I am 58 and still CRAVE a good sweatfest!
I will do high intensity workouts until I can't! BUT the trick is to keep your joints safe and happy, which for me, means doing most of the high impact exercises on my rebounder which gets my HR up higher than done on the floor. Win, win!
I do need to get back to taking a complete rest day and at least 2-3 days/week that include yoga/stretching to remain flexible and keep my joints happy...lately it seems I've been slowly getting away from my yoga practices and my body doesn't seem as happy. If only I could just take a week to do strictly yoga classes - but alas, I seem to think I always need those high heart rate induced workouts!!
I LOVE metabolic/HiiT workouts so that I can remain strong but still getting the cardio in there - even strictly weight work with a cardio effect (think PHA's!)--they just can't be beat.
However, I am so glad to have Cathe's LITE/ICE- so I can incorporate some less intense workouts in the mix as well - can't kick it up everyday!
Being a seasoned exerciser, I know how to modify (esp. Cathe) for my limitations and still get the high calorie burns which allow me the "endorphin highs" as well as taking care of my aging body/joints.
(ETA an add'l thought): When my parents needed me more to care for them this past year, my workouts kept me SANE! I had to find time for *me* so I could take care of them. It makes me a better & nicer person, LOL, and in taking things up a notch just makes me feel like a happier person.
I think we all agree....we will be striving to work out well into our 80's/90's/100's!! But in order to accomplish that, we need to be mindful of our limitations and sometimes know when to "say when". Or in my case, take a recovery week!