Hi Bloggers,
I've been meaning to write about my fitness programme for ages, but somehow never got around it to it. But what really galvanised me into action was this incredible post I read about a 96 year old man running 5 km in just over 40 minutes. 96-year-old-man-runs-42-minute-5k-to-break-age-group-world-record Wow, that's one hell of a time. Assuming you're still alive at that age, of course. I've got 30 years on this guy but can only beat him by 10 minutes.
But, okay, it's only going to be the most serious and dedicated that are going to achieve those kinds of records. What about us regular folk who are just trying to stay in reasonable shape for as long as possible. I feel this is maybe where I have something to offer. I'm in my late 60's now and still in pretty good shape all round, e.g. not overweight, normal blood pressure, resting heart rate of 55 and good muscle tone. I feel the secret to my relative success has been keeping to a programme of what I call "sustained moderation". The important point is that if you try something extreme, it's almost certain that you won't be able to maintain it. Extreme programmes are good for getting you fit, but staying fit is another story. I'll give details of my own personal schedule in the next paragraph. Meanwhile, another important factor is stabbing at the pudding from all sides. It's worth doing a bit of everything that might be good for you, and, of course, avoiding anything you know is outright bad for you, like smoking and regularly eating junk food, etc. But most of this is, of course, just common sense. You don't need a health guru to tell you this stuff.
Looking at my own schedule, I've always been a keen runner, and jogging has always been the cornerstone of my regime. However, I don't do it every day, in fact maybe only 3 times a week, and then only 5 km each time. If you do it every day and aim for 10 km that's when you're likely to fall away. Also, you're much more injury prone as you get older, and a pulled hamstring, for example, can put you out for months. Hence the greater likelihood of success with the lighter schedule. On days when I don't go jogging, I work out in the gym or do the cross trainer. Again just a sensible schedule that exercises every muscle group. Not a split schedule, that's for serious body builders only. Yoga is another important feature of my programme. Staying as supple as you can is essential as you age, both for your joints and internal organs. Finally, cycling. I try to cycle everywhere I can if it's possible. Some people may argue this is the most important thing I do. Apart from the obvious health benefits, it certainly keeps you feeling young.
So, by rotating what exercise I do everyday and doing it only moderately, I've been able to maintain this programme for a couple of decades now. Obviously, you need to tweak occasionally, but I do believe that if you adopt my approach you will get lasting health benefits. Everybody's own schedule and focus will, of course, be unique, it's whatever you personally feel comfortable with. It should always feel like it's within your range. If it feels like a chore or you have to make yourself do it, it probably means you're doing something wrong.
Good luck to everyone in their quest for health!
I've been meaning to write about my fitness programme for ages, but somehow never got around it to it. But what really galvanised me into action was this incredible post I read about a 96 year old man running 5 km in just over 40 minutes. 96-year-old-man-runs-42-minute-5k-to-break-age-group-world-record Wow, that's one hell of a time. Assuming you're still alive at that age, of course. I've got 30 years on this guy but can only beat him by 10 minutes.
But, okay, it's only going to be the most serious and dedicated that are going to achieve those kinds of records. What about us regular folk who are just trying to stay in reasonable shape for as long as possible. I feel this is maybe where I have something to offer. I'm in my late 60's now and still in pretty good shape all round, e.g. not overweight, normal blood pressure, resting heart rate of 55 and good muscle tone. I feel the secret to my relative success has been keeping to a programme of what I call "sustained moderation". The important point is that if you try something extreme, it's almost certain that you won't be able to maintain it. Extreme programmes are good for getting you fit, but staying fit is another story. I'll give details of my own personal schedule in the next paragraph. Meanwhile, another important factor is stabbing at the pudding from all sides. It's worth doing a bit of everything that might be good for you, and, of course, avoiding anything you know is outright bad for you, like smoking and regularly eating junk food, etc. But most of this is, of course, just common sense. You don't need a health guru to tell you this stuff.
Looking at my own schedule, I've always been a keen runner, and jogging has always been the cornerstone of my regime. However, I don't do it every day, in fact maybe only 3 times a week, and then only 5 km each time. If you do it every day and aim for 10 km that's when you're likely to fall away. Also, you're much more injury prone as you get older, and a pulled hamstring, for example, can put you out for months. Hence the greater likelihood of success with the lighter schedule. On days when I don't go jogging, I work out in the gym or do the cross trainer. Again just a sensible schedule that exercises every muscle group. Not a split schedule, that's for serious body builders only. Yoga is another important feature of my programme. Staying as supple as you can is essential as you age, both for your joints and internal organs. Finally, cycling. I try to cycle everywhere I can if it's possible. Some people may argue this is the most important thing I do. Apart from the obvious health benefits, it certainly keeps you feeling young.
So, by rotating what exercise I do everyday and doing it only moderately, I've been able to maintain this programme for a couple of decades now. Obviously, you need to tweak occasionally, but I do believe that if you adopt my approach you will get lasting health benefits. Everybody's own schedule and focus will, of course, be unique, it's whatever you personally feel comfortable with. It should always feel like it's within your range. If it feels like a chore or you have to make yourself do it, it probably means you're doing something wrong.
Good luck to everyone in their quest for health!
