Absolutely. I started strength training regularly when I was 39 (can’t believe it was 13 years ago). It’s part of a holistic approach that includes and supports stress management, nutrition, sleep, recovery, socialization, mental health, and learning.
It is not just words it is FACT, stay fit. Fitness is a lifestyle and for some of us it is part of our profession. As one who has been injured on the job a lot I can safely say the longer the train stop the harder it is to get going again. Never stop moving. When I was told I could lift no more than 5# for a minimum of 3 months I bought two 5# kettlebells. You can always do something.
I agree that grip strength is important. Judo will help out with that. Not into martial arts? A simple farmer's walk will help increase your grip strength over time. I'm not a very strong person, so I do feel it a lot just after two minutes with 35lb dumbbells in each hand.
Hey Tobi, this makes a lot of sense. I recently turned 55 and rely on my Quest3 for my daily cardio boxing, which I am devoted to. I pay for two monthly scripts instead of going to the gym, and for me, it's so fun; I'm able to work out up to 3 hours a day, burning mega calories. That being said...I've also plateaued and have been really struggling to knock off the pounds I need. I've started adding some arm weights while I cardio box because my arms are obnoxious to me, and I've also started doing some basic arm exercises with 2-5 pound weights. In your opinion, will adding arm weights help me push past my plateau?
Hey Sara, props to you for finding methods to enjoy working out and making it a part of your daily routine.
As for the weight loss: I think it is most important to realize that at a basic level, weight loss comes from one single thing: caloric deficit.
And in order to achieve a caloric decifit we have to levers: diet and exercise.
The arm weights could certainly make you burn more calories during the time active, however it is also important to note that it may make you fatigued earlier and thus shortening your calorie burn window, resulting in the same calories burned.
Since you mentioned you already work out for up to three hours a day, I think the bigger lever for you could be making small changes in your diet. It is there that small changes really add up over time.
One example: Cutting your daily intake by just 100 calories per day (while leaving all other factors unchanged) will approximately result in ~10 lbs lost over the course of a year.
Here's the equation:
1 lb of body fat ≈ 3,500 calories is a useful rule of thumb.
Thanks for the detailed response. I noticed the issue I have is...the more I exercise, which I genuinely love doing via VR...the hungrier I am later on. I have tried to stop eating past 730 at night, but it's tough, so I started snacking on a handful of grapes to kind of help out, or even a 40-calorie fruit pop. I will find those 100 calories to eliminate, and will add a bit more protein to my diet for a fuller effect. I keep track of the calories on my smart watch and in one hour and a half, i can kill between 600 -700 calories...which is why i get so baffled at my plateau, hence the arm weight question! Thanks for your insight, every little bit helps!
At the age of 78, I have largely eliminated sucrose from my diet (I eat lots of fruit). After years of a carb-free diet, I now include a balance of carbs and protein. I do a lot of purposeful exercise like mowing the lawn behind a push mower, tilling my garden with a hand tiller, and carpentry work. My main problem is recovery. Especially if exercise is of aerobic value, I am careful about stopping work before I get tired. Otherwise, I spend the following day grappling with sleepiness and fatigue. Any ideas?
First, serious respect for staying active, adapting your diet, and being so purposeful with your health.
For recovery, I think the safest levers are modest ones: having your carbs around your activity time-window, adequate hydration, keeping intensity low enough that you can talk in full sentences, and breaking work into shorter bouts with real pauses all usually reduce next-day fatigue without cutting activity or adding risk.
After success with the Keto diet, I started incorporating more carbs into my diet. Hopefully, that will help. Thanks for your encouragement and insight.
Absolutely. I started strength training regularly when I was 39 (can’t believe it was 13 years ago). It’s part of a holistic approach that includes and supports stress management, nutrition, sleep, recovery, socialization, mental health, and learning.
Exactly. Thanks for your comment, Jay:
It is not just words it is FACT, stay fit. Fitness is a lifestyle and for some of us it is part of our profession. As one who has been injured on the job a lot I can safely say the longer the train stop the harder it is to get going again. Never stop moving. When I was told I could lift no more than 5# for a minimum of 3 months I bought two 5# kettlebells. You can always do something.
Thanks for your comment, Robert!
Your post was on the money.
I agree that grip strength is important. Judo will help out with that. Not into martial arts? A simple farmer's walk will help increase your grip strength over time. I'm not a very strong person, so I do feel it a lot just after two minutes with 35lb dumbbells in each hand.
Hey Tobi, this makes a lot of sense. I recently turned 55 and rely on my Quest3 for my daily cardio boxing, which I am devoted to. I pay for two monthly scripts instead of going to the gym, and for me, it's so fun; I'm able to work out up to 3 hours a day, burning mega calories. That being said...I've also plateaued and have been really struggling to knock off the pounds I need. I've started adding some arm weights while I cardio box because my arms are obnoxious to me, and I've also started doing some basic arm exercises with 2-5 pound weights. In your opinion, will adding arm weights help me push past my plateau?
Hey Sara, props to you for finding methods to enjoy working out and making it a part of your daily routine.
As for the weight loss: I think it is most important to realize that at a basic level, weight loss comes from one single thing: caloric deficit.
And in order to achieve a caloric decifit we have to levers: diet and exercise.
The arm weights could certainly make you burn more calories during the time active, however it is also important to note that it may make you fatigued earlier and thus shortening your calorie burn window, resulting in the same calories burned.
Since you mentioned you already work out for up to three hours a day, I think the bigger lever for you could be making small changes in your diet. It is there that small changes really add up over time.
One example: Cutting your daily intake by just 100 calories per day (while leaving all other factors unchanged) will approximately result in ~10 lbs lost over the course of a year.
Here's the equation:
1 lb of body fat ≈ 3,500 calories is a useful rule of thumb.
100 kcal/day × 365 ≈ 36,500 kcal/year
36,500 ÷ 3,500 ≈ ~10 lb
Thanks for the detailed response. I noticed the issue I have is...the more I exercise, which I genuinely love doing via VR...the hungrier I am later on. I have tried to stop eating past 730 at night, but it's tough, so I started snacking on a handful of grapes to kind of help out, or even a 40-calorie fruit pop. I will find those 100 calories to eliminate, and will add a bit more protein to my diet for a fuller effect. I keep track of the calories on my smart watch and in one hour and a half, i can kill between 600 -700 calories...which is why i get so baffled at my plateau, hence the arm weight question! Thanks for your insight, every little bit helps!
Thanks for the insights, Tobias!
This is really important for us men over a certain age. (I’m 62.)
At the age of 78, I have largely eliminated sucrose from my diet (I eat lots of fruit). After years of a carb-free diet, I now include a balance of carbs and protein. I do a lot of purposeful exercise like mowing the lawn behind a push mower, tilling my garden with a hand tiller, and carpentry work. My main problem is recovery. Especially if exercise is of aerobic value, I am careful about stopping work before I get tired. Otherwise, I spend the following day grappling with sleepiness and fatigue. Any ideas?
First, serious respect for staying active, adapting your diet, and being so purposeful with your health.
For recovery, I think the safest levers are modest ones: having your carbs around your activity time-window, adequate hydration, keeping intensity low enough that you can talk in full sentences, and breaking work into shorter bouts with real pauses all usually reduce next-day fatigue without cutting activity or adding risk.
Tobias,
After success with the Keto diet, I started incorporating more carbs into my diet. Hopefully, that will help. Thanks for your encouragement and insight.
Thanks for writing about this. It’s really sad when people think about muscle building as some kind of just nonsense aesthetic thing.