Health- diet and fitness

[andyrabbit]

As I get older (not far off 60 now) my health has become more important. I am curious what sort of things fellow pridesters do to maintain health and fitness, from diet to exercise. I realise that diet can cause arguments so please respect others choices.

I've had a pretty standard Aussie diet for most of my life. I have never eaten much junk food though, so thought I was in pretty good shape. A blood test a few years ago told otherwise. Cholesterol through the roof and dr wanted to put me on statins. What followed was me changing my diet and lifestyle in an attempt to avoid taking more pills. I settled on a plant based diet which I followed for a couple of years. It successfully reduced my cholesterol, and also improved a lot of other issues I had around digestion and sinus problems. I now eat mostly plant based, but have introduced fish a couple of times per week as well. On the odd occasion I will eat yogurt or cheese so I'm no where near as strict as some. Anyway, it has worked well for me.

Exercise for me consists of lots of fast paced walking mixed with cycling a few times per week. I try to do at least 15,000 steps per day, and do longer hikes on the weekend. I also do some body weight exercises at home using household equipment. A dodgy back stops me from doing more. I also used to train in kung fu when I was younger but that morphed into tai chi which I do daily and love.

Curious what others do to keep fit and healthy?

 

[VIP]

Great stuff andyrabbit - glad to hear the changes provided some positive health benefits for you.

I follow a pretty strict diet due to health issues I experienced when I was younger and have maintained those changes for quite some time. I have reduced to the medication I was on to quite negligible levels and hope to be off it entirely very soon!

In terms of physical activity, I head to the gym and do moderate strength training 4-5 days per week. I also aim to crack 10,000 steps per day and am currently on a 400 day streak (COVID lockdowns helped a lot).

I also enjoy swimming and try and get to the beach as often as possible for a bit of a swim.

 

[Bluey]

Bit of advice Andy 50% of people over 50 have diverticuli IE pockets in the bowel, the infection of these is called diverticulitis and can kill you in bad cases, at 61 ive been hospitalized 3 times now with it, the best thing you can do is eat Bran for breakfast , its a bit like eating sticks at times and i find the flakes best.

As I get older (not far off 60 now) my health has become more important. I am curious what sort of things fellow pridesters do to maintain health and fitness, from diet to exercise. I realise that diet can cause arguments so please respect others choices.

I've had a pretty standard Aussie diet for most of my life. I have never eaten much junk food though, so thought I was in pretty good shape. A blood test a few years ago told otherwise. Cholesterol through the roof and dr wanted to put me on statins. What followed was me changing my diet and lifestyle in an attempt to avoid taking more pills. I settled on a plant based diet which I followed for a couple of years. It successfully reduced my cholesterol, and also improved a lot of other issues I had around digestion and sinus problems. I now eat mostly plant based, but have introduced fish a couple of times per week as well. On the odd occasion I will eat yogurt or cheese so I'm no where near as strict as some. Anyway, it has worked well for me.

Exercise for me consists of lots of fast paced walking mixed with cycling a few times per week. I try to do at least 15,000 steps per day, and do longer hikes on the weekend. I also do some body weight exercises at home using household equipment. A dodgy back stops me from doing more. I also used to train in kung fu when I was younger but that morphed into tai chi which I do daily and love.

Curious what others do to keep fit and healthy?

 

[captainsutto]

Good advice bluedog. I was diagnosed with Diverticulosis last week. It’s different to Diverticulitis.

It is when pockets called diverticula form in the walls of your digestive tract.
The inner layer of your intestine pushes through weak spots in the outer lining. This pressure makes them bulge out, making little pouches. Most often it happens in your colon, the lower part of your large intestine.

told to get more fibre and more water. Went to a health food store and they gave me a supplement that soothes and lines the colon which seems to be working

 

[Bluey]

Gday captain, i was due to get section of bowel removed mid year but early this year when i saw specialist he told me to get onto bran first and he would see me in 6 months, during that time i never had another bout so when i saw him he said he was reluctant to do operation as it comes with risks itself so he wants to see how i go first, he claims many have been cure by eating bran every day, i was on metamucil but doc claimed bran was much better, hope it works as when i get bad infection its like somebody pulling barbed wire through your guts, and yes what you have is pockets but no infection, infection can strike quickly so always keep antibiotic prescription handy and good luck with it..

Good advice bluedog. I was diagnosed with Diverticulosis last week. It’s different to Diverticulitis.

It is when pockets called diverticula form in the walls of your digestive tract.
The inner layer of your intestine pushes through weak spots in the outer lining. This pressure makes them bulge out, making little pouches. Most often it happens in your colon, the lower part of your large intestine.

told to get more fibre and more water. Went to a health food store and they gave me a supplement that soothes and lines the colon which seems to be working

 

[CCR]

Advise you guys get your testosterone checked. Trt is easy to get now via private script and worth every damn cent. It should be supplied by Medicare it's that life changing. You'll feel 26 again.

 

[PrideOfTheLeague]

Advise you guys get your testosterone checked. Trt is easy to get now via private script and worth every damn cent. It should be supplied by Medicare it's that life changing. You'll feel 26 again.

