Fear & age?

[Crankin]

I have not experienced any broken bones, except for a broken nose in a car accident when I was 15 when my mom was driving and a fractured knee from falling down concrete steps when I was 23. I just need more recovery time now. I've always needed more warm up than others and over exercising /overuse injuries kept me sick with infection after infection (respiratory), plantar fasciaitis, and a stress fracture in my 30s. I also weighed 92 pounds.
Yes, I learned my lesson, but it is still hard for me, even though I know better. It's a struggle to take 2 rest days a week, but I really need to. I want to do more and get faster all of the time. The problem is, it's really hard to do this at my stage of life! And, I know a lot of people from my cycling group, who are 5-15 years older than me, who do a lot more. I have a hard time accepting aging and I dislike people who "embrace" their oldness. Some of my issues are from my own peculiar health issues that I have struggled with off and on since I was much younger. But, I still keep at it and it helps to surround myself with others who are extremely fit.

[Veronica]

I thought of this thread when I saw this.

Veronica

[shootingstar]

I have a hard time accepting aging and I dislike people who "embrace" their oldness. Some of my issues are from my own peculiar health issues that I have struggled with off and on since I was much younger. But, I still keep at it and it helps to surround myself with others who are extremely fit.

Crankin, I assume you meant people who "embrace" their oldness, by becoming unhealthy/not fit because they chose to slack off/not pay attention to what they were eating, etc.

I agree that it helps to be around some people who share and practice some healthy habits. I know I've lost some perspective on average health and fitness of older men, because I'm around dearie...who is 70. He's not superman, but he is fit with ongoing effort to eat healthy (80% of time, like most people) and yea, I have low level worry when he tells me about his winter cycling this winter on his studded tires.. But I don't say much to him except ask how his rides are. Today he chose to remain on the paths where there are no cars and the pathways are more clear/less slippery. Not totally. Whereas I saw a number of (primarily) male cyclists rolling along on their studded tires through slush, etc. on roads with cars. He cycled around 20 km. today. I haven't been cycling at all for past 6 days, because of our snowfall and snow/ice is on roads that is part of my normal work commute route.

Yesterday, he was musing to me 8 years ago, how he did cycle from Toronto to Montreal....in 3 days. Which meant 1-2 days of cycling 190 km. per day. Yeaa, I guess he was 62 yrs. I didn't clue in at that time, for age vs. distance. I only paid attention to the daily distance. I am a dork at times.) He says now, he could not /would not want to do that distance in 1 day.

Sooooooo....aging, capability, self-confidence or just happy ignorance (with some fitness training to prevent injury) and taking some precaution, results in situations where each person responds differently to their slow physical decline.

In my opinion, balanced mental health is important and becomes even more so as we age, but still do fitness activities with some adjustments. This is why I put cycling as equally important to me...as my blogging, art. And it is another reason why my personal blog, it's not solely about cycling. I don't wish to become a person who falls into deep depression just because I can't cycle as well/cycle at all.I can't guarantee such self-protection, but just want have a handful, not just 1 passion that I love to practice/indulge.

Here I am just a few days ago:

[Crankin]

ShootingStar, I meant that I have friends who are excitedly bragging about joining AARP, complaining about their aches and pains, living for the day they can become snowbirds and spend half the year in FL, and saying things like "at our age..."
I agree, you do need balance for your mental health. I dread the day when I can't ride, but that's when I'll be walking outside or doing chair aerobics! (sigh, we used to make fun of instructors who taught that when I worked at gyms). I just don't want to get old. There's longevity in my family, with fairly good quality of life, so I expect to have to adapt my exercise habits as I'll be around for awhile.

[lph]

I don't mind getting older (at least not much), I mind not being able to do the things I love. As long as those things require a certain level of physical fitness, I'm going to strive to keep fit. But I would be naive if I expected myself to be as fast or as strong or as fearless now as when I was 20 years younger. I do know however that stamina "ages well", it just takes consistent training and not too many injuries. And general good health is of course something that everyone can work at and benefit from, at every age.

At some point my priorities may change. I don't mean that that I will ever happily accept poor health, but maybe keeping fit just might not seem so important, maybe because the effort overshadows the rewards, maybe because I've gained other interests in life. I don't know. I think that's what I think of in the term "aging gracefully" - not trying to be as fit or feel as "young" as possible, but making active choices about how to keep yourself capable of doing the things you enjoy doing.

[rebeccaC]

I think that's what I think of in the term "aging gracefully" - not trying to be as fit or feel as "young" as possible, but making active choices about how to keep yourself capable of doing the things you enjoy doing.

well put and that's hopefully how I'll look at it!!!!

[PamNY]

ShootingStar, I meant that I have friends who are excitedly bragging about joining AARP, complaining about their aches and pains, living for the day they can become snowbirds and spend half the year in FL, and saying things like "at our age..."

I pretty much avoid people who use the phrase "at our age."

[Catrin]

I pretty much avoid people who use the phrase "at our age."

Generally speaking, folks who say such things appear to think that I am from another planet

[OakLeaf]

But then, "at my age" I *do* need more recovery time to get the benefit of a hard workout, and to avoid injury, and I'm not shy about admitting it, even to athletes older than I am. I know someone my same age who's been following a cookie-cutter training plan and getting very little benefit out of it, and it's pretty obvious to me that it doesn't include enough recovery time for someone our age ...

[Melalvai]

ShootingStar, I meant that I have friends who are excitedly bragging about joining AARP, complaining about their aches and pains, living for the day they can become snowbirds and spend half the year in FL, and saying things like "at our age..."

You have weird friends.

[OakLeaf]

I want to do more and get faster all of the time.

I've already figured that if I live long enough, there will come a time when my aging will overrun the speed I'm still gaining by experience and smarter training. And then it will be time to find a new sport that I can start getting faster at.




Good one, V.