What does being really fit and healthy mean in your sixties.
Simple,realistic health and fitness guidance for life after 60.
Build strength, improve mobility, boost energy and support long-term well being, without extremes.
Run 100 metres in under 10 seconds, run a marathon, play tennis does that make you fit and healthy.
At 60 I was happy to be able to walk the dog for 15 minutes without feeling so out of breath, I couldn’t talk and had to immediately sit down and recover for an hour.
Simple house and gardening chores being put off because I couldn’t be bothered to make the effort to get out of breath again and ache tomorrow.
Does fitness mean having big muscles and a six pack?
Health and fitness should be fun, inspirational and interesting to you, not necessarily forced, like I have to go to the gym because that is the only way to lose weight or get fit.
At our time of life everything we do has to be fun while helping us to stay strong both in body and mind to live a satisfying lifestyle as long as we possibly can.
Now if you google health and fitness, you will get a myriad of advice.
YouTube influencers, personal trainers, bodybuilders etc.
All telling you can lose weight quickly, build muscle mass, which is great, but if you’re anything like me you want to know what to eat and what exercise is compatible for you and your current circumstances.
These circumstances could be particular health conditions, financial restraints, times are still hard for many of us, cooking abilities.
So, let’s start at the beginning.
Why do you want to get fitter, for me it was a combination of things as previously explained.
I had health issues, unable to do things I could always do, play football with my grandson, go for longish walks with my dog, get up and down ladders, swimming, the list of things were endless.
So, at over sixty, what do we need to do both in exercising and nutrition terms to be considered fit and healthy?
The guidelines according to NHS UK (most health advice for older adults is very similar worldwide).
Physical activity for older adults’ states that you should do some physical activity every day.
MOST IMPORTANT
SPEAK TO A GP OR YOUR HEALTH PROVIDER FIRST, IF YOU HAVE NOT EXERCISED FOR SOME TIME, OR IF YOU HAVE MEDICAL CONDITIONS OR CONCERNS.
When you start, make sure your activity and intensity are appropriate for your fitness.
My ignorance and huge ego meant I still thought I was as strong as I was at twenty-five and started lifting weights much heavier than what was safe for me at that moment in time.
The NHS states that you should aim to be physically active every day, even if it’s just light activity.
Do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week.
Do at least 150 minutes (about 5 hours) of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity if you are already active, or a combination of both.
Reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up prolonged periods of not moving with some activity.
All of the above sounds fantastic but if you are starting from a period of doing nothing or recovering from surgery remember to park your ego.
A small amount of steps are better than no steps (literally).
I started with slowly increasing my walks by just 50-100 metres at a time gradually increasing speed.
All my walks are now done at a reasonably brisk pace.
My exercising started with chair exercises from the British Heart Foundation website. http://bhf.org.uk
On-the-Go Resistance Band Workout
At Ropho travel plays a huge part in maintaining our mental wellbeing.
But let’s be honest: packing a bag and heading off for a few days shouldn’t mean leaving your health goals at the front door.
You don’t need to hunt down a hotel gym or pack a suitcase full of heavy iron to keep muscle loss (sarcopenia) at bay and keep your bones dense.
My go-to: for staying strong on the move is a simple, lightweight set of resistance bands with handles.
They take up zero space in a weekend bag, and you can pull them out anywhere—whether you’re in a holiday rental, a hotel room, or a sunny local park.
(Of course, please make sure you have checked with your doctor or a fitness professional ,that you are able to safely do these exercises before starting!)
Grab a light-to-medium band that allows you to complete 10–12 controlled repetitions, and run through this quick circuit:
- Banded Squats (Lower Body & Hips): Stand on the middle of the band with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the handles at shoulder height. Bend your knees and push your hips back as if sitting in a chair, then press back up through your heels. Great for keeping the legs primed for plenty of holiday walking.
- Standing Rows (Upper Back & Posture): Loop the band around a sturdy railing, a fence post, or a heavy door handle at chest height. Hold the handles, step back until the band is taut, and pull your elbows straight back past your ribs while squeezing your shoulder blades. Perfect for reversing the slouch of a long drive or flight.
- Chest Press (Chest & Shoulders): Keep the band looped around that same sturdy anchor point, but turn your body around to face away from it. Step forward into a stable, staggered stance, then press both handles straight out in front of your chest.
- Bicep Curls (Arm Strength): Stand with both feet flat on the centre of the band, holding the handles down by your sides. Keep your elbows pinned tight to your waist and bend your arms to bring the handles up toward your shoulders. Simple, effective, and keeps the arms strong for lifting those suitcases.
