Are you eating real food. It's amazing how much energy to regain by not subjecting the body to refined carbohydrates. Not necessarily ketosis but cutting out the crap. I'm wanting to get back into biking and skiing and increased energy etc. Motivates me even more to exercise. I need to lose about 15 lbs. So I don't have to replace my entire wardrobe. Good luck on your goals.

I've found that diet is just as important, if not more important than exercise. I cannot comment on the exercise end of it too much, but 30-45 minutes a day of cardio is a great start......you can start by fast walking, riding a bike, etc.

Diet will help more than anything. Swap out butter for olive oil. Eat leaner proteins (fish, chicken breasts, etc.). Reduce the amount of carbs you eat, and swap out the white carbs for whole wheat. I eat carbs for lunch, but for dinner I will eat 3x the amount of veggies and no carbs with my protein. Also reducing sugar helps quite a bit. NOW, I wouldn't go on some crash diet. I would modify the diet you're used to and make slight changes across your entire diet to something you can live with, long term.

I lost 25 lbs simply by changing my diet. I don't eat butter at all. I swapped out 2 lowfat greek yogurts with fruit instead of the pint of Haagan daz.....things of that nature.

To answer your question, rowing and running should be plenty along with diet changes.

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Originally posted by jimmy123x:To answer your question, rowing and running should be plenty along with diet changes.

I'd be a little hesitant to start running at 52. Sounds like a recipe for knee problems. Probably a different deal if I had been doing it my whole life.

One of the best whole-body workouts you can do in a short amount of time is jumping rope like a boxer. It was HIIT over a hundred years before someone came up w/ the idea to commercialize it. There are hundreds of tutorial videos on YouTube.

A good beginner workout is to do six 1-minute intervals w/ 1-minute recovery between each round. Do six rounds, you're done in 11 minutes.

Boxers do 3-min rounds of jumping followed by 1-min of recovery to simulate the intensity and energy expenditure of boxing (w/o the getting punched part of course). If you do three 3-min rounds w/ 1-min in-between rounds, you're done in 11 min. That's equivalent to a Golden Gloves or Olympic boxing match.

As others mentioned, burpees are also great if you jump as you rise after doing the push-up part. Some ppl don't. I consider those to be squat-thrusts, but some ppl call them burpees.

Set a number, say 50 or 100. Do them in short, quick bursts of 8-15. Take as much time as you need in-between bursts. You may finish in 3 min or 10. However long you take, it's a great, fast full-body workout.

A third great full-body workout that's a little more strength-oriented is the Man Maker. When you're starting out, shoot for maybe 20-25. Obviously, the heavier the dumbbells you use, the more of a strength workout you'll get. You can use lighter, and it will be more of a cardio workout closer to a burpee. Either way, it's a great workout you can complete in 5-10 min.

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Is it really possible for a 52 year old artery to become more flexible with exercise, or does it just tear under stress and accumulate plaque?

Exercise may possibly make your arteries more flexible, they will not "tear" under the stress of exercise. Mostly what cardio fitness does, as I understand it, is make the muscles more efficient at extracting oxygen so you become a more efficient machine.

Rowing alone could be enough but as jimmy said it depends on caloric intake. Other than to break the monotony of rowing, i use netflix for that, I'm not sure why you would need to run.

Manmaker is interesting. I used to do the Men's Health Spartacus workout. it was like that but more.

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Originally posted by sjtill:

quote:

Is it really possible for a 52 year old artery to become more flexible with exercise, or does it just tear under stress and accumulate plaque?

Exercise may possibly make your arteries more flexible, they will not "tear" under the stress of exercise. Mostly what cardio fitness does, as I understand it, is make the muscles more efficient at extracting oxygen so you become a more efficient machine.

Glad you joined the thread SJTILL!

I haven't been able to find a good answer as to why increased blood pressure during exercise is OK, but under other conditions (stress) it is not. I guess if you can make the blood flow more efficient, the peaks might level off a bit.

