Fitness/Health/Exercise Stuff with Evan

TMI...

😁
 
Congratulations on your birthday. You have now reached one of the two major aging spurts of your adult life.
 
For the record, I don't celebrate my birthday really. But it seemed like a good time to do a side-by-side comparison.
 

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As we get older (I am 74) we lose muscle strength and it is harder to get it back. It only takes one episode in the hospital to lose a lot more than one expects. Do not ask me how I know.

When released from the hospital recently I was in a wheelchair. After several weeks of OT/PT I no longer need a walker. I am continuing PT/OT. It has been amazing how quickly I am almost back to 'normal'. The body is amazing how quickly it recovers. I also now recognize that my 'normal' is not good enough.

Now that I know that, I look forward to continuing at home, hospital sponsored program and eventually a gym under supervision, of course.

What I learned is:

If you do not start, even with easy exercises, there is no way to improve.

Small steps make a big difference. No matter where you are physically, taking the steps forward will yield amazing results.

Do not make it a chore but something to look forward too. Small but noticeable steps only encourages one to make more improvements.

Physical improvement helps improve one's mental health.
 
Turned 80 last August. I have been a life long runner, basketball and softball player and a weight lifter in the winter.. After a very hot summer and a very cold and snowy winter I am trying to get back into running shape while I am down south for my snowbird vacation. SLOWLY building up my running by walking and running on the beach, walking three minutes and running one minute. Have built up to three minutes of running then walking two for 3.5 miles. Did 4.5 miles earlier this week. Hopefully when I get back home next week I can do some running with my son and grandson.
Have an appt with my cardiologist Tuesday to go over results from a stress test I had a month ago.
 
I've been a bit nuts the running side of things the past couple years. Ran three 100 milers and did a ton of long efforts in the mountains. Highlight was pacing Tara Dower on her Appalachian Trail FKT for two days in Maine. Last November took some time off for a minor hip issue and just haven't had the initiative since. I've been feeling like a slacker and last week I looked at the aerobic time on shorter runs and the Zwift bike and it was eight hours. I think I'll give myself a break while I lose a bit of the weight I gained during this cold as fuck winter.
 
I've been a bit nuts the running side of things the past couple years. Ran three 100 milers and did a ton of long efforts in the mountains. Highlight was pacing Tara Dower on her Appalachian Trail FKT for two days in Maine. Last November took some time off for a minor hip issue and just haven't had the initiative since. I've been feeling like a slacker and last week I looked at the aerobic time on shorter runs and the Zwift bike and it was eight hours. I think I'll give myself a break while I lose a bit of the weight I gained during this cold as fuck winter.
Envy that you've crushed some ultras. I would love to but I can't even come close to having time to devote to training. I plan to get one 30-50miler in at some point to say I did, but that will probably be my ceiling.
 
I am impressed with how many people are living the lifestyle of being in shape and continuing to retain and improve their that lifestyle. Impressive!

On a side note: my FIL rode his bike daily. He skied at Sun Valley until he was 84. He crashed on his bike at Sun River at 85 and broke his hip. The docs were amazed at his conditioning, but was the end of his skiing. Several months after his hip replacement he was back riding his bike.

Amazing!!
 
As we get older (I am 74) we lose muscle strength and it is harder to get it back. It only takes one episode in the hospital to lose a lot more than one expects. Do not ask me how I know.

When released from the hospital recently I was in a wheelchair. After several weeks of OT/PT I no longer need a walker. I am continuing PT/OT. It has been amazing how quickly I am almost back to 'normal'. The body is amazing how quickly it recovers. I also now recognize that my 'normal' is not good enough.

Now that I know that, I look forward to continuing at home, hospital sponsored program and eventually a gym under supervision, of course.

What I learned is:

If you do not start, even with easy exercises, there is no way to improve.

Small steps make a big difference. No matter where you are physically, taking the steps forward will yield amazing results.

Do not make it a chore but something to look forward too. Small but noticeable steps only encourages one to make more improvements.

Physical improvement helps improve one's mental health.
Injury and rehab recovery requires far more protein than the average 70+ is ingesting, as our bodies become less efficient at absorbing and processing protein as we age. Protein shakes a simple and efficient way to upbalance that deficit.
As important is using creatine supplements. At age 30 our bodies begin reducing creatine production by about 8% per decade = diminishing ability to convert proteins to muscle mass and reduction in cellular energy.
My wife, who had never been a fan of supplements, has always been active. At 70 she really hit the energy wall and was finding it harder to stay with her activity track of long walks, bike rides, swimming and light weight lifting. When I finally convinced her to try creatine and protein supplements, within weeks she felt more energy and slowly began gaining the muscle mass she had earlier lost. Today at 74 she swims 4x a week, walks or bikes the other days, lifts, and has recently introduced a half hour daily mat workout for core strength.
Everyone one of my older friends who I've convinced to give it a try continue to use creatine and protein.
 
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One of quickest routes to a mortuary involves retirement and subsequent move to a retirement community that touts 'carefree' living.
Yup, Doctor and the State of Oregon wanted me in Assisted Living I fought it tooth and nail. You lose all your assets, they pick out the place and give you $200 a month as a token and they keep the rest. My dad went that route.
 
Envy that you've crushed some ultras. I would love to but I can't even come close to having time to devote to training. I plan to get one 30-50miler in at some point to say I did, but that will probably be my ceiling.

When you do it just remember you are going to suffer and that suffering is the point. You might also look into a timed ultra (usually a loop course) where you go until the time is up. A six or twelve hour event would be perfect for whichever distance you're going for.
 
When you do it just remember you are going to suffer and that suffering is the point. You might also look into a timed ultra (usually a loop course) where you go until the time is up. A six or twelve hour event would be perfect for whichever distance you're going for.
Yeah there's a few such events around here with the loops. The event I want to do at some point is the 50k up at Timothy Lake. Just a matter of having enough time to do more than 25-30 miles per week. That's my max due to time constraints unless I sacrifice sleeping, quit one of my jobs or stop strength training.
 
Injury and rehab recovery requires far more protein than the average 70+ is ingesting, as our bodies become less efficient at absorbing and processing protein as we age. Protein shakes a simple and efficient way to upbalance that deficit.
As important is using creatine supplements. At age 30 our bodies begin reducing creatine production by about 8% per decade = diminishing ability to convert proteins to muscle mass and reduction in cellular energy.
My wife, who had never been a fan of supplements, has always been active. At 70 she really hit the energy wall and was finding it harder to stay with her activity track of long walks, bike rides, swimming and light weight lifting. When I finally convinced her to try creatine and protein supplements, within weeks she felt more energy and slowly began gaining the muscle mass she had earlier lost. Today at 74 she swims 4x a week, walks or bikes the other days, lifts, and has recently introduced a half hour daily mat workout for core strength.
Everyone one of my older friends who I've convinced to give it a try continue to use creatine and protein.
Did you or your wife observe any muscle water retention after initiating creatine supplementation?

And, did you initiate with creatine 'loading' approach or utilize the 3-5 gram daily maintenance dosage?
 
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