Curious how people build stamina. Back in the day I used to run long distances, but that is no longer practical for me.
I often find myself losing strength the second, third time through a tune. I wonder what folks here do to build the physical
ability to play tune after tune?
I’m curious as to what you mean by running out of stamina…
I don’t imagine what I have to say will be helpful to a veteran player like yourself, but for what it’s worth…
I’ve found that my tunes falter for three reasons,
- My lip is out of place, making it harder to produce a note. (I don’t imagine this is your problem. It wasn’t a problem for me before, but after a couple years of only intermittent practice, some sloppiness has slipped into my handling of the flute) Sometimes slightly but not obviously poor positioning of my lip just forces me to make a tighter stream with more air, which hastens the second problem…
- My lips are physically tired. I call this ‘flabby lips’ because they’re feeling weak and rubbery. In any case, like any other muscle, I strengthen it by alternately exercising it, stretching it, and resting it. Exercise is usually just by playing, but if I’m not getting enough time to play I have also simply blown practice streams of air, while commuting for example. This is better if you commute by car, people on the bus or subway might look at you oddly. Stretching is just by making funny faces with ridiculous smiles. Resting is by just taking a break or if I really want to keep playing, then switching to the whistle for a bit.
- I’m running out of air, which is usually specific to the tune I’m playing and means I need to find better breathing points in the tune. I don’t think I have particularly good lung capacity and I don’t really do anything to improve it (other than quitting smoking, which I highly recommend for an improved breathing experience!) I have practiced taking quick, sharp breaths that are ‘from the belly’ so that I can squeeze in more breaths with less dropped or halved notes, but I would expect you mastered that kind of basic breathing technique long ago.
I don’t know if your ‘stamina’ is related to any of these or something else altogether.
Thanks. I guess I’m mostly out of shape. Long walks. I already do lots of situps. Getting frigging old, but
that didn’t stop Mike R from playing for extended periods. Being a flooter is being a kind of athlete.
Unfortunately, as we get older our lungs ( as well as other parts 
) for various reasons work less efficiently, and no longer re-oxygenate our blood supply as effectively as in our youth, and as a consequence we tire at a faster rate. I believe swimming is good exercise for your heart and lungs, and a lot easier on your joints than running/circuit training. You may find the link below useful.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/317167-the-effects-of-swimming-on-the-lungs/
The only other practical advice I can think of is to use a flute with small - medium; bore, embouchure/ tone holes for extended periods of use, rather than the large. I find that I can only play the large variety for an hour or two before running out of steam. 
Hope this may be of some help. Owen.
I think two sources of fatigue for me are these: 1. holding the flute too tight (death grip) & 2. blowing too hard. Try playing your flute with as little air as possible and hold the flute lightly. Works for me.
I once had a Bohem flute teacher that suggested that I practice frowning (pulling the corners of the mouth down), relaxing my lips, then follow that procedure several times during the day. If you try this, I would suggest doing it in private as others look at you and may assume you have some kind of tic disorder or some other unfortunate neurological condition. Perhaps this may be an aid in dealing with “flabby lips.” 
With regard to the stamina question, I have found that walking or hiking on a regular basis seems to help; I to am beyond the running stage-- the “golden years” at times are not so golden.
I wanted to mention that when I hike, I use hiking poles. It offers more stability, plus it gives the arms more of a workout.
Thanks to all. The advice for old folks is to get as much exercise as they can. I’m working a fair amount with weights, but I need more aerobic exercise. I’ll walk lots. I do use poles, in fact, and I’m mostly playing rudally flutes. The other night I did a gig where I played
for a couple of hours alone. The room was crowded with people talking loud (I was background during a dinner), and I pretty quickly switched to a Billy Miller Bb fife and also to an Olwell A cane flute, which seemed to work well in the mix of sound. After I was done my diaphragm really hurt! But I’ll do anything for free scotch. Thanks again!
You’re probably fit as a fiddle Jim - I imagine 2 hours solo to a crowded noisy room would take care of a few professionals !
How about one of these? I had one years ago, and when I first started using it my chest muscles were hurting the next day (much like weight training). Can’t say if it built up my stamina or not as I didn’t use it for long.
Very interesting.