The Age of Permanent Injuries: We're Animals Now!

[W2R]

When I read that, my first thought was "How hard can that be?"

I can't do it!

I just tried it and was successful.... but for only three minutes! Then I had to catch myself, putting both hands on the counter.

Oh well. Back to my usual task of cleaning the kitchen sink (actually just giving it the "once over") when I run the microwave.

 

[harley]

I just tried it and was successful.... but for only three minutes! Then I had to catch myself, putting both hands on the counter.

Oh well. Back to my usual task of cleaning the kitchen sink (actually just giving it the "once over") when I run the microwave.

If you could stand one footed with your eyes closed for 3 minutes, I'm in awe. That's amazing to me, and I practice it off and on. Congratulations on being well centered.

 

[TromboneAl]

YAfter sliding down the side walk (and miraculously remaining upright) after a recent freezing rain I am considering buying a pair of street crampons for my 70th birthday.

I thought that was you!

 

[Nemo2]

I just tried it and was successful.... but for only three minutes!

If I could do 3 seconds I'd be strutting all over the house! Gotta start working on this.

 

[Dawg52]

People nowadays are built to sit in recliners watching TV while drinking beer, to surf the Web, read magazines, etc...


.

Exactly. I retired from pulling up posts years ago.

 

[redduck]

For a sense of balance, how long do you stand on one leg every day?

Because of my ankle surgery, I have had to learn how to do that again. So now whenever I am using the microwave, I stand and balance on one foot. Once I am good with my bad foot/ankle, I will alternate left and right. I intend to do this every day for the rest of my life.

To make it more interesting, try standing on one leg while urinating. When you get good at it you can work on your rhythm by alternating feet.

 

[NW-Bound]

Once you succeed, then what's next? Doing it while running?

 

[Nemo2]

To make it more interesting, try standing on one leg while urinating. When you get good at it you can work on your rhythm by alternating feet.

"Wet foot, dry foot, wet foot, wet foot...."

 

[W2R]

If you could stand one footed with your eyes closed for 3 minutes, I'm in awe. That's amazing to me, and I practice it off and on. Congratulations on being well centered.

If I could do 3 seconds I'd be strutting all over the house! Gotta start working on this.

Oh.... OOPS. That was with my eyes open! Oh well. I think I failed balance practice.

 

[aja8888]

Once you succeed, then what's next? Doing it while running?

When you get to a certain age, just going is a success.

 

[Chuckanut]

Qigong.

There is a reason all those old folks in China do this by the thousands I the parks and squares. No unnecessary stress on joints and tissues, yet at the day one feels worked out. There are plenty of YouTube videos.

note: I am not sure about che.

 

[FI_RElater]

Guevara?

 

[NW-Bound]

The first time I tried it, I fell over. But I read somewhere - can't find it again - that a person in their 50's should be able to stand on one foot with eyes closed for 14 seconds. So I was determined to get there. Took a looong time!

When I read that, my first thought was "How hard can that be?"

I can't do it!

+1

That's hard. Told my wife. She could not do it either. But we are not in our 50s.

Here's one routine in our daily exercises. It's easier than the above.

While standing with hands on hips, raise yourself onto your toes. Bend your knees, and lower yourself into a squatting position, going as low as you can, while still on your toes. Then, raise yourself up, still on your toes. Finally, lower yourself back to flat feet. Rinse and repeat for 10 times. No eye closing required, as it is an exercise for the legs.

Young people can do this very easily, but people in the 60s start to lose their balance during this exercise. It's not about the sense of balance, but the weakened muscle control. Try it.

 

[meierlde]

I have wondered about football girdles (essentially hip pads in a container) as a way to minimize the chance of a hip breakage. Consider that the pads act to spread an impact on the hip over a larger area although those in their teens are unlikley to have weak bones. Or perhaps skateboarding pads, like those shown here: Skateboarding Tail Bone and Hip Pads note the pads here cover a larger area than football pads. Note that the pads on the sporting gear are larger than those on pads designed for those at risk of falls.

