What have you learned/changed about working out now that you're older? - Page 2

dutchgirl · 02-19-15, 10:13 PM

Here are my realizations.

1) I'm capable of a lot more than I think I can do. I used to think 'I can't do that because of....'. Now I'll try pretty much anything at least once. I don't automatically assume I can't do it.
2) I know when to say when. Rather than stop or not work out at all I'll either modify or scale back the intensity. I've just recovered from bronchitis. I took time off completely when I needed to and have eased back into things by using my 'beginner' workouts and/or modifying.
3) I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. While I may not embrace them wholeheartedly, I enjoy yoga, Pilates, kettlebells, and the like for variety and how they make me feel.
4) I need exercise for more than aesthetic reasons. Exercise keeps me less stressed, more focused, and frankly sane!
5) Exercise and the instructor need to fit my needs, not the other way around. If that's modifying, shortening the workout time, hitting pause, using different equipment, or whatever, I'll do it my way. Hopefully the instructor will demo some options so I don't have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

Paula N · 02-19-15, 10:38 PM

Like Allison, my workout tastes have not changed much from my early twenties. I fell in love with step aerobics during my first class almost twenty years ago and hope to keep doing it for as long as I possible can. I always figured I would tire of it at some point, but after doing it 3-5 times a week for nearly twenty years, I think that would have happened by now if it was going to.

What has changed is that I now realize and accept that I will never dramatically alter my body from what it is, and that is okay. I am fit and active and in realtively decent shape, and in the long run that is what is important. I have amazing active role models in their 60s, 70s and beyond, and I want to be like that.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned over the years is how much I can challenge myself and how much my body is capable of. It is okay to push myself (safely) to beyond what I think I can handle. i have learned to judge the difference between pushing my boundaries vs. something that feels unsafe and risky.

tiffanywu · 02-20-15, 12:48 AM

I have never been an intensity junkie, preferring to stick to hiking, walking, yoga and weights over the years. I was doing some pretty serious yoga for the longest time when I was in my late 20s to mid-30s because I had the time to get to a 2-hour yoga class and to practice at home on my own. Nowadays, with a job and a kid (and another one on the way), the idea of spending 60 mins per week working on inversions just doesn't have the same appeal anymore. I still enjoy a vigorous yoga practice once or twice per week, time permitting, but I don't put pressure on myself to get into advanced postures. The fact that I'm able to enjoy the practice for all of its benefits - strengthening, stretching, relaxing - is good enough for me. Weights are also a lot more efficient so I still try to lift moderate to heavy weights. Cardio is something I integrate into my daily commute (walking to/from daycare drop-off and cycling from the train station to my office), or else it will never get done! All in all, I try to avoid getting injured

I've spent too much time on shoulder tendonitis, achy wrists, wonky knees and such from doing too much of one thing or another in the past. I am all about functional fitness nowadays as I get closer to 40!

PrairieGem · 02-20-15, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paula N

What has changed is that I now realize and accept that I will never dramatically alter my body from what it is, and that is okay. I am fit and active and in relatively decent shape, and in the long run that is what is important.

This. I spent so many years trying this workout and that workout, looking for the magic formula that would make me look like I'd spent all those years working out! It's never going to happen, and I'm finally OK with it. Truly, I credit the honesty of VF members who've said the same thing, and the various reality-check blog posts and articles they've found and shared from people like Molly Galbraith and Jessica Smith, for that. It's been enormously liberating and has made me so much happier and able to enjoy how my workouts make me FEEL, without getting down about how they're not making me look.

Cybersparkle · 02-20-15, 02:34 AM

I have similar revelations like so many others - take it easy, modify & more yoga.

Gradually, I have am focusing more on how I feel rather than how I look. Within the last 6 mos or so, I finally realized diet changes me more than exercise now that I am in peri-menopause. In my 20s & 30's, I think exercise was more important for my body.

My discovery of kundalini yoga in June 2014 has taken my exercise attitude to another level altogether. The wonderful meditation breaks where Ravi or Ana say "You did it, now let it be done for you." "Let healing happen" "Be still". I realized that my self-talk while working out is usally "Do this rep right! Think of firmness! Get in shape girl! I gotta get thru this!" while I am staring at the bulges & bumps that come up around my middle as I crunch or do other moves

.

