Another physically aging milestone

[tuixiu]

I'm 41 and still skinny, almost same weight from college (although it's definitely not distributed as optimally) but I'm definitely in a time where I encounter things that tell me I'm getting old. These usually come in two forms:

1. Doing something that I used to do and regretting it.
2. Pausing before doing something and deciding no longer a good idea.

The latest? I'm cutting between two parking lots and hop up onto a dividing wall that is about five feet tall. All my life I would have just hopped down, hell I probably would have yelled "yippee" and jumped a little higher off it to get down.

Not this time, for some reason I'm looking and thinking that's gonna hurt my ankles or knees if I just jump off. So I scoot down on my butt and kinda slide off gently. Sadness, I continue on ashamed but with two working ankles.

Anyone have any other physical capability milestones to share?

No, I don't care if we keep it clean or not.

[Orchidflower]

Speaking of hopping, I found out when taking a kickboxing class 10 years ago that I could hardly hop at all anymore. Just a skill I haven't used for years and have lost the ability to do. Being the pogo stick champ of my neighborhood as a kid, this was a shock really.

[TromboneAl]

I have decided to not get dressed while walking down the stairs in the morning.

And I don't do this kind of stuff:

YouTube - FRED: 9 Pogo Stick Backflips FAIL!

[bbbamI]

When I used to 'get down', I really got down....

Now, sometimes I have trouble getting back up.

[Westernskies]

Does it count if they have a pill for it?

[Amethyst]

I was never athletic and would never have jumped off a 5-foot wall, even when I was 18. However, when I notice that some part is less flexible than it used to be, I get to work on it. As a result, I've got more spring in my step now than I did 20 years ago.

What's deteriorated, is my voice. I used to be able to sing and carry a tune. I also had a good speaking voice, and loved public speaking. Now my voice box feels creaky and when I speak for any length of time, my voice starts to break like a teenage boy's. I wonder if there are such things as voice box exercises? I mean, for regular people (I know opera singers spend hours on vocal exercises).

Amethyst

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst I was never athletic and would never have jumped off a 5-foot wall, even when I was 18. However, when I notice that some part is less flexible than it used to be, I get to work on it. As a result, I've got more spring in my step now than I did 20 years ago. What's deteriorated, is my voice. I used to be able to sing and carry a tune. I also had a good speaking voice, and loved public speaking. Now my voice box feels creaky and when I speak for any length of time, my voice starts to break like a teenage boy's. I wonder if there are such things as voice box exercises? I mean, for regular people (I know opera singers spend hours on vocal exercises). Amethyst

Get a good voice teacher(as in singing). Some of these are also quite skilled at teaching more healthful use of the voice in speaking contexts.

Ha

[yakers]

I saw that among friends & coworkers but I was fairly fit and could do anything @40 that I could do @25.......but then 50 hit and it felt like the warranty expired. Suddenly its crowns on the teeth, bifocals, white hair and tight muscles in places where they should not be and soft places that should be hard.
I didn't notice it so much in my routine--if I ran and kept it up or biking or doing any sport regularly but what I really noticed is I could not jump between new activities without really feeling it.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

tiuxiu,

I get really stiff from sitting at work or driving a long ways or in airplanes.

It gets worse from there. Enjoy your mobility while you can.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakers and soft places that should be hard.

Not being able to jump 5 foot walls would truly fly under my radar. But this one you mention gets my attention fast. Age makes exercise more difficult and potentially painful. But yikes, don't tell us that we lose recumbent exercise too.

ha

[GoodSense]

I am only 31 but for the last 5 years or so, every year for about a week, I cannot stand up straight because my back hurts so much. Sometimes it's triggered by sitting in an awkward position for like half an hour, sometimes it's staying at friends' house with a bad mattress. But it's been happening every year. I try really hard to have good posture, especially when I am sitting. The only good part is that when it happens, I know it will pass.

