Stuffed by age and homeworking

[mrcharly-YHT]

Homeworking sounds great, in theory.
One of the major downsides is that you end up very very unfit. Hardly every leaving the desk, none of the cycling/walking in a commute to work; heck, not even walking between meeting rooms (raging at Zoom/Teams failing to connect, while it raises heart rate, does nothing for fitness).

So I'm getting older, but not over 60 yet.

Just seems I can't get my fitness back. Injuries block me from kayaking (bum shoulder). Lost all motivation to run, I'd have to start from scratch. Gym is difficult (bum shoulder) and is 10 miles away. I'm trying to cycle at least 3 times a week, with a 3hr ride on Sundays. Even that is proving difficult to achieve.

I guess if my shoulder wasn't stuffed, I'd be doing my old maintenance exercises and getting out kayaking, buut.


Manage nearly 3hrs today, slogging into a headwind for half of it. Although I tried not to do a hard ride, my heart rate still averaged 145 (which is a bit high really).

I think I need an exercise app, something that bleeps at me to tell me to get off my chair and run up and down the stairs, do 20 crunches or planks or sometime.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

mrchrly, I am in a similar situation. Not yet 60 and worked from home for the last 3 years, all through lockdown etc.
However I add lots of business travel over the years, to client sites.
Maybe we need to form a 'club' on here for mutual support?

My whnes about business travel are that it makes it difficult to have a decent diet - you end up eating chips and drinking to cheer yourself up and having full breakfasts. Also the early starts and late coming home have done me no good.

Regarding injuries I am very concious of an injury starting a person on the slippery slope of being unwilling or unable to exercise, or indeed leave the house.
In my case I injured my back moving boxes of wood flooring, and some days it is quite agonising and I find it difficult to put my shoes on and indeed cut my toenails. 
I am doing a course of private physio which is costing me a fortune.

One other thing is buses - I find I now wait till the bus comes to a halt before getting up, as I feel that one day I will be unstable. Also  I get offered seats on the Tube...

[FifeingEejit]

Manage nearly 3hrs today, slogging into a headwind for half of it. Although I tried not to do a hard ride, my heart rate still averaged 145 (which is a bit high really).

The headwinds are stronger where you live now.

[rafletcher]

Have you considered a smart trainer and an associated app to do some virtual cycling?  If you have the space to set up inside the house, so no need to trek to a cold damp shed/barn the motivation is easier. I’d also venture that you find it difficult to separate work and home, or put a stop to work and turn off. A Wattbike plus FulGaz subscription might work (other smart trainers are available of course).

[mrcharly-YHT]

That's not a bad suggestion, although I'd be more inclined to get a rowing machine for a more all-round workout.

A lot of me is reluctant, since I moved here partly to be able to get outdoors more.

Can't blame Hebridean wind for exhaustion today, it was only blowing 20-25mph

[mrcharly-YHT]

Scum, I'm feeling that slippery slope. Had to take something apart with a sledgehammer last week and was appalled at how feeble my arms were.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Suggest The Slippery Slope Club

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'm not sure Slope would appreciate that.

[PaulF]

Have you considered a smart trainer and an associated app to do some virtual cycling?  If you have the space to set up inside the house, so no need to trek to a cold damp shed/barn the motivation is easier. I’d also venture that you find it difficult to separate work and home, or put a stop to work and turn off. A Wattbike plus FulGaz subscription might work (other smart trainers are available of course).

That was my solution; it means I can have a decent workout in a short space of time sometimes between meetings etc.. Also the structured workouts in Zwift - I imagine other apps have them as well - help relieve the monotony of indoor riding.

[T42]

I think I need an exercise app, something that bleeps at me to tell me to get off my chair and run up and down the stairs, do 20 crunches or planks or sometime.

MrsT has a function like that on her Garmin Nagmaster^®. Dunno how she stands it, I'd have thrown it at the wall years ago.

FWIW I worked from home for ~30 years but being my own boss I got out for rides at midday or else knocked off at 4 pm a couple of days per week.  MrsT did likewise. We did a lot of weekend walking, too - I didn't really get into serious road cycling until the late 90's.

Trouble is that, now I'm retired, sitting at the computer still feels 'right'.

[Lightning Phil]

I wouldn’t blame age if not yet 60. 

If an app beeps are you likely to do anything or just ignore it?  I know a few friends who do WFH commutes to bookend their days. Any motivation to do that?  Once it became habit then you are set.

As for upper body, every time you go upstairs do some incline press-ups.

[MattH]

For me, routine always helps. So when I worked from home, I made sure that I always took a lunch hour. Sometimes that would just be mowing the lawn, but usually I'd go and ride. Just that quick blast got me back on track for the afternoon sat at the computer and kept my base fitness up.

Now I've got the pain cave set up, with the treadmill for MrsH and the bike (usually recumbent trike) on the trainer hooked up to zwift. Zwift works well as it gameifys it; you can get hooked into completing certain monthly challenges or taking part in different events (maybe a themed series of rides where you have to complete one every few days, and need to get the full set) which all encourages you to continue and use it regularly. That works better for me than sitting there doing a workout, though a structured plan might motivate me. As it's set up and ready to go, I can just go in there whenever I've got a bit of time. Sitting there spinning whilst watching TV helps too, unless I'm on a group ride where you need to concentrate to stay close to them (not off the front or dropped) to keep the points racking up. But again, it's getting into a routine of always doing it at least on certain days, and possibly fill-in days if I've got a bit of time or am bored.

[mrcharly-YHT]

My lower back is really weak, hence not wanting to use an exercise bike.