My goal now is having more positive self-talk in all my workouts, not just KY. Accepting & learning to be grateful for all rolls & bulges

KY also helps me to just be present in the moment, not somewhere else worrying about all I gotta do after I'm done working out. I am more present in my other workout since KY.

Demeris · 02-20-15, 05:46 AM

More stretching
Just enough cardio (too much cardio wears me out--this from a woman who ran 5-8 miles a day in her twenties and early 30s)

I used to loathe any weight workout. I now have a few gems I use at least twice a month: Margaret Richards, KCM, a few Firms that don't tweak my knees.

A consequence of retiring is that I am active all day long. My life now demands that I am up and about to care for animals or to go over and help my father at regular times during the day.

I think that the biggest change is in why I exercise. In my youth and then when I got very serious about health at 49, I exercised for health and for vanity. Now I exercise for health and for preventative measures. I exercise now so that I can move freely and easily as I grow older.

Tanja · 02-20-15, 06:04 AM

For a whole decade I was doing only highly advanced workouts but then I realized those are really not necessary to stay active and healthy. I am doing more fun workouts that are intermediate. I wouldn't have considered Christi's Cinnamon workout a real workout only 5 years ago.

superfit41 · 02-20-15, 07:12 AM

I am 51, and my exercise preferences have most definitely changed.
1. No more high impact cardio. Lots of modifying!
2. Yoga once a week, twice a week preferably.
3. I still love my Firms, but I also like to do barre, and pilates.
4. Heavy weights (such as CLX) are no longer part of my program.
5. I spend several minutes doing my own stretching after each workout.

Sherry

Laura S. · 02-20-15, 08:26 AM

I didn't regularly exercise until my late 30s (and now I'm 51). When I first started exercising, I thought the only reason to exercise was to lose weight. Ha! I have since learned that there are many more reasons to exercise.

When I first started exercising, I did either cardio or weights; I didn't mix the two. Now, I love circuit workouts and workouts that are a mishmash of different things.

I've always modified, but over the years, I've added many more different ways to modify.

desie · 02-20-15, 08:54 AM

I have always loved to exercise, and that hasn't changed. I have done some type of yoga since teenager, and I still love that mode of exercise. But, after having been there and done that for so many years, I prefer instructors who are pretty creative with their moves: Bizzie Gold, Sylwia Weisenberg, Tracy Anderson.

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02-19-15, 10:13 PM
dutchgirl VF Supporter Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Campbell, CA	Here are my realizations. 1) I'm capable of a lot more than I think I can do. I used to think 'I can't do that because of....'. Now I'll try pretty much anything at least once. I don't automatically assume I can't do it. 2) I know when to say when. Rather than stop or not work out at all I'll either modify or scale back the intensity. I've just recovered from bronchitis. I took time off completely when I needed to and have eased back into things by using my 'beginner' workouts and/or modifying. 3) I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. While I may not embrace them wholeheartedly, I enjoy yoga, Pilates, kettlebells, and the like for variety and how they make me feel. 4) I need exercise for more than aesthetic reasons. Exercise keeps me less stressed, more focused, and frankly sane! 5) Exercise and the instructor need to fit my needs, not the other way around. If that's modifying, shortening the workout time, hitting pause, using different equipment, or whatever, I'll do it my way. Hopefully the instructor will demo some options so I don't have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. __________________ Sabine Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it - Author Unknown Fitness happens one choice at a time - Michelle Dozois The truth is, my body, whether I love it or not, is the vessel that houses my soul. And for that, it should be honored - Theresa Ruth Howard

02-19-15, 10:38 PM
Paula N VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	Like Allison, my workout tastes have not changed much from my early twenties. I fell in love with step aerobics during my first class almost twenty years ago and hope to keep doing it for as long as I possible can. I always figured I would tire of it at some point, but after doing it 3-5 times a week for nearly twenty years, I think that would have happened by now if it was going to. What has changed is that I now realize and accept that I will never dramatically alter my body from what it is, and that is okay. I am fit and active and in realtively decent shape, and in the long run that is what is important. I have amazing active role models in their 60s, 70s and beyond, and I want to be like that. One of the biggest lessons I have learned over the years is how much I can challenge myself and how much my body is capable of. It is okay to push myself (safely) to beyond what I think I can handle. i have learned to judge the difference between pushing my boundaries vs. something that feels unsafe and risky. __________________ It's so important to enjoy this, or else why bother? - Kari Anderson No dress rehearsal. This is our life.