^If you subscribe to folks like Dr. Rhonda Patrick and Dr. Dom D'Agustino, exercise is a form of stress (hormesis) and sets up numerous physiological processes that benefit the body and mind. Cryotherapy and sauna are other activities that activate protective biochemical pathways. Key words: nfr2, Sulfuraphane, broccoli sprouts, glucoraphanin. As always, consult your physician before beginning any exercise routine (cause they know best).

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Originally posted by isthatasiginyourpocket:

I'm looking for a good home workout and am interested in rowing. If I only did rowing and running, is that enough?

Well...if you do rowing, you don't have to do the running.

As far a "enough" you have to define that. Is it enough to burn calories and for cardiovascular health? Yes! Will it build strength, muscle, and develop well-rounded levels of fitness and performance? No.

However, add in an upper body push and pull, lower body and core resistance training and yes. Could be as simple as (some variation of) push ups, pull ups, squats and planks.

We all will have some form of exercise we like better than others. My advice is to focus on what you like and do that say 2-3 times per week. Then, have a workout you do 1-2 times per week that covers whatever is being left out of the exercise mode you like.

So runners, by all means run...but do a full-body strength circuit (free-weights or body weight) 1-2x per week. For weight junkies, do something cardio, a run or HIIT 1-2x per week.

You tube have a lot of executrices video for man over 50.
https://youtu.be/auJRUvCFOeo

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Originally posted by MNSIG:

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Originally posted by sjtill:

quote:

Is it really possible for a 52 year old artery to become more flexible with exercise, or does it just tear under stress and accumulate plaque?

Exercise may possibly make your arteries more flexible, they will not "tear" under the stress of exercise. Mostly what cardio fitness does, as I understand it, is make the muscles more efficient at extracting oxygen so you become a more efficient machine.

Glad you joined the thread SJTILL!

I haven't been able to find a good answer as to why increased blood pressure during exercise is OK, but under other conditions (stress) it is not. I guess if you can make the blood flow more efficient, the peaks might level off a bit.

Because your heart IS a muscle and getting your heart rate up for a short period of time makes it get stronger and work less during rest or normal life.

High Blood pressure (prolonged) is caused by clogged arteries and/or obesity and things of that nature.....so long term they hurt your heart because it is working in overdrive all of the time.

I agree with iron chef about Man-makers being a great full-body workout, and I generally do them once a week. I also agree with others about starting small and gradually increasing as you become more conditioned and accustomed. You don't want to get discouraged and give up or injure yourself. I started out doing twelve reps with 12 lb weights and am now up to fifty reps with 20 lb weights.

I workout six days a week and mixing things up helps prevent boredom, so I tend to do a variety of body-weight exercises, dumbbells, elliptical, other cardio, and Pilates. Sometimes I do my own thing and other times I use a library DVD or online workout. Fitness Blender is a good source for free workouts and tips.

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos

Download a card workout on your phone. As in deck of cards, lots of info on these out there. You can push yourself as hard as you want, the exercises are pretty basic strength type, stretching, yoga moves. They are no joke if you want to work.

First off you HAVE to commit. I started by walking one simple mile with the dog M15, 2015. That summer I progressed to 6 miles per day at a 14:10 minute per mile pace. Average weight loss the first year was 0.8 lbs. per week. However at the 6 month point I went out on a rather pleasant Christmas Day and ended up with an inflamed 4th metatarsal on my right foot. Turns out too much walking after 40 years on the couch didn't have my feet in a condition for long distance walking.

During the metatarsal healing period I moved to a stationary bike and when my feet recovered enough an Elliptical Trainer. While I still go out for 3 miles on the street in the morning weather permitting most of my "miles" come from working on an Elliptical. I hated that machine when I started because NOTHING will get the thighs on fire like an Elliptical. However they are Low Impact and the footpad motion actually acts to massage the feet which can ease the pain of Plantar Faciitis. BTW, Plantar Faciitis is another issue due to poorly conditioned feet or simply getting older, both of which I am afflicted with at 62 years old. I am also an ex smoker with mild COPD but lots of low intensity cardio has resulted in my achieving a VO2 Max of 38 at present. This puts me in the top 30% of all males my age and the top 1/2% of those my age with COPD. Generally when working on the Elliptical or on the street my goal is to keep my average heart rate below 140 and when I'm feeling 'off" I'll take a light day and limit the HR to something under 130.

