passed the 71 year mark this last March and although i didn't have the typical, generous old guy belly, i did look like i was about 3 months preggers.
In sept 2018, i gave up sugar for a month, just to see. then in Oct 2018 i gave up all processed food (almost all) and adopted a more ketogenic nutrition style - really, all i did was swap a mostly fruit breakfast for a 3-egg, bacon, cheese, mushroom, onion omelet. been watching a LOT of videos on YT about keto, cholesterol, insulin response to carbs, and really, keto makes a lot of sense to me - but i don't do it 100% of the time - too much fat for my taste.
i think sugar should be a schedule 1 drug - addictive with no medical benefit. and food with GRAS (generally regarded as safe chemicals) should be a crime.
Anyway, to combat muscle loss with age, i started using my BowFlex when i turned 65, and continued religiously for the last 5 years. But i decided to add some intensity by going with body weight calisthenics instead. The BowFlex has a progressive resistance, which means only the end of the motion is near the full rated resistance weight - and in the hot summer, the torsion rods are much less rigid. Body weight is full on from the first inch of motion, and is unaffected by heat/cold.
The routine currently is Part 1: 3 sets of 30 reps of squats, 30 breath plank (about 120 seconds), 30 reps of pushups. This takes about 30 minutes. First thing in the morning, on a calorie deficit. Then about an hour to read the internets. Part 2: pull ups (i wish! - this is my current primary goal, to do 10 pull ups, on my way to muscle ups and etc.), hanging leg lifts and knee lifts, some twist and bend exercises, then 30 minutes of aerobics on the NordicTrack (my personal god for the last 37 years).
Recently got a dip rack and ab roller - just beginning to work them into my routine.
So, keto-ish for 6 months and doing body weight routine + aerobics: dropped 10% body fat - abs are beginning to show - my BMI is 21.7, in the exact middle of good range.
i can safely say inflammation is pretty much non-existent. bug bites - mosquitoes and no-see-ums - disappear in 30 minutes.
and this is a life style i can happily ride into the sunset.
and REAL FOOD - yes it takes forever to prepare a meal, but meals taste fabulous, now that the food industry chemicals have been flushed from my system.
so i get a lipid panel a month ago - Total cholesterol 264, HDL 89, Triglycerides 46, calculated LDL 166 (although the Johns Hopkins calculation has it at 161 - using over a million samples for picking the LDL number) … before i even saw the numbers, they called to ask if i wanted to start on statins. WTF?! my conclusion is that doctors don't know, don't have any idea, what a healthy person is - they NEVER see one. thank ARPA for the internet! particularly Wikipedia and YouTube. An infinite curriculum for all for free. Amazing time to be alive, indeed.
i feel great all the time, fall asleep easily, think better - although i credit doing some meditation with helping this.
so, not really an athlete, but definitely still very active. no longer have a flat chest, and shoulders and arms are looking good.
the local farmers market gives a 10% discount for "seniors" (>60 years old) - i got carded! made my day.
