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

[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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst 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!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucethebroker 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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 When I read that, my first thought was "How hard can that be?" I can't do it!

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Quote:

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

Chicken!

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R 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.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Ditto.

I also wash my feet in the shower each day by standing on one leg and try not to balance by touching the sides.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Ditto. I also wash my feet in the shower each day by standing on one leg and try not to balance by touching the sides.

My GF stands on one leg to shave her legs. I told her that she is asking for a dangerous fall. Soapy tub of floor, and shance for even the swmalles imbalnce can change one's life in a second. And rarely is that a good

Ha

[harley]

I don't see the problem. The day I have to sit down to put my flip flops on is the day I move into assisted living.

[Independent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I'm wondering whether at this age, the injuries that we have a greater likelihood of being permanent. It makes us more like animals, perhaps (if a leopard breaks his leg, it's a death sentence, so he's extra careful).

Yep.

Two years ago I dropped a bookcase on my foot. I expect that if I had been 38 instead of 68 when that happened I may not have broken anything. Or, if I had, it would have healed in a few months.

I had been jogging six days a week before it happened. Now I have enough pain when I walk that I don't like big stores. I'm pretty sure this is a permanent disability.

I do practical stuff - I don't get dressed going down the stairs, I think a lot more about the ice when I'm out. But, I can't say "I shouldn't have been working on that bookcase". It seems that if I avoid all risks life is just too boring.

(And, yes, except for shirts, I sit down when I get dressed.)

[RobbieB]

I have never dressed standing up (even as a child) and never will.

There is a real good chance I could fall over and hurt myself.