BTW, I have a host of optical HR monitors and not a single one works well for me at anything faster than a very slow walk. So I ALWAYS put on a Chest Monitor when I am going to work out. As we get older knowing your HR is critical to exercising safely and it's not that expensive. The Basic setup would be the Garmin Forerunner 15 with the chest monitor package, IIRC about 170 bucks. You will also want at least 3 spare chest bands because when these get too sweat laden they will go into what I call "runaway" where the HR will just start rising continuously no matter what you are actually doing. My chest bands get rinsed overnight in a bowl of watter and washed at least once per week. I also use Aloe Vera Sunburn gel on the contact patches because it's conductive and will aid in making your skin more conductive.

BTW, good Elliptical s are NOT cheap but the 1800 dollars you spend on a base model Life Fitness Elliptical is money well spent. BTW, Life Fitness invented the Elliptical and they have the footpad motion and stride length tuned perfectly for someone who is 5' 10".

Starting out you'll want to target a Heart Rate of 180 - Age - 5 if you have never smoked and - 10 if you are an ex smoker. BTW, you will note I do not fit into this formula, in large part it's because of 2 years of conditioning. Now a hint, if you are working at a good pace for your contition you should see your HR rise to a plateau and stay there as long as you maintain a specific speed. If at any point you see your HR start climbing from that platea it's time to step off the machine and cool down. I will also tell you your thighs will be on fire at the 5 minute mark but if you keep pushing until 12 minutes you'll feel much much better.

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Originally posted by isthatasiginyourpocket:
I'm looking for a good home workout and am interested in rowing. If I only did rowing and running, is that enough?

If you're rowing, you don't need to run. As for "enough": Depends on your goals. Personally, I feel strength training is every bit as important as cardio, so I would say no, it's not enough.

Do you have access to an indoor pool?
Some of the YMCA's here offer water aerobics. That gives a good workout with virtually little to no stress on knees, feet etc.

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Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by isthatasiginyourpocket:
I'm looking for a good home workout and am interested in rowing. If I only did rowing and running, is that enough?

If you're rowing, you don't need to run. As for "enough": Depends on your goals. Personally, I feel strength training is every bit as important as cardio, so I would say no, it's not enough.

You can strength train with rower. Jack up the resistance and heart rate for an anaerobic workout. Short bursts like sets.

Lots of programs out there. Lots of ones you can do at home with little equipment.

I never really worked out in my 20-30's. My lifestyle kept me pretty fit.

In my 40's I have joined a gym and workout. It's been up and down. Mostly because I found I have to go slow and can't jump into physical things like I could in my younger days. I have some injuries that act up if I go to hard.

Take it slow. Find some programs and try them until you find one you like or just learn from doing a few and make up your own that works for you.

Biggest advice is just do something and stick with it until it becomes a habit. I've had to alter what I do many times because of time, how I feel and injuries. I've stopped exercising a few times and it's always hard to get back into it.

You can analyze workouts and equipment all day and still be scratching your head. I've done that also. Just set aside some time and do something. After a while, it will become a habit and be much easier.

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Originally posted by Deqlyn:

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Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by isthatasiginyourpocket:
I'm looking for a good home workout and am interested in rowing. If I only did rowing and running, is that enough?

If you're rowing, you don't need to run. As for "enough": Depends on your goals. Personally, I feel strength training is every bit as important as cardio, so I would say no, it's not enough.

You can strength train with rower. Jack up the resistance and heart rate for an anaerobic workout. Short bursts like sets.

Only pulling movements though-posterior chain. It is not a pushing motion, so rowing only would leave one very imbalanced. On top of that, it is a sagittal plane (forward and back) motion only. No rotational component (transverse plane) and no side to side component (frontal plane).

Why does this matter to the average person? Because if you have muscle imbalances and do not have stability in all 3 planes of motion...your buddy asks you to help him move, or your wife wants that heavy thing off the top shelf, and you end up pulling a muscle. No real-world functional strength, you are just good at one mode of "exercise."