Used to do 50 pressups every morning; torn, stuffed up shoulder precludes those (or the pullups on the bar I have in the barn). Really, can't do anything that involves lifting arm above head.

Would I respond to a beep? Not sure. I think that something that gave a randomized task would be interesting. More fun if you don't know what is coming up.

The age thing . . . what I'm really noticing is the increase in recovery and healing time. Something that I'd heal from in a few days takes weeks. A hard day's graft leaves me sore and exhausted for days.

[Dickyelsdon]

The community aspect of zwift is not to be overlooked. Joining a club is great motivation to get on the bike, with scheduled rides or events and many use discord or similar to set up group voice or text-chats to include the social side of the ride as well as the physical.   

[L CC]

I wouldn’t blame age if not yet 60. 

You might not, but age is always a factor. On a population level Sarcopenia starts age 30 and accelerates as we age. Individuals will have different rates and age of onset but it's always there.

Mr Smith & I both Zwift (I row as well as bike) but it's not as much as we did when we were younger. I don't know what the answer is- when exercise used to be an integral part of your day and slips into something you force yourself to do, that switch is hard to maintain.

[T42]

My lower back is really weak, hence not wanting to use an exercise bike.

Used to do 50 pressups every morning; torn, stuffed up shoulder precludes those (or the pullups on the bar I have in the barn). Really, can't do anything that involves lifting arm above head.

Would I respond to a beep? Not sure. I think that something that gave a randomized task would be interesting. More fun if you don't know what is coming up.

The age thing . . . what I'm really noticing is the increase in recovery and healing time. Something that I'd heal from in a few days takes weeks. A hard day's graft leaves me sore and exhausted for days.

I hear you re sore & exhausted. A couple of years ago I spent a morning clearing brambles & removing upstart saplings from the under the barn eaves, and I hurt for a week afterwards.  Haven't wanted to look behind the barn since.

Hours in a comfy chair do nothing for your lower back, except maybe a dose of sciatica.  The bike helps with that.

[T42]

I wouldn’t blame age if not yet 60. 

You might not, but age is always a factor. On a population level Sarcopenia starts age 30 and accelerates as we age. Individuals will have different rates and age of onset but it's always there.

I mentioned my creatine plans to the doc: he laughed and recommended a good entrecôte (creatine counters the myostatin which causes sarcopenia). Natch, being a coronary patient I'm not supposed to bla bla bla....

BTW, creatine powder is a bugger to dissolve so any drinks you pollute with it become gritty and unpleasant.  You find half the dose sticking to the cup afterwards.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Sarcopenia . . .

I do use a wey powder and add creatine. Not always daily.
When I did a bit of reading, I was surprised to find that you need more protein per kg weight as you get older, not less.

[T42]

Sarcopenia . . .

I do use a wey powder and add creatine. Not always daily.
When I did a bit of reading, I was surprised to find that you need more protein per kg weight as you get older, not less.

Yeah - you express more myostatin.  I reckon it's evolution trying to improve the overall health of the group by making the old more vulnerable to predators and cardiac mishaps. One of the treatments for cardiac insufficiency is follistatin, which also reduces myostatin.  The UCI don't allow it but WGAF about the UCI?

[chrisbainbridge]

I would recommend Peloton. The bike or tread or row. The advantage is that for the same price as Zwift you get strength and stretching and outdoor running/walking sessions.
Their. Person of structured training is called power zones and is excellent. I was before my illness doing 3 bike and 3 strength a week. The strength was 20 minutes of legs or ams and 10 minutes of core.
I have found that I have been far more consistent with one system for everything.

As we get older we seem to need a good dose of HIIT to reverse the neuronal and muscular degeneration as well as aerobic base training.  For aerobic base I really like the Phil Maffetone method but in the beginning it is painfully slow. I am back running (walking) at a max HR of 126 at the moment until I am fitter again.

[FifeingEejit]

Can't blame Hebridean wind for exhaustion today, it was only blowing 20-25mph

Meh that's about normal for Fife too but apparently other parts of the world are even calmer.

[drossall]

Home working has cost me miles too. I used to commute in by train and bike every day. Now it's typically one or (in the new job) two.

We have an inter-club TT race series between four or five local clubs over the summer months. In Covid, we started having similar in the winter on Zwift, using the British Cycling Thursday events. That's continued, and will restart in November. That kind of thing does help. I'm not really into actual training on Zwift, but their group events (currently the Tour of Watopia) and so on help too, as I too find that the motivation of something in which I can join with others is useful.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Lots of 60+ riders doing well on the Zwift Tour of Watopia which is in progress now. HRs usually way higher than 145!

I like to swim and row in the gym as well as walk and cycle. Doing weights doesn’t appeal overmuch. I don’t do as many miles outdoors as I’d like, the roads need fixing!

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

One thing that might be worth considering is a course of physio to work on some of the limiting factors.  I'm lucky to have been able to get some provided through work - I had a problem with tennis elbow - but the physio (being smart) spotted that I had a lot of posture problems (a) from cycling and (b) most planes and trains and office chairs aren't particularly suited so people over 185cm tall.

The posture stuff worked, I was sitting straighter.  What I didn't give credit for was that I rode PBP this year with substantially less shoulder and lower back pain than the previous 3 times (2007, 2011, 2015).   I had a noticeable improvement in the two 600s I rode this year too, compared with the 300km qualifier which was before I started the physio. 

[perpetual dan]

I'm going from a post-pandemic 2 days a week in the office job to a fully remote job. So exercise and social contact are on my mind. The local co-working space is a bit cramped for my taste. Otherwise, that would be my starting point.

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