Aging. Anyone?

[m j b]

LOL, this is only for the older forum members, you kids stay out!

I thought turning 40 would be a big deal, it was not. 50 kind of surprised me, that's when I started having all of those mysterious pains, the hair started turning grey and the doctor added more pills to my regime.

It's the 60s that are starting to get to me. Just in the past year I've experienced things I've never had before, pinched nerve, muscle spasms, a lot of trouble sleeping (always been an issue, just much worse) and apparently I'm losing muscle tone and strength, even though my exercise/workout routine is unchanged.

As an attempt to make myself feel better (we all go through this) and perhaps help others who are also experiencing the effects of senioritis, anyone else care to share what we can all look forward to?

[Maleg]

Truman was President when I was born (nonspecific age reference).

Every five years after 55 years old you are half the man you used to be. You don’t recover as quickly from workouts and injuries and must adapt your thinking and timelines to this reality. The penalty for resistance to the new reality is lingering pain and loss of flexibility. The mysterious pains aren’t so mysterious, they arise from the mind’s inability to accept that the body isn’t 19 anymore.

Welcome to the brotherhood. Getting old is not for the weak.

[joli160]

Going through the same process.
It is remarkable that in my brain I feel like 30 but looking in the mirror reality kicks in.
I am not particularly concerned and nearing 60 I am at peace that I can’t do everything I want anymore.
Much more aware about the real important things in life and enjoying every day being very grateful that I am without major health problems.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Maleg

…flexibility...

I’ll steal this word from your post that I think is very much often overlooked…Flexibility

I’m 56 and I’ve always placed an emphasis on staying flexible. I think being limber is every bit as important as maintaining good muscle tone.

Ask me how I’m doing in 10 years

[JasoninDenver]

I agree with improving flexibility and strength training as we age.

I was always focused more on aerobic workouts as biking and running have been hobbies for me. At about 45 my body started hurting more and more. I just tried working out harder to disastrous results.

At 50, I began working with a trainer to improve whole body strength and flexibility. My legs were strong as long as I moved them up and down. Any type of rotational or upper body activities showed me my functional strength was crap.

Now at 57, I manage arthritic knees, bad shoulders and sciatica. However, I feel good and my resilience to injury and/or falls has dramatically improved. By upping my protein intake about 25%, I have actually increased lean muscle mass.

My goal is to be mountain biking until 70 and hiking until 85.

[INC]

Perhaps it's strange, but so far I still feel younger and better every decade :) And this is despite the fact that I no longer belong to the "young" category.

[Blansky]

Don't get me started......

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Blansky

Don't get me started......

Sharpening the skates helps

[Romeojk]

My 30’s I was running, 40’s cycling, 50’s walking. I’ll turn 60 this year. I used to love to play tennis but had a couple minor injuries and everything hurt a bit too much. I used to dive and that turned into too much as well.

[Metro]

I was pretty active when I was young and played a lot of high level tennis, mid-life I practiced Aikido and rode dirt and road bikes. Now, in my mid 60s I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and play pickleball 1-2 times a week. The three things Im focusing on are Strength, Stability, and Cardio. So far, so good.

[SDGT3]

After 50 the "check engine" light seems to come on much more frequently

[ecmgbob]

m_j_b: Great conversation starter. Like Romeojk, I too will turn 60 this year. I workout very consistently and try to eat right (my goal is to reduce my a1c to the point that I can get off Metformin. Not there yet. Sometimes I feel like the more I exercise (primarily strength train) the less progress I make. It is likely I need to allow more recovery days in between workouts. The biggest thing I have done for myself since December 30 is eliminating alcohol. I was a fairly consistent drinker (1-2 glasses of wine 5 of 7 days and more on the weekends). 2023 I significantly curtailed this and in 2024, I have had a couple of glasses of wine or a few beers here and there; but now, 6 of 7 days per week, with some multi-week spans too, I am "off the sauce." I can tell the difference in my aches and pains as well as gains at the gym (by gains, I of course mean maintaining status quo :-) Flexibility is the next horizon for me...Any suggestions? I dont see myself as a big yoga guy, primarily as I lack coordination. More of a blunt instrument. Stay well all, growing old is a privilege!

[piratfisk]

Thank you all for your candor. I, a 36 yr old, have gained some wisdom & aforethought after reading this thread.

FWIW, I've never been an athlete, but I've always been athletic. Meaning, I played some school sports in HS, I enjoy diving, swimming, jogging, motorcycling... lighter activities...

I cannot stress enough how much heated yoga has helped my life. I implore you all to dig deep & try something new. You've all accomplished so much in your lives, endeavored fearlessly into business & raising families... Don't let a warm room scare you away. Stay hydrated & approach it with an open mind. I promise you won't hate it.

[Dan Pierce]

Now in my mid 60's everything stated above sounds familiar. Between hearing loss, balance not what it used to be, eye floaters, readers in every room, and nature's call aggravated by a bowling ball sized prostate. Other than that, doing pretty good.

But I stay active playing music and either stretching or riding 3 times each a week. As you age flexibility in every aspect of life is key. That takes constant work.

All in all I'm very lucky and hope to keep the go-go years going.
dP

[Jimmy 2 Times]

I swear by TRT.

Like it’s the fountain of youth.

Hopefully this topic is not against the rules and I’ll just leave it at that.

[HL65]

Jiu Jitsu Way of Life! I am 59 rolling for over 25 years. I train 7 days a week and at least 4 of those on the mats. For me one of the keys is my recovery regimen. I do dry needling- PT, chiropractor, deep tissue massage and cold plunge pool. I go hard when I train but I stay disciplined on the recovery regimen. For me that is the key. I also eat right and drink little alcohol. So lifestyle clearly key as well. Looking forward to lots of rolling for decades to come!