Amethyst, I second Haha's suggestion about finding a voice teacher. The voice is all about breath and where the resonance is, and it can totally be trained. Susan Graham, one of my favorite opera singers, once said, "I don't know how anyone can go through their 40s without a teacher, with their bodies changing so much." She was talking about voice teachers for her, but it applies to everyone, and not just to voices.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiuxiu 1. Doing something that I used to do and regretting it. 2. Pausing before doing something and deciding no longer a good idea. Anyone have any other physical capability milestones to share? No, I don't care if we keep it clean or not.

Anything related to my knee joints.

Taekwondo sparring. There are two main groups of TKD fighters-- (1) those gymnasts with blazingly fast reflexes who elegantly dart in and out with snappy scoring kicks that you just can't respond to quickly enough, and (2) those boxers who come at you like a Mack truck, beat you up with their punches, and grind you down with their stamina & sustained anaerobic exhaustion perseverance. I'm one of the latter, I'm tired of getting beat up by the former, and I feel bad about imposing my style upon geezers in their 50s my new age group.

I've also learned that when the hot chick in her 20s is smiling at me, it's no longer for the reason that it used to be... and now I just can't decide whether or not to feel offended.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Anything related to my knee joints.

Me too. I can't squat. I can't pull my feet underneath me to get up from a sitting position on the floor. I've had the usual surgeries, now it's deciding when to do replacements.

This leads to "fun" when kayaking. I can't even begin to get in and out of a sit-in kayak. So, I use a sit-on-top. I get in by walking the boat out to thigh deep water then sitting down on it and swiveling 90 degrees pulling my feet in as I swivel. Of course, if there is a swift current or a muddy bottom, this gets challenging. And our first trips in the early spring, when the water is still icey, are really chilling when you have to wade in, despite the wet suit, etc.

But, ya just have to adapt and keep having fun!

[WhoDaresWins]

Strange little muscular aches and pains that come and go. I sometimes suspect I have fibromyalgia.

[hankster]

In my late teens and early 20s, I could slam dunk a basketball one handed. Pretty good jumping ability since I was only 6' 1" tall.

Fast forward to late 40s. I was shooting hoops one day and decided to take an all out running jump to see how close I could come to the rim. I start at the top of the key, take five or six great strides and launch myself upward. I feel somewhat disappointed as my hand just reaches partway up the net. Then I land on my feet on the concrete surface. Mother of God! The shock wave felt like explosive charges were detonated in every joint, my spine and inside my skull. My lost youth summed up in one agonizing instant

[Dreamer]

I used to be a speed skater in my late 20's, early 30's. It was a hobby. I grew up roller skating and it was my absolute favorite thing to do. I would probably break some major bones if I tried that now. I need to find a roller rink and try some nice slow roller skating now. We have an ice rink in my town, but it is not the same as roller skating for me. I also have roller blades, but much prefer roller skating.

[tuixiu]

Hah Hankster I remember that milestone too.

I'm only 5'8 but could grab a basketball rim pretty easily until my mid-30s. I can't even name the year that I couldn't anymore because somewhere along the way the thought of trying became unappealing. I still play basketball but other aspects of the game have become unappealing as well, like moving without the ball on offense or staying in front of my man on defense. So I'm now the slightly older guy we all hated who:
1. Camps at the three point line to chuck on offense
2. Fouls people if they go by him on defense

You remember how when you're young (maybe it's just a male thing) you have this instinct to jump up and try to touch things as you go by? I had that instinct really bad, my Mom was always cleaning dirty hand prints off the top of door frames etc. Good times.

[CoolChange]

Hangovers - With each passing decade:

1. They hurt worse.
2. They last longer.
3. It takes less and less libations to produce them.

Luckily, they are much fewer and farther between than in my youth since I do stop and consider that second or third drink now instead of just automatically having it since I know it has the potential to hurt the next day.

[Walt34]

Again on the knee joints.

I've already had laproscopic surgery on one about 15 years ago and it's starting to act up again.

Forget doing deep knee bends ever again.

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy ... Enjoy your mobility while you can.

You said it!

For about five years, I've had back and knee pain that comes and goes, it's mostly backed off for now but
I can take a long walk up and down hills and then be almost unable to lift my knees up onto a short curb.