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I would repectfully disagree with this widely held but from what I've read on the subject false belief.

All the studies I've read say that while you do lose muscle strength/flexibility/endurance as you age, it's more because people STOP exercising thinking I'm too old for that stuff

People who keep up with their exercise habits, ESPECIALLY weight training which is for both men and women can keep you just as strong as you were in your younger days with one minor difference.

As we age, our skin sags, You can't beat gravity sans surgery. So you won't look as good in your Speedos, but you can still lift and lug the load IF you keep at it.

Most people used to retire and sit on the couch, growing fat and sickly.
Boomers are the first generation that realize you don't have to give up what you love, at least until you six feet under

I work with a guy who's 50 ( just a kid) He's competing in a natural body building contest and at 6'3" and 220lbs, is as strong as kids half his age. Genetics plays a part as does a good diet.

When your young, you have a naturally higher metabolism. You can eat poorly and work it off if you exercise hard enough. Once you hit 30 or so, you metabolism slows and eating healthy becomes paramount. As important as your exercise program.

If your finding it hard to hit your ideal weight and exercise faithfully, better check your diet  Most people eat way more calories than they need and don't even realize it.  Tourists from other countries come here and the first thing they notice is our portion size

I don't exercise because I think it will make me live so many more years. I exercise for the quality of life. Being able to do what you love longer. I guess if you love being a couch potato, this doesn't apply too you

PS,
Kudos to your wife Jimbo! She and You will never regret her losing the weight and getting fitter. There are added benefits to being fit that have nothing too do with paddling

 

I'll give another vote for year-round exercising.

I was a runner 20 years ago when I made my first trip to the Q. No problem. Then after a few injuries and a bad bout of plantar fasciitis, and I stopped running. And pretty much everything else. Hence, I got very large, which isn't a very good thing for wilderness canoeing. It's damn hard to trim a canoe with a bow man who's pushing 300 lbs.

To make a short story long, I decided to make a change at the start of 2009. In about 16 months, I'm down 90 pounds and feeling great. And, I ran an 8K race  over the weekend, so I'm back at that, too. And I'm only 50!!

The secret: eat less, exercise more! It's deceptively difficult. And my wife and I switched to a low-carb diet, which now that we're into it, it's pretty east to maintain.

For the last 10 years, I used to dread the last couple of months before a trip, certain I would drop on the first portage. Now I can't wait to get up there this July!

Bottom line for me is a complete agreement with Jimbo--keep working out all year and you should be able to do any trip that comes up--even the last-minute ones!!

I eat cookies every day.  My morning workout is to lift my coffee mug for an accasional sip in between bites of cookies.  I don't like to get "in a rut", so I do vary the kind of cookie.   The last few years, I've increased my workout to twice a day, adding an evening session with a big glass of milk instead of the coffee.  When I'm feeling really energetic/ gung-ho I'll pass on the evening cookies and do a really serious workout on pie and ice cream.  works for me

other than that, I just stay active year round.  The best workout for canoeing is canoeing, so I try to do as much of that as I can - but it doesn't matter what activity it is, as long as I'm doing something (other than chores, that is).  Drove 160 miles thru a blizzard last Fri to do an overnight trip of about 29 miles with the club - Everyone else was doing the trip as a 3-day, but I only had the weekend, so I got to solo out, which meant I could set a good pace for the exercise - cranked out 14 river miles in 2 hr and 10 - that was a lot more fun than weight lifting - heck, it was even more fun than pie and ice cream!

I agree with the year round exercise... I started riding mountain bikes last May to get in shape after a bout with Prostate Cancer.  Last August I graduated to a road bike, and since then I have lost between 42-45 pounds, and have increased my stamina greatly. 
The wife and I ride around 125-150 miles a week (20-30 3-4 times a week Sun-Fri evenings) and a good long ride of 50-60 plus on Saturdays. 
I also paddle solo in a Wenonah Wilderness with a solo canoe Paddle (260 cm Bending Branches Sandpiper Twilight double bladed paddle) to where I can paddle 10 miles or more easily. 
Of course other than the occasional eliptical workout, and riding on the trainer in bad weather that is all we do, no weights. Although we do sit-ups and some core stretches.
And most of the time I watch what I eat and eat what is good for me now.  I am looking to loose about another 20 pounds before my trip at the end of June this year!

Bruce

Ha! I'm reading Marlins post and there's an add below for P-90x. I went through it last year and it really is pretty awesome. About a month in right now and it's kickin my tail, more so than last year which is surprising to me thus my concern about the age thing. As a sorta funny side note last year I got to the Yoga disc and thought, "oh good, a break"........I mean how hard could it be standing in one little area and moving slow right. It's an hour and a half routine and I couldn't even get 1/2 way the first time....covered in sweat, grunting and groaning.....whew!