- Tricep Dips (Back of the Arms): Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair or a park bench. Place your hands next to your hips, slide your bottom forward off the seat, and bend your elbows to lower your body. Press firmly back up using your arm strength. No bands required for this one—just good old-fashioned leverage.
And there’s a quick full-body workout for you!
Keep it simple
The number 1 consideration when embarking on a new exercise regime is safety.
First check with a GP or health professional that it’s safe to start exercising.
Make sure clothing is appropriate for the activity you are undertaking, especially footwear, if your chosen activities include walking or running.
Literally as the old saying goes don’t run before you can walk.
Move More, Live Better: 10 Benefits of Staying Active After 60
Walking was the first exercise I started in order to lose weight as recommended by my cardiologist.
I do have or had bad posture from having a sunken chest (Pectus excavatum).
Overcoming the Cage: How I Rebuilt My Posture and Confidence After Pectus Excavatum
For many years, the most challenging part of playing football wasn’t the standard of the opposition, the muddy winter pitches, or the crunching tackles.
It was the changing room.
I was a good footballer as a lad—passionate, capable, and driven. But I carried a hidden vulnerability that made me dread the post-match whistle: a severe posture misalignment caused by a congenital condition known as Pectus Excavatum (commonly called a sunken chest), paired with significantly protruding ribs.
In the raw, uncompromising environment of youth sports changing rooms, looking “different” meant getting a lot of stick. It breeds a specific type of self-consciousness that shapes your early life, making you want to round your shoulders, slouch forward, and physically hide your chest from the world.
But hiding only makes it worse. Slouching to conceal a sunken chest inadvertently trains your muscles into a severe postural collapse: rounded shoulders, a forward head position, and a compressed ribcage.
It took me years to realize that while I couldn’t change the underlying bone structure I was born with, I had absolute control over the muscles surrounding it. You can rebuild your posture, open your chest, and reclaim your confidence.
Here is the reality of the condition, and the exact, no-nonsense movement principles I used to pull my shoulders back and straighten my spine.
The Medical Side: What is Pectus Excavatum?
Pectus excavatum is a structural condition where the breastbone (sternum) sinks into the chest, creating a noticeable depression or “funnel” shape. It is typically caused by an overgrowth of the connective tissue (cartilage) that joins the ribs to the breastbone.
While severe cases can sometimes put pressure on the heart and lungs—requiring medical intervention—for many of us, the primary battle is postural and psychological.
The structural cave-in causes a cascading chain reaction throughout the upper body:
- The Shoulder Cave: The pectoral muscles shorten and tighten, pulling the shoulders forward.
- The Flared Ribs: Because the sternum is pulled inward, the bottom edges of the ribs naturally tip outward and protrude.
- The Weak Back: The upper back muscles (the rhomboids and trapezius) become chronically stretched out, weak, and unable to hold the spine upright.
Traditional fitness advice will tell you to just “do some bench presses” to build your chest. This is a massive mistake for Pectus Excavatum. Heavy chest pressing pulls the shoulders further forward, worsening the cave. Instead, you need alternatives that open the chest and aggressively strengthen the upper back.
The Posture Correction Blueprint: Alternative Exercises That Work
To reverse the slump and create a proud, upright frame, our focus must shift away from standard chest-building to thoracic extension and upper-back structural strength.
If you are practicing our resistance band routines, these three highly targeted alternative exercises are essential additions to your permanent routine:
1. The Anchored Banded Face-Pull (For Shoulder Realignment)
This is the ultimate antidote to the rounded shoulder cave. It targets the rear deltoids and upper back, pulling the shoulder blades backward and downward.
- How to do it: Anchor your resistance band at eye level. Stand back to create tension, hold the band with knuckles facing each other, and pull the band directly toward your nose. Focus on flaring your elbows high and wide, squeezing your shoulder blades together tightly at the back. Hold for two seconds, then release slowly.
- The Goal: 3 sets of 15 controlled repetitions.
2. The Dumbbell or Banded Pullover (For Ribcage Expansion)
This is a classic, old-school bodybuilding movement that gently stretches the tight connective tissues of the chest wall while expanding the lung capacity and pulling the protruding ribs back into a flatter alignment.
- How to do it: Lie flat on your back on a bench (or the floor). Hold a light dumbbell with both hands directly above your chest. Keeping a very slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the weight backward over your head until you feel a deep, comfortable stretch through your chest and armpits. Breathe in deeply as you lower the weight to expand the ribcage, then exhale as you pull the weight back to the start position.
- The Goal: 3 sets of 12 slow, deliberate repetitions.
