I was getting winded putting on socks. something had to change.


I am not going down easy. :D

I turned 83 on my last birthday. I'm amazed at the things that start happening that you never thought of before. Things like benign Actinic keratosis, nuscle & joint pains you never thought of before, sensing your balance isn't like it used to be, problems sleeping, etc., etc. I know I'm lucky to be able to still do the things I do - take 4 to 5 mile walks occasionally, climb up & down ladders to get up and over my 14 ft. parapet wall onto my roof to clean my solar panels, being able to walk up & down the hilly places around here, etc. The crappy thing is I'm finding out I can't get out and work all day like I used to. I'm having to divide things up into 2 to 4 hour stints. Also I've lost about 20 pounds of muscle and over an inch in height in the past couple of years. It feels like you're disappearing. You younger guys should keep up all the activity you can for work, exercise, and play for as long as you can. Yoiu are all a great bunch that I wish all the best for.

You’re an inspiration, Marv!

My dad always said "Getting older isn't for the weak" Man, was he ever right about that!? I've been working on a patio doing a sitting wall and putting a roof over the patio. Up and down the ladder, lifting and setting beams, lifting and setting rafters. I hurt and I know I didn't hurt like this in my 30's when I was doing this type of work somewhat regularly.

I'm 75 1/2 (yes,we start counting fractions of years again as we get to the other end of the life cycle). I have nearly all of your complaints. I work 2 hours and come in and rest for 1/2 hr and have maybe 6 hours of productive time in a day. The constant pain of arthritis takes a toll on your energy level and your attitude toward life. Some days you wonder how much longer will this go on.

I’m thinking that the human male was not designed to live past 40. We are experiencing the effects of modern medicine. We have money. Doctors want our money. So they keep us alive.

^ain't it the truth
I'm 71 and still have my father. They're keeping him alive at great expense. He's 97 with no quality of life
He can't stand by himself and is in a state of advanced dementia. It's criminal, we aren't supposed to live that long.

Aches and pains, balance, hearing and eyesight degradation, strength and stamina in decline, slack skin, plumbing issues, giant forehead, big ol' hairy ears....what's not to like about getting old?

My endurance and ability to climb hills on a bicycle is still way above par, I still like and can enjoy music even if I'm missing some of the subtleties, mechanical problem solving triumphs are still rewarding, and I can accept that IDG a single F about some things that used to matter.

One thing I miss is my untethered love of driving, but that has more to do with my natural impatience and the amount of traffic to get to the fun roads than anything else. (Impatience and traffic don't mix!!)

It's a good thing that I'm a cheap bastard. I'm 64 and do most of my physical work on the house. I put on my own roof. It took me 3 months though but that was due to repairing the underlayment and relocating the vents and putting on high quality (heavy) shingles. I re-plumbed my kitchen in copper as well as a rental that I'm currently working on. I re-did my electrical on both houses. I lined my attic with plywood to create extra storage and re-locate the HVAC to the attic. Did I mention drywall? I hate drywall....especially the buying and loading.

I do most projects myself for economic reasons. I want high quality but can barely afford basic. All of that said, I'm 64 but I feel like I'm in my 20's. Yes, I get sore, but it usually goes away in a day or so. I don't take any pain meds, but I do take a lot of supplements.

My grandfather passed away at 92, I had dinner with him 2 weeks before he died in his sleep of a heart attack and would swear he was 72. At 91 we took his chainsaw away when my mom couldn't reach him for a day, she sent a cousin out to his house the next day to check and they found him under a tree he had cut down. He had fun pulling boulders the size of shopping carts out of the ground and surrounding forest with his tractor and a mighty 30 lb crowbar, breaking them up and building stone walls.

Genetics and staying active, mentally and physically, are keys to a long fulfilling life.

I'm not old, yet, though I'm advancing along that path. The older I get, the more focused I am on my workout routine and diet.

My biggest issue (as someone else mentioned) is it takes a lot longer for things to heal now.

@Gregpark, I feel for you and your father dealing with the issues he's dealing with; however, at least you had a lot of good years with him (hopefully). My parents were both gone by the time I was in my early 40s.

I'm 66 and going strong! Well, trying to, anyway. I hike/run on mountain trails at least twice a week, up to maybe 15 miles. More walking than running, though. But I think the most beneficial thing I do is rock climbing. It's like doing yoga and weight training at the same time. Most of all, it's fun. Especially outdoor climbing. Nothing makes you feel younger than looking across the Valley to Half Dome while 400 feet up a wall. I highly recommend it.

I still get aches and pains and weird little mystifying injuries. But I hope I can keep this up for 20 more years. That's the plan. And yes, the main thing is to keep moving.

I turned 79 in August, still moving along fairly well. I’m like Marv, climbing ladders, cleaning gutters on my barn, driving steel fence posts by hand. Just took on another project car, a 1966 Volvo P1800 Jensen body. It needs everything! No interior, no motor but body shell in in excellent condition. I’ll probably be dead before it ever gets done. I don’t know what the fk I was thinking. If my wife was alive today, she’s just shake her head and head back to the house…Gotta keep moving guys, work through the pain. Thanks

Last night I was in my truck stopped at the light and twisted my body to stretch my back. Instead, I pulled a muscle in my back so bad that I could not sleep, barely get off toilet, can’t bend over. Went to ortho this morning for shoulder and could barely get there because my right leg just kept giving out. I wanted to discuss the tear in my knee and my back issues but learned that this ortho only deals with shoulders. Very frustrating. Had to make another appointment for mid December to have knee looked at.

Because of one simple twist, my weekend is ruined. This is the end result of a lifetime of sedentary work, barely any exercise, food pollution, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, and mountain bike injuries and other actual injuries never properly addressed.

I have always been tough as nails but I have finally reached the point where it takes very little to do serious damage that lingers….even though I cleaned my act up these past 5 or so years. It’s quite scary actually. Today has sucked.

When it all stops hurting…that’s when you need to worry!

That's a drag. Feel better soon!

I've got a selection of foam rollers, a roller stick, a balance board, other gym stuff that I leave around the living/dining room so I can attack sore spots or just lied around and stretch and feel a little better. The balance board is nice, (the round wobble kind, not the back and forth roller style), because you can just sort of use it while you're just waiting around or killing time or enjoying a song or a podcast. It's amazing how many muscles in my lower body - including my lower back - get stretched while I try and maintain balance for five or ten minutes.

I am 67 and been diagnosed with cancer twice . Yeah aches and pain come with age but you have to keep pushing . The drugs I am currently on have my testosterone level at 2 ........... 2 !!! Try pushing yourself everyday with that level . All my tests look great but could change tomorrow . Enjoy every day even if it hurts .

A little off topic but does anyone here have or have used a LifeVac?

Last week I choked on an apple and almost did die. My whole life flashed before my eyes. I reached for phone to call 9/11 only to realize immediately I couldn’t speak or have the time to call. Interesting, as I was almost dying, I cursed myself for procrastinating and not buying a lifevac like I have been telling myself to do for 2 years

Placing order now. No affiliation.

lifevac.net

Another sorta off topic…..quite a few years ago there was a thread, maybe around Christmas time, where a poster mentioned he was doing poorly with cancer and that he was alone with no family or friends around. I can’t remember who this person was and I have searched and searched but not found the thread. I have wanted to check on this person but no idea how. Anyone remember that or know who that was?

I turned 60 a little over a month ago. I have been fortunate to have been created with good genes I guess. I do a lot of walking at work and try to stay somewhat active, so, not really many aches and pains all that much yet. [emoji854]

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