Why don’t senior citizens who are capable of exercise go out and exercise?
The Invisible Hand/Illuminati asked:
I have seen senior citizens at the gym I go to but also notice the opposite trend in my family. Health minded seniors seem to walk or do light exercise but I notice many just stay home and waste away.
I have seen senior citizens at the gym I go to but also notice the opposite trend in my family. Health minded seniors seem to walk or do light exercise but I notice many just stay home and waste away.
Why don’t seniors who are capable of exercising go walking or do light exercise like the health minded ones?
I’m not saying the chronically ill ones who waste away but the seniors who are able to exercise lightly.
Provide your insight to this.
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May 1st, 2010 at 4:52 pm
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Same reason people in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s do or don’t exercise. Some like to, some do not. Some make themselves and some do not.
May 2nd, 2010 at 4:37 am
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laziness. the funny thing is walking is habit forming . once you start, it is so invigorating that you want to go on and on like a EverReady rabbit…battery. you get energy from walking not fatigue like many people think
so go out there breath in the air and listen to the birds chirp.
never use head sets with music. be open to your surroundings
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:46 am
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For some it’s fear. Fear of falling, fear of others, fear of doing to much and the fear of pain. Fear of being out there alone.
May 6th, 2010 at 6:27 am
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I don’t feel safe walking in my area. We have wild dogs skunks crazy people driving over the speed limit. We have no streetlights my eyesight is failing. I have a machine to walk on, but it got wet during a sudden rainstorm last month no longer works! The malls have closed the parks are filled with beggers thieves, so my only other choice is Walmart I have to drive to get there.
I don’t think I’m wasting away. I’m dying anyway….so what does it matter how I spend my last days? I just want to have some peace of mind I don’t give a sh*t about what anyone thinks about my body or the way it looks.
I’ve already had the privilege of possessing a killer bod in my younger days. It’s not something I’d like to have again, as it attracts the wrong types of people into my life!
May 8th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
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It may depend on where we live. I’m in the country, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking alone on a gravel road. The world is a whole different place now.
Some of us prefer to stay at home. I walk several times a day outdoors around our acreage because of arthritis problems, but I can’t imagine going to the gym on a regular basis. I worked most my life and dealt with the public and now it’s more to my liking to be home most of the time. I do know many my age have treadmills or other in home equipment and I would consider doing that.
May 11th, 2010 at 4:06 am
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It’s a thing that you have to get into the habit of doing. Then you won’t want to miss. I’ve been guilty of it. Everyone needs to exercise and buy and bike or treadmill even if you get on it 10 or 15 minutes morning and evening will help you sleep as well as being good for you. Elders complain about can’t sleep, well if you don’t exert all day why should you need rest and sleep…YOU HAVENT DONE ANYTHING!!!
May 14th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
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Some have never been exercise people so its not surprising that they dont do this in later life. Others have been regulars at the gym or have always walked or jogged and age doesnt change them.
Some seniors prefer to exercise at home on a treadmill or with free weghts or on an exercise bike etc rather than go to a formal gym or walk in the elements in sometimes iffy areas.
I think many things are just a matter of personal preference.
May 15th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
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AAAAAAhhhhhhhh! Mr. Illuminato . Enlighten us. Like we never heard that before. Work is a four letter word . I avoid it.
I have to build up energy just to go to the spa.
Tell me how much real exercise do you get.
Oh I get plenty of exercise is a lie if it isn’t a set program with variations on muscles used.
You go live your young life and don’t be using words like that here.
