I’m going to call them today and explain. I tried to do the online registration and it said for 55+ only. I didn’t want to finish registration and pay only to find out I couldn’t take it. Refund processes can be a PITA.
It’s at a community rec center so I’d be shocked if they actually exclude me based on age. I’d guess that it’s more like that’s who they’re targeting rather than a hard and fast rule.
I’m glad you could find classes where you are, pg. When I visited my parents in Florida last month, I looked for a yoga studio, gym or similar and there was nothing I could conveniently get to. I did a lot of walking, though.
That’s ridiculous, Romani. You should be allowed to join it. Good luck!
Romani, sometimes the age is used as a subtle clue of the level of intensity and to make sure no rowdy teens show up. I hope they will let you in! If they have doubts, tell them there is a whole message board full of geezers ready to vouch for you! 
I am trying to increase the length of my weekly long run, and it feels impossible. Today’s five miles seemed interminable. While I consciously understand that these things take time, and that two years ago I was struggling to run two miles without walking, and that now three miles is a pleasure, something happens when I try to go past five miles… it becomes a slog. I’m torn between just getting it done, whether I like it or not, and staying at five miles until it’s more pleasurable. Any advice would be welcomed.
Geezers? Where?! 
Romani–definitely call and talk to the instructor if you can, and explain your situation.
Slow flow yoga today and a 2 mile walk.
Love my Fitbit–used the exercise function to determine calories I burned in yoga. I could never get a good read with my Polar HRM because all the twists, binds, and stretching would cause the strap to move out of place.
Hope everyone who is under the weather starts feeling better!
dmd- Are you trying to run the same pace for 5+ as for your shorter runs? I would add 20-30 seconds a mile, at least. You also might want to try the Galloway method, which has been really successful for many on this board as well as many thousands of successful distance runners. It involves a pre-set run /walk. Usually it’s something like 5/1 or 9/1, but can be altered. You do this from the beginning. You will feel great and the overall pace still stays good. I know many good marathoners who use this method. You can look up Galloway online. You can even program your watch to alert you when it is time for the walk breaks.
I have used that feature too, Bromfield, and really like it. Fitbit connects with the Mindbody app I use for scheduling so it I don’t even have to tell it I’m exercising! Not surprisingly, I burn more calories in Barre and circuit class than I do with Pilates even though it feels a million times harder.
dmd, I have days where even a mile feels like a slog. I can’t recall, are you training for a specific event? Running with a group makes my longer runs quite a bit more enjoyable.
@dmd77 - if you think back to the first time you ran 3 miles, what was so exciting that turned it it a pleasant experience? What is it about your longer runs that makes these 5+ miles a slog? Do you feel tired, do you not like the monotony, does your body begin to ache, do you run out of breath? It did take a me while to get to the level of fitness that allowed me to run for 40 minutes plus without running out of breath. If it is current lack of fitness, keep doing what you are doing to build up stamina.
If it is boredom and monotony… Do you try to run 5 miles every day or do you vary the distance? Do you listen to music to combat boredom? Do you play mental games with your Garmin (like telling yourself that you need to get to that pine tree in under 20 seconds etc. ). Find something that occupies your brain for that hour to two hours while you run.
@Sabaray–how do you link it to Mindbody? I linked the Fitbit to My Fitness Pal app (which I started to use for food tracking at the beginning of the year–I might switch over the Fitbit tracking later). Do you link Mindbody the same way–both of my yoga studios use the Mindbody app.
You inspired me to sign-up for Pilates reformer again–I’m going to do two-person private sessions with a friend. She’s been a regular for the last year–I was doing well with reformer in the beginning of last year, but dropped it at the beginning of the summer.
If you go to Mindbody and the three little dots “More” at the bottom right - click on that, go to settings, and under apps and devices select Fitbit. Tell it to connect and it will take you to fitbit, then enter your login information for fitbit and you’ll be connected. I didn’t link to MFP - I get too confused with the “extra” calories it gives you through exercise.
