Well after considering that I didn’t want to become an “obsessive” I decided that I would just do a ride of 30Kms every other day and see what the effect would be.

I feel that I could do more but also conclude that doing more may just make me feel more tired for the rest of the day and sort of flop.

One of the ways of justifying my exercise is that I do this before breakfast and feel that I still have the rest of the day for more interests and still have enough energy.

One thing that I do after my rides around the lake is to enjoy a good English breakfast, always followed by a 30 minute or so sleep.

My weight is slowly going down and I am definitely feeling a lot fitter.

I also take a Vitamin B12 pill and do feel that this makes a difference even though I am conscious and a bit cynical that the Placebo effect that may be kicking in.

I had hip replacement in August of 2013, I have been exercising since. Just recently I have been experiencing
Pain in my left leg. I have been riding an exercise bike 4.5 miles 4 to 5 days a week at various levels. Doing 40 incline pushups, 25 assisted setups, 35 tricep curls, 45 deep knee bends, 25 curls with stretch bands, alond with a few other stretching exercises. Do you think I should cut the exercise program to 3 days per week. I will be 69 in March.

I am 70 years of age now and still riding 5 times per week, 1 to 3 hours each day. I would call it intense exercise including climbing hills @ 17 mph average speed. Over 20 mph on the level. I have no health issues or soreness, just maybe some tiredness on occasion. I would just like to know if this is over working my body because I want to keep at it for as long as I can. I can out run my grandchildren, at least until the last few days. If I am overdoing it, I would like to know.

I am a 68 year old female who excercises 6 days a week. Les mills body combat 3 days, body pump twice, and either body flow or my street bike once. I am fit but do worry that I’m overdoing. No physical symptoms except soreness, but when I don’t excercises I feel both sore and stiff!

I bicycle 10 miles 5 times a week around the local lake, I play golf once a week with the aid of a cart but because the karts are not allowed on the fairways I walk quite a lot of the course.

I go to the driving range and shoot 3/4 boxes of balls around 160 balls and all this in high Thailand temperatures.

Just recently I seem to have little energy and wondered if I was maybe doing too much exercise.

Your comments would be appreciated

When discussing how much exercise is enough, I usually ask my students what their goals are. Some want to lose weight, slim down and that is it. Others want to be stronger and improve their daily function, from getting out of a chair to putting away the dishwasher.

Endurance type exercise like riding a bike for prolonged periods is suitable for those that want to improve their heart and lung function as well as those that want to loose weight.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that older healthy adults exercise 3 to 5 days per week, for 20 to 60 minutes a day, at an intensity of 60% to 90% of their heart rate maximum. So for a 68 year old man, keeping your heart rate between 91 beats per minute and 137 beats per minute.

When do we know that we are exercising too much? Well, generally we need to monitor for what we call “overuse injuries”. As an older athlete we are less flexible, have arthritic changes in our joints, especially those that bear weight, and have less muscle mass than our younger counterparts.

Watch for delayed onset muscle soreness. There is a certain amount of soreness associated with exercise, but sometimes this soreness does not appear until 24 to 48 hours after exercise has ended. Take a day off, use ice and or some anti-inflammatory medication to help this condition.

Also watch for joint pain and swelling. If the pain passes quickly it can be managed with ice, aspirin and elevation. If it lingers, a more thorough examination may be needed.

Look for pain with certain movements. This may indicate a tendonitis, or overuse injury like tennis elbow, bursitis, etc.

Remember that older adults heal more slowly and rehab can take longer than younger adults.