02-20-15, 12:48 AM
tiffanywu VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	I have never been an intensity junkie, preferring to stick to hiking, walking, yoga and weights over the years. I was doing some pretty serious yoga for the longest time when I was in my late 20s to mid-30s because I had the time to get to a 2-hour yoga class and to practice at home on my own. Nowadays, with a job and a kid (and another one on the way), the idea of spending 60 mins per week working on inversions just doesn't have the same appeal anymore. I still enjoy a vigorous yoga practice once or twice per week, time permitting, but I don't put pressure on myself to get into advanced postures. The fact that I'm able to enjoy the practice for all of its benefits - strengthening, stretching, relaxing - is good enough for me. Weights are also a lot more efficient so I still try to lift moderate to heavy weights. Cardio is something I integrate into my daily commute (walking to/from daycare drop-off and cycling from the train station to my office), or else it will never get done! All in all, I try to avoid getting injured I've spent too much time on shoulder tendonitis, achy wrists, wonky knees and such from doing too much of one thing or another in the past. I am all about functional fitness nowadays as I get closer to 40!

02-20-15, 02:34 AM
Cybersparkle Join Date: Oct 2009	I have similar revelations like so many others - take it easy, modify & more yoga. Gradually, I have am focusing more on how I feel rather than how I look. Within the last 6 mos or so, I finally realized diet changes me more than exercise now that I am in peri-menopause. In my 20s & 30's, I think exercise was more important for my body. My discovery of kundalini yoga in June 2014 has taken my exercise attitude to another level altogether. The wonderful meditation breaks where Ravi or Ana say "You did it, now let it be done for you." "Let healing happen" "Be still". I realized that my self-talk while working out is usally "Do this rep right! Think of firmness! Get in shape girl! I gotta get thru this!" while I am staring at the bulges & bumps that come up around my middle as I crunch or do other moves . My goal now is having more positive self-talk in all my workouts, not just KY. Accepting & learning to be grateful for all rolls & bulges KY also helps me to just be present in the moment, not somewhere else worrying about all I gotta do after I'm done working out. I am more present in my other workout since KY.

02-20-15, 05:46 AM
Demeris Join Date: Dec 2006	More stretching Just enough cardio (too much cardio wears me out--this from a woman who ran 5-8 miles a day in her twenties and early 30s) I used to loathe any weight workout. I now have a few gems I use at least twice a month: Margaret Richards, KCM, a few Firms that don't tweak my knees. A consequence of retiring is that I am active all day long. My life now demands that I am up and about to care for animals or to go over and help my father at regular times during the day. I think that the biggest change is in why I exercise. In my youth and then when I got very serious about health at 49, I exercised for health and for vanity. Now I exercise for health and for preventative measures. I exercise now so that I can move freely and easily as I grow older.

02-20-15, 06:04 AM
Tanja Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Northern Alabama	Killer workouts are not necessary For a whole decade I was doing only highly advanced workouts but then I realized those are really not necessary to stay active and healthy. I am doing more fun workouts that are intermediate. I wouldn't have considered Christi's Cinnamon workout a real workout only 5 years ago.

02-20-15, 07:12 AM
superfit41 VF Supporter Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Texas, and Mississippi	I am 51, and my exercise preferences have most definitely changed. 1. No more high impact cardio. Lots of modifying! 2. Yoga once a week, twice a week preferably. 3. I still love my Firms, but I also like to do barre, and pilates. 4. Heavy weights (such as CLX) are no longer part of my program. 5. I spend several minutes doing my own stretching after each workout. Sherry

02-20-15, 08:26 AM
Laura S. VF Supporter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	I didn't regularly exercise until my late 30s (and now I'm 51). When I first started exercising, I thought the only reason to exercise was to lose weight. Ha! I have since learned that there are many more reasons to exercise. When I first started exercising, I did either cardio or weights; I didn't mix the two. Now, I love circuit workouts and workouts that are a mishmash of different things. I've always modified, but over the years, I've added many more different ways to modify. __________________ Laura Laura's Workout Mantras: Something is better than nothing The best workout is the one you will DO

02-20-15, 08:54 AM
desie Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Canada	I have always loved to exercise, and that hasn't changed. I have done some type of yoga since teenager, and I still love that mode of exercise. But, after having been there and done that for so many years, I prefer instructors who are pretty creative with their moves: Bizzie Gold, Sylwia Weisenberg, Tracy Anderson.