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Thoughts on getting old vs aging

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  • RCPV
    RCPV Posts: 342 Member
    I turn 61 this coming March. I have every intention of hitting the gym everyday for the rest of my life till the day comes that I can no longer get out of bed. Same goes for my motorcycle......my 80 year old mother in law says I need to sell it and start acting my age..............this coming form a woman who sits in her recliner day in and day out watching reruns from the 70s and doing crossword puzzles........................I will fight aging till I can fight no more. Growing old ain't for sissies.

    Keep fighting the good fight! My first car was a motorcycle. Every time I talk about getting one now, my husband has a seizure and quotes me statistics about motorcycle accidents in our state. Party pooper. :p
  • RCPV
    RCPV Posts: 342 Member
    BTW Papa_Wolf1959, to quote Billy Crystal, "You look mahvelous!"
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    This woman is getting old, not aging, 82 years old, double bodyweight deadlift, beat the crap out of intruder:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWprd33kTFU
  • lkpducky
    lkpducky Posts: 16,632 Member
    My favourite author is Terry Pratchett - and my favourite quote from him is "Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."

    The older I get, the more I understand what he meant.

    <3 Terry Pratchett - such a great loss when he passed on.
  • lkpducky wrote: »
    My favourite author is Terry Pratchett - and my favourite quote from him is "Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."

    The older I get, the more I understand what he meant.

    <3 Terry Pratchett - such a great loss when he passed on.

    Yes - I grew up on Pratchett and through the whole of my teen years through to adulthood I looked forward to a new book each year. I know it's a bit peculiar/nerdy but I decided I would never read The Shepherd's Crown... that way I will always have one more Pratchett left to read.

    Sorry to go off topic.
  • kristingjertsen
    kristingjertsen Posts: 239 Member
    I have dealt with some health issues over the past 5 years. Two spine surgeries with challenging recovery each time. I continue to exercise, continue to walk, continue to spend time with friends and family, and keep my mind active. Dietary changes have made the biggest impact. Eating a plant based diet with some fish (sardines and salmon are wonderful sources of protein and DHA) and eggs a few days per week (usually one egg and 3 whites) has eliminated my need to take Rx medications. Not the life I would have chosen, but the life I have. I want to make the most of it. You only get to live once. Don't quit! Keep doing everything you can to make your life good.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Just started reading the book Fast After 50 (Joe Friel).
    As I wasn't fast before 50 it's going to be a challenge. :wink:

    Very interesting book so far.
    I only got into cycling seriously at age 53 (in 2013) so I've seen nothing but upward fitness progress until this year when injury intervened. My advice, which seems to align with the author's view, is don't train like an old person - keep pushing hard with intensity, be ambitious and not resigned to decline, fight it.


  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Just started reading the book Fast After 50 (Joe Friel).
    As I wasn't fast before 50 it's going to be a challenge. :wink:

    Very interesting book so far.
    I only got into cycling seriously at age 53 (in 2013) so I've seen nothing but upward fitness progress until this year when injury intervened. My advice, which seems to align with the author's view, is don't train like an old person - keep pushing hard with intensity, be ambitious and not resigned to decline, fight it.


    Great comments, agree 100%.
  • annie5904
    annie5904 Posts: 84 Member
    I am 65. I started jogging a few years ago. I walk. Play with our grandchildren. Travel. Enjoy life.
    People say I don t know how you do it.
    I feel like saying well I would be bored stiff just sitting in a chair all day.
    Don t get me wrong I need to rest but am not ready to be written off yet
  • Lolinloggen
    Lolinloggen Posts: 463 Member
    I am 51, at 50 I decided to change jobs again. Everybody told me it would be so hard and nigh on impossible because of my age. I got the first job I really wanted. I was qualified and I had all the experience and more they wanted. The upped the position a scale to make sure I would accept.
    I keep up with all kind of technological changes because I like it. In my previous job my hip and happening 26year old co-worker told me that I am more connected and up with everything than she is. She is in good shape and told me that me being so active gives her hope for her future.

