I'm 61 and pretty healthy, but with blood pressure and cholesterol on the highish side of normal - I want to avoid medication.
I need to excercise - had an excercise bike but didn't like using it. Thinking of trying a treadmill maybe.
Any suggestions for cardio-vascular stuff? - powered/unpowered? Other devices?
In article , Homer2911 writes
Shack up with some loose morale'd young woman;--).....
If I had to pick one single machine, it would be an elliptical trainer - they are far better than treadmills, cycles and rowers in terms of providing a good cardio workout and exercising all of the main muscle groups (we've owned all of these at various times).
Unfortunately because of their complexity the low-end ones are really quite rubbish, and not worth having. As such, you will need to spend a minimum of £400 for a good one - take a look here:
Get a dog or borrow a neighbour's one and take it for a brisk walk at least three times a day. Far more fun than using some machine.
Erm! your first port of call would be your Doctor for advice on what apperatus for exercise.
ps there's no substitute for outside activity as the air you breath would a lot healthier than inside excercise.
Although I have to laugh at these joggers nowadays,jogging through miday or thereabouts...jogging late at night or very very early morning is a lot better because there is less pollution in the air at that time ie traffic congestion.
|!I'm 61 and pretty healthy, but with blood pressure and cholesterol on |!the highish side of normal - I want to avoid medication. |! |!I need to excercise - had an excercise bike but didn't like using it. |!Thinking of trying a treadmill maybe. |! |!Any suggestions for cardio-vascular stuff? - powered/unpowered? Other |!devices?
90% of exercise bikes get used for a month and then Walking is a good way of getting fit. Find somewhere local where *you* *enjoy* walking and do your half hour per day there. Increase your pace when you can, and you may end up jogging.
I wouldn't waste your money. IME even charity shops won't accept
2nd hand exercise euipment because there's so much of it out there.(Our rowing machine is a convenient place to keep the ironing and provides exercise in the form of walking round it. Utter waste of money.)
Swimming 3 times a week,uses every muscle in the body practically...even the ear muscles. ;-)
I agree with the walking. 3 x 20 - 30 minutes each week definitely made me lose weight and feel healthier. I have to say I found it a bit boring though and have decided to try an mp3 player hoping it might prove an encouragement.
Andy
There isn't a link between cholesterol & heart disease anyway, so I wouldn't worry about that. They tend to panic about blood pressure - what is yours?
Start a handyman business at age 55 :-)
Proper bike. The view's a hell of a lot more interesting than on an exercise bike.
Walking works too - provided you're not ambling, and you cover a fair distance.
cheers, clive
The amount of calories involved in that amount of exercise is tiny in the scheme of things. But it could be useful if you walk *instead* of eating. ;-)
True. I tackled both sides of the equation which are important.
Andy
Nowt wrong with a brisk walk to the pub or chip shop :-)
Owain
As others have stated walking is great especially if you have somewhere nice to walk rather than around a city centre.
You can also increase pace and distance as your ability increases.
A dog is fantastic they need to for a walk a minimum of once a day though twice a day is better. They also need to go 7 days a week 52 weeks a year. an older dog from the dogs home?
If a dog is out of the question, I would stay away from exercise bikes they just don't work enough muscle groups.
Rower, eliptical or treadmill make no difference, the best one is the one you will actually use on a regular basis.
If your budget is £300 or less I would advise against any of the above unless you can get a good quality one 2nd hand.
My preference is a rower it is better than an eliptical trainer for calories burnt and uses more of the bigger muscle groups like back & legs through full range of motion.
My preferred rower of choice is the.... WaterRower it is completely self regulating and can be used by anyone from toddler through top level athlete and back to elderly without any need to adjust resistance.
Having said that, any indoor exercise equipment is mind-numingly boring so something to occupy your mind like watching the lights on the treadmill or trying to maintain a specific heart rate on an eliptical or trying to better yesterdays time/speed/distance or whatever on a rower all help.
making it part of your routine like getting dressed is the only way any form of exercise will have any benefit. Token attempts to get fit will always fail. Just buying an bit of kit doesn't get you fit, the dedication and intention to better your life for the remainder of your years is where the secret leis.
:¬)
CHeers Pete
I'm no expert, but the _first_ requirement is a proper diet. See your doctor, and ask to see a dietician. Having done that, you can then address your wish to exercise.
Can't you walk? Try walking at a slightly faster pace.
Not really.
Sylvain.
Hmm! I wouldn't have you as my doctor.
Sylvain.
You'll almost certainly find a neighbour who has a dog that they'd be glad to have walked. Plenty of 'working' dogs - like collies - can't have too much exercise.
Whoa - yes, there is there's a fundamental difference between a treadmill and the other two, in that (if you use it to run on) the treadmill is an impact-inducing exercise. Bit surprised to note that as a professional 'gymrat' you don't make the distinction? Anyone even slightly prone to joint problems like arthritis would be well advised to choose one of the others over a treadmill, if they are intent in buying a machine. Many medics discount running as a preferred form of exercise anyway, on the grounds that ultimately it will cause joint problems even if you aren't already affected; and they'll point you at something like swimming instead.
When I used to be a member of a gym the only way I could use those machines was to watch TV at the same time. (Gave up the membership when I worked out how much it was costing me per attendance, owing to the number of times I ever went there... ouch).
Apparently there are machines which have built-in Playstations or similar, with games which are powered by the user (eg you pedal faster to catch the baddies) which sound quite good!
David
Just get a Nintendo Wii
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