3. Banded “W” Extensions (For Thoracic Posture)
This exercise strengthens the lower trapezius muscles, which are entirely responsible for keeping your spine upright and preventing that old-school slouch.
- How to do it: Hold your resistance band in front of you with hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing up. Pin your elbows tightly to your ribs. Keeping your elbows tucked, pull your hands outward to stretch the band, creating a “W” shape with your arms. Squeeze your shoulder blades together aggressively at the base of the movement.
- The Goal: 3 sets of 20 repetitions. Focus on consistency over heavy resistance.
Living Flat, Standing Tall
Body image struggles don’t magically vanish when we cross into our 60s.
The insecurities we felt in those teenage football changing rooms can linger quietly in the background of our minds, influencing how we carry ourselves every single day.
If you have spent a lifetime slouching to hide a structural imperfection, hear this: Your structural framework does not define your presence.
By dedicating time to targeted resistance training, you can stretch out the old tight patterns, wake up the sleeping muscles in your back, and build a posture that commands respect.
We might have started with a caved-in chest, but we have earned the right to stand tall, shoulders back, with our heads held high.
Reclaiming Your Body Image
This structural posture journey is deeply tied to how we view ourselves as we age. For a deeper look at breaking free from old insecurities and redefining your relationship with your body after 60, read our companion piece on Overcoming Body Image Insecurities after 60
Leading on from this, it is very important from a safety point of view that whatever activity you undertake you do it correctly especially if like me you decide to work out from home or (Al fresco).
You need to make sure each movement is carried out with correct form.
Even with body-weight exercises such as push-ups, dips, crunches using the right form is essential to avoid injury.
Free weights, machines and resistance bands, again it is essential that the correct form is used to reduce the risk of injury that could put you out of action for days, weeks or even months.
If you have any doubts consult a professional.
Put ego aside and forget what you used to be able to do.
Remember we are older, some of us have stiff joints and are not as flexible as we used to be.
So start off slowly, and if lifting weights start light and gradually increase over a period of time (progressive overload).
Whatever exercises or activities you undertake make sure they are enjoyable and safe.
A friend of mine has recently taken up cycling, he started cycling short distances and has now completely changed his holiday destinations and life.
He drives to locations all over the UK and Europe making sure there are cycling routes and trails.
Please share what exercises or activities you are doing to help inspire others.
Resistance Bands or Dumbbells? How I Use Both to Stay Strong After 60
Nutrition
So, we have our goals and arguably the most important one is to improve our diet.
With all the information available, the endless fad diets, the fitness influencers, newspapers etc.
The one fact you cannot get away from is you WILL lose weight if you eat less and move more.
If like me, you want to lose weight but also regain some muscle mass you need to eat much more of the healthier options.
As I keep saying, whether it’s exercising, diet, new hobbies or any aspects of life you want to improve, it must be realistic, sustainable and enjoyable.
As mentioned before my wife has a serious bowel condition, and has had her large intestine removed and as a consequence cannot have a high fibre diet and has different nutritional requirements to me.
I need a high protein, high fibre diet to get anywhere near my goals as they are evolving.
The social side of eating has always been an important part of our relationship.
Most of the major decisions in our life have often been taken while enjoying a beautiful steak or enjoying a particularly palatable wine together.
Many things can affect your ability to eat as healthy as maybe we should, such as eating on the go at work, living circumstances etc.
The current hot topics on television and social media are not eating processed food. For what it’s worth my take is to eat as much whole foods as possible including fruits, vegetables and high protein foods.
So how do we lose weight, in simple terms we should eat less and move more.
Calorie Deficit
Calorie deficit means don’t be greedy, eat fewer calories than you are burning.
The best way to do this is by tracking your calories.
There are many apps available to be able to do this, I use the MyFitnessPal app which is free for basic calorie counting.
So, once I worked out that eating less calories seemed to be a sensible thing to try.
I started to research this more deeply, starting with NHS www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/calorie-counting/ this is well worth a read to get started.
How many calories to eat a day
The NHS recommended daily calorie intake for the average person is:
2,500 kcal for men
2,000 kcal for women
Bloody hell I thought, I was consuming over double that when I included the wine (the average Merlot has 600 calories per bottle) beer (on average a pint of 4% ABV lager has 180 calories).
How many calories to eat to lose weight
NHS state when trying to lose weight the average person should aim to reduce calorie intake by 500-600 kcal.
For me it was quite easy to reduce my calorie intake initially by simply reducing portion sizes>
As I have always been a relatively big eater, I always blamed my mum as from an early age until I was 50 she still said “have an extra potato, cream cake etc you are a growing lad” lol.
