Mountain Fitness for Senior Bowhunters

[cnelk]

In case you may not subscribe to BOWHUNTER magazine, the most recent issue has a really good article in it.
It is written by my friend Lou [Jaquomo] and it features another friend of ours here in Ft Collins - Paul Navarre

Paul is 76 years old and last fall did a DIY Solo Wilderness elk hunt was successful!

I read it yesterday when Aaron Johnson came over to shoot bows and BS

You can get it on most news stands

 

[bowhunter]

I get that mag but have not had a chance to read it yet. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[iccyman001]

Sweet!

 

[Bowfreak]

Awesome guys and awesome bowhunters. I can\'t wait to read it.

 

[Deertick]

I like how you put down your Bud Light next to the article, Brad!

 

[bowhunter]

I like how you put down your Bud Light next to the article, Brad!

In his Yeti cooler too. I noticed that.

Need to stay hydrated on hot summer days......

 

[Bowfreak]

I like how you put down your Bud Light next to the article, Brad!

In his Yeti cooler too. I noticed that.

Need to stay hydrated on hot summer days......

When I drank beer I never had a need for those little beer coozies. I drank them so fast they didn\'t have a chance to get warm.

 

[cohunter14]

Maybe it\'s a Pepsi........ :haha:

Thanks for the heads-up Brad. I\'ll have to check it out. Haven\'t heard from Lou in a while, glad to hear he is alive and well. :upthumb:

 

[elky McElkerson]

76 year old hunter.

i\'ll be honest. that is 90% good genetics. and good living 10%

 

[cnelk]

Paul is also a cancer survivor - true toughness right there

 

[elky McElkerson]

Badass


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

 

[Bowfreak]

76 year old hunter.

i\'ll be honest. that is 90% good genetics. and good living 10%

I agree with your premise but think you are leaving one thing out and that is determination. Mountain hunting isn\'t easy for young people so toughness is important. I know another older guy, Bill Allard, who can still kick butt even though most of his animals are shot with a camera now. This guy has been in bear mode since the first of June and hasn\'t been home in who knows how long. Here he is running bait in Utah a few days ago as caught by one of his trail cams.

 

[razorback]

Thanks, gonna have to check that out. I certainly feel older than my age!

 

[midwest]

I\'d say more like 90% lifestyle, 10% genetics. Many people have heart disease or type 2 diabetes that run in their family but for most of them, a healthy lifestyle trumps inherited risk.

I\'m not a very good hunter so my only hope is to hunt more seasons in order to be more successful! :lol:

 

[Jaquomo]

Thanks, guys. The purpose of the article is to convince people of any age that you don\'t have to be superman to hunt the mountains, but you have to do \"something\". Too many people grow more sedentary as they age, and that becomes an excuse for not hunting hard, or for drifting away from big game hunting altogether. The fitness suggestions we outline in the article are simple, can be done anywhere, really intended as a start to a fitness lifestyle for older guys or a reaffirmation to stay fit for those who are already there. I hate gyms, but I work out doing something every day.

I tend to agree with Midwest that it\'s closer to 90% lifestyle. When I started studying the topic a few years ago I tended to think it was more 50-50. But as I saw these older guys who survive cancer, who have joint replacements (I have a metal hip), who get past other health ailments through a combination of dedication to baseline fitness and improved diet to continue with HARD mountain hunting well into their 60s and 70s, it became more and more obvious that fitness comes from the mind, not the genes.

 

[bnsafe]

i read it yest, good article. gosh i miss colorado, bad

 

[bowhunter]

Good article I read it this weekend. I hope to still be elk hunting the mountains when I am 75.

 

[Deertick]

Lifestyle goes a long ways ... eat reasonably, value your sleep, keep lean muscle on your frame, drink moderately, and enjoy friends. Prevent what you can by seeing a physician who is interested in prevention.

Genetics can get you a long ways too. Some people are absolutely cursed by genetics and early life experiences. When I see people who are fat, tired, depressed, and look like they are literally dying when they are just moving around, I have to stop my thinking that they are victims of poor lifestyle choices.

My personal philosophy on exercise emphasizes strength. The defining feature of age is loss of muscle mass. I don\'t \"need\" to run anywhere in life, but I do \"need\" to life heavy grocery bags in uneven bags from the back of a pickup while standing on ice and then carry them in the house, opening the door with one hand. It\'s strength that does all that.

CV fitness has very little functional utility in my life. Strength is needed all day every day.

And strength training improves brain function better than the CV stuff. I use my brain a lot, too.

 

[Bowfreak]

Lifestyle goes a long ways ... eat reasonably, value your sleep, keep lean muscle on your frame, drink moderately, and enjoy friends. Prevent what you can by seeing a physician who is interested in prevention.

Genetics can get you a long ways too. Some people are absolutely cursed by genetics and early life experiences. When I see people who are fat, tired, depressed, and look like they are literally dying when they are just moving around, I have to stop my thinking that they are victims of poor lifestyle choices.

My personal philosophy on exercise emphasizes strength. The defining feature of age is loss of muscle mass. I don\'t \"need\" to run anywhere in life, but I do \"need\" to life heavy grocery bags in uneven bags from the back of a pickup while standing on ice and then carry them in the house, opening the door with one hand. It\'s strength that does all that.

CV fitness has very little functional utility in my life. Strength is needed all day every day.

And strength training improves brain function better than the CV stuff. I use my brain a lot, too.

There are also those that say cardio is more important. I don\'t know which is which but I will say that a balanced fitness approach of diet, strength training, cardio training and flexibility is by far the best. Truth be told, many who are better than average shape only do well in maybe 1 or 2 of those areas. There are small portions of the population (like Midwest for example) that do well in all 4. Personally....my diet always can use work and my flexibility is embarrassing. I do ok in the other 2 areas.

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