Originally Posted by
phughes
You are so right about the impact training. I would augment my bike riding with weights, and running. I find running really helps my bicycling. I need to get back out and do it again. I had some issues that took me out of weight lifting and running, I lost a lot of muscle mass and endurance. I basically have to start over and that has been a challenge and rather depressing. I am slowly starting to run again, but have mainly been walking.
I found riding the bike so much easier if I run. It really helps, and of course as you said, it strengthens the bones, which really becomes important as we age.
During winter, most weeks I am at the gym three times a week. Roughly 20 to 25 minutes doing strength exercises and several exercises that my physical therapist recommended for my lower back problems. After that, 65 minutes (last 5 is cool down) on an exercise bike or stairmaster, with the bike being most common.
While I do recommend retirement to everyone, this advanced age thing is not conducive to doing what we want to do like we used to without more exercise.
To avoid boredom on the bike or stairmaster, I put news articles ahead of time on my phone (5.5 inch screen) to read at the gym. The first 60 of the 65 minutes is at a constant heart rate that I feel is adequate to stay in shape without being too high so that I find it is too hard to concentrate on what I am reading.
Summer, only get to the gym one or two times a week, then only do the 20 to 25 minute routine of strength and lower back exercises. Riding bikes outside instead of at the gym. That said, I will do stair master a few times a month in summer to try to get ready for backpacking, as those hills seem to be steeper every year and the pack only gets heavier even though the scale says it is lighter.