Getting Old and Accepting My Limitations

stresco

They (I don't know who they are) say that the first sign of a person getting old is when the eyes start to go. My eyes started to get weaker a few years back, not by much, just enough to cause me to have to use reading glasses when I am sitting in front of my laptop too long. I never gave it much thought, because I am down to 20/20 vision, which is normal for most, but my eyes get tired.

Now I am almost 45 and I really see that things are changing. For me it was the realization that it takes forever for me to heal from the smallest injuries or strains. My back, hamstrings and glutes are always sore and tight. I blew out my shoulder last year and had to have it repaired in July. Here its a year later and it still isn't completely healed and hurts. I tweaked my left wrist a month ago and it still hurts to do any type of push-up or bench press. I look forward to taking hot baths to soak out the pain... It just takes forever for me to heal...

Because of all this, I have had to re-think my training and exercise routines and even how I fight has had to change.

Has anyone else had this realization yet? What have you changed to accommodate your body?

larsensue

I am 43 and gained 20lbs for the first time EVER this past year. I cannot seam to get rid of a single decent lb regardless of upping my exercise way past the point I used to go. My body seems to take alot longer to feel better after I injure it and my joints ache like never before. I have had to adjust how I walk and sit as a result. I am definitely NOT liking this new body....!

fittocycle

I realized the same thing in my 40's. I dealt with two herniated discs in my lower back which made me completely redo my workout routines.

When I turned 49, there was a torn meniscus in my left knee that required surgery. At 51, I had the same surgery on my right knee. However, both times I worked the PT hard and went on vacation just 4-5 weeks out from surgery.

Now, I realize I can't do lunges (doctor's order) or high impact workouts. However, I can do Pilates, yoga, weight training, spinning, the elliptical, walking, biking, etc.!

Be sure and take the time to let your body heal. It's hard, but it's worth it and the old injury won't come back to haunt you!
Good luck!

By the way, my inspiration is my 90 year old neighbor. She goes to Jazzercise classes three times a week, mows her lawn, trims her bushes, etc. She's lead an active life and it's paid off.:flowerforyou:

BrianSharpe

I've got some bad news for you......it gets worse when you hit your 50s...:laugh:

It takes me twice as long to get half the results of somebody younger than me and it does seem to take longer to recover. We just need to work smarter and really tune in to what our bodies are telling us.

I don't know if it's the placebo effect but I've found that by paying more attention to my nutrition (specifically adding foods that are high in anti-oxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties such a blueberries) has had a noticeable impact on how quickly i recover form an arduous run or other hard workout.

The other thing I've done is pay far more attention to stretching and cooling down after a workout and I now visit my massage therapist once a month (insurance doesn't cover all of it but it's been a lifesaver)

I also joined a triathlon club, one of the beauties of triathlon is that it's a mulch-disciplinary sport - you have to cross train!

I must confess that I've been lucky, in the past 5 years I've been relatively injury free, along with the usual aches and pains I had a run in with ITBS a couple of years ago (which is why I started seeing a massage therapist in the first place) and last week had a baker's cyst pop on me (not really a running injury but painful nonetheless).

KANGOOJUMPS

HELL NO!!!!
after 40 ROCKS!

__Di__

They (I don't know who they are) say that the first sign of a person getting old is when the eyes start to go. My eyes started to get weaker a few years back, not by much, just enough to cause me to have to use reading glasses when I am sitting in front of my laptop too long. I never gave it much thought, because I am down to 20/20 vision, which is normal for most, but my eyes get tired.

Now I am almost 45 and I really see that things are changing. For me it was the realization that it takes forever for me to heal from the smallest injuries or strains. My back, hamstrings and glutes are always sore and tight. I blew out my shoulder last year and had to have it repaired in July. Here its a year later and it still isn't completely healed and hurts. I tweaked my left wrist a month ago and it still hurts to do any type of push-up or bench press. I look forward to taking hot baths to soak out the pain... It just takes forever for me to heal...

Because of all this, I have had to re-think my training and exercise routines and even how I fight has had to change.

Has anyone else had this realization yet? What have you changed to accommodate your body?

It's a nightmare isn't it, especially if you were really active when younger

I run and used to do a lot of track and field athletics, sprinting mainly. That is now out of the window, because my achilles no longer like the sudden burst to run down the 100m straight, nor the 200m bend and straight, in fact, my achilles do not like all-weather synthetic running tracks at all now :sad:

I have therefore moved onto road running. All is fine, except I can no longer train as much as I used to, I have had to cut it down. Having said that, I certainly seem to have more stamina now than I used to, this comes in handy for longer runs! :happy:

The long and the short of it is, I run three times per week and go to the gym once per week.

Healingnutritionsolutions

Stretching, yoga, tai chi... that's what I've been doing only a few minutes a day to prep... I haven't done much at a time, so I haven't really counted it as exercise, but I have increased my "limberness" and find that I don't hurt myself doing simple tasks as much anymore... I think I need to increase the amount of stretching type exercises and add in cardio so I can start shedding which will also be protective against injury. Balance and core strength need to be addressed too, even though I'm still fat and it's hard to do a crunch...

