Do you Excercise?

[showcrop]

In a few days I will be 68 years old. I know, still a spring chicken. I always thought that as long as I stayed active that my body would stay healthy, Like an old friend would say: "I have no need of going to the gym, I just go out and split a cord of firewood." Well in recent years a combination of perhaps hard living, abusing the lower spine, too many collisions with non moving objects, and the onset of arthritis has really had an effect. I have now been exercising for some two years. The surgeon who has done two knee replacements for me gave me exercises to build up my lower spine which he told me is in bad shape due to arthritis. So I have been doing those 3-4 mornings a week for a year and a half. Since my second knee replacement, I wanted to get the strength and range of motion back into my legs, so I have been doing a dozen deep squats every morning while I shave. Some twelve years ago I had my left shoulder rebuilt, and the pain never went entirely away and was getting worse. My Dr. referred me to PT, and the therapist found where the problem was and helped me to get the full range of motion back and strengthen the muscles in those areas. Now the pain is pretty much gone. I have to conclude that though you may stay active, never use elevators or drive-throughs, always park a distance away from the door, and do lots of physical work, it is just not enough, because there are key components that just don't get much exercise, and the muscles will get weak and suddenly you find that it is difficult to get up from the floor or work on something in a bent over posture, or you just simply have a lot of pain. Exerise can really help.

 

[RLA]

I'm only 60, in my opinion the best Exercise we can do at our age is Walking, with lots of arm movement. Do this with Shoes that give great support
to your feet. Off Road I believe is better on your joints. These people who run marathons when they get into their 60's don't have any knees left or
hips & suddenly they become fat because they cannot exercise. Riding a stationary bike is OK but I believe too much of any ONE thing can be harmful.
Do I practice what I peach ? Not always because I am still active I'm these guys who finds it better to walk to the back of the farm instead of driving
threw the mud holes, I see more game by walking...

 

[Jon Erickson]

Thanks for the insight, showcrop. I am 58 and starting to feel it, even though I thought I would NEVER get old. I certainly see
value in the message you posted. Thanks for doing it.

 

[4wdtom]

Six to 7 months a year I mountain bike, trails and dirt roads, the other time I have been doing an hour 4 times a week on a recumbent bike set up on a trainer.

 

[James Howell]

"<font color="#6699ff">[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]in my opinion the best Exercise we can do at our age is Walking,[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

Agree.

Have made several walking trails on the farm that "stretch" over a mile.

Take the dogs for an evening walk every day.

 

[Janicholson]

I play Pickle ball about 3 to 5 hrs/wk. and moderate ballance and core training every day. (google it for a youtube demo) Jim

 

[sms]

I exercise, hike, ski and do physical labor.
Am in better shape than many much younger
then I.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Are you serious with the dog photo? All yours? Holy smokes .....

 

[greenmech]

I like it when the grand dog comes over, we walk in the woods together. The tread mill is not as fun. Ron Mn

 

[tomNE]

water exercise has been a godsend for me. I developed heart disease from inherited genes real early, but the rest of my body has remained
viable. I did try staying busy on the farm and that didn't work, moved to local gym and that led to buying stock in tylenol. Then discovered
water exercise; been doing that for 10yrs and am still amazed how well the working parts on my body, still function!

 

[rrlund]

No two ways about it. I just got off the elliptical. It's changed my health entirely. Tighten up the muscles and the joints don't have so much work to do.

 

[RBnWA]

WHO walks who. lol. RB

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I'm 68, no joint replacements. My best
exercise is pushing food away. Lost 30#,
down to 170. My BMI us 23. I've been taking
chondroitin Glucosamine for past 25yeats. It
helps keep joints in good shape. Won't do a
thing taking it if you damaged joint.

I look at overloading a truck you are going
to damage suspension, ball joints, blow
tires. Think of it this way, carrying too
much weight and you will damage your
suspension, knees, hips, feet.

As for exercise, Fitbit says I walk between
10k to 15k steps a day. I like walking and
riding a 3 wheeler.

Dr says walking is good for back mussles
too.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

"Organized or structured" exercise not so much. I do ride a bicycle following SWMBO on her runs of 8-12 miles, frequently. Training gun dogs during the fall-spring, and hunting them I can get up to 9 miles walking (according to an I-phone app). Also truck patch farm a couple of acres that provides plenty of fresh air and different types of upper body work. The farm with the truck patch is in the 3rd year of Christmas tree plantings. I plant 500 bare root seedlings, by hand (dibble bar) each spring. We heat with wood so there's the exercise associated with that. We started haying about 6 acres last year, small squares on the ground. In my spare time I like to find old implements to refurb and sell or use. You know the amount of effort required to rework that stuff. I'm 58.

 

[Harvey9]

I agree Pickleball (similar to tennis) is a great sport, fun and good exercise. I play with the 55 and older crowd, several times a week.

 

[da.bees]

(quoted from post at 08:25:34 03/20/17) "&lt;font color="#6699ff"&gt;[b:7ecd502ee5][i:7ecd502ee5]in my opinion the best Exercise we can do at our age is Walking,[/i:7ecd502ee5][/b:7ecd502ee5]&lt;/font&gt;"

Agree.

Have made several walking trails on the farm that "stretch" over a mile.

Take the dogs for an evening walk every day.

