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Thoughts on getting old vs aging
Replies
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Great posts, I've enjoyed reading this a lot. Living in the PNW (transplant from the Deep South) has been really motivating to me (37 yo) that you *CAN* age gracefully & with strength. Seeing all the old goats out on the trail inspires me, compared to the "after 50 it's all downhill" model I witnessed in my birth state.6
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Likewise oldsters! Fitter now at 52 than I was at 32. Not sure I would be able to do the gym at 4 AM now 😂 I like my bed!!3
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It really is. I've been getting a bunch of age related comments lately due to an illness I've been dealing with for weeks now (all tests come back clean) but it's slowed me down by a good deal. Even so, I still do something every day, even if it's just walking.
I know the comments are out of concern though, so I'm not taking them to heart. Even so, there's just no compelling reason yet to just stop.
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@skytuner posted this video in the "Over 60 still trying" thread. More proof that there are great benefits from continuing to be active and workout as you age (gracefully ).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OUdO2Y_Mm8 9 -
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Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?1 -
Oh you guys. Yer just all ascared to get old3
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Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.10 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.
One of those hugs on your comment is from me. I am going to cut ‘n paste it elsewhere so that I can find it more easily.
Someone suggested it might be arthritis, but it’s been giving me problems for years already. I thought for sure I must be too young to have arthritis! I started doing some pretty intense fieldwork four years ago, which has meant two months of constant pain every summer. BUT I consider myself d*** lucky that I get to do it at all. I will keep pushing, and I know I have no real reason for a pity party.
It does give me even more incentive to keep the weight off though, and maybe lose some more. The ten pounds I’ve lost since January has made a difference. And now I know what it is. I walk a lot and in January, my knee was really swollen and I was convinced I had injured it. Apparently not.2 -
Oh you guys. Yer just all ascared to get old
To the contrary I aspire to get old. Gaining knowledge is one thing, but the wisdom that only comes with age & experience has always been my end goal.
Certainly my experience will be different, but I always think of my Grandfather. Born in 1896 he lived well into his 90s and witnessed the explosion of invention of the 20th century. I'll never forget watching the US Space Shuttle launch in his living room and the look of amazement in his eyes.11 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.
One of those hugs on your comment is from me. I am going to cut ‘n paste it elsewhere so that I can find it more easily.
Someone suggested it might be arthritis, but it’s been giving me problems for years already. I thought for sure I must be too young to have arthritis! I started doing some pretty intense fieldwork four years ago, which has meant two months of constant pain every summer. BUT I consider myself d*** lucky that I get to do it at all. I will keep pushing, and I know I have no real reason for a pity party.
It does give me even more incentive to keep the weight off though, and maybe lose some more. The ten pounds I’ve lost since January has made a difference. And now I know what it is. I walk a lot and in January, my knee was really swollen and I was convinced I had injured it. Apparently not.
That bold, that's the attitude I think everyone needs to blow off steam/vent/worry and air things out on occasion, and I remember when military doctors told me at 30 I'd be in a wheelchair before long...looking back they were probably right, if the medical community maintained the status quo, but there's folks out there figuring out new ways to keep us going all the time.
And in keeping in the spirit of the topic, my youngest is 28 and groans and complains enough for the both of us
I've read a lot of what you post and you got some strong attitude going on there, and I like it. I bet you won't let a speedbump, even a really irritating one, slow you down for long before you find another way to keep doing what you love. Hang in there, you can do this 0 -
Hey, thanks for the positive anecdotes in this thread. I'm about to turn 49 and always get introspective (and sometimes moody) around my birthdays. The older people I know have been aging poorly, so seeing this stuff has really helped today.
Anyways, off to the gym!
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Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Arthritis, for me, was mainly inflammation that caused pain along with some thinning of aging cartilage. I was told I had a torn meniscus/ arthritis and needed surgery. I refused. Weight loss in addition to limiting starchy white carbs, processed foods, and sugar was the cure. I am pain free. The more weight you lose, the less pressure on your knees! Do what you can with what you have. Keep going!