 

[NW-Bound]

I dunno. When one is up at that age to worry about breaking one's hip, those protective gears are not easy to take off quickly to deal with incontinence.

Maybe there is a way to build extra cushion into a diaper. It's sad to think about it.

 

[brucethebroker]

Since DH died I'm even more aware of the need to be very careful in the house- avoiding high-ladder work, keeping things out of the path between the bed and the bathroom at night, etc. If anything goes terribly wrong I'm the only one who can call 911.

I also did away with the ladder thing. My decision was verified recently when a retired friend fell while trimming branches off a tree (brushing his roof). He was impaled on an ornamental fence (similar to the spiked top iron fences). He nearly died...
The branches would only have cost a couple of hundred dollars if professionally removed. A small price to pay.....

 

[TimeMeasure]

Qigong.

There is a reason all those old folks in China do this by the thousands I the parks and squares. No unnecessary stress on joints and tissues, yet at the day one feels worked out.

Also called tai chi. DW does this. There are medical articles saying it’s good for balance, but she also does this because it’s a good meditative kind of activity, and a graceful form of movement. There are videos online and also local universities with an OLLI (life-long learning) branch sometimes offer courses.

It might look so slow that you’d think it doesn’t count as exercise compared to, say, jogging or bicycling, but apparently you actually build up a fair amount of warmth doing it, because you end up controlling muscles to move through the forms slowly. And although it might seem a less rough-and-tumble kind of exercise, it’s not just for women. My stepfather, a wonderful blue-collar fellow who liked nothing better than working on old cars, also really liked tai chi when my mother talked him into trying it with her.

 

[braumeister]

I also did away with the ladder thing. My decision was verified recently when a retired friend fell while trimming branches off a tree (brushing his roof). He was impaled on an ornamental fence (similar to the spiked top iron fences). He nearly died...
The branches would only have cost a couple of hundred dollars if professionally removed. A small price to pay.....

Ladders can be far more dangerous than most of us realize. My doctor was on a stepladder hanging a bird feeder on a tree limb in his back yard. He fell off and it led to two ER runs, a blood clot that nearly killed him, three separate back surgeries (the second two trying to fix the first), and many months of extreme pain. He's still wearing a back brace nearly year later. He's a good deal younger than I am.

 

[Amethyst]

I have to focus firmly on the muscles in my feet and upper legs. Any distracting thoughts will cause me to lose balance. In fact, it is a secondary exercise to drive out all distracting thoughts, if only for a few seconds.

When I read that, my first thought was "How hard can that be?"

I can't do it!

 

[Nemo2]

I have to focus firmly on the muscles in my feet and upper legs. Any distracting thoughts will cause me to lose balance. In fact, it is a secondary exercise to drive out all distracting thoughts, if only for a few seconds.

Thus far.....I'm no better at doing it.

 

[TromboneAl]

Another exercise for balance: Get dressed standing up (including socks and shoes).

A related rule I have: No dressing (e.g. putting on sweater) while walking down the stairs.

 

[razztazz]

A related rule I have: No dressing (e.g. putting on sweater) while walking down the stairs.

Chicken!

 

[W2R]

Another exercise for balance: Get dressed standing up (including socks and shoes).

A related rule I have: No dressing (e.g. putting on sweater) while walking down the stairs.

Dress standing up? Including shoes and socks? You have got to be KIDDING!!!! Admit it, you are actually a 13 year old boy who aspires to become a professional gymast.

 

[splitwdw]

Dress standing up? Including shoes and socks? You have got to be KIDDING!!!! Admit it, you are actually a 13 year old boy who aspires to become a professional gymast.

Maybe it's what you are use to, I dress standing up, socks and shoes too! My husband dresses standing up but sits in a chair to put on his socks and shoes.

 

[razztazz]

Dress standing up? Including shoes and socks? You have got to be KIDDING!!!! Admit it, you are actually a 13 year old boy who aspires to become a professional gymast.

I don't want to sound like I'm rubbing it in but I dress and undress that way. Sitting on the edge of the bed to do it feels like I'm wasting time and feels more effortful. Like it's more work.