&lt;img src="http://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/uptest/a154782.jpg" width="650" /&gt;

You are ahead of the game if you some day find you can no longer walk all the way around your farm. You have enough dogs to make a team and mush. :lol:

 

[tomturkey]

Moderation is the key to all things, food, exercise, heavy work and lifting, running/jogging. I know runners, who have had both hips replaced, weight lifters who have had shoulder replacement, big stout guys who could lift anything til one day their body said no more. Keep moving. But know their are limitations, listen to your body. If it hurts when you do this or that don't do it. Throwing my leg up and over the tractor seat makes my hip hurt, so I slide in from the side, no more aching hip. gobble

 

[dr sportster]

After two knee replacements I almost have to go to the gym to keep from getting leg pains on car trips. Doing the bike is a must.

 

[James Howell]

Yes.

Bandit and Sandy got into something poison on my neighbors place and died last August.

Jessie, the momma of Bandit, Curly, Emma, Harry, and Precious moved back over to her owner's house.

She still visits us on occasion.

 

[Bill VA]

When not on the farm I try to walk.

When on the farm I do a lot of walking. Get out of the car, walk to the barn, forgot the keys to the tractor, round trip back to the car. Walk from
the creek to the grainary to get a bucket and a shovel. Again, forget the keys, walk to the car, get them, walk back to the barn, get the bucket
and down to the creek - forgot the shovel.... You get the picture.

My Wife says I'm going to kill myself working around the old farm. I want to run as long as I can. I think if I stopped working, I'd die and if
farming in the end is what kills me (at a ripe old age), better than rotting away in a recliner, so I keep going.

YMMV

 

[Blackhole49]

I'm 63 and have been doing aerobics in a pool 5 days a week using Hydro Tone equipment for 12 years. It is a great workout and very low impact on the joints. If you have a pool near you, I recommend it (even without the equipment). Just had the life guard this morning tell me he can believe I can do that for 40 minutes without stopping.

 

[Motorcraftman]

I'll be 72 in May... I used to Jog/Run, back the 70's... and now I walk,,Alot about 2 Miles a day... always after I eat at Nite, I don't see how Folks can eat and sit down. I gotta Move ! LOL Larry in ga

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I love a 3 wheel bike with a saddle instead of a bike seat. When the weather is nice, it easy to do a 4 mile ride.

So far, no joint replacement. I plan to keep my OEM equipment.

 

[LarryH]

64 new knees stell back rebuilt shoulder --ride a bike 3000 miles hike 100 miles do 50 situps a day just to keep from locking up

 

[UncleTom]

I have been walking for 30 years,I do about 2 miles before work with the dog. No excuses, like weather. Just dress for it. Then i do 2 miles on the bike.Im 61. I think it is addictive. I feel good about it.

 

[rabbit]

I figure I do a mile just doing outside chores. Most of that carrying a bale of hay or two buckets of water. Who needs a gym when you got animals on a farm? Still got all my own joints. But back is killing me right now. Spent the morning on a spare tire/wheel with a needle scaler and paint brush. Think I'll check out the recliner for an hour or so.

 

[rrlund]

I milked cows in a stanchion barn for 33 years. If anything would give you exercise,you'd think that would. All it did was wear me out. I was in bad shape until I discovered the difference between working and working out.

 

[flying belgian]

I walk two miles a day until weather gets cold. Then I just take the pickup.

 

[aFORDable]

I bicycle when the weather cooperates 12 miles a run. Try to tread mill walking when I can talk myself into it. To be honest, getting started is the hardest part on either. It's easy to find excuses not to do either. Bicycling sure increases leg strength and leg muscle hardness which is good to keep those knee joints in place. Also, it isn't as hard on my knees as walking. No knee replacements yet, 68 yrs. old. No question that proper diet and exercise are all they are cracked up to be. The hardest part is the mental discipline to keep it up.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 11:04:12 03/20/17) I milked cows in a stanchion barn for 33 years. If anything would give you exercise,you'd think that would. All it did was wear me out. I was in bad shape until I discovered the difference between working and working out.

Randy, That is pretty much the point that I was trying to make. Lots of work and walking is great exercise, unfortunately there are a few muscles that you really need that don't get enough exercise to keep them up, unless you do the specific exercises for them.

 

[WalJohn]

I go to the local Y 3 days a week for about 2 1/2 hours each trip. I do 19 different exercises on their strength machines and walk 4 to 5 miles each trip on their indoor track. Also bowl once a week.

 

[UncleTom]

Ill admit, the dog barks in the morning until we go. We go in below zero weather or rain. She is my best friend.She is a lab.

 

[Billy NY]

I would agree, exercise is highly beneficial. Years ago, I found the best way for me was playing sports like hockey and basketball, as it was not such a chore. Just a lot of fun with a good workout included, always kept the weight off too.

Lately, I like to walk on our land. There are hills on either side so its harder than flat ground, but you get used to it. Miles add up if you walk perimeters of fields. It's half a mile to the wood lot up top, and that is my favorite place, it's almost a 360 degree view. With the recent snow, I cleared the paths with the tractor and rear blade. The blade I have can be easily adjusted to roll the snow even after it settled and started to become granular. Yesterday was a great day to get some seat time too.

 

[W_B]

I'm 61. Doctor has recommended more exercise. I tell her that we work 40+ hrs. a week with an hour in the car each way to work, clean up after and feed 45 llamas every night, takes us about an hour and a half. In warmer weather we are shearing, and trimming toenails, and grooming for shows, along with yard work and repairs. I'm usually spent after all that and have no extra energy or time for any other activity that isn't productive. Collapsing in the recliner for a half hour at night before bed is the end of my day.