Strength & conditioning is of the utmost importance when being a concealed carrier. I’m a career Exercise & Sports Scientist & coached people on many levels of the fitness spectrum. Tell me some of the ways you like to train to stay ready?
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I have a little weight and physical conditioning corner in my garage where I work every other day.
Introduce yourself here - @Karacal
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Excellent! As us Greeks say: strong mind & strong body. Discipline is one reenforces the other. What are you favorite exercises?
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my favorite exercise is called ‘‘ Farming’’ with several back issues [and being 68] it takes a little longer to get er done but its really enjoyable.
more people will need to get involved for health reasons and food supply
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@Anthony483 Welcome! Appreciate your post. As for me I had a transplant followed by lung surgery and most recently finishing chemo for lymphoma. I work with an oncology P.T.. And, since transplant ride a recumbent stationary bike each day or 30 minutes of other to get my heart rate up, do a virtual p.t. program I subscribe to for lower back and some light seated lifting. Also do some lung exercises. Back before transplant I was a competitive bicycle racer both on street (crits, long distance, etc.) and off-road. Now I ride a etrike and work to increase my unaided riding. Due to the chemo my legs are pretty weak and my balance not the greatest thanks to neuropathy. Due to the complications of tplant and lung surgery that followed along with heart failure I am on supplemental oxygen. Did suffer some brainstem injury in the tplant surgery. As a result I do puzzles, online games and other stuff to push my brain. I also work with grip balls and grip/arm exercises to stay strong to go to the range and shoot. I guess that is about all. Going through all of this I have learned that fitness, mental and physical, is figuring workarounds to what health hands you along the way.
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66 here. Set of dumbbells in the living room along with the “perfect pushup” and wrist strengthener gizmos. I’ll hit those waiting for the wife to go get groceries, or a 15 minute session after my morning coffee. Another set, plus Weider gym and kettlebell out in the shed with my mountain bike and 3 e-bikes…and an inversion table . Got in a 30 mile ride today after a shed workout, tomorrow will be some weights and put the pool up, or get out for a hike. Local attraction getting folks from all over is a 5.5 mile loop/out and back (hikers choice) with 2k vert. I try to hit that weekly and also a 4-6 mile rolling hills hike, and in season 30-100 miles a week on the e-bikes. Pool is small but I was heavily into water in my younger days and can get a good workout. Range time usually involves movement. Not nearly what I used to be at my peak, but thank God the doctors were wrong when I was 20 and 23, and appreciate being 6’ over vs. 6’ under and not para/quadriplegic as was predicted and experienced for a year (lost the legs for awhile, then stopped the bed rest and pain killer crap and started listening to my body). I no longer see doctors.
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Farming is seriously built in strength and conditioning. My wife’s grandfather runs a ranch at the age of 88. The fella is built like an OX! I can only imagine the functional strength you have from farming.
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This is inspiring & a true testament to being resilient. I often wonder how I would respond when navigating unforeseen health circumstances. It takes will to keep finding ways as you have.
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I love the perfect push-up! Looks like you keep very active. I just started working with a fella in Colorado who sounds almost exactly like you. How do you manage fatigue with being so active?
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I used to work in a hospital before I retired. We were in a ‘poor’ area of town where people would come into the ER for issues that clearly weren’t urgent. I asked one of the ER staff one day how they prioritize people that came in. And she said one of the questions they ask was the patients occupation. If the patient said they were a farmer, they went to the dead of the line. Because they knew if a farmer ever actually broke down to go see a doctor, then it had to be serious.
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I sleep really well, and do have “off days” when the body’s screaming at me.
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I just work at our property. Alot of tree work but just stuff to stay active.
I also ride dirt bikes, last night I put alot of miles on my Honda. Not only physically but mentally. Always looking and planning 2 steps ahead. Im getting to old to wreck a dirt bike.
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I’m at the point where advanced arthritis and ruptured vertebrae call the all the shots.
I stretch and try to stay active, lately working out from 6:30-7:30 MWF but it ain’t pretty.
Slow moving and plenty of wobble in my walk I’d make an excellent mark for a mugger, and this bothers me a lot!
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@John292 That’s why I keep looking for ways to be as strong as I am able. According to statistics, older and disabled people are many times more likely to be a victim of crime than someone younger and fit. Makes sense… they see us as people who won’t/can’t fight back. And, I suspect the numbers would be even higher but there are lots of us who stay shuttered in our homes for numbers of days and only go out for required things during the day. I don’t want to quit living before I die.
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THAT’S WHY I CARRY MY .44 Sir. I may be slow(er) But I’m Armed and Dangerous. Make no mistake friends what you PORTRAY to the outside world comes back to you. I may clank like a Tank now, the Left Tread wants to sink in the mud! But I put out there ‘DON’T Duck with ME!’ (plus the .44 ! 
) and NO FEAR and I refuse to cower in my house all day. I may not be the Traveler I was, and basically only go out for essentials now but that’s because there’s NOTHING of interest for us out there now. They’ve Inflated every cost, and the service is so poor now (Don’t even talk about a $22 movie ticket!) is beyond retarded! So we stay home and enjoy the fruits of this life’s labor.
JUST KEEP MOVING AS BEST WE CAN! I’m not in the (rat) race anymore so I can do this! I detail cars now to stay moving, climbing up and down a ladder 10 or 20 times a car, wax on, wax off! keeps it real. You stay stationary at these ages and some axxhole wants to throw dirt on our faces! 
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I am with you @Don102 . Even though they love to call everything “accessible” it isn’t. You have to be really creative to get older or be disabled, or both… the world doesn’t help us. I’m with you. Someone might try but they will not get my wife and I am going down hard with them at the end of my S&W 9mm. Or, one of my other tools. In any event I am going out with my boots on. As we used to say in stock car racing, be sure to go out on the first turn at full tilt in a blaze of glory. They’ll always remember you!
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That’s why I drive BACKWARDS now! So I can see em comin’—-Yup! I’m THAT guy! ARGH!
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That’s the way to do it! Every 5 weeks I take a lighter week of activity. Really helps mitigate built up training & life stressors.
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John, I love that you are still finding a way even with Arthur in your life. He comes for us all to some degree! I’m almost 40, so I’m a spring chicken still. I train a lot of people in their 60-90 range and I must say, they train with intent.
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Love this Don! I bet you have amazing situational awareness. That alone gives you the edge over most.
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