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So this morning on the way to the doctor’s office for my biweekly blood draw, the car broke down. (Catalytic converter went bad and plugged the muffler.) I called my son to come tow me home when he could and then hoofed it a mile uphill to the doctor’s office. I was a bit sweaty and breathing a little hard when I got there fifteen minutes later, but I made it and was fine. The swimming is paying off!
I hate exercising. I will work myself till I can’t more doing something productive or fun, but just moving to exercise is not my thing. But a few years ago when spring came I found myself huffing walking up the hill from my son’s house to my house. A winter of not doing much physically had left my heart and lungs weak. That’s not acceptable, so I started to swim twice a week during the winter. I worked up to half a mile. This year I have continued to swim once a week during the summer to keep myself in the habit.
I don’t enjoy the workout, or paying for the privilege of doing it, but I sure was glad for it this morning. When we’re young, we can sit around for months and still be able to move when we need to. But as we get older that’s not the case. When I was working landscape I watched a couple of older clients who retired and stopped doing much more than going to the mailbox. Within two years they were able to do a fraction of what they had done before. I decided then I was never going to be that guy.
If you’re over fifty, inactivity will quickly leave you unable to do anything strenuous. That’s no way to live and it leads to a sooner death. For your sake, as well as the sake of your wife and your marriage, find a way to work your heart and lungs no matter how much you hate it. Some day you will be glad you did!
If it helps, guys who exercise have better sex.
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The cancer’s left me scarce able to move… I have bone metastases and they really hurt… but I do a daily workout on what I can.
It does lead to interesting results. My left arm’s perpetually broken, and can bear but scant weight, but my right bicep measures 22 inches, and Barb will soon have to graft different-sized shirts together.
Good post, today, Paul. It’s a scientifically proven fact that guys who maintain muscle mass live longer and have better quality of life than the guys who let their muscles atrophy. Age-related muscle atrophy is called sarcopenia. It can be reversed by lifting heavy things.
Keep decent muscle mass and you can do your daily wants and needs much easier – and for longer into your life. Get rid of your belly fat and other fat, and your testosterone count will probably increase. That has a lot of benefits.
I maintain a fair degree of fitness and I don’t pay anyone. I don’t waste my day or my money “going to the gym”. All of my regular exercise takes place walking in the neighborhood, and lifting heavy things.
The heavy things I lift are my own body weight, dumbbells (dbs) and kettlebells (kbs). These are both safer and easier to use than barbells. They also need less space. All of my weights will fit in a space much less than one square yard (nine square feet). A proper barbell setup will take up half of a two-car garage.
Dbs and kbs are way safer than barbells, especially if you don’t have a spotter. I have other reasons for my preference, but I won’t go into them here.
I’m lifting pretty light right now. I use a 10# db and a 15# kb. I know that’s puny, but I have some pain that stems from a teen-age injury that I sustained decades ago and I have to be careful with it. I’m also 81 years old. I have a right to lift puny.
I don’t know if Paul allows links to another website so he can remove this bit if he wants. For kbs, see the YouTube channel by Mark Wildman. Alternately, see https://www.kettlebellmovement.com/getting-started-with-kettlebells/ I believe this is all on the free side of the paywall. This guy was my first kb “coach” and he is very thorough and safety minded. Both of these guys teach good form that you might not find with other Internet instructors.
For body-weight and db workouts, see The Men’s/Women’s Big Book of Exercise. The books are essentially the same except for the pictures and appropriate pronouns. If they haven’t changed, they contained very good diet advice: Carb restriction for weight loss.
I recommend that you buy two kbs – one a bit heavier ( 2 to 10 pounds) than the other. Perhaps you should buy one or two dbs that you can lift comfortably.
In Wal-Mart yesterday I saw a great piece of gear for doing HIIT style workouts. It’s a “slam ball”. They come in various weights. One brand on the WalMart website had weights of 10# to 40#. They don’t bounce. They are designed to be lifted over your head and then you slam it to the floor/ground. Then you pick it up and slam it again. You can use them for medicine ball routines, also. It won’t take very long before that thing (even at only 8 to 10 pounds) has you crying like a little girl. :-) I believe a slam ball will exercise every muscle in your body. It will never make you look like Ahnold in his prime, but it will make you strong and tough, while conditioning your heart and lungs.
There you have it, guys. Now, get going!