Current resistance and cardio training are valid and required at any age. If you've ticked over the half century mark and get sore and winded with a suspicious pain in your left arm after clearing the sidewalk, it's because you've been counting beans all week and not much else. Add in the psychological stress of dealing with all the crap happening in today's world, and doing any sudden exercise is a bad idea.
At the end of my university studies and final exams I could barely lift a can of tomato juice with one hand. Living off caffeine, sugar and worry, with little sleep and less exercise will knock the stuffing out of you at any age. A year or two later I could carry two bags of drilling gel, one on each shoulder, up a two-storey set of rig stairs for the better part of a 12 hour tour without getting sore or winded. That didn't happen automatically, or all of a sudden. Staying sharp enough to run in 3000 meters of drill pipe while working up the derrick in the middle of winter didn't happen overnight either.
Same principle now applies, 500 years later. Suddenly hauling around a tiller (or using a shovel to hand-turn the same dirt) or carrying a couple cords of wet firewood uphill after driving a desk all week will cause all sorts of problems. However, progressively getting into something ridiculously physical several times a week and then tearing up the garden will not cause so much stiffness and pain. Gotta work up to it.
Medical disclaimer - there could also be something else going on such as arteriosclerosis or other undetected degenerative diseases adding to the problem. Good idea to see Mr. Doctor for a physical exam and listening to a lot of 'Tsk tsk tsk' if you get knocked flat like that or even before trying it.
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