Used to be a big runner but switched to road cycling after starting to notice ankle and knee issues. My 4,500 miles per year is now down to about 2,500 per year. Started into paddling just a year ago getting out about twice a week for a couple hours. That led me to doing yoga to increase flexibility. And, I do get out to walk the dogs a couple times a day.
For those of you with joint issues I’ve been taking black cherry juice every day for years and it’s an amazing anti-inflammatory that really works. I take no medication at all for my bad joints. Look into it. Takes about two or three months of daily use to start working but after that it’s amazing.
Regarding paddling, I train on a WaterRower, outfitted to work with a single blade paddle instead of as a rowing machine. With it I train during the solid water winter months, getting ready for race season in the spring. I like to “fly” with Google Earth running on my planned route down the Yukon River, to get ready for marathon races up there (done those 5 times so far). Can’t beat flying down the river on a big screen monitor as I memorize my turn points with some epic music playing.
Away from total paddling, I am a land navigation instructor for Homeland Security, teaching land nav is something I have been doing for SAR and a wilderness guide training course that I have taught for 25 years so far.
Distantly related, I am part of a group called Lean2Rescue. We build, repair, and dismantle to move (as needed) log leanto trail shelters in the Adirondack Mtns of NY. Winter is no obstacle (often is easier) to those work tasks of hauling replacement logs or pallets of roofing bundles (asphalt shingles and lumber). Last summer we focused on leanto shelters along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Winter work is mostly for interior trails. Tiring, but rewarding.
tried the black cherry and tart cherry juice for a couple of years, didn’t get much relief so I gave it up. Perhaps it works better for some conditions than for others.
This just popped up today, looks like a good crossover for kayaking.
https://magicseaweed.com/news/4-exercises-to-help-max-your-paddle-endurance/10628/
We’re all guilty of offering reasons and excuses for not exercising (myself included) – not enough time, too much going on in our lives, forced to be sedentary at work, no access to facilities or equipment, not feeling well, injuries. I finally realized that you don’t need to make time or arrangements to exercise your body in a very effective way. You can do isometrics any time and place, no matter what you are doing. And it is virtually impossible to injure yourself when the resistance you are using your muscles against is “imaginary”.
Example? You are sitting somewhere reading this right now. Instead of just slumping in your desk chair or on the sofa, sit up straight, draw back your shoulders and tighten your abs (like you would do if you were walking down the beach and saw an attractive member of your preferred gender approaching) . Keep tightening and relaxing those abs rhythmically – while you are at it, do some Kegels (clenching the muscles that control your urine stream – these are healthy for both men and women, in improving bladder control and sexual enjoyment).
Next move: tighten your upper back muscles (trapezoids) along your spine as if you were trying to bring your shoulder blades together, then relax and repeat. This actually feels pretty good – it can relieve tension in your upper back and neck and is almost like giving yourself a massage. You can enhance this action by raising your bent arms at your side slightly and pushing your elbows back to move your shoulder blades closer together. A related move is to raise your elbows to shoulder height, bent at a 90 degree angle with fists facing ahead of you and alternately push and pull forward. The trick with isometrics is to tense your muscles as if you were meeting strong resistance – you are miming weight lifting or resistance training. I learned to do this kind of exercise in dance training and martial arts and it can be quite effective – and it is very safe as well as handy to do
I noticed last Summer that, at 67, I was starting to look stooped in the shoulders – so I worked on developing the habit of always doing those shoulder exercises when I am watching TV, reading, driving the car or doing internet correspondence or research. After 6 months that has definitely improved my posture. I also began the ab exercises – now they are a natural reflex whenever I am sitting. I noticed the improvement in my ab muscles and overall core strength as early as two months into the effort when I finally learned to balance brace and layback roll in kayak classes in August. And I’ve lost a substantial amount of my “muffin top” even though I have not been dieting.
After straining muscles and even tendons a few times using weights and resistance machines at my health club, I’ve even switched to doing my strength and flexibility workouts on the mats, using my own body and “ghost” resistance to work out all of my muscles in sequence.
I’ve read that people who are “fidgety” burn many more calories a day – there are no down sides to making yourself “fidget” by keeping your muscles moving when sitting, standing or even lying down. Even if you’re stuck at a desk in cubeland, you can work your abs or exercise your calves (by rhythmically stretching your toes up and then pointing them down). This increases circulation too. When I’m on long airline flights or auto road trips I do isometrics frequently for that reason and to keep myself from getting stiff.
I still try to do the aerobic exercise that have been a regular part of my routine – 3 to 4 miles on the treadmill several times a week, 5 to 8 mile hikes when the weather and companions are favorable, same for kayaking. But I think the daily iso routines I’ve added have made a big difference . I may skip the gym, sometimes for a week or more, but I never have a day when I don’t do the isos multiple times – they are a reflex now. I think those kinds of little lifestyle add-ins and habits have a greater cumulative effect than we imagine. And they are something nearly anyone can incorporate into their daily routine.
A 150 pound person burns 300 calories running 6 mph on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Just sitting still for a half hour only burns 35 calories. But doing isometrics for half an hour burns 165 calories. That’s pretty good for something you can do anywhere without any equipment or breaking a sweat.
There’s a consensus within the weight-lifting crowd that machines that follow a fixed path are more likely to give you an injury due to the fact that this path may not be natural to your body. They are also seen as less effective as they don’t require you to invoke other muscles for stabilization.
In terms of weights, it’s also the case that an older body needs a careful ramp-up period. We acquire muscle imbalances as we age which tends to bite us when we start lifting. But, the potential for strength gains is really not changing all that much with age. Your starting point does,