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I am trying to get my father to start exercising. He is 60 years old, and he has been sedentary for the past five years. Do you have any tips on how to motivate

• stevesimmons 6y ago
  Get your father a step counter and start by taking a short walk every day. Once he gets used to moving, he will ideally be in the right frame of mind for adding something more. My father is 77 and two years ago started exercising after a life of enjoying food a lot, being relatively inactive, and years with a troublesome achilles tendon. He started with gentle walks, aiming for 5k steps a day. After several months, he added weekly circuit training with a group (he now does that three mornings a week). Then during Covid lockdown, gym with a boxing bag in his garage and long walks in the hills. And more recently fast rounds of golf, carrying his clubs, at 6am when the greens are empty. He's now in the best shape he's ever been. Stronger and with more endurance than when he was in his 20s. Just before Christmas, his step counter said in the previous 4 months, he had walked 1.4m steps, 1000 km. Good luck with your dad!
• agumonkey 6y ago
  The 7 minute workout youtube videos were a great motivation to get back when I was weak.
• geophile 6y ago
  Just go to a gym and start working with a trainer, either one-on-one or in small classes. It is important to find a trainer who recognizes where your father is, and scale exercises accordingly. You have to talk to the trainer himself, not just the guy on duty that day. Probably best at a small. Independent gym, not a chain. This might be expensive, but it is so worth it.