This.
The amount of people "cured" from depression, anxiety, unhealthy weight ect just by increasing their hormones to natural levels is astounding.
Us Western men have terrible natural test levels due to environment and diet. Just bringing them up to a natural high level is life changing.
Not to forget how happy your wife will be when you have the libido of a teenage boy.

 

[Bluey]

For the older guys with wives post menapause all it would do is create more work for yourself...lol

 

[captainsutto]

For the older guys with wives post menapause all it would do is create more work for yourself...lol

 

[ZIG.NISZ.]

As I get older (not far off 60 now) my health has become more important. I am curious what sort of things fellow pridesters do to maintain health and fitness, from diet to exercise. I realise that diet can cause arguments so please respect others choices.

I've had a pretty standard Aussie diet for most of my life. I have never eaten much junk food though, so thought I was in pretty good shape. A blood test a few years ago told otherwise. Cholesterol through the roof and dr wanted to put me on statins. What followed was me changing my diet and lifestyle in an attempt to avoid taking more pills. I settled on a plant based diet which I followed for a couple of years. It successfully reduced my cholesterol, and also improved a lot of other issues I had around digestion and sinus problems. I now eat mostly plant based, but have introduced fish a couple of times per week as well. On the odd occasion I will eat yogurt or cheese so I'm no where near as strict as some. Anyway, it has worked well for me.

Exercise for me consists of lots of fast paced walking mixed with cycling a few times per week. I try to do at least 15,000 steps per day, and do longer hikes on the weekend. I also do some body weight exercises at home using household equipment. A dodgy back stops me from doing more. I also used to train in kung fu when I was younger but that morphed into tai chi which I do daily and love.

Curious what others do to keep fit and healthy?

Thats awesome Andy. You do what's best for you.

Over the last 4-5 years I had put on about 25kgs. I use to lift regularly and walk alot but stopped. Weight generally hovered around 90-91kgs.
I am 53 and know that if I kept going down the path I was on I'd end up having a heart attack or stroke or something like that. So I decided to get the weight back down and have set a goal of a weight that I was at during school (about 85kgs).
To date I have dropped 7 kgs. - averaging about 1 kg per week which is fine by me.
Introduced intermittent fasting where my diet consists eating a couple of pieces of fruit around 1030 followed by lunch at 1pm comprising of a massive filling salad with protein that adds up to about 1000 cals ( its huge) and at about 4pm plain greek yoghurt with chopped up rockmelon or pineapple. I then don't eat anything else.
Discipline definitely needed. Sometimes it hard at night but drinking sparkling water fills me up and helps.
Drink water (at least 3 litres per day) and coffee only and occasionally have a diet coke.
Minimum of 12,000 steps a day.
I do this Mon-Fri religiously.
On Saturday I still walk my steps but I have a high carb day and have a few beers as well. Basically I eat whatever I want but I am cognisant of making healthy choices. I was advised that you need to trick the body by eating alot as a calorie deficient diet will send your body into starvation mode and metabolism slowing down.
Sunday I then start to taper back, have breakfast and lunch but no dinner and still do the steps.
As soon as I start to plateau out, I will then start to hit the gym again and introduce a lifting routine of 3 days per week. I also have other things on my list when other plateaus start.
What I have found is important is that I track on a spreadsheet my progress every day which included weight and steps. This is important because you can then really start to understand what your body responds to as feedback is very important. Eg. On weekends, the weight goes up but by Tuesday its back to normal and I continue to lose weight.
Few things I have noticed is that the longer I do it, the easier it is becoming, I am starting to sleep better and I feel I am more focused.
I know that my goal will be disrupted with Christmas and holidays so I have already planned ahead to take a break until beginning of February and to continue again on the path.
Once I reach my goal, I intend on making this a proper lifestyle change where I keep the Intermittent Fasting routine for 3-4 days per week to ensure the weight stays in check.

 

[andyrabbit]

Thats awesome Andy. You do what's best for you.

Over the last 4-5 years I had put on about 25kgs. I use to lift regularly and walk alot but stopped. Weight generally hovered around 90-91kgs.
I am 53 and know that if I kept going down the path I was on I'd end up having a heart attack or stroke or something like that. So I decided to get the weight back down and have set a goal of a weight that I was at during school (about 85kgs).
To date I have dropped 7 kgs. - averaging about 1 kg per week which is fine by me.
Introduced intermittent fasting where my diet consists eating a couple of pieces of fruit around 1030 followed by lunch at 1pm comprising of a massive filling salad with protein that adds up to about 1000 cals ( its huge) and at about 4pm plain greek yoghurt with chopped up rockmelon or pineapple. I then don't eat anything else.
Discipline definitely needed. Sometimes it hard at night but drinking sparkling water fills me up and helps.
Drink water (at least 3 litres per day) and coffee only and occasionally have a diet coke.
Minimum of 12,000 steps a day.
I do this Mon-Fri religiously.
On Saturday I still walk my steps but I have a high carb day and have a few beers as well. Basically I eat whatever I want but I am cognisant of making healthy choices. I was advised that you need to trick the body by eating alot as a calorie deficient diet will send your body into starvation mode and metabolism slowing down.
Sunday I then start to taper back, have breakfast and lunch but no dinner and still do the steps.
As soon as I start to plateau out, I will then start to hit the gym again and introduce a lifting routine of 3 days per week. I also have other things on my list when other plateaus start.
What I have found is important is that I track on a spreadsheet my progress every day which included weight and steps. This is important because you can then really start to understand what your body responds to as feedback is very important. Eg. On weekends, the weight goes up but by Tuesday its back to normal and I continue to lose weight.
Few things I have noticed is that the longer I do it, the easier it is becoming, I am starting to sleep better and I feel I am more focused.
I know that my goal will be disrupted with Christmas and holidays so I have already planned ahead to take a break until beginning of February and to continue again on the path.
Once I reach my goal, I intend on making this a proper lifestyle change where I keep the Intermittent Fasting routine for 3-4 days per week to ensure the weight stays in check.

