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You're amazing.
I'm so wimpy. At my job I used to be more active but they changed how often I do the more physical stuff and I've lost a little bit of my muscle tone in my arms and legs.
I would like to be able to stand for myself if assaulted but not feeling so sure at this point. (Like when I was 22 and flipped a guy from behind me to 10 feet in front of me. He was a friend and we were goofing around, God rest his beautiful soul).
I bet Amish Heart can still do stuff like that but doesn't have to because well, she's got other means to handle that sort of thing.
Patch, I think all you'd need to do to get your tone back is pushups, squats, and some type of bodyweight pulling motion. I'm not an expert or a trainer, but pushups are good for anyone to do. You can do them with your knees on the floor at first, if you have trouble doing them off of your hands and toes. Bodyweight squats are also a good exercise for any person, and it's fairly easy to add weight just by holding a heavy book or other object against your chest. Even a 5 or 10 pound dumbbell or a gallon jug of water will work. For pulling motions, if you have a bar of any kind that comfortably fits in your hands, find something about 3 feet high you can secure it to. (Like if you have some sturdy sawhorses in the garage, put them far enough apart you can lay down between them. Put the bar across them and somehow secure the bar so it can't roll off them. Grab the bar and lay back until you're hanging from it. Your heels should be on the ground and your body in a straight line from head to feet. Then pull your chest up to the bar using your arms and your back muscles, while keeping your body in a straight line. It takes some getting used to but it's really good for your arms, the back of your shoulders, and your latissimus muscles of your back. I think if you just did those 3 things every other day, you would feel stronger pretty quickly.

Don't feel bad if you can only do a couple reps of each at first. I can still only do a few of the rows. Even if you can just do one, keep doing it until you can do two!
 
Spike, thank you for the vote of confidence and ideas to get me started! I think a lot of women my age might feel like we are not where we want to be physically. I know if I want to live a long life I need to get cracking again on being more active with intention.
 
For athletic people Spikedriver has good routines, for the out of shape (round is a shape) people and the elderly and infirmed recuperating I suggest Luigi Jazz Dance Warmups and Jazz Dance Workout. Range of motion is far more important to a survivalist than body building and power lifting. Core training is second and then a good aerobics (cardio) for 16 minutes at 65-75% maximum target heart rate MTHR. Aerobics DAILY!!

The muscle part is endurance (for stamina) light weights higher repetitions and a few sets, eg., empty bar is 45 lbs., wide grip for 50 to 100 reps is a great set, beginners go for 25 reps for three sets.

Same with military press. I use the formula of authorized body weight. For me that is 160 pounds. If we use our actual body weight no one would be able to exercise. :cool: For 100% BW I do 15-25 reps at one set wide grip and one set close grip.

50% BW I do 25 - 50 reps for one set wide and one set close grip.

25% BW is 50+ to about 100 reps. Body building can enlarge the heart which will cause high or elevated blood pressure in later years.

Close Grip is hands are a shoulders' width apart at the thumbs. Wide Grip is: from close grip extend fingers and place thumbs where... about and extended hand farther on the grip.

I do this formula for lower body as well -- legs, hips and ankles.
 
My core training routines vary:

Sun. sit ups 25 reps for three sets
crunches 50 reps for one or two sets
leg ups 15 reps one or two sets RACK or 25 reps on the ground
twisting sit ups "A" 25 reps and twisting sit ups "B" 25 reps. ("A") sit up and touch the left elbow to right knee-and back down then right elbow to left knee.
("B") sit up half-way and twist left elbow to right knee and right elbow to left knee then back down.

Tues. sit ups 25 reps for two sets
crunches 50 reps for one or two sets
leg ups: 15 reps for three sets.
leg up routines, front circles, clockwise and countercllockwise 10-15 reps
leg up 90 degree laterals 10-15 reps (feet at right side parallel hips, over the chest to the left side parallel hips and return)
flutter kicks 75 reps left foot counting.
leg ups 360 rotations start at six inches and swing feet to right side and then over (behind) head to the left side to the 6 inches. Clockwise and counter- clockwise.

Thurs. sit ups 25 reps two sets
crunches 50 reps for three sets
leg ups 10-15 reps one set
twisting crunches 25 reps
bicycle crunches 25 reps

All three days I do the lumbar rack ("back extensions") 25 reps and 12 twisting lumbar thingies.
 
Just for a little inspiration - this is the most insane feat of strength I've ever seen. Former "World's strongest man" Eddie Hall deadlifts from 135 lbs to 945 lbs, in 90 lb increments, without resting. Have a look:


I've never seen anything like it...
 
On Friday, my daughter and I did some light hiking at the Ledges state park. We capped it off with a half mile jog back to the car.

On Saturday, I did some light shoulder work. Dumbbell shoulder presses, front raises, and lateral raises, 3 sets each.

Sunday, was walking all over the State Fair. Of course I probably ate more than enough fair food to cancel out the benefits of all the walking, but still...
 
Power walking...keep the knees locked and kick forward with the feet, swinging arms in contra rotations, left foot forward, right hand forward. Count a hundred paces with the left foot, then run or jog a hundred paces and then power walk for a hundred paces. Distance is what the exerciser can handle.
 
It be like dat sometimes, @Spikedriver
I've been walking more too, but not that much, @MoBookworm1957 ! Walking is a least favorite for exercise.
Tuckered the pup out yesterday, she is 10 or 11 years old now, hard to believe, but she stays ahead of me for sure.
Did some lifting today, at least I kept moving.
 
Still walking haven't had another 7700 step day lately.
My Primary Care Doctor was happy with small weight loss.
Still have about 31 pounds to hit ideal weight.
The high side weight limit of my Army weight.
Then after that it will be 20 more pounds for middle weight of Army weight.
After that it will be maintaining my weight loss.
 
I took a few weeks off from the gym. I was just burned out and needed to get away from it. But I got back in this week. Wednesday I did a very short session just to get my muscles used to moving again. Today was a full session, but with a little lighter weight than normal, to adjust for almost two months of inactivity...

Barbell deadlift 3 sets
Dumbbell incline press 3 sets
Lat pull downs 3 sets
Bodyweight squats 3 sets
Triceps pushdown 3 sets
EZ bar bicep curls 3 sets
Seated DB shoulder press 2 sets
Front raises 2 sets
Lateral raises 3 sets

Gonna be feeling it tomorrow night...😉
 
Sorry for having abandoned this in recent months I had some extreme stress and fell off the exercise horse.
Gained 10 lbs too onto a not too swelte to begin with frame.

Now I am back on it as of today. 38 minute ruck march :)
 
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