to Mikie FWIW, I walk 3-5 miles every day (weather permitting) as the entirety of my exercise regimen; other than water, daily I drink a pot of strong black tea; I try to stick to a strict 2-meals-a-day low carb, low fat, red meat-free, salt-free & sugar-free diet (except once or twice a week I have some dark chocolate) with fruit/veggie snacks; I take my meds & suppliments; and (unfortunately) I've been completely sober & recreational drugs-free since 2019.

Also, a very low-stress lifestyle since 2022 has helped immensely.

Even though I've slimmed down to my high school weight and waistline, I still look like a "linebacker" and a decade or so younger than 60 (even more so clean shaven). All things considered, given that I wasn't taking care of my health for decades and hard living/partying into my mid-50s, I am very fortunate today to feel as healthy as I do most days. These last years my healthy routines have been quite boring but I've learned not to be bored with this boring – feature, not bug, of – life.

:death: :flower:

Quoting Tom Storm

I try to avoid processed foods and sugar and I eat a lot of greens and drink mainly water. I weigh the same as I did when I was 20.

Thanks for the reply. This stood out to me in particular. That’s quite an achievement — weighing the same as 20 takes real effort.

I need to lay off the starchy carbs and processed foods even more than I do. I think my main problem is overeating though.

Quoting 180 Proof

walk a 3-5 miles every day

I would do that if I had a decent place to walk. My neighborhood is too boring, and I think it would take me too long. I walk with my wife though — maybe 10 minutes. Not enough, so I do HIIT training— maybe 10 minutes worth — and then I feel like I’ve actually pushed myself.

Anyway — your routine is very disciplined. Good for you!

I was a gymnast in the 1950s and a rock climber up until the early 2000s. Never smoked, never used drugs, but used to have a highball or two every other day up 'til around 2000 when I retired.

Now, at 86, I still do some pull-ups and short hill walking every few days. But I have arthritis all over my body, so I am recently using a cane. I continue minor mathematical explorations. You remember what Sachel said . . . :cool:

I dance lindyhop. It's a fun dance from the 1920s-40s to swing jazz and bebop. Nowadays there are regular social dances, courses, camps, and competitions world wide. One good thing about it is that it doesn't feel like exercising, more like partying, yet a whole nights dancing (4-5 hours) is comparable to running a marathon. And it's social.

I don't do much anymore, for various reasons.
We stopped eating meat some 40 years ago, which forced me to be creative with vegetables, pulses and tofu - found Eastern dishes very helpful, and there are excellent cookbooks. More and more meatless products are available all the time, so it gets easier and I can do less work.
My SO is diabetic, so a diet heavy on greens and nuts is particularly good for him.
He also walks as much as arthritis permits and is very disciplined keeping his weight down.
Coffee and tea in moderation; limited sugar and salt; fats pretty much restricted to judicious amounts of vegetable oil and margarine. We don't go overboard: a well controlled daily diet allows for some indulgences, like processed vegetarian products, chocolate, things like pizza or cheesecake when we go out to out to eat and social occasions.

Jiu jitsu!!

Quoting jgill

Now, at 86, I still do some pull-ups and short hill walking every few days. But I have arthritis all over my body, so I am recently using a cane. I continue minor mathematical explorations. You remember what Sachel said . . .

Satchel Paige? Something about not looking back…

Anyway, the simple act of walking really has its benefits. I’m seeing that more and more as I get older. Used to laugh about all the walking talk as a child. Now I feel like if I stop, I’ll barely be able to move. Like any skill, it’s something that can get rusty.

Quoting jkop

I dance lindyhop.

Never heard of it— thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Quoting Vera Mont

fats pretty much restricted to judicious amounts of vegetable oil and margarine.

Not olive oil? I’m surprised.

Quoting AmadeusD

Jiu jitsu!!

I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Very trendy now adays so it’s easy to find. Used to do shotokan in college. A good supplement to strength and cardio training, definitely.

Quoting Mikie

Not olive oil? I’m surprised.

We're not health-freaks, foodies, purists or particularly well off. Besides, it burns too easily.

Reply to Vera Mont

:up:

Strenght training. Cooking my meals. Biking to places I need to go (under 10km).

Reply to Lionino :up:

Avoid getting any virus -- you may think that it's just like a common cold: everybody gets it and it goes away. Viruses are different. They actually have a long term after-effect in your brain years down the road.

Quoting Lionino

Strenght training. Cooking my meals. Biking to places I need to go (under 10km).

This is all you need to do.

Finally got it down to a decent routine. Here’s my current schedule (in case you want to doze off):

(A) Mondays:

- squats
- military press
- rows
- dynamic lunges

Tuesday:

- carries
- core workout
- HIIT training

(B) wednesday:

- Deadlifts
- bench press
- static lunges
- pullups (or lat pulldowns)

Thursday: same as Tuesday

Friday: same as Monday.

SAT and SUN: Rest days.

I rotate so that I do B twice a week and then back to A and so on.

It SUCKS! But it’s been worthwhile

Reply to Mikie

I avoid ultra processed food and take care with good quality sources for the food I eat.

England is a perfect example of what happens when ultra processed food has been mainstreamed so hard that it starts to kill its citizens. Avoid ultra processed food at all costs.

Quoting Christoffer

Avoid ultra processed food at all costs.

:up:

What counts as ultra-processed?

Quoting Mikie

What counts as ultra-processed?

