Are your parents fit?

[CrispyQ]

Are your parents fit & if not, have you tried to encourage them to get fit? If so, what is their exercise regime? If your parents are fit, were they influential in your commitment to fitness? What do your parents think of your fitness commitments? Are they encouraging or do they worry you're excessive?

"Strong Women Stay Young" by Miriam Nelson, Sarah Wernick

I'm thinking of getting this book for my mother -- along with some basic weights. I found it very inspirational a few years back when I first got into fitness. Granted the exercises are for an ultra-beginner, but that's where she is.

Years ago she took up some mild weight training -- part of her doctor's 'prescription' for an ailment she had. About 3 months later she remarked that she had taken all her curtains down, washed them & put them up again & she was surprised how easily she climbed the ladder -- more confidence -- & that the next day she wasn't sore. I was thrilled to hear that & told her it was her strength training paying off. She agreed that was probably it.

Then she dropped it all. Now, approx 7 years later, I watch her walk & climb stairs & she is clearly not confident of her balance. Since I'm getting back into all this, (partly inspired by observing her!) I thought it would be a good time to encourage her to do the same.

===
After typing all of this, I realize that many of your parents are close to my age & my mother is closer to your grandparents age!

[CrispyQ]

Oh, and my two fave photos of 'old' people:


Marie Wilcox-Little @ 73



John Turner @ 67



Damn!

[FormicaLinoleum]

My parents are 62 and 68 years old. They don't really do any form of exercise, except that they walk more than average. I don't think they've ever had any kind of exercise routine. My dad used to like to play tennis now and then.

But I wouldn't say they are unhealthy. They are both good weights and if you saw my dad you would think he looks quite fit, especially given his age. He's lucky though in that he has always maintained a good weight and had decent muscle tone without having to do much of anything. My mother is a naturally rather skinny person.

I don't know how they feel about my exercising, but I'm sure they don't really know what I do. They know that I go to the gym and the know I like to ride my bikes, but that's about as specific their knowledge is.

[jonathan]

my parents (my mum is nearly 45, and my dad is 56) are both reasonably fit.
my mum is 5foot 9 and about 155lb and my dad is 6foot and a bit and about 210lb. he is a little overweight but has a heavy set build, and is still quite muscular.
my mum walks alot, so that keeps her in shape, and my dad does a lot of DIY, and a fair bit of cycling (he is easily able to cycle over 50miles in a day ).

i got into cycling partly because of my dad, but everything else has been self directed.

jonathan

[Guest]

my dad is "jail fit" big upper body from mostly benching and curls etc in the yard...not much cardio though...

i think my mum has always been slim etc, but haven't seen/heard from her in years.

[Richard]

Harr!

[Aaron]

Both of my parents can kick off 150 mile bikerides in a day. My mom could probably still hit 40 miles on foot. My dad hasn't run a marathon in few years but I bet he could. They both do endurance stuff religiously.

[kollision]

Dang...Jack Turner is a freakin studd!

[nicole]

None of my parents are particularly active. My mom is proud of me, though, and her and my stepdad have a gym membership, but rarely go. They do walk a the local metropark a lot, though. A couple years ago for mother's day, I got my mom a set of yoga dvds and a mat. She is in trouble now that I'm "officially" certified to teach, though, and I'm going out to visit at Christmas, because I'm practicing teaching on her, whether she knows it or not!

My dad and stepmom are both overweight. Well, my stepmom got gastric bypass and isn't overweight now, but just throws up everything she eats and is sickly. No kind of life, in my opinion.

[veganmadre]

My mom was slender while I was growing up. She still keeps active by biking on weekends but her diet is crummy. She and my stepdad are active but out of shape.

My dad's family is morbidly obese. My dad, stepmom and cousin all had gastric bypass surgery this past year. I don't know how they look now, as I don't keep in contact with them, but I'm assuming thinner, though surely not fit.

[Daywalker]

Wow, this John Turner is the fittest looking man of that age i've ever seen!
I always say that i'll try to maintain my fitness as good as possible as i get older, but get always mocked by unfit 40 year olds...
I can't prove it yet, but i think with vegan diet i'll be fit when i reach 70

My parents are not fit. I try to encourage them to do some kind of exercise, but that won't happen. It's against their habits and their view of how things should be - regular.

[sinisterkungfu]

My father just turned 71. He'll be getting his 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do in the next 6 months, after having a triple bypass in March. He's in better shape than I am.

[chesty leroux]

My dad is 53 and runs about 10 miles every single day as long as I can remember. His upper body is pretty buff too, but I know he hasnt been into weight training in a few years because in both of his arms some kind of tendons snapped and the muscles had to be surgically reattatched.

My mom on the other hand, even though she finally got the Curves membership she was nagging for, has gone about twice in the 6 months since we got it for her. She used to be a religious Jazzerciser when we lived in California when I was a kid. She also drive me mad, because she is diabetic and has an auto immune disease called Sarcoidosis, and she doesnt even try to take care of herself. She eats junk all the time. And god forbid I can get the woman to eat a darn bean, ever since I told her how great they are for diabetics.

[Renecarol25]

My mom and dad are 75 and 76 respectively. I don't know their weights my mom is 5'3" and I imagine around 120-125 pounds. My dad is about 6'5" and they both appear slender to me certainly not overweight. They've both had major health problems in the last ten years or so that have left them less active than they were when they were in their sixties. They do some gardening growing a lot of their own food - which can be quite a bit of exercise. They did a lot more of that kind of physical work when I was growing up and they were younger. I remember my mom doing modified pushups, situps, and exercise video type stuff when I was a kid. And we'd take long walks together in the evenings when the weather was nice. I think both of my parents gave me an appreciation of having and maintaining good physical strength.