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Oh you guys. Yer just all ascared to get old
Hahaha. (but I think you've missed the point).
It seems to me that this thread has attracted a group of people who are very focused on ensuring that our "health span" equals our life span. Seems like that's not a course of living for those who are "ascared" or see themselves as victims.
BTW, its also a lot more fun.
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Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.
One of those hugs on your comment is from me. I am going to cut ‘n paste it elsewhere so that I can find it more easily.
Someone suggested it might be arthritis, but it’s been giving me problems for years already. I thought for sure I must be too young to have arthritis! I started doing some pretty intense fieldwork four years ago, which has meant two months of constant pain every summer. BUT I consider myself d*** lucky that I get to do it at all. I will keep pushing, and I know I have no real reason for a pity party.
It does give me even more incentive to keep the weight off though, and maybe lose some more. The ten pounds I’ve lost since January has made a difference. And now I know what it is. I walk a lot and in January, my knee was really swollen and I was convinced I had injured it. Apparently not.
With apologies for going a bit off-topic, as someone else with some knee OA (and a torn meniscus on at least one side, now I'm thinking maybe both):
Weight loss made a huge improvement for me.
Also, fat and thin, I've gotten some improvement** from persistently doing little things: Icing every time after intense workouts, stretching to maintain flexibility not just in the knees but the adjacent joints (hips and ankles), osteopath, massage therapist, strengthening in ways that involve motions I can repeat enough to be beneficial without causing more problems, etc.
** It isn't like any of these things are a magic one-session "treatment", but more like establishing a routine that helps keep things on the less-discomfort side, through regular "tune-ups", for me.
Another thing that helps me, that may be idiosyncratic, is keeping my knees warm and out of direct drafts. I wear knee warmers (under clothes) in Winter especially, 24x7; and I wear long pants or leggings the overwhelming majority of the time, even when it's hot, especially for workouts. Sometimes applied heat is helpful (preferred: My Thermophore heating pad, which provides moist heat without wetting), though I wouldn't do that when there's swelling.
Now returning us, with apologies, to our regularly-scheduled thread. :flowerforyou:5 -
Looking at things from that awkward age between birth and death, being 'age appropriate' is something to avoid from the moment you hit 18!
I've known people who were born old and those who, in their 80s, go out regularly to 'help the old folk'.
Aging can be a matter of health, but I'm not sure it is always about time. Staying as fit as possible is the best plan.
It would be good to keep really living right up until the last minute and not to put myself in death's waiting room long before having to be there.7 -
Always like your posts @DjproulxOh you guys. Yer just all ascared to get old
Hahaha. (but I think you've missed the point).
It seems to me that this thread has attracted a group of people who are very focused on ensuring that our "health span" equals our life span. Seems like that's not a course of living for those who are "ascared" or see themselves as victims.
BTW, its also a lot more fun.
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goodasgoldilox wrote: »Looking at things from that awkward age between birth and death, being 'age appropriate' is something to avoid from the moment you hit 18!
I've known people who were born old and those who, in their 80s, go out regularly to 'help the old folk'.
Aging can be a matter of health, but I'm not sure it is always about time. Staying as fit as possible is the best plan.
It would be good to keep really living right up until the last minute and not to put myself in death's waiting room long before having to be there. 0 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.
One of those hugs on your comment is from me. I am going to cut ‘n paste it elsewhere so that I can find it more easily.
Someone suggested it might be arthritis, but it’s been giving me problems for years already. I thought for sure I must be too young to have arthritis! I started doing some pretty intense fieldwork four years ago, which has meant two months of constant pain every summer. BUT I consider myself d*** lucky that I get to do it at all. I will keep pushing, and I know I have no real reason for a pity party.
It does give me even more incentive to keep the weight off though, and maybe lose some more. The ten pounds I’ve lost since January has made a difference. And now I know what it is. I walk a lot and in January, my knee was really swollen and I was convinced I had injured it. Apparently not.