May 18th, 2010 at 1:27 am
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i walk a lot.im not a senior citizen.i know why seniors would not want to walk in my area,tho-no sidewalks!and crazy drivers in a big hurry!we have the famous disapearing sidewalk syndrome in my small city.when u start ur walk,ur on a sidewalk,safe and sound.a few blocks later,the sidewalk comes to an abrupt end,and u now are walking on the narrow shoulder of a 4 lane highway.there is a gr8 bookstore about a mile from my home,but i dont walk there,because this is exactly what happens-u get almost to the bookstore,the sidewalk ends,and ur on the highway,literally,banging ur head on overhanging branches and hoping the cars wont hit u.i did that walk twice,then no more.maybe seniors had similar experiences-and they are less able to dodge traffic than i am! our town is big on pedestrians,bicyclists and children at bus stops being killed by bad/drunk drivers.the latest-a 6 year old girl exiting a bus-the car didnt wait for her to cross the street,but mowed her down.that driver wasnt even drunk,just in a hurry!
May 19th, 2010 at 11:55 am
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We’re too busy answering questions on here.
May 21st, 2010 at 8:07 am
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It’s more exciting setting here reading all this ’stuff.’I got my exercise just mopping the floors last night. It was a real workout.
May 22nd, 2010 at 2:14 am
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Many of us have a hard time moving around. Any type of movement can be considered exercise like walking the dog or climbing stairs. Many seniors have health problems that prevent them from even the most basic types of exercise. Depression can keep many of them from exercising. They simply don’t feel like it. Some don’t live in a safe area.
Many of us do what exercise we can. Some play ping pong, others do yoga, others simply walk or clean their homes. For some of us, that is our exercise. Often, it’s just a matter of preference.
May 25th, 2010 at 2:58 am
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I love to get outside and take a long walk and explore the area, have since I was a little kid. But it is a lot more fun when I have someone else to walk and talk with. What keeps me inside is the wind here in Oklahoma, this spring was terrible. I **** having dirt fly into my eyes, and high pollen and mold counts will do it too. I think if someone is lonely and stuck at home, if a friend or neighbor came over and said It’s a beautiful day, would you like to go for a little walk around the neighborhood and look at the flowers ? (or anything else of interest) it could help get someone in the mood to walk. Chronic depression can paralyze a person too, and one good remedy is walking or other aerobic exericise.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
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A lot of elderly walk, but for some reason some can’t, arthritis , bad knees, etc. It is not only the elderly that lack exercise , how about the young people, they use their car and use the drive through for everything and how about our kids, why do you think they are so obese, It is because they sit on the couch and play with their game boys, Wii, and watch T.V. Lots of places it isn’t safe to exercise , I am Lucky I live in a small town and we have a beautiful park , with lots of benches to sit down when you get tired. and that is what I do , my husband and I take a walk down there when its nice but you better believe when its stats getting icy and real real cold , I am staying in. Gotta go for my walk.
May 30th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
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if mold does not grow fat on a rolling the reverse is also very true.
after a long time habit catches up to people and getting up becomes a choice they habitually no longer decide. its really very obvious your answer is in your question if you look at it that way.why dont they excercise? because they dont.- do or do not, there is no try.-Yoda. lol its applicable tho
May 31st, 2010 at 9:18 am
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Perhaps if they feel healthy they believe they don’t need it. Maybe they think gyms are for youngsters or some may be embarrassed by their weight or lack of fitness. In UK there is a small fee payable for over 60’s and it’s free for over 65’s in local council gyms,this is to try and encourage seniors to look after themselves. Unfortunately,most seem to go after a serious illness whereas earlier attendances may have helped prevent them. Speaking from experience
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:46 am
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I don’t know if they differ much from any other age that just does not like exercise. I’ve disliked an exercise regimen my whole life, but I’ve done it off and on. It is like having to eat your worst favorite food to me. I have a lot of low back pain, but I’m back on a regime to gain strength and some flexibility. Motivation is a factor I believe. If a person has no motivation, you can forget it. Also depression can be a factor, but again, I’ve seen 20 yr olds that were depressed and not exercise. As we age there are various aches and pains that make it easier to say no to exercise, but some of those same aches and pains may improve with exercise, so you just have to get in the right frame of mind I suppose. I have a feeling there are many seniors that just feel, ‘what is the point.’ Sure it is good for us, for everyone, even children, but we don’t have to like it.