I'm finding many bodies are prematurely aging because we don't use them... 40 is the new 80 in some situations... which is vewwy, vewwy bad! My knees, hips and back think I'm 60... and I see fit 60 year olds running circles around me... Time to make some changes, yet not overdo. Yes, I'm limited on what I can do - FOR NOW, but it's my own fault. I haven't used my body at all in years. Now I have to re-learn to use muscle groups, and take care to prevent injury so I won't have to stop and stagnate again...

Philllbis

I'm 48 and probably in the best shape of my life. I work out 6 days a week and try to stay active as much as possible. It does take me longer to recover and like you, I think I'm more sustainable to injury but it just means I have to be careful. I haven't let it slow me down yet.

In fact, this last weekend my workout schedule was at the gym at 8am, I lifted weights for an hour including squats and deadlifts, ran 3.5 miles and did additional core work. I rested and then biked for 30 miles in the afternoon. I was feeling it Sunday but I still got out and biked for 30 miles and then ran for 3 miles.

If I was in my 20s I'd do the same thing except I probably would have gone out Saturday night and only slept 3 hours, lol.

ninerbuff

I'll chime in on this. Being in fitness for years, I noticed that when I hit my mid 40's, my strength has slowly diminished each year. Where I used to be able to rep 225lbs on incline bench press with no problem, it's now dropped to 200-205lbs. Can't jump as high anymore, can't run as fast, nor last as long. However, I'm still very fit. I've come to accept that with age, you have to adjust or you'll be begging for an injury.
Just be the best you you can. Refocus on what you can do and just get better at that. For me now, it's about how fit I am doing sessions on my own. I've no longer focus on weights (for some time now), but intensity.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

When my body starts telling me I"m getting old, I stick my fingers in my ears and chant "mamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamama"

Then I get a headache and go lie down.

Aches and pains are just part of the deal. It sucks but we have to work around them.

Timshel_

Has anyone else had this realization yet? What have you changed to accommodate your body?

Pretty much my story too.

I never had issues with my body until that magical 40. Within a few weeks I threw out my back for the first time. Within the next years I gained about 15 extra pounds. As of this last year I had to buy some readers as well. And I too notice my recovery time for EVERYTHING (if you get my drift) is starting to take longer.

But I train ever harder now than before. Partly because it takes a great deal more effort to see reults that came easier when I was younger. But I also find that my training helps me perform and recover better when I play sports.

The hell of it is I have to be religious about it and can't even slip for a week or two. It *HAS TO* be done heavy, hard, and continuously else I feel my age catching up even more.

My only real change has been with my eating habits, which SUX! I can't eat the way I used to. I just can't. I (again) *HAVE TO* be diligent to stick to set calorie levels else I gain weight rather rapidly. Took me since February to drop 20 pounds and with a bit of vacationing (not even eating with abandon) I am up 8 pounds in just two weeks.

Is it fair. No.
Do I like to complain about it. Yep.
Can it get discouraging. Oh HELL yes!
Will it stop me. Not a chance.

I am still working on accepting these life changes and it as much a mental battle as a physical one. But one great thing about being odler is, you have a lot more life experience that allows you to roll with the punches MUCH easier.

All the best follow old people.

Timshel_

Oh, and as far as injuries, while I know I am more suseptable, what relly ticks me off are these weird pains that come and go for NO reason. I will get up and my elbow will be killing me. But in the time it takes for me to wonder just what the hell I did to make it hurt, it just vanishes. It's like, WTH was that all about. Happens all the time now. They just come and go! lol.

PikaKnight

All I know is that Sara of the ETP group can do a 325lb deadlift and Dav does monster workouts that I think would cripple most 20-something year olds I know..lol. And both are over 40. Neither seems to have been slowed down by age and all I know is that I want to train like them now, and hope I'm going just as strong when I'm over 40.

tlmcint

yes... mine started before I even hit 40, at 37 my eyes went to hell, but then they weren't great before that. I'm 48 now, and what I find the most annoying is, as you mentioned, it takes forever for things to heal! And that it takes forever to get results from diet and exercise.

End of January I changed everything in the way I eat and exercise and the weight is coming off, but extremely slowly... use to be I could lose it relatively fast and easy, now I fight tooth and nail for every loss.

But age will Not... defeat me lol.. I am fighting tooth and nail daily! Oh and getting up in the mornings, I am always stiff and achy for a minute or two, there is no such thing as jumping outta bed ready to do in the mornings these days.. :laugh:

stresco

I still train hard, and I push push push every workout. When I go in I give 100% of everything I have every time, however, 100% today is not the same as 100% when I was 20 LOL.

SpleenThief

Because of all this, I have had to re-think my training and exercise routines and even how I fight has had to change.

Has anyone else had this realization yet? What have you changed to accommodate your body?

Training requirements will change with age, that's a given. I, too, require lengthy recuperation from twinges and such.

Limitations? No, I do not accept them. I reject them entirely.