It’s often been said that getting old isn’t for weaklings and we all know that to be true. With that in mind, I’d like to mention that there are a few programs out there like Silver Sneakers which are backed by some insurance plans. Basically, those plans enable seniors to join certain gyms at little or no cost to the client. The thing about going to a bonafide gym is that it can provide a safe and motivated workout environment whilst also being a sort of social type of thing. Gyms like the one we go to have senior group workout sessions using weights as well as aerobics and yoga and I can see a lot of good things coming out of those classes. All that said, even if a person doesn’t have the desire to go to a gym, it would be well worth their time to take the effort and go to one for a couple of visits and sign on with a gym trainer and get to know more about the do’s and don’t’ s when it comes to senior weight lifting. Anywhere from a single hour with a trainer to however many, people learn about proper form (extremely important) to better ways to attack whichever muscle groups one needs to take on. Even going to the gym just to watch what and how others are training would be far better and much safer than to just “winging it”.
My Advantage plan includes Silver Sneakers, but I'd have to drive to Bangor to find a gym. There was one here when we first moved here but it closed twenty years ago. My plan does pay for a bunch of other stuff though, such as exercise equipment, boots, and some types of clothing. I could even get a kayak through my Advantage plan. Mostly, I forget about that part of it, though.
I guess the main reason I pretty much lean toward the gym is strictly because it’s easier to find someone to spot or watch us whilst performing a lift so we can maximize the benefits from the exercise whilst minimizing any risk of being counterproductive. I guess getting tips from senior trainers on YouTube is as good as it’s gonna get for you guys in the boonies.
I'm angry I did not set up a small gym at home when I moved here. I've never been able to gain "mass," but when my weight headed north, I'd join a gym and hit it 2-3 times a week. Once I started working out, the excess pounds would drop off in a couple of months. It was easy when I was working in the DC area. I probably passed 6 gyms on my commute. There is an Anytime Fitness by the Walmart (8 miles up the road), but I've heard bad things about them. I once left a message for the owner/manager to show me around, and I never got a return call. And when you sign up, they sell the agreement to a 3rd party to whom you make payments. So it doesn't matter if the Anytime Fitness does not live up to their end of the agreement (and they frequently don't), you cannot stop payments because you legally owe the money to the 3rd party...who has a very aggressive collection agency on their side.
Long ago I got a Chuck Norris Total Gym knock off. It was good exercise for everyone. But my daughter actually wore it out, the cable holder broke and we rigged it up but finally had to toss it. I bought a REAL Total gym a year or so ago. A later model off craigslist for $30! But we were out of the habit of running down to the exercise room. I have a ski machine I really like too. It is in front of a tv/video player.
I had one of those cheap weight sets where the bench folded up against the wall for storage. As you said, they don't last very long. I'll wait until February or March and get a "My New Year's Resolution Already Died" special on Craigslist.
Joy I've had this Glucotrust for months now and afraid to take it, thank you for this post. https://happyhealthierme.com/images/glucotrust-product-image.jpg
Good wishes with it and as I said I took it for 1 yr and had nothing but good results... Since I'm not taking it now I won't know what is going on with my sugar....won't know unless a lab test is done. And I don't run to the doc .. once a year in recent years.
Joy is there a reason you stopped taking the Berbirine? I think it interfered with my sleep, didn't sleep at all last night, but it may not be the Glucotrust?
Marie, I took Berberine every day for 1 yr, 500mg a day, and when I had my labs down in May of this year, my glucose was 84 vs the 120 when I had not been on it. I had no sleep issues with it and I do take a sleep combo that I worked out starting in 1999.....My sleep health is good and so are my dreams.