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/ultra-processed-foods

An example list by ChatGPT:

Chicken nuggets
Frozen meals
Hot dogs
Packaged soups
Potato chips
Soft drinks
Sweetened breakfast cereals
Packaged bread and buns
Industrial pastries and cakes
Pre-packaged pies and pasta dishes
Margarine and spreads
Ice cream and dairy-based desserts
Processed cheese products
Flavored milk drinks
Instant noodles and soups
Processed meats such as sausages, salami, and bacon
Microwave popcorn
Store-bought cookies and biscuits
Candy bars
Artificially sweetened beverages
Flavored yogurts high in sugar
Ready-to-eat snacks like pretzels and flavored crackers

Quoting Mikie

Finally got it down to a decent routine. Here’s my current schedule (in case you want to doze off

Good for you. Keep it up. When you are very old something may knock you down, then as you try to recover, doctors will find something else. A downward spiral difficult to pull out of.

Reply to jgill

Injuries can definitely hamper progress.

I walk a dog for about 2.5 hours daily. It is not my dog. The dog's owner is an elderly lady who walks with a walking frame. So I walk her dog for her.

I have suffered from depression in the past and if I don't have a required reason to go out then I usually stay at home. The dog gives me a reason to get up and get going. The walking gets me outside and gives me exercise, fresh air, sunshine, etc, We often walk on the beach.

Walking with a dog also gives you an excuse to talk to people. If I didn't have the dog with me then I wouldn't talk to anybody. The dog gives me unconditional love.

The only problem with this type of exercise is that the dog does a lot of sniffing and we don't move very fast.

Quoting Agree-to-Disagree

Walking with a dog also gives you an excuse to talk to people. If I didn't have the dog with me then I wouldn't talk to anybody. The dog gives me unconditional love.

I walk my dog every morning. Apart from her unconditional love for me, and the sense of peace it produces in me to walk with her in the chaotic city, I appreciate the lack of contact with other humans, precisely. You say you are more able to talk with other people because you walk with your dog. Maybe you are referring to other dog owners...

I try to avoid groups of people because it gives me anxiety, and walking with my dog makes me feel I am protected by a bubble.

Quoting Agree-to-Disagree

I walk a dog for about 2.5 hours daily.

I wish I could walk more than just an hour with my dog. She is a small-dog breed, and she tends to get tired early...

Quoting Agree-to-Disagree

The only problem with this type of exercise is that the dog does a lot of sniffing and we don't move very fast

Be tolerant and thankful for a furry companion. :cool:

Quoting javi2541997

You say you are more able to talk with other people because you walk with your dog. Maybe you are referring to other dog owners...

Talking to other dog owners is easy because you have a common interest. But I am talking about other people as well. The dog that I walk is a smallish black spoodle called Molly. She is probably about 30 cm at the shoulder. She looks very cute and she loves people.

There are a lot of cafes around the beach where we often walk. She checks under the tables and chairs to try and find food. If there are people sitting at a table then Molly will go straight up to them and they will pet her. You can see the joy on the faces of these people. It makes me feel good to see Molly making people happy.

Quoting javi2541997

I try to avoid groups of people because it gives me anxiety, and walking with my dog makes me feel I am protected by a bubble.

I suffer from social anxiety but walking with Molly (the dog) reduces that anxiety a lot.

Quoting javi2541997

I wish I could walk more than just an hour with my dog. She is a small-dog breed, and she tends to get tired early...

Molly is about 9 years old and I am in my mid 60's. I get tired before she does. We walk at her speed with plenty of sniffing and we rest whenever she wants to. Molly is an apartment dog so I try to give her as much variety as possible.

Quoting jgill

The only problem with this type of exercise is that the dog does a lot of sniffing and we don't move very fast
— Agree-to-Disagree

Be tolerant and thankful for a furry companion. :cool:

I am extremely grateful for my furry companion. She is an apartment dog so I try to give her as much variety as possible. I want her to enjoy all of the things that dogs enjoy. Not moving very fast is not really a problem. It gives me time to enjoy my surroundings. :cool:

Reply to Mikie Interesting split you got there. Most people typically don't do more than two compound lifts in a single day.

I would put lunges together with squat for increase in quad size.

Since we are sharing splits, here is my PPLU for 4 times a week:

Incline bench press
Leg extension machine
Cable flat press
Chest press machine // calve machine
Tricep extension // lateral raises
French press

Pull-ups
Leg curl machine
Row
Barbell bicep curl
Face-pulls // Abs on cables
Hammer curls

Squats
Romanian deadlift
Leg press 45º // lateral raises
Leg curl machine // hammer curl
Leg extension machine // sissy squats

Light flat bench
Bicep curl // abs
Incline dumbbell press (deep)
Lateral raises // tricep ext
Shoulder raises cable // hammer curl
French presss

If I am out of time, I cut the U out and keep PPL 3 times a week.

Reply to Lionino

Nice. Although I don’t love leg extension machines…

Quoting Mikie

Although I don’t love leg extension machines…

It really depends on the machine for me. The one at my gym uses cable tension for weight (it is digital), but the seat is nicely padded and the angle hits just right, good stretch too. Some gyms I have been to however have horrible leg ext machines.

I put a tree trunk on my shoulder and run up and down the Alps each morning. I missed a day a few years ago when I pulled a hammy, but other than that, 24/7/365.