Great detailed post ZiggyN and good for you too.

I was into intermittent fasting for a few weeks but it gradually dropped off. I must try it again. I even did a 3 day fast and found that the mental clarity I got starting toward the end of day one amazing, not to mention the weight loss and other health benefits. You are dead right though, that the body will compensate for reduced calories with reduced metabolism (hope I'm using the right terms).

I think it is important to not get too fixated on things and, like you suggest, have a days break where you aren't so hard on yourself, but you don't need to eat junk either. Healthy eating becomes a habit, and I actually crave healthy food and don't miss the crap. I had to eat take away the other day and spent hours drinking water afterwards due to the higher salt than I'm used to.

Anyway thanks for the reply. Good to hear what others are doing. Good luck and keep it up.

 

[southsport]

I'm about to turn 70 and I usually don't eat before midday and sometimes not until 3pm, prefer to have oats with yoghurt and fruit for the first meal with salad on lebanese bread later but diet has deteriorated since my missus retired. I cook great roast veggies in olive oil in winter and have salmon with steamed veggies in summer.

Lots of walking up hills and cycling with bodyboarding and kayaking in the warmer months when the whether permits.
.

 

[P.J.]

I've tried everything, losing weight is almost as easy as putting it back on.

My issue is I have a desk job and I drink, ALOT. I've made a change to my life after finishing work to stop drinking during the week (entirely) and drink only a couple on the weekend.

I've had the diverticulitis issue too early in 2022, in 47. I'm prob 20kgs overweight. I've already lost 4 since Dec 24th.

I'm simply aiming for significantly rescued alcohol intake, it's literally killing me, as well as healthier eating and more casual exercise (walking).

See how we go, but I'm very interested to here your progress Zigg.

 

[andyrabbit]

I've tried everything, losing weight is almost as easy as putting it back on.

My issue is I have a desk job and I drink, ALOT. I've made a change to my life after finishing work to stop drinking during the week (entirely) and drink only a couple on the weekend.

I've had the diverticulitis issue too early in 2022, in 47. I'm prob 20kgs overweight. I've already lost 4 since Dec 24th.

I'm simply aiming for significantly rescued alcohol intake, it's literally killing me, as well as healthier eating and more casual exercise (walking).

See how we go, but I'm very interested to here your progress Zigg.

I'm obviously not Zigg, however I used to drink too much (about a 6 pack a night) and was 15 kg overweight.

In the past 6 months or so I have lost a bit over 10 kg, going from overweight to a healthy weight. I have cut down my drinking from a 6 pack of full strength a night to one or two mid strength beers a couple to three or so times a week. I walk 15,000 steps a day on average and do bodyweight exercises at home.

What worked for me was finding a lower strength beer that I liked (Coopers Mild in my case). This stopped me from craving that alcohol rush you get from full strength beer. I then found other ways to fill my nights; walking at night and getting back into reading worked for me. The trick is to find some other way to fill the time. Also downloaded a free pedometer made me accountable as far as the exercise goes. I also stopped eating most processed food but the big one for me was stopping bread. Instead I eat whole grains like brown rice. I also practice fasting and even did a 5 day fast to kick things off. Now I do intermittent fasting which helps.

Good luck, you can do it. Small changes add up.

 

[Bluey]

Hi PJ, get onto the bran for the diverticulitis , i had another 3 nights in hospital mid December so its looking like a bowel resection is coming up this year, ive also just started taking 30-40 mil of apple cider vinegar mixed with cold water every day, some swear by it, as for drinking?, i retired in Oct 2021 and drinking every day was an issue, what i do is still have my drinks but i only put 10 mil of scotch in a glass then mix with Coke or Pepsi and ice, it still feels like i am having a drink but my alcohol intake is low, with beer its so much harder to regulate.

I've tried everything, losing weight is almost as easy as putting it back on.

My issue is I have a desk job and I drink, ALOT. I've made a change to my life after finishing work to stop drinking during the week (entirely) and drink only a couple on the weekend.

I've had the diverticulitis issue too early in 2022, in 47. I'm prob 20kgs overweight. I've already lost 4 since Dec 24th.

I'm simply aiming for significantly rescued alcohol intake, it's literally killing me, as well as healthier eating and more casual exercise (walking).

See how we go, but I'm very interested to here your progress Zigg.