Is Hard Work/Play Good for You?

[TromboneAl]

I just spent six hours cutting and moving firewood with my neighbor. This involved pushing and lifting 18 inch rounds -- real grunt work.

I feel good, but really beat up.

In this situation I always wonder whether this kind of rough exertion is, on balance, good for a 53 year old body or bad. At what point does it go from good excercise to body abuse?

What do you think?

[73ss454]

TA, I think you should have a drink and go to bed.

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I just spent six hours cutting and moving firewood with my neighbor. This involved pushing and lifting 18 inch rounds -- real grunt work. I feel good, but really beat up. In this situation I always wonder whether this kind of rough exertion is, on balance, good for a 53 year old body or bad. At what point does it go from good excercise to body abuse? What do you think?

What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.

[frayne]

Hey 55 year old here and nothing better than pushing some good stiff wood.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I'd guess that conventional wisdom says that unaccustomed hard work entails a greater risk of injury. But moderate exertion has always been considered good in general.

My DW can't believe how active I am on some weekend days - she would find it very uncomfortable, while I like the endorphins. On a Saturday I might clean the pool, do the lawn, walk the dog a couple miles, work out, etc. Nothing extreme but more than she would enjoy.

[Alan]

TA,

Good form is what matters. I think hard work like you describe is good for provided you take care not to injure yourself. I speak from some past experience including serious lower back surgery 17 years ago. as long as you warm up and cool down (including some stretching) you should be just fine. I do lots of exercise and love the buzz it gives me, which lasts for hours afterwards, but sometimes I have to soak in a tub or sit with my laptop with a heating pad on my back..... (and a glass of single malt in my hand)

[Patrick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I just spent six hours cutting and moving firewood with my neighbor. This involved pushing and lifting 18 inch rounds -- real grunt work. I feel good, but really beat up. In this situation I always wonder whether this kind of rough exertion is, on balance, good for a 53 year old body or bad. At what point does it go from good excercise to body abuse? What do you think?

When you start to feel angina.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick When you start to feel angina.

Ohhh man, what a set-up! But it's just too easy...

[Patrick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo! Ohhh man, what a set-up! But it's just too easy...

Go ahead, make my day!

[Outtahere]

My dh is like Rich, he walks the dog in the morning, either cleans the house or putters around the yard, sometimes he'll stop by my sisters and split some wood for her just to get the exercise. If you feel good once you're done that's great, it's when you've done that work and wish you hadn't that you need to worry.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl In this situation I always wonder whether this kind of rough exertion is, on balance, good for a 53 year old body or bad. At what point does it go from good excercise to body abuse?

When you do it too often. I think the biggest factor in aging exercisers is recovery time. Lesser factors include being out of shape (doing only that and only once a year) or having bad form.

I always feel lazy an hour or two before the evening tae kwon do practice and I don't particularly look forward to it. 10 minutes into it I'm having a great time that lasts the rest of the hour. (Same thing with yardwork.) But then I drag my butt home and snorkel up the ibuprofen.

If I have at least 48 hours until the next practice (or yardwork) then I'm fine and the cycle repeats itself with no problem. But if I do it the next night it's a recipe for disaster-- at a minimum a muscle pull or a respiratory infection.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

When you start to feel Angina.

She wasn't there, just my neighbor, Bob.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl She wasn't there, just my neighbor, Bob.

You posted this just hoping that someone would bring that word up, didn't you?!?

[F M All]

Is this another of T Al's monologues?

[TromboneAl]

Take my wife, Angina. Ba dum bum. Are you happy to be retired, or is that a sock in your pocket? These two retirees walk past a bar -- hey, it could happen.

I'll be here all week, folks.

[Alan]

I presume you've heard about the doctor who was sued for sexual harrassment by an old lady when he told her she had acute angina

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I always feel good after eating some ice cream and watching tv.

After a day of hard work? Not so much.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I just spent six hours cutting and moving firewood with my neighbor. This involved pushing and lifting 18 inch rounds -- real grunt work. I feel good, but really beat up. In this situation I always wonder whether this kind of rough exertion is, on balance, good for a 53 year old body or bad. At what point does it go from good excercise to body abuse? What do you think?

It's easy for those of us in our 50's to mis-judge how much we can do, and (all fantasies aside) it's usually less than we could do in our 20's. But we don't always take that into account.

Exercise is GOOD - - but we need to build up to it. There's no need to invite a heart attack. Being a guy, you should be especially wary of heart issues. People in their fifties keel over and die from heart attacks every day.

In answer to your question, I think that the point at which it goes from good exercise to body abuse is where the negative aftereffects and pain cause you to lose sleep, or interrupt your usual exercise regimen for more than a couple of days. Be careful to avoid becoming too overheated, too. Check your pulse rate to make sure it is within a reasonable exercising range.

As a rule of thumb, now that I am in my fifties I try to stop when my level of exertion is about half what I think I can do. When doing heavy yardwork I rest and assess for a few minutes in comfort, inside. If all seems to be going well, then I go back and finish whatever it was. That seems to work for me. When I'm not in the mood to do this, I usually regret it due to the surprising level of pain and the fact that I just can't do much in the gym for the rest of the week.

[Spanky]

It depends on your physical conditions and how often you exercise. If you do not exercise regularly, you should exercise between 50 - 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you already exercise regularly, 60 - 70 percent of maximum heart rate is fine.

That pile of wood can always wait!

[dumpster56]

I am in as good shape as I was at 25, maybe even better. Been running and working out everyday since that time. I am almost 51 and can run miles and miles, do heavy lifting, which I tend NOT TO DO the hernia repairs are uncomfortable. But if you have taken care of yourself over the years well keep doing it. Look at jack lalaine, the guy is in his 90s and still works out.

Time to take the kayak out on the pond out back to attack the beaver dam.