61 yr old stiff here. I spend a lot of time exercising - working out 7 days a week priimarily for the mental health aspects and control of my post-traumatic OA pain. I've been a life-long fitness enthusiast having done bodybuilding & powerlifting for 10 yrs after college then transitioning to running & triathlon for the better part of 30 yrs. But the running has taken its toll on me sustaining some serious tendon & ligament ruptures & joint problems over the last 10 yrs (plus a bad back suffered in a MV accident a few yrs ago). Sadly, this has regulated me to 1 or 2 days "jogging" per week with no more than 4 or 5 miles a pop. Most of my excercising these days is weight lifting & non-weightbearing cardio such as spin biking.
And I'll tell you guys - this isn't easy at my age (you older dudes should know what I'm talking about). I recently had my testosterone levels checked and they're about half of what they were when I had them checked way back in 1992 (32 yo). With T levels half of what they were back in my prime, it's difficult to build any lean muscle mass & burn bodyfat. And my metabolism has gone to crap where I gain weight just looking at food! (despite eating a 100% whole-foods organic diet - no junk food or alcohol). Now I'm a shorty at 5'6" packing on 175 lbs at 20+ % BF with a little belly & man boobs. Lol. So, I'm not going to impress any ladies & I need to keep my shirt on when outside, but my labs are good & I'm not on any prescription meds - so my doc says don't worry about my physique & not looking like a "Greek God." Lol.
So, yeah... I'm ultimately broken down & somewhat a sad sight for sore eyes, but daily exercising helps my stress levels & anxiety (I'm a widower having lost my wife of 19 yrs to an illness several years ago) as well as control my OA pain & discomfort. Plus, the excercising keeps age-related metabolic disease in check & I don't have to be on meds nor be in & out of the medical system like so many of my sedentary peers these days.
