Fitness After Forty

[Deleted User]

What kind of exercise/fitness routine do you have? I'm thinking of joining Curves, but need to check it out more.

jeepcurlygurl

I'm probably the worst person to advise anyone on excercise. I've never been athletic. I'm lazy and never stick to anything for long. But I will say that one of my favorite jaunts into the world of working out was Curves. The only reason I quit (I went there for over a year) was because I found out the owners are extreme conservatives and the money they make from Curves goes to things I vehemently fight against. And I couldn't stand the thought of my membership money going to things like that. But that's just me. Otherwise I highly recommend Curves especially to those just starting a work out program. It was inexpensive, fun, easy, friendly people, no pressure to look like the too-thin women we see everywhere today, and I actually looked forward to going there.
I also love bike-riding, walking, hiking. I just don't do any of these enough.

Tamrin

This summer, I've been taking yoga, and it's been great. I enjoy the classes and feel very fit. There's a very good yoga center not far from my house, and they offer a deal where you just pay a set fee for a six-week period, and then you can go to as many classes as you want. (They have several classes a day every day but Sunday.) I have more free time during the summer, so I can go four or five times a week.

During the school year, I don't have as much free time. Exercising at home works for me. I just get up a half-hour early and exercise to videos. I like this because I don't have to drive to a gym, or carry around all my stuff -- workout clothes, shower stuff -- with me. I can just get up, exercise and then get ready for work as usual. A half hour is not very long, but it's not so long that I'll skip it, and it still does make a difference in how my body looks and feels. When the weather is decent, I love to walk, but I am not as consistent about walking. As a friend of mine said, "The best exercise routine is one that you will actually do." Maudie, is there anything you especially enjoy doing -- hiking, biking, yoga, swimming, dancing? Would you rather work out alone or with other people; do you love being outside? I find that my exercise routine has to be somewhat enjoyable, and convenient, otherwise I just won't do it.

Snarls

Curves isn't my scene (loner here) but my mom loved it. She liked moving from station to station, getting lots of variety in what she did, and not having to do any one activity for terribly long. She also liked the women who worked there, said they were really supportive and upbeat and that there wasn't a ton of pressure.

I do strength training & cardio at home. So far no yoga, but at my last physical, it was recommended to me. I was whining about how I seem to be losing 1/4" of height every year, and the nurse told me that yoga really helps stretch the spine. So far, I haven't found the patience for either yoga or pilates...it's just not my thing.

Dancing is also great exercise.

[Deleted User]

Thanks, ladies, for your input. I have done Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone, but it's so boring after awhile. I also did Pilates with Ana Corbin which was a bit more tolerable, but gave it up. I have a glider and a mini trampoline that are dusty. I bought a hula hoop (forget it) and a jump rope (double forget it). I may take up walking again if I can get my dd to go with me. As you can see, consistancy in exercise is not my strong suit.

It's interesting that you brought up Curves because I have been seriously considering it. We have one that is very close and the hours are good.

jeepcurlygurl

Maudie
I wish you lived close by. We could be inconsistent together, just jumping from one form of exercise to another every few days! And then taking a break and not doing any at all! We would be in shape in about 3 or 4 years or so!

starina

As Tamrin said, you have to find something you enjoy to really stick with it. For me it was step aerobics which I do in my basement. I usually do my routine somewhere between 7 and 8:30 in the evening, that works best for me, about three times a week. I recently bought an elliptical machine and I've started walking again, which I really enjoy. I have some nice parks close by with good walking trails, so I've been trying to take advantage of that. I agree about Curves, I know several women who really like it and find it not too "hard" or intimidating.

[Deleted User]

jeepcurlygurl wrote:

Maudie
I wish you lived close by. We could be inconsistent together, just jumping from one form of exercise to another every few days! And then taking a break and not doing any at all! We would be in shape in about 3 or 4 years or so!

Very funny! You know what they say, "A waist is a terrible thing to mind." If we lived closer I would challenge you to a hula hoop contest, Jeep.

jeepcurlygurl

Umm, yea, that's right, none of you have seen how uncoordinated and clumsy I am. Not so hot at hula hoops or jump ropes and I still dance like I did in 7th grade. Not too impressive. That's why I like to walk and bike (I rarely fall down). We were going to go on a long bike trail ride this weekend but Bucky Phillips is hiding out not too far away so we're staying out of the woods for awhile.

You all are making me feel guilty for being such a slug. I've got to start working out again.

frau

i keep trying to start a routine, but my life keeps getting in the way. i go from dvd's to running to working out at the gym but never anything that will stick for longer than 2 weeks. :oops:

flcurly

jeepcurlygurl - I agree with you totally in not supporting a company that has a conservative bent.

I've started & stopped exercise programs many times. If I had to go to a gym, I could always find an excuse.... except when the gym was on the ground floor of an apartment building where I lived in NJ.

Since moving I've done weights, walking, nordic track, etc. at home in a room set-up for exercise (nothing elaborate but there for the specific purpose of exercising - no excuses).