Dmd - treadmill or outside. If treadmill it might be pretty difficult to escape the drudgery and boredom till you get outside. If outside, try to vary your routes. Another strategy is if you are trying to move from 5 to 7 is have someone drop you off 7 miles from your endpoint. That way you are forced to run the full amount and can’t cut it short on a typical lap or up and back run.
Called the rec center and they were very nice. They said that the 55+ is just a guideline and not a “rule” but that it’s geared to that age population.
Luckily, I think my body solidly qualifies me as a typical 70+ year old (note: “typical” person… not like many of the CCers on this thread who I’m sure will be running laps around their great-grand children well into their 90s and beyond).
Anyway, then I got the bad news that all the classes that work with my schedule are full but I’m on a waitlist.
In the mean time, I’m feeling OK today and it’s fairly warm. I tried to take RomaniPup out for a walk but quickly realized I didn’t have the strength to hold on to her leash if she saw a squirrel or something. She’s never really tried to take off but no need to put either of us at risk. Instead, we played fetch inside and then she passed out. I took that opportunity to do my PT exercises without a cold nose interfering.
How do you get the FitBit to track yoga calories under exercise if you are not connected to Mind Body?
Thanks!
Hold down the button until you see the timer start on the band, then when you’ve finished, hold down the button until the timer disappears. Sync the fitbit and it will show you calories for that period of exertion. I think if you log into the dashboard you can name it or further describe it.
A friend of mine linked to this on FB – I didn’t watch the video, but the stories were amusing: http://www.stack.com/a/9-pro-athletes-recall-the-painful-difficulty-of-their-first-yoga-session
I had a great swim this morning.
Romani, my fingers are crossed for you – hope you can get into a class.
“Hold down the button until you see the timer start on the band, then when you’ve finished, hold down the button until the timer disappears. Sync the fitbit and it will show you calories for that period of exertion. I think if you log into the dashboard you can name it or further describe it.”
Another way is to do this through the dashboard by manually entering the start and the end time.
Also, I noticed that when I run, the Dashboard automatically logs periods with sustained HR above 120 as “runs.”
Since my Fitbit is connected to Mindbody, it will tell me “you just burned X calories in Pilates” or whatever. If I miss a class, it still tells me I burned calories but obviously it’s just my basic metabolism. For a class not booked through Mindbody (such as weights) I can enter it manually on the computer by time and it will tell me you burned X calories at the event you named at x time. I can’t figure out a way to have that occur on a regular basis though (eg automatically “know” I do weights at such and such time every week). Does anyone know?
@ohiopublic and @MomofWildChild and @BunsenBurner :
This is my weekly long run that I’m trying to expand past five miles. I do most of my running alone with my dog (occasionally I run with my daughter) because my weekends are pretty much always occupied with dog agility competition. I am too slow for all of the running groups I’ve found–“long” run is at 12:30-13 minute pace, while shorter runs are anywhere from 11 minute to 12 minute pace. I do NOT run on a treadmill, I run outside, pretty much always in the park near my house, which has lovely trails (not boring at all) and lots of hills. I have a favorite trail that’s 1.5 miles (which I do two or three times a week) and another loop that’s 3 miles (twice a week)–but I’ve struggled to work out a more-than-five-mile path, which may be part of it.
I’ve thought about having my husband drive me (and the dog) someplace and then run home, but I find myself terribly sore the next day if I run too much on sidewalks–I’m spoiled by the trails. I’ve read about the Galloway method–and I don’t hesitate to walk if I need to–but this doesn’t seem to be about “needing” to walk. Thinking about it, it seems to be more about exercising for more than an hour–which makes me wonder if taking some jelly beans or gel or GU or whatever might help. I’ve always avoided eating while running, since it makes me feel queasy, but it might help with the “overwhelmed by the effort” feeling.