With apologies for going a bit off-topic, as someone else with some knee OA (and a torn meniscus on at least one side, now I'm thinking maybe both):
Weight loss made a huge improvement for me.
Also, fat and thin, I've gotten some improvement** from persistently doing little things: Icing every time after intense workouts, stretching to maintain flexibility not just in the knees but the adjacent joints (hips and ankles), osteopath, massage therapist, strengthening in ways that involve motions I can repeat enough to be beneficial without causing more problems, etc.
** It isn't like any of these things are a magic one-session "treatment", but more like establishing a routine that helps keep things on the less-discomfort side, through regular "tune-ups", for me.
Another thing that helps me, that may be idiosyncratic, is keeping my knees warm and out of direct drafts. I wear knee warmers (under clothes) in Winter especially, 24x7; and I wear long pants or leggings the overwhelming majority of the time, even when it's hot, especially for workouts. Sometimes applied heat is helpful (preferred: My Thermophore heating pad, which provides moist heat without wetting), though I wouldn't do that when there's swelling.
Now returning us, with apologies, to our regularly-scheduled thread. :flowerforyou:
Thank-you.
Edit to add: Keeping knees warm and out of a draft is difficult to do during arctic fieldwork. I will have to make myself a knee warmer to add to my arsenal of tundra fashion.
I HAVE been wondering how much of it is temperature related.4 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.
One of those hugs on your comment is from me. I am going to cut ‘n paste it elsewhere so that I can find it more easily.
Someone suggested it might be arthritis, but it’s been giving me problems for years already. I thought for sure I must be too young to have arthritis! I started doing some pretty intense fieldwork four years ago, which has meant two months of constant pain every summer. BUT I consider myself d*** lucky that I get to do it at all. I will keep pushing, and I know I have no real reason for a pity party.
It does give me even more incentive to keep the weight off though, and maybe lose some more. The ten pounds I’ve lost since January has made a difference. And now I know what it is. I walk a lot and in January, my knee was really swollen and I was convinced I had injured it. Apparently not.
That bold, that's the attitude I think everyone needs to blow off steam/vent/worry and air things out on occasion, and I remember when military doctors told me at 30 I'd be in a wheelchair before long...looking back they were probably right, if the medical community maintained the status quo, but there's folks out there figuring out new ways to keep us going all the time.
And in keeping in the spirit of the topic, my youngest is 28 and groans and complains enough for the both of us
I've read a lot of what you post and you got some strong attitude going on there, and I like it. I bet you won't let a speedbump, even a really irritating one, slow you down for long before you find another way to keep doing what you love. Hang in there, you can do this
I haven’t figured out how to bold things in quotes, but I gotta say how much I appreciate that last paragraph. It made me tear up. I really respect what you have to say on these forums, so... sheesh. Thank-you!3 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Yes @rosiorama , I have advice. Stay really active.
I know that sounds trite, but I don't mean it that way. I've had arthritis in both feet for over 25 years, bad knees, torn rotator cuffs (one is repaired, the other, nyet...) as well as a few other "issues" and there are folks here who could double my list easily.
That said, I get your frustration, really do. Find work arounds, keep the spirit and mind healthy and happy, and learn to look around and see what life puts in front of you. I've been contending with an illness for weeks now and was feeling kind of pity party yesterday about it while gassing up my truck, and then notice two pumps over is a guy standing on two prosthetic legs gassing his vehicle up. My pity party came to a very abrupt end.
I understand the frustration, but don't let it dictate to you how you feel or stop you from doing what you can.
I'd offer a hug, but I have germs and you don't want them lol.
One of those hugs on your comment is from me. I am going to cut ‘n paste it elsewhere so that I can find it more easily.
Someone suggested it might be arthritis, but it’s been giving me problems for years already. I thought for sure I must be too young to have arthritis! I started doing some pretty intense fieldwork four years ago, which has meant two months of constant pain every summer. BUT I consider myself d*** lucky that I get to do it at all. I will keep pushing, and I know I have no real reason for a pity party.
