WORKING OUT AS AN OCTOGENARIAN

THIS IS PERSONAL

I will be 84 later this year and still do a workout every morning before breakfast. This is only an adaptation of my prior fitness training, which began in my early teens if sports activity is counted.

 A year ago, I received a message from my bank. They had disallowed an order for small fitness equipment since I was in my 80s. Certainly this must have been a mistake and most likely fraud, or so it seemed to the bank. I thanked the banker for his caution, but told him that I had placed the order willingly.

It’s not all about me. An 89 year old lady in my community walks around my neighborhood at a faster pace and much longer than I could possibly manage.

Being over 80 may be seen by many as a ceiling of sorts for physical activity. It isn’t! Or at least it doesn’t have to be. But I don’t want to overstate this. My workouts are not what they once were, even 10 years ago. Here are some of the differences:

• My workouts are now only for about 30 minutes
• Being retired, I now have more time for fitness
• My resistances are lighter
• With a right shoulder rotator cuff injury, I sometimes only do isometrics
• My cardio is limted by bone on bone knees and lower back pain
• Much of my workout is done sitting down or lying on a couch
• I do finger exercises to try to combat arthritis
• Abdominal and kegel training represent 70 % of what I do.

My plan has been to concentrate on what I need to do and what I am still able to do. I can generally find some body part that needs work and some form of training that works for me. I still use dumbbells and have added Bullworker tools, resistance bands and bodyweight movements. My cardio is done by walking on my treadmill or by short outside walks.

The three people below were 80 years of age when the picture was made. Not bad!

At age 70, Jack Lalanne swam 1.5 miles along the California coast while wearing handcuffs and shackles – and towing 70 rowboats holding 70 people.

See my post of 6 years ago, featuring Jack Lalanne.

WORKOUTS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH?

I do a modified intermittent fasting routine and have for the previous 5 years or so. This means that I generally eat nothing before 12 noon, by which time I have finished my workout. I then finish my dinner meal by 5:00 pm, sometime 6:00 pm. This gives me a fast of 18-19 hours, which keeps my weight down. See my most recent prior post on intermittent fasting.

Today, I wanted to research information on workouts in the morning before eating. I was reasonably sure that my 30 minute sitting /lying down/easy workout was safe to do before eating. But I wanted details.

The Mayo Clinic tells me that it is generally okay to work out before eating when our goal is to burn fat if we do a low intensity workout. For more a intense workout or HIIT (high intensity interval training), it is best to consume a small meal before beginning.

Here are more details:

• Fasted cardio. Exercise before eating will burn more fat for fuel, but we may expect more fatigue with minimal energy stores.
• Pre – workout fueling. For high intensity actvity, we need a snack or meal that includes carbohydrates, fats and protein for energy.
• Individual needs. We differ in our energy and performance with or without pre-workout meals and we need to experiment to see what’s best.
• Timing and intensity. For low intensity walking or cycling, we may not need prior meals, especially if the actvity is not lengthy.
• Post-workout recovery. Regardless of whether or not we eat before the activity, we must afterwards be sure to eat a balanced meal or snack to replenish glycogen stores.

There is another diet plan that I have never tried, but want to pass on. It’s called the 30-30-30 plan. Here it is:

1. Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up.
2. Eat 30 grams of protein with the breakfast meal
3. After breakfast, do 30 minutes of steady low intensity exercise

I believe this plan may be popular because it is “catchy”. But any plan will help us build healthy habits, which are the most important aspects of training in my opinion.

The remainder of this post will address affiliate marketing and will conclude with relevant links from Amazon and Bullworker.

AFFILIATE MARKETING

This is a revenue sharing strategy where individuals or businesses may earn commissions by promoting the products or services of other companies. Affiliates use tracking links to a merchant’s website and receive a portion of the sales that are generated by those links.

Please see in my epper menu – BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER – for complete information on this business opportunity, which is forecast to reach $12 billion this year.

Also, the diagram below will show a simplified account of how this works.

AMAZON

My primary association as an affiliate is with Amazon. I have also been a customer for many years and know what to expect. Amazon provices fast delivery, excellent customer service and a huge inventory of products from which to draw.

For example, see my very recent and ongoing article on Father’s Day.

Today’s links to Amazon will include descriptions, pictures, prices and links to other similar items.

Nordic Track treadmill – this is the treadmill I use at home. It has lasted well with constant use.

Small medicine ball – I use the 6 pound version of this ball for abdominal twisting

I use similar resistance bands to these – they provide full body workouts

Loop bands – I use these for physical therapy and light arm work. Now on sale for $6.95

Kegel exerciser – I use this for pelvic floor muscles. They are important body parts!

Shoulder heat and massage device – this provides comfort to my right rotator cuff issue

Eat – Stop – Eat – intermittent fasting for health and weight loss (paperback)

Intermittent Fasting for Dummies – these paperbacks are always informative

BULLWORKER FITNESS

These home workout tools give us both isotonic and isometric modes of strength building. I use the Steel Bow and Bow Classic every day. They are high quality tools! After 6 years of use, they seem “like new” . The Steel Bow is shown below.

For full information on Bullworker, see my link at the side of this page to be directed to their website.

FINAL THIOUGHTS

Per George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing”.

It seems to me that fitness for octogenarians or other seniors is based largely on our formation of positive daily habits. Nothing mysterious. No complexities. Just common sense.

Please leave me any comments or questions in the “Comments” section below.

Let’s stay active!