dad needs some help

[quadsofsteel]

hey im not over 40 but my dad is and i have a few questions on him behalf to help him out. Back in the day, he used to go to the gym and ive seen pics of him lifting whole racks and squating 2-300 lbs. Now these days, the only exercise he gets is yard work which is fine but ill talk to him and he sounds all depressed saying "i feel like im 100 years old". keep in mine he is suffering from back and shoulder injuries in a car crash. surely there gotta be a way to help him, to motivate him. any supps anybody over 40 recommend, workout routines, something. please respond, people experienced with this "lack of drive" from aging.

[Madeira Jon]

Tell him I'm 70 and show him my picture, somewhere on a thread in this forum!

Here I've found it.
Regaining lost Muscle

[stpete]

I would look at diet first. This is the single most important thing to good health, let alone weightlifting and or bodybuilding. Start slow with some light cardio work. After some weeks of tweeking his diet and feeling better with the cardio, maybe incorporate some light weight training to get back in the feel of things.
Cardio and diet would be my first options.

[2bshredded]

First have him get a blodd test, it may be low test!
Second, it's all on him............if he wants to get back in shape he needs to check with his Dr. and see what he can do.
Therapy and stretching would be the first start, then if he's familair with the gym and it sounds like he is..........start working out again.......consistantley.
I'm 48 and have my fair share of back, neck, knee and shoulder issues.......none form severe trauma or anything but have been able to work around it and put "most" everything back into shape.
When you hit that magical age it seems like everything goes to shit, however, it really doesn't...........you just need to work at it, around it, and most importantly motivate yourself to do it.
Hope this helps!

[stpete]

+1 I agree with that.

[Silver-Bolt]

Diet #1, blood work #2, and ask him if he is interested in working out with you. A little father/son time may help motivate him to get started again. Getting started as we all know is the hardest step.

[scibble]

he sounds like he's suffering from depression

get thyroid and testosterone checked, replace if low. hopefully he's not a smoker...

if none of the above, then treat for depression.

[Coach 44]

You've gotten some great advice, imo. Just understand that when we hit a certain age (I'm 46 and former professional baseball player), the aches and pains never seem to completely go away. The old saying, "Use it or lose it" becomes a reality. That means working up the determination to fight through some pain, the lethergy, etc. and to start out slow. That was my problem for a while, thinking it was a futile battle, to get back to where I used to be. So I did nothing. Terrible way to go, especially the mental and emotional aspect. Like so many have already stated, getting started is the hardest part. If your dad's doc clears him to begin activity, then you can attempt to motivate him. But be open-minded and listen to his responses. He's your dad, and it sounds like he could throw a beaten in his day, so just support the decisions he makes.

[quadsofsteel]

thanks for all the replys. sorry i didnt get back sooner. i kinda had an idea that it may be age lowering testosterone related.