[Old Expat Beast]

I'll be 60 next week. I quit smoking 8 years ago after 35 years, still enjoy a drink or three most days. I feel fine most days, and the occasional aches and pains get ignored and go away on their own. I work from home, but walk my dogs daily and do a few dozen miles on my exercise bike. My dad only made it to 52 so I feel grateful and just take life as it comes.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

..
eye floaters, readers in every room, dP

Floaters … me too

[JasoninDenver]

Originally Posted by Jimmy 2 Times

I swear by TRT.

Like it’s the fountain of youth.

Hopefully this topic is not against the rules and I’ll just leave it at that.

It has completely changed my life as well. However, I had testicular cancer in my early 30’s and spent 15 years managing rapidly plummeting levels before a doctor said I had the normals levels of a healthy 80 year old man. Something to be evaluated by a competent physician and monitored closely. Jacking up levels to make a 60 year old have the levels of a 20 year old (like many anti-aging clinics do) is way too high risk for me.

[Kreyzhorse]

I'm 55. Generally, I still feel pretty damn good. But, the issues are starting up a bit with the spine and shoulders.

Overall, not as bad as I heard it would be, but it could be better. No complaints though.

And @JasoninDenver, I had it in my 20s.... I've never felt comfortable with the risk.

[sickened1]

I was just reading the article below...

https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/...-how-to-start/

and then stumble upon this thread. What a coincidence.

[Calatrava r]

I think all the debts become due and payable as we reach the 60s and beyond. All the junk food, soda, exercise to excess without stretching, injuries, etc. start to take their toll. I was listening to a longevity doctor saying if you want to age well you need to start in your twenty's. There is a lot of truth to that, but at that age we think we are invincible and will live forever.

[Giovannibravo]

Originally Posted by m j b

LOL, this is only for the older forum members, you kids stay out!

I thought turning 40 would be a big deal, it was not. 50 kind of surprised me, that's when I started having all of those mysterious pains, the hair started turning grey and the doctor added more pills to my regime.

It's the 60s that are starting to get to me. Just in the past year I've experienced things I've never had before, pinched nerve, muscle spasms, a lot of trouble sleeping (always been an issue, just much worse) and apparently I'm losing muscle tone and strength, even though my exercise/workout routine is unchanged.

As an attempt to make myself feel better (we all go through this) and perhaps help others who are also experiencing the effects of senioritis, anyone else care to share what we can all look forward to?

I’m 24. Starting to feel really old.


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[AzPaul]

If you want to feel better after 60, start by removing the mirrors from your home.
The full-length ones, for sure.

[Brenngun]

At 70 I'm still doing OK in the major health areas however the typical aging stuff drives me nuts. Small injuries that take forever to heal, veins rising to the surface, drier skin, diminishing eye sight and hearing, the appearance of skin tags, the apparent need for afternoon naps and of course the elephant in the room is .... what a stiff breeze used to cause now requires a gravitational pull (if you get my drift).

[Andad]

At 76 and still working full time in my engineering business i will quietly follow this thread Rick.

[fozzyf18]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I’ll steal this word from your post that I think is very much often overlooked…Flexibility

I’m 56 and I’ve always placed an emphasis on staying flexible. I think being limber is every bit as important as maintaining good muscle tone.

Ask me how I’m doing in 10 years

I can't agree with this more. When I hit the late 40s and suffered a serious injury that required surgery, I was down hard for 6 months. Once I was cleared hot to work out again, I followed the doc's orders specifically. I stopped with the heavy weights and long distance runs. I focused on flexibility and mobility while maintaining cardio.

Cardio was required to feel like I accomplished a work out. But instead of an hour of cardio starting cold and going full tilt, I modified my workouts to include 10 minutes of serious focused warm-up, 35 mins of cardio, followed up by 15 minutes of pilates/yoga/flexibilty/mobility. It has made all of the difference in how I feed during and after the workouts.

[m4rty]

55 and still in moderately 'good' shape. I look at it as "I've had a really good time getting this beat up (a lifetime of motorcycles certainly hasn't helped), but it has been fun"....


Appreciate your good fortune where applicable is the only advice I would give.

[Rock]

Old people don't discuss in depth the negative effects of aging with young people. The young people aren't interested. Consequently, it comes as a bit of a shock when you get old and encounter the onset of the myriad of age-related problems that begin about 60.
I am 72 and have led a healthy active life but I have many of the minor age-related conditions mentioned above. I am currently engaged in a major landscaping project on my front yard which has involved considerable physical input. I find that apart from tolerating all the USUAL aches and pains that have developed since 60yrs, I now manage only a couple of hours of hard labour before I need to stop, whereas pre-60yrs I would go all day. I don't like this much but it is the way it is.
Most of us do stupid 5h1t in our younger years ( e.g. motorbikes/football) that comes back to bite us later.
Low-impact regular physical activity done continuously from a young age plus a healthy diet plus the elimination of anxiety-provoking activities (often work-related) would be my recipe for a healthy life (the nasty stuff like Cancer you can't really manage/predict).

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by fozzyf18

I can't agree with this more. When I hit the late 40s and suffered a serious injury that required surgery, I was down hard for 6 months. Once I was cleared hot to work out again, I followed the doc's orders specifically. I stopped with the heavy weights and long distance runs. I focused on flexibility and mobility while maintaining cardio.

Cardio was required to feel like I accomplished a work out. But instead of an hour of cardio starting cold and going full tilt, I modified my workouts to include 10 minutes of serious focused warm-up, 35 mins of cardio, followed up by 15 minutes of pilates/yoga/flexibilty/mobility. It has made all of the difference in how I feed during and after the workouts.

I’m happy to hear you recovered from your injury. Sounds like quite an ordeal.


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