Fitness ideas for a middle aged man?

[mortis]

If you have the funds buy a pedal assist e-bike get outside and ride.

 

[Inducker]

We were built to move. So think - motion is the lotion.

 

[OldroundmaninTx62]

Try pickleball almost no barrier to entry. Can be quite challenging, low impact, social.

 

[subdudeme13]

I would recommend walking. Walking up hill if you can. Worked for me but I have back issues and cannot run.

 

[Islander55]

Hiking is a great exercise or even getting out and doing a simple walk is good for you. The only requirement is good footwear. I prefer the hiking because of the scenery but walking around the neighborhood is still great exercise.

 

[jason28053]

Hiking is a great exercise or even getting out and doing a simple walk is good for you. The only requirement is good footwear. I prefer the hiking because of the scenery but walking around the neighborhood is still great exercise.

yes to Hiking, also yes to sex outdoors

 

[Islander55]

yes to Hiking, also yes to sex outdoors

That is not hard to arrange if you hike the less popular trails.

 

[Nicefella]

That's great.

I'm in your age range. A little over a year ago I found myself the heaviest I've ever been in my life. Went for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high. Doc wanted to prescribe me meds.
I told him I'd prefer to treat the cause (I'm fat) over the symptoms (high blood pressure) and to give me an opportunity.
I asked him to refer me to a dietician.

When I was a kid, fat was the bogeyman. Now it would seem sugar is the bogeyman.

I started watching carbs. I didn't eliminate them (keto), but just started realizing I don't need soda every day or a whole bag of oreos.

I had been listening already to a podcast - Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World - and he had one called "The Mystery of Weight Loss". He was once a BIG dude. Now he's a skinny guy.
For him what it boiled down to was calories.

Around the same time frame I met a woman that is a diabetic. She makes a batch of cookies every Sunday and eats two a night.

So changes I made:
1) Eliminated one meal. I was already a 'late' breakfast eater. Jimmy Akin's eats one meal a day. He got there by every couple of days, delaying the first meal by an hour. Your body gets used to "I'm not eating til X" and learns not to tell you your hungry at 8am. So now I don't eat before noon. I still eat lunch and dinner.
2) Eat better carbs. I used to eat whole wheat bread. Healthy, right? Well now I eat a bread with more protein in it. I'm not full keto or anything. Just the bread I use for lunch sandwiches either has a little less carbs (due to the protein) or more fiber (which "offsets" carbs). I used to drink 1 soda a day. Now it'll be a treat - maybe once a week.
3) Eat only two cookies. If I sat down at night with a container of Oreos, I'd eat them until I was full. Now I limit myself to 2. Knowing I'm only going to have 2 is surprisingly enough. I know that's all I'm going to eat so appreciate them and don't eat more.

I didn't lose weight as quickly as one would on keto. But at my next physical (1 year later), I had gone down 37 lbs. And had good blood pressure.

And none of that was 'extreme' on my part. I wasn't counting calories or carbs. Just making minor changes to my food habits.

Good luck!

This is such a well written post. I follow almost everything you do. I have also incorporated about 5 miles of walking or running on the treadmill every other day.

 

[OldroundmaninTx62]

This is such a well written post. I follow almost everything you do. I have also incorporated about 5 miles of walking or running on the treadmill every other day.

I’m 62 5’ 5” 240 lbs been playing pickle ball for a few mos. Moderately low cost of entry, aerobic, fun, social and generally lots of encouragement. Low impact not as low impact as yoga. Have fun!Good luck!

 

[Nicefella]

I have never played. Is it fun?

 

[Nicefella]

Concept2 is far more of a total body machine than is a spin bike. As a very experienced cyclist and rower, I'll take the rower.

Just saw this post of yours. How have you enjoyed the rower? I rowed (non-comp) in college and loved it but never thought of it as part of a regular muscle building/maintenance routine.

Lately the gym I go to is stuffed with gym bros and I can never keep a good paced muscle workout going - the rowers are always empty because they’re not sexy lol. My Question: have you gained muscle/definition from rowing?

 

[AlexBailey]

My Question: have you gained muscle/definition from rowing?

I haven’t used rowing machines, but kayaking twice a week gets my whole upper body, abs, glutes and hamstrings all well defined and it’s much more of an adventure than the gym.

My wife likes it too and it’s become something we greatly enjoy together. We spent about $1k on equipment a few years ago and it’s only cost gas to get to wherever we put in ever since.

 

[Venefica]

What about Martial Arts?

You need agilty, stamina and power. In Karate, there are styles without any contact, similar to shadow boxing.

 

[Olster]

Just saw this post of yours. How have you enjoyed the rower? I rowed (non-comp) in college and loved it but never thought of it as part of a regular muscle building/maintenance routine.

Lately the gym I go to is stuffed with gym bros and I can never keep a good paced muscle workout going - the rowers are always empty because they’re not sexy lol. My Question: have you gained muscle/definition from rowing?

rowing is not a body builder piece of equip. But enhanced muscularity and fitness comes with rowing. I find that most people just don't have enough perseverance to stick with rowing. But I'll take rowing over anything in the gym. 10K a day is a good goal to shoot for in terms of fitness and weight loss.

 

[Nicefella]

rowing is not a body builder piece of equip. But enhanced muscularity and fitness comes with rowing. I find that most people just don't have enough perseverance to stick with rowing. But I'll take rowing over anything in the gym. 10K a day is a good goal to shoot for in terms of fitness and weight loss.

10k meters? Thats a hard one to do right off the bat!! I can do about 3k now and it’s a burn. I am hoping to get to 5k over the next 2 weeks. 10k seems like a fantasy!! Lol

 

[strongnsensual]

Control your eating. That's step one. Sugar and simple carbs (highly processed flour) are really bad. Fat isn't bad at all; your body needs it, and it helps you feel full. We went nuts for controlling and changing fat in our diet for decades, and what good did it do? None. Eat natural foods not processed frozen crap, and eat reasonable portions. Intermittent fasting is great too.

Exercise - consistency is the most important thing to achieve. Anything you enjoy and will keep doing is what's best for you. I used to know a guy who ran ultramarathons. I was lifting pretty heavy at the time. We'd joke about how we each couldn't be forced to do what the other really enjoyed. Find what you enjoy.

Having said that, I'm a big believer in building muscle mass. Cardio burns extra calories while you do it, and for a short time afterward. Build muscle mass, and your body needs a lot more calories to keep that muscle building and maintaining. The benefits are tremendous, and they extend all the way to improved mood and reduced risk of dementia. Lift.

But if you hate it, rowing and other exercises that work a lot of muscle groups are great too. And yes, regular walking is surprisingly beneficial. Personally, I'm not a fan of running but whatever you enjoy enough to keep doing is an important factor.