About a year ago I bought some of The Firm exercise cd's (http://www.firmdirect.com/). I bought the whole thing... steps, stick, and cds. IMO the two best one's are 1) supercharged sculpting, and 2) Express total body shaping . Some of the others are a bit bizarre or maybe I am just too uncoordinated but they seem to have you jumping around alot. Anyway both of the above are good and they do produce results. You will sweat with these cd's, but since you're doing it at home there is always the "pause" button while you catch your breath, take a rest, and sip some water.

banjocurl

i hike daily and swim about 1/2 mile a day. i also do hula hooping especially at music festivals. i cannot stand indoor exercise. in winter i XC ski and snowshoe with my 3 dogs. i do everything outside with the dogs and we all have great fun. i think i SHOULD be doing weights but i hate it. i am lucky to live near great hiking trails and lakes, and i have an endless pool at home that i use all year outside. life is good!! some of the people i hike with are over 75 and very fit--this is really inspiring!

LavenderCurls

I've got the WATP tapes and some other CD's (Denise Austin, etc.) but the thing I use the most is the elliptical machine I got at Sears. It has varying routine sessions. It's what I use the most to exercise with.

jeepcurlygurl

Well I guess we can kick Banjo out of the Lazy People club! Just kidding. I've read about you hiking and swimming so much here and you are inspiring.

jeepcurlygurl

Just remembered something I used to love doing. Back when I wasn't so lazy and had a gym in my house (treadmill, rower, universal, weights) my favorite thing to do was the rowing machine. I could close my eyes and picture myself out on a lake and it didn't even seem like exercise. Hmmm, I might have to look into getting another one of those.

starina

flcurly, I have about eight of The Firm tapes. I agree with you; I think The Firm is one of the best programs out there. My only complaint is that some of them seem so long! They are 55 to 60 minutes on average, although there are some shorter ones. I like to work out about 40-45 minutes, as that's all I really have time for. I highly recommend the series though, I feel like I got some of my best results doing these tapes.

banjocurl

jeepcurlygurl wrote:

Well I guess we can kick Banjo out of the Lazy People club! Just kidding. I've read about you hiking and swimming so much here and you are inspiring.

thanks!!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=m42j841.487toxk5&x=0&y=s2zrjl
here is the site for my white mt photos--far more challenging than any other hikes I've ever done. i am VERY lazy about other things like paperwork and housework. can't do it all...

cara4curls

Well on the other side of 40 here(at age 59!).
For the last 34 years, I have exercised regularly, and have no plans to stop or anything just because I'm a "mature woman" I can't tell you how many people in the place where I just moved from(which was VERY conducive to long walks BTW)would ask me if I was "still" taking my long walks and working out! Or if I was "training" for something because I was walking 5-6 miles a day 5 times a week! Anyhow, over the years I have done adult ballet training(from 28-33)and from then on pretty much solid weight-training of some sort, whether at a gym or at home. For the last ten years, it was at home with a basic weight bench. I did Ashtanga yoga for a bit, but since I was in a rural area with not convenient access to an instructor, I felt that I couldn't progress in the way I wanted to, even though it is a fabulous discipline! I just moved to San Francisco last month, and last week my husband and I got a GREAT deal at a gym that's less than 10 blocks away - I am so-o happy to be back in a gym environment with all the great equipment and to be around others who are training too. For me, I NEED exercise, being naturally somewhat nervous and high-strung, to have a proper channel for my energy. The old saw about becoming less energetic as we age certainly doesn't apply to me and I can't see it doing so unless I had something very unfortunate happen like a major illness/injury. Even with just a few days of being back at the gym easing back into working out(I went all the time when we lived in San Francisco before we moved out to New Mexico)here in SF, I can feel a difference - my body still responds pretty quickly to training. I have an appointment with a personal trainer on Sunday. My goal is to change body composition to be more in favor of muscle rather than fat, as my weight itself is fine(112lbs. at 5'5"). In other words, build some more muscle and drop some bodyfat, with the result of being even more compact and with muscle definition(which I lost some during the last month of not being able to work out due to our move. A month with no workouts is a huge long time for me!
A caveat - if you do have any old injuries or medical conditions that might affect your ability to exercise, check with your doctor first, and if you haven't exercised before, get some sort of proper instruction and ease in. The thing to respect also is the fact that it does take the body somewhat longer to recover from intensive workouts than a younger person, so pace yourself and be patient. Results will come - it just might take a bit longer, depending on your physiology. Barring something really serious, it's never too late to start doing something!
Also, contrary to the old saw, it's even MORE important to exercise as one ages, in order to keep the ability to live independently, and in the shorter term to just feel better as well as weight and fitness control.

PartyHair

I've been doing Jazzercise since I was 28 years old (I'm 41 now) and still love it. I think it's the variety in the music and in the routines themselves. I also love that I get both aerobics and weight-lifting in an hour.

I do Jazzercise 3 mornings a week before work (class starts at 5:30 a.m.) and my husband and I walk 3 times a week, sometimes in the a.m., sometimes after work.

