Diet and exercise as we get older.

[A_B]

How good would you say your diet is and do you get enough exercise as you age, or are you sitting back and watching middle age spread take a hold?

I used to be quite fit and healthy, just from walking and stuff, but for one reason or another my diet recently hasn't been that great and exercise is pretty much none existent at the moment. I go to bed most nights feeling ashamed and promising to sort myself out before it's too late, but each morning I find myself stuffing the first of many bars of chocolate in with the excuse it's breakfast so it's okay. That's just the start of it, pizza might get ordered in the afternoon and some weeks I start to forget what fruit and veg look like unless it's on a pizza.

I still can't walk very far, it's not that I'm not able, it's more to do with back pains and my bladder from the stent when I do, so I'm not getting that much exercise either. The other day I thought until I can walk for longer I'll start doing squats, but that only lasted two days. I have started to take the stairs, all 101 of them, but I don't think that's going to be enough to reverse the damage overindulgence in junk food and lack of exercise has caused over the last eight months.

[Jules]

It takes longer to get rid of it as you get older

I've always been skinny, but I've noticed my belly is getting bigger and softer

So I'm doing exercises now, because I'll look even more ridiculous with a gut

I've also noticed muscle starts to disappear if you do nothing to keep it there as you age

So I'm trying to make an effort, when I feel well enough to do it

You're near the sea breezy, no excuses

[A_B]

My excuse is it's too hot.

My belly has always been soft, but I don't think there's much I can do about it apart from hide it away. I've been thinking of getting a dumbbell for while I work though. Sometimes I'm just copy and pasting for a while, so I could be lifting a dumbbell with the other arm. I'm right handed and don't think I can copy and paste with my left, so if I developed a muscle it'd be a bit one sided. I don't want to develop bingo wings, but I think I'd look even sillier with just one bingo wing and a massive muscle on the other side.

I love walking, but it's not easy at the moment. On one of the expat groups here they have night walks, where they walk through the night and have breakfast in the morning on the beach at the end. I'm considering going on one of those at the end of the month but I'm not sure if I'd make it.

[Jules]

It's cooler in the sea

There are plenty of things to do at home without any equipment. The main problem is motivating yourself when there's a tv and a sofa and a fridge nearby

Body Weight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere - Health.com

[Earl]

Exercise and dieting is shite. At best I'll try to be sensible about it, for most of the time.

I was thinking about going swimming regularly, but I probably won't.

[timey]

It's funny you should mention this Breezy as this has recently been highlighted following a visit to the docs, who weighed me and I was horrified at the weight, although I had an inkling that it would be high. Basically I have neglected my diet and weight for years now, following things that happened in my life about 12 years ago (which led to me losing my job and ending up on forums like Digital Spy ). I was depressed and thought what's the point dieting and exercising, but the problem is it has in recent years been becoming a real problem in that I couldn't walk far without getting out of breath, and other issues caused by weight and lack of exercise. Again, I knew of the problems, but the visit to the docs is what made me realise I had to do something about it.

So, a few weeks back I started doing more exercise, nothing massive, just using the exercise bike for a while each day, walking up and down the stairs and walking to and from work on days that I can't book a parking space at the office (the nearest available area is about half a mile away from the office). Also, I have stopped having snacks before bedtime, cut down on breakfast cereal, eat more fruit and veg and cut down on carbs - at least during the week. All this has had an effect, a small one but it is a step in the right direction. My legs don't get so tired when I am walking so I can walk further, plus I don't get as out of breath as before. I have lost about half a stone in a month, so at least if I keep doing this it might come down slowly but at a sustainable rate. It certainly does take more effort to get the weight off as you get older though, and I know I will never be super fit again, but doing something, however small, instead of nothing makes a massive difference to quality of life, and I have a lot to look forward to, so it is worth it.

[A_B]

Well done on the weight loss, Timey!

I'm not massively unfit, but I'm scared I'll end up old before my time if I don't do something about it soon. I know how it can just creep up on you as you get older. I'm only a tad flabby and unfit, but it's not me and it's a bit depressing.

I've just been for a walk using an app on the phone (look on facebook to see where I walked). Doing 9.2km was no problem, but the pain from the stent got quite bad when I got to about 4.5km. I was a bit stuck though, so I had to walk back in pain, only a lot slower. The last 2km were a killer and I ended up making myself bleed quite bad (sorry! It's probably gross for people to read, but that's why I can't exercise at the moment. The stent aggravates and gives me back/kidney pain and I end up with blood in my bladder).

I took two paracetamols on the way to ease it a bit, then rushed in when I got back and took two ibuprofen straight away. My daughter spotted me and said 'is that a doctors bag?' When I said yes she looked confused and said 'why have you got it, you're not a doctor'.

[A_B]

Here's a few photos from the walk I just did.

I stopped briefly to buy an ice lolly at about 2km, only 94 calories though.



Then at about 4.5km, I stopped to sit on a bench and to look at the scenery.



... while my husband popped to the chip shop across the road.



That's all I had though, I'm not sure if I burnt that off or not. How many calories would you say that was? I looked at the app on the phone and it was showing as burning 230 calories, when I mentioned I've just burnt off the Twirl I had earlier to my son, he had to spoil it by saying 'yeah, but that's not all you had'. I did have a Wispa for my breakfast, but I wasn't counting that.

This is where I started to feel quite bad, but I still had to walk more or less to the big pointy building in the distance.



.. almost there, this is the bay along from the bay that I live near.





The sky wasn't looking too good, so from there I rushed as much as I could so I wasn't caught in a downpour.

[CambCelt]

How good would you say your diet is and do you get enough exercise as you age, or are you sitting back and watching middle age spread take a hold?

My diet now is the best that it has ever been, especially at weekends (as not being at work allows for more food prep).

I can no longer run (apart from short bursts, like pegging it across the road), but I walk an hour or more 5-6 days per week. I do not need to use my exercise bike at all - it is more of a clothes-horse these days!

I could be a lot worse, even though my body does feel a bit knackered one way and others. Mrs Camb, health professionals and my good self keep me ticking over OK..

[Jules]

Small portion of chips 610 calories

Twirl 115 calories

Lolly 94 calories