    The other day I was on a business trip in Asia and a number of older (70-80) people were working out in the part doing stretches My 60-year old co worker said at home nobody that age can do that at that age. I told him in no uncertain terms that it was my goal to be that fit and that I had seen people that age at my yoga and gym classes.

    Based on my age I fall into the senior bracket, but I flat out refuse to be senior going on geriatric as some my age seem to do. I have a number of friends on MFP older than me and fit. My in-lwas have neighbours that ran 15km after a quadruple bypass and well into their 70's These are people that inspire me every day, I want to grow old that way.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 12,930 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    My 50th birthday was spent in New Jersey on a trail in the middle of winter.

    knucwbe0oecp.jpg

    So piss off AARP. :D

    This is great. It reminded me that a few years ago I got to spend the 50th anniversary of my birth playing a game of disc in Redwall Cavern in Grand Canyon. It was a very special day, and my traveling mates made it even more special. It was actually some pictures I saw of myself that made me focus on getting back to a healthy weight. Now that I've done that, I've noticed how much faster I am when I play Ultimate.

    I was never a fast runner. Never. Typically when I play Ultimate, if I was covering anyone even remotely fast, I didn't pose much of a threat. If they sprinted downfield, I couldn't do much to keep them from catching a well-thrown disc. Well, surprise me in 2018 when I started to be able to almost keep up with even the younger, faster players. I could also make cuts and not just rely on the fact I've played long enough to do a good fake - I could break away from my defender and get a pass. Felt GREAT. Still does. Again this year I could cover just about any player. Even if they were faster than I am, I am fast enough to keep up enough to keep the handler from throwing to them.

    I think I lost some muscle mass when I lost weight, and I'm working to build that back, but other aspects of my life tell me over fifty ain't a problem. I am looking to stay fit and healthy enough to have lots more adventures when I retire, and I'm hoping that happens within the next five years.

    I look forward to returning to Grand Canyon in the coming years. Redwall Cavern is always a special place, as is Nankoweap. Redwall Cavern can easily fit hundreds of people.

    2gp86cjts7wk.jpg


    Being Alive Below Lava (ABL) is also a thrill everyone looks forward to.

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    k726hof9kw5y.jpg



  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Just started reading the book Fast After 50 (Joe Friel).
    As I wasn't fast before 50 it's going to be a challenge. :wink:

    Very interesting book so far.
    I only got into cycling seriously at age 53 (in 2013) so I've seen nothing but upward fitness progress until this year when injury intervened. My advice, which seems to align with the author's view, is don't train like an old person - keep pushing hard with intensity, be ambitious and not resigned to decline, fight it.


    I'm also a fan of Friel's work, and in particular, his book Fast After 50. I love how he starts by outlining all the factors that work against us as we age, then offers a series of steps we can take to offset many of those factors. I also love how he provides examples of training regimens that athletes have used to help maintain performance as they age, such as moving from a 7 day to a 9 day training week in order to provide more recovery days between high intensity sessions. And agree that his point about "train hard to race hard" is central to maintaining high performance in endurance sports.

    As such, I have no plans to slow down at 62 years old. I took a year off to rehab an injury last year, but this year its back to racing with the same goal: becoming faster. :)

  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    I'm not sure how much longer I can resist with offers like this one :p

    2b5yri26o4x7.jpg

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    I'm not sure how much longer I can resist with offers like this one :p

    2b5yri26o4x7.jpg

    It doesn't have wheels, so it's not a diss. ;)

    Personally, I joined AARP in a hot minute at about age 35 when my insurance agent told me my (non-AARP) homeowners' insurance would be a couple of hundred dollars cheaper per annum if I belonged. $15 (at the time, IIRC) annual dues vs. that couple of hundred . . . I guess that's the price of my pride, huh? :lol:
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    I'm not sure how much longer I can resist with offers like this one :p

    2b5yri26o4x7.jpg

    That's a powerful attractant for sure! I've also managed to resist the gravitational pull of AARP through a combination of stubbornness and ego. :)