Working out after work is nigh on impossible for me - that couch is just way too damned comfortable. Before work, I just get up, clothe myself, throw my hair up in a ponytail, and get going - no distractions, no lounging on the couch, just straight out the door.

wild~hair

cara4curls, if you wind up being interested in it again, there are some great Ashtanga yoga instructors in SF. One is Catherine Shaddix. She teaches Mysore Ashtanga every weekday morning at Yoga Studio on Divisadero.

Another is Katie Lewis, who teaches at Bernal Yoga in Bernal Heights, and at International Orange on Fillmore.

banjocurl wrote:

in winter i XC ski and snowshoe with my 3 dogs. i do everything outside with the dogs and we all have great fun.

banjo, do you skijor with them? That's big around these parts [Minnesota].

RedCatWaves

I'm not much of a gym person. I hate having to drive somewhere to exercise...carrying clothes and toiletries and having to change. It's too much of a time investment. I love to swim laps, and I do that frequently in the summer, but I don't have a pool of my own, and I'm in Pennsylvania, so outdoor swimming only lasts about 2 months of the year. Again, I hate driving to the Y to swim with a bunch of stinky people who hog the lanes. I'm trying to talk my husband into buying an Endless Pool to put in the backyard so I can swim at home. I think I would do that every day if I could. Banjo, how does your Endless Pool fare outside? I've had hottubs before and we used them all winter in the northeast, but they were fiberglass. The Endless Pool is a liner pool. Is it sturdy enough for outdoors? Do you have yours inground or above ground. Got any pictures???

I have a treadmill and weight set in my bedroom. They make great towel racks.

SuZen

I went to a Home Show last weekend, and they had a spa that was a lap swimmer, like the Endless Pool. Big bucks, but maybe less than a pool, plus -- warm.

RedCatWaves

I went to a Home Show last weekend, and they had a spa that was a lap swimmer, like the Endless Pool. Big bucks, but maybe less than a pool, plus -- warm.

I went to a home and spa show last week too (maybe the same one...Valley Forge Convention Center?). Anyway, I saw a swimspa too, but it had jets to make the stream, and they don't make as nice of a current to swim in as an Endless Pool, which has a propeller that makes the stream. And it only had 3 speeds...1, 3 and 5 mph...so if you don't swim at exactly those speeds, it won't be a pleasant swimming experience. The Endless Pool has more speed selections. There is one fiberglass swimspa that I know of that has a good stream and variable speeds (http://swimex.com/), but they are in Massachusettes and I'm sure the delivery cost would be outrageous. The prices of all of them are fairly comparable...expensive...but they cost less than a built-in pool. I'm just wanting to know how Banjo's Endless Pool is holding up outside...because I definitely cannot afford to build a room around any sort of swimspa that I buy.

flcurly

Another thought I wanted to share.

I am starting to focus on exercise that gives me the most from a calorie used perspective. My latest thing is bicycling.

Here's a website that let's you calculate how many calories you are using by activity. Just enter your weight and the number 1 for the minutes and you'll see the calorie per minute by activity.

My plan is to elimate 500 calories a day from eating and approximately 500 from exercise. That will get me to 2 lbs/week in weight loss. Well, thats the plan anyway!!!

Hope this helps!

wild~hair

Oh no, where's the link?

I just lost a lot of weight by cycling. I was cycling home from work [took the bus there], which was anywhere from 12 to 25 miles depending on if I hopped on a bus for the second half.

Nothing's better for motivating you to exercise than it being the only way to get home.

flcurly

Oops! Forgot to list the website....


Here it is


http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm

wild~hair

Thanks!

banjocurl

RedCatWaves wrote:

I don't have a pool of my own, and I'm in Pennsylvania, so outdoor swimming only lasts about 2 months of the year. Again, I hate driving to the Y to swim with a bunch of stinky people who hog the lanes. I'm trying to talk my husband into buying an Endless Pool to put in the backyard so I can swim at home. I think I would do that every day if I could. Banjo, how does your Endless Pool fare outside? I've had hottubs before and we used them all winter in the northeast, but they were fiberglass. The Endless Pool is a liner pool. Is it sturdy enough for outdoors? Do you have yours inground or above ground. Got any pictures???

I have a treadmill and weight set in my bedroom. They make great towel racks.

hi red--endless pools is based in SE PA so you can go there and see them.
http://www.pbase.com/banjolady/endless_pool
there are pics of mine at this URL--i use mine outside all winter and it is GREAT.
i also started an endless pool support group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/endless_pools

email me for more info [email protected]

SuZen

I've sent the above spam to the mods. Don't open the link.

nepanthe

I do work out dvd's - cardio, weights and yoga. It depends on how I am feeling that day..I am 43.

banjocurl

SuZen wrote:

I've sent the above spam to the mods. Don't open the link.

i saw some spam but not on this thread-now cant remember where
FOUND IT on the growout challenge thread
ok--is this the spam from this author Terjohaan17 with just links to pictures? seemed creepy to me