The Healthful Aging Thread

[Amethyst]

Oh, that is too bad, and a frustratingly long wait too. You are the best judge; but I have found that the online "reports" make everything sound like "You're very old, and will be disabled for life." Even my early cataracts were referred to as "senile."

Thank you. I had an MRI recently but don’t have my appointment to review results with the ortho doc until 9/13. The report I read online doesn’t sound very encouraging though, so I’m concerned.

 

[qwerty3656]

With fake knees, at that.

So you have no problem doing deep squats with heavy weights? I have a fake knee and want to squat heavy, but am worried about damaging something

 

[sengsational]

I take ice baths and want to get a sauna.

https://www.longevity.technology/ice-baths-are-a-hot-longevity-tip/

This is not a very common thing, but getting more so. Back when Covid first hit, with it's obvious endothelial involvement, I built a sauna and an ice cold shower machine (on YouTube "sengsationa1 ice cold" should find it...note the 1 not l). I started taking a 40 degree contrast shower every day, and I'm surprising myself by still doing it, now that the serious threat to my life and health from the pandemic has passed. It feels like I've exercised, even though I haven't, hehe! I'm not a fan of exercise for exercise's sake... just ride bikes and stuff.

Yeah, I pretty much don't like the idea of someone else's poop inside of me! I wonder if there is a way to change your gut biome significantly by changing your diet alone?

It's pretty well established that any changes are temporary. Sure, if you permanently change your diet, you can keep a shift. I was taking Bimunio (a PRE biotic) for a long time (6 months) and figure when I stopped, it shifted back. But a single dose seems to be more effective than when I first started with it.

Even with FMT, your own, original gut microbiome will reassert itself. There's an old thread with some good info here https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/the-microbiome-file-83601.html

 

[Music Lover]

So you have no problem doing deep squats with heavy weights? I have a fake knee and want to squat heavy, but am worried about damaging something

My belief is that squatting correctly with good technique is more important than how deep you can go. I used to deep squat in my younger years, now I go to just parallel or just past parallel.

I also bought a trap bar for deadlifts which transfers some of the load from the back to the legs:

 

[Aerides]

So you have no problem doing deep squats with heavy weights? I have a fake knee and want to squat heavy, but am worried about damaging something

Just breaking/meeting parallel with no weights will give your legs a workout, and give you an idea how it feels. It's really a question for your ortho doc though, assuming they are the type of doc who is interested in your fitness and movement, vs a "don't do that you'll poke your eye out" kinda doc.

Mine is usually a Let's Get You Back Doing doc, but I have no cartilage left in my inner knee, so he's told me not to break parallel (though I do just a bit).

 

[Old Microbiologist]

I can add a bit as I am getting close to 70 and have no cartilage in my knees after having the menisci removed in 1999. I added a vibration platform for as much stuff as I can do on there. One exercise that did wonders for my knees was to spread the feet at 45 degrees to the edge of the platform and do deep knee bend to the bottom, place my hands between my feet and straighten up with the legs only until the knees are locked. then repeat 10 times at a relatively slow pace. At the end, I hold a frog pose (knees bent and hands between the feet and raise your head to maximum while staying down with the butt) for 3 breaths. This exercise basically rips the scar tissue that forms inside the knee and relieves a lot of knee pain. It is mostly gone now except when it rains. The vibration emphasizes the exercise as the body must make micro-corrections to compensate for the vibrations. I also do curtsy knee bends on the platform by raising one knee up to my chest while balancing and quickly lower it behind me on the floor while doing a deep knee bend. It is most of a one-legged knee bend. I do 10 on each side and alternate. The other knee exercise I do is to put one leg behind and one on the platform and do a deep knee bend to 90 degrees with the knee on the platform while raising my arms straight above my head. I also do regular knee bends with hip-width, then pigeon-toed, then splayed out at 45 degrees hip-width and (10 each a 15 minute session and I do this alternating days. I also do situps and pushups plus hold in the down position for 30 seconds barely off the floor. I do pushups from the downward dog position and again hold it in the down position (head almost touching) for 30 seconds. I follow with holding a chair position and rotating 0 degrees one arm up the other down and hold then alternate to the other side and finish with a back bend.

The other days I do weight exercises but have completely switched to using elastic bands. That is more complicated and not everything is done on the platform. What I can do on it I do. The rest I compound together after leaving the platform. That session is around 30 minutes. I watched an interview with Sylvester Stallone who said men over 60 shouldn't do weights but only bands. I have to say he was correct. The best part is if you travel you can take them with you as they take almost no space. I do almost every weight exercise I used to do with free weights with a band now and it is a better workout with no injuries.

This is all on top of a ketogenic diet and 20 hours a day of intermittent fasting.