It does give me even more incentive to keep the weight off though, and maybe lose some more. The ten pounds I’ve lost since January has made a difference. And now I know what it is. I walk a lot and in January, my knee was really swollen and I was convinced I had injured it. Apparently not.
That bold, that's the attitude I think everyone needs to blow off steam/vent/worry and air things out on occasion, and I remember when military doctors told me at 30 I'd be in a wheelchair before long...looking back they were probably right, if the medical community maintained the status quo, but there's folks out there figuring out new ways to keep us going all the time.
And in keeping in the spirit of the topic, my youngest is 28 and groans and complains enough for the both of us
I've read a lot of what you post and you got some strong attitude going on there, and I like it. I bet you won't let a speedbump, even a really irritating one, slow you down for long before you find another way to keep doing what you love. Hang in there, you can do this
I haven’t figured out how to bold things in quotes, but I gotta say how much I appreciate that last paragraph. It made me tear up. I really respect what you have to say on these forums, so... sheesh. Thank-you!
Back at you my friend
edit: Highlight what you want to bold, then click/tap the 'B' at the very top left.1 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Been there. First. Keep moving!! Find things you can do and do them. Movement is your friend.
Experiment with ice and heat. One or both may help with discomfort.
Check out resources re eating a diet that minimizes inflammation
When the time comes for a knee replacement ... do it as soon as you can. I put mine off for a number of years. It ended up being such a non-issue (I was back on my horse in 4 weeks) that I was sorry that I waited so long. Life since the replace.ent has been pain free 5 -
Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Been there. First. Keep moving!! Find things you can do and do them. Movement is your friend.
Experiment with ice and heat. One or both may help with discomfort.
Check out resources re eating a diet that minimizes inflammation
When the time comes for a knee replacement ... do it as soon as you can. I put mine off for a number of years. It ended up being such a non-issue (I was back on my horse in 4 weeks) that I was sorry that I waited so long. Life since the replace.ent has been pain free
One thing that seems common as we age is arthritis. I'm loaded with it - particularly my hands and my back.
Movement is key !5 -
anothermfpuser wrote: »Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Been there. First. Keep moving!! Find things you can do and do them. Movement is your friend.
Experiment with ice and heat. One or both may help with discomfort.
Check out resources re eating a diet that minimizes inflammation
When the time comes for a knee replacement ... do it as soon as you can. I put mine off for a number of years. It ended up being such a non-issue (I was back on my horse in 4 weeks) that I was sorry that I waited so long. Life since the replace.ent has been pain free
One thing that seems common as we age is arthritis. I'm loaded with it - particularly my hands and my back.
Movement is key !
In my case changing what I eat was key to my health. I ate a diet that was highly inflammatory in my case for 40 years and it caused me a lot of arthritis damage.4 -
lovesretirement wrote: »Sigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
Arthritis, for me, was mainly inflammation that caused pain along with some thinning of aging cartilage. I was told I had a torn meniscus/ arthritis and needed surgery. I refused. Weight loss in addition to limiting starchy white carbs, processed foods, and sugar was the cure. I am pain free. The more weight you lose, the less pressure on your knees! Do what you can with what you have. Keep going!
I am glad you were able to resolve this with a change of diet. I get frustrated with my mom because her doctor is her medical god and whatever medicines he say take she takes them faithfully as opposed to trying a more holistic way first. She has rheumatoid arthritis and she takes 8 pills in one day per week.4 -
[rSigh. I am 44 and just found out today that I have arthritis in my knee. I am really active and my knee has been slowing me down for years already. This feels like a nail in the coffin.
Wrong thread? Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. Any wisdom/advice?
The best advice is to keep moving -
My Dad is 93 y/o -He has had arthritis problems for better then 30 years, he walks slow now, and is kind of crooked. He is just now looking into getting a handicap tag for his car. I think it might be because his girl friend uses a cane to walk & some days she needs a walker.
6 -
My dad is 70 years old and jogs 5 miles every morning. He said exercise is the fountain of youth and I believe him. ❤️11
https://youtu.be/tP214lJtKlM
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