Joking aside as a British person, having a roast dinner in our family is a weekly ritual.
I used to eat at least 12 roast potatoes and used to see it as a badge of honour, to have seconds as well as a pudding with custard or cream, and most days I would eat large portions with a pudding (dessert) with every meal.
So, for me I still eat a roast dinner however I have 4-5 roast potatoes, lean cuts of meat and loads of vegetables and most days no dessert, if I do, I have fruit.
As I mentioned I use an app to help me count, when you start you enter what weight you are, height, age and what your goals are, i.e. weight loss, building muscle mass etc.
It then gives you a guide to how many calories you should consume and a breakdown of how much protein, carbohydrates, fats, sugar, salt, vitamins, minerals etc you should aim for.
Macros
You will hear the word macros a lot, no matter what training plan or diet plan you use.
Macros is the abbreviation of Macronutrients; these are a group of nutrients found in food that give us energy.
The three Macronutrients are; Carbohydrates, Protein & Fat. All three are essential in our diets for a happy life.
Looking to burn fat, build muscle, or maintain your active lifestyle?
Whatever your goal, adequate intakes of nutrients are key for optimising performance, recovery, and the reduction of health risks.
Here, we will focus on the basics of Macronutrient intake – the main energy providers (calories) that perform essential roles in the body and support our physical activity.
Macronutrients can be divided into three main nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Carbohydrates:
The Best Healthy Carbohydrates for Energy and Heart Health
A key nutrient for providing energy is Carbohydrates, a source of glucose, which is then converted to energy.
The daily requirements for Carbohydrates are highly debated, high carb vs. low carb? But what is important here is that you tailor dietary carbohydrate intake to fuel exercise sessions and other daily activities.
Recent research from Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2015) stated that carbohydrate intake should be maintained at an average population intake of approximately 50% of total dietary intake.
To make up this amount, we should look to stay away from high-glycaemic (Simple) carbs packed with sugar and move towards slow-releasing sources of energy such as whole grains and oats as well as healthier options i.e. sweet potato and beans.
These types of carbohydrates (Complex) take more time for our body to break down, and this means that you’ll have more energy for training and feel fuller for longer.
Proteins:
Here are 10 of the best protein-rich foods commonly available in the UK
We all hear now in the gym, online or through word of mouth about the word protein, but what actually is it? And is it any good?
Each molecule of protein is made up of amino acids, which act as the building blocks to aid muscle recovery and growth.
The amount of protein we should look to consume should be according to body weight, with the recommended amount being 0.8g/kg.
For people over 60, the British Heart Foundation recommend increasing protein intake to 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram (kg) to combat age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) and support healing if doing exercise such as strength/resistance training.
This can be found in whole-food sources such as lean meats, fish and eggs as well as dietary supplements i.e. protein shakes, which are rich in pure protein and amino acid content.
When we eat these types of foods, our body breaks down the protein that they contain, creating amino acids.
Some amino acids are essential which means that we need to get them from our diet, and others are nonessential which means that our body can make them.
In summary, the continuation of a high protein diet aids greater weight loss, greater fat loss and preservation of lean body mass; as well as aiding our bodies in growth and repair.
Fats:
The Truth About Fats for Energy and Joint Health
Whilst proteins are commonly viewed as the “creme de la creme” of macro-nutrients.
Fats are not perceived with the same status. However, contrary to the belief that all fats are bad for you, this nutrient actually has a key part to play in supporting a healthy body.
What is important in daily fats intake, is to focus on getting lots of the “good” fats and less of the “bad fats”.
To create the right balance around fat intake we should be looking to avoid sources of saturated fats, sweets and fatty meats.
Instead, we should look towards unsaturated sources such as nuts and essential fatty acids such as Omega 3, to optimise its roles in the body.
“Good” fats allow our body to obtain fast releasing energy, enabling growth and development, as well as, absorbing certain vitamins and supporting cell membranes.
Macronutrients can be considered as the main part of our diet.
(Macro = Large) and an understanding of what they are and what they can do is important.
Whatever our goal may be.
Getting the balance right between macros in our diet is the key to energising our bodies, each nutrient has it’s own importance and are vital to aid a healthy functioning body.
What is a good diet for us over 60’s
As I keep saying we are all individuals and definitely not average,.
When dieting or exercising especially at the beginning it won’t work long term if it’s not realistic and sustainable over a decent length of time.
You can evolve your diet and exercise over time as you see gradual improvements it’s a marathon not a sprint.