hmmm....

I'm under my physio too at the moment, - he's called
David and he's lovely!

travelsofar I am under the physio at the moment as my back problems have resurfaced.

I still go to the gym 3 / 4 times a week and at home do gentle back stretches and an exercise called "bent knee metronomes". which is laying on your back (can be on the floor or the bed) with knees bent feet together and rock your knees from side to side as far over as you can without pain, on a good day I can get mine on the floor. This simple exercises both stretches and loosens the lower - mid back.

Good luck and if you want to sit down do so ?

Calm down dear Gonegirl and don’t worry about other people. We are all grown up and can look after ourselves ???

Thanks Alygran.

Jane my latest one is an Alta HR which doubles as a watch and an alarm. It shows active minutes and heart rate. It was half price just before Christmas so may have been replaced by a newer version. It replaced an obsolete Flex which I had for 3 years. Both are easy to use. It syncs to both iPad and phone.

Anja relax! Stop nagging yourself.

Most of us get lazier as we get older. It's an aging thing. And don't believe everything the "experts" tell you.

Just been taking my own advice (?) and setting alarm for every 20 minutes. Now I run a clean and tidy house, but I’ve even getting up every 20 minutes and just doing a little something and now I can say I’m completely clutter free downstairs.

Will be starting on bedrooms next.

Huge sympathy travelsafar. I'm a chronic back pain sufferer too. My whole day, - my whole life, - revolves around my back.
I don't think you are sinking into a rut, any more than I am.
We try to stay interested in things, don't we. And go out
when we can. Best wishes.

Alygran what kind of fitbit do you have? Is it simple enough to work out how to use it?

My DH has had a bad back for many years. He takes regular exercise and this has decreased some of his pain levels. When it is really bad he lies in bed with electric blanket on in the afternoon and finds this gives him some relief.
You’re doing well, so don’t feel guilty about resting.

I use Alexa and just ask her to ‘set timer for 20 minutes*

It’s quite shocking how quickly that 20 minutes comes around though.

I try to do 10000 steps a day and at least 45 minutes of active exercise so I go for a walk each day. My Fitbit reminds me to move at 10 to the hour if I haven’t done 250 steps. If I haven’t got something planned I spend the afternoon reading and knitting so the reminder to move works for me.

I try to build little reasons for getting up and down and generally getting round the house on days when I'm not out and about. eg I never carry more than one thing at a time so I'll carry a mug of tea first then go back for the biscuits, or make several trips when collecting dirty washing to put in the machine. Hanging up the washing and/or distributing stuff to put on radiators can involve lots of short trips about the place. I'm hoping these add up. I know I should get a fitbit or similar but whenever I research them I end up so confused I can't choose which to get. I don't want one that offers a massive array of possibilities just something straightforward. Could that be a help for the OP?

Many thanks for all the tips. I am more fortunate than many others in that i can still get about with the use of pain killers but at the end of the day three herniated discs and arthritis of the spine will not go away. I think a lot of my problem is that i can not accept that i have this problem as i had always been so active.I will continue with what i can do and try to incorporate some 'getting up and down' when i do sit for any length of time. Once again thanks.

I’ve had a chronic pain condition for over 40 years, learned to use pacing, now accept that sometimes I can only manage 10 minutes of activity while at other times I can sustain an hour. I’ve learned to go with it, move when I can and accept a quiet day when I can’t. You do sound active enough travelsafar, it’s hard to adjust to change sometimes. If it’s really worrying you why not talk it through with your doctor, I suspect you would be reassured. Try not to worry.

Have you tried a TENS machine for our back?

Helped me greatly after I had a car accident.

I swim regularly and that, and water-walking, is a low impact exercise you could do until you feel you can walk or run without pain.

Usually about 20 minutes of exercise a day is what's recommended, but if you're sitting for long periods of time it is recommended to get up periodically and walk around. I also second yoga - it's great for helping with flexibility and balance.

Keeping active is associated with a lower risk of falls in older people.

A good yoga teacher will help with your back and yoga is exercise in itself especially good for the core. Try yin yoga, Pilates or tai chi, each of these may offer relief. Also, there's nothing wrong with resting for a while in the middle of the day, it gives your spine a chance to recover. Try being on the floor on your back with knees bent listening to some music, a relaxation CD or an audio book.

You sound fairly active to me. I'm sorry it's back pain which prevents you exercising and it is frustrating when you used to be so fit.
Can you swim occasionally? I'm impressed that you follow 3 routines a week.
I see an osteopath from time to time which helps straighten me out (hips, back, shoulder or whatever is giving me grief)
I used to do Pilates but my teacher moved. How dare she!! I hadn't thought about a DVD.

You and me both then travelsafar and my only excuse is laziness! I love reading so a sedentary position (thanks Speaker Bercow!) is often my default. I do get up to ‘potter’ now and again. My mum was the same and she died last year aged 86y and her younger sister (early 80’s) is similar. Maybe it’s genetics but my mum used to say ‘we’ve all got a clock inside us ticking away and it stops at the right time’.

So, unless theres a history of diabetes in the family, enjoy your armchair without guilt I say as in between times you are active.

If you are worried about sitting for too long then set some kind of alarm even 15-20 minutes and get up and move about for a few minute eg put the kettle on, go upstairs and put some washing away, go for a wander round the garden, give the floor a quick vacuum, empty the dish washer, etc..

If you do this throughout the day/afternoon you will cut down the time you are continuously sitting and you’ll feel less guilty.

theconversation.com/sitting-and-diabetes-in-older-adults-does-timing-matter-98287

This article might interest you travelsafar.
It links too much sitting with a slightly increased risk of developing diabetes, but the overall message is that it’s sitting for long periods that is bad for us. If you get up every so often, sitting isn’t so bad.
I don’t know how old you are, but it sounds as though you get quite a lot of exercise compared to many people.
Have you thought of seeing a physio about your back? They can recommend quite specific exercises which might help you.
Since I started Pilates I’ve found I have far fewer problems with my back & I think I have increased strength in my legs and arms too.

With me it's my legs. No pain at all but during cold weather they don't " function " properly. Each winter gets worse and it's only today where there's a bit of warmth that I've noticed a difference.
This is clearly a circulation problem but I've never been to the GP about it. It's not a nice feeling at all and could have been made worse by the warfarin which I take.

I'm happier and more comfortable when I'm sitting in the warmth and because it's a circulation thing I'd rather be indoors in cold weather than doing any walking outdoors when my legs seize up with the cold.
Hopefully as the weather warms up I'll get my walking exercises done then.

As it is I'm at the local shops nearly every day but walk 1/4 of a mile every two weeks when I go to my local Asda so it's not as though I don't walk at all.

Like yourself Travelsafar, I think we do our quota.