I can also add that I do 1 hour of various exercise programs using an Oculus Quest 2. That is a major league cardio workout and some of these require complete concentration and problem-solving at a high pace. The best for me are AudioTrip, SynthRider, and PowerBeats. I am doing all of them at expert or master level now and it is a tough cardio workout. Periodically I toss in 10 minutes of Thrill of the Fight which kicks my butt. I can see huge benefits to cognition from these games and they are also amazingly soothing to do.

 

[Chuckanut]

It's pretty well established that any changes are temporary. Sure, if you permanently change your diet, you can keep a shift. I was taking Bimunio (a PRE biotic) for a long time (6 months) and figure when I stopped, it shifted back. But a single dose seems to be more effective than when I first started with it.

Even with FMT, your own, original gut microbiome will reassert itself. There's an old thread with some good info here https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/the-microbiome-file-83601.html

My theory is eat right (more real food, less heavily processed food, closer to the way nature made it) and the gut microbiome will take care of itself over time.

 

[Chuckanut]

Just breaking/meeting parallel with no weights will give your legs a workout, and give you an idea how it feels. It's really a question for your ortho doc though, assuming they are the type of doc who is interested in your fitness and movement, vs a "don't do that you'll poke your eye out" kinda doc.

Mine is usually a Let's Get You Back Doing doc, but I have no cartilage left in my inner knee, so he's told me not to break parallel (though I do just a bit).

Weight bearing exercises of all types make your bones grow stronger. I thought getting the bones to grow and hold firmly to the implant is one of the goals of recovery. So, while I don't high stress my artificial joint, I certainly don't baby it. I do squats, no weights, every day. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Amethyst]

That makes intuitive sense. Bacteria are usually considered one-celled plants. When you get rid of weeds in the garden, and plant it with flowers, the weeds will come right back without continued vigilance, and crowd out the flowers.

Even with FMT, your own, original gut microbiome will reassert itself. There's an old thread with some good info here https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/the-microbiome-file-83601.html

 

[sengsational]

My theory is eat right (more real food, less heavily processed food, closer to the way nature made it) and the gut microbiome will take care of itself over time.

That would be a permanent shift, so yes. The problem comes in the crap shoot that is your first 5 years of life. From what I understand, a person's microbiome is pretty much locked-in at that point. So person A, eating exactly the same as person B doesn't mean person B might not require Humira at age 70, while person A coasts through without digestive issues.

That makes intuitive sense. Bacteria are usually considered one-celled plants. When you get rid of weeds in the garden, and plant it with flowers, the weeds will come right back without continued vigilance, and crowd out the flowers.

Great analogy! One of these days, rather than just accept "volunteers" in the garden of the microbiome from age 0 to 5, we'll inoculate the young with "good stuff". Too bad we don't know too much about what the good stuff is. One thing that we kind of know is that bacteria from the birth canal seems to be protective (based on c-section differences) and bacteria as a result of breast feeding might also be protective. Plant a nice garden with robust native flora/fauna, then fertilize with "real food" and crowd out any weeds that might pop-up.

 

[audreyh1]

Weight bearing exercises of all types make your bones grow stronger. I thought getting the bones to grow and hold firmly to the implant is one of the goals of recovery. So, while I don't high stress my artificial joint, I certainly don't baby it. I do squats, no weights, every day. Maybe I'm wrong.

Seems like squats = chair-ups.

 

[audreyh1]

That would be a permanent shift, so yes. The problem comes in the crap shoot that is your first 5 years of life. From what I understand, a person's microbiome is pretty much locked-in at that point. So person A, eating exactly the same as person B doesn't mean person B might not require Humira at age 70, while person A coasts through without digestive issues.

My understanding is that gut microbiome changes depending on what you eat. So I’m not sure about the locked-in bit.

 

[msieweke]

My understanding is that gut microbiome changes depending on what you eat. So I’m not sure about the locked-in bit.

It also changes based on nutrient status. For example vitamin D encourages the growth of four families of bacteria which produce B vitamins. Dr. Stasha Gominak is a proponent of taking vitamin D along with B vitamins to restore a more normal gut flora. She has several interesting interviews on YouTube.

Also, here's a report on a study showing that UVB light exposure changes the microbiome: https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/getting-sunshine-improve-health-gut/

 

[Chuckanut]

Also, here's a report on a study showing that UVB light exposure changes the microbiome: https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/getting-sunshine-improve-health-gut/

The best way to improve the gut biome is to LBYM and open a Roth account.

SOP for all problems on this site. Right?

 

[RetiredHappy]

The best way to improve the gut biome is to LBYM and open a Roth account.

Yah.... No.

 

[tmm99]

Hahaha. I was like, what?

 

[Amethyst]

And eat nothing but bacon and cheese, and vegetables.

The best way to improve the gut biome is to LBYM and open a Roth account.

SOP for all problems on this site. Right?

 

[eytonxav]

I stayed out of the gym from April 20 to April 21 due to Covid concerns. I was shocked at how much muscle and strength I lost over that period, but have since regained. I have no doubt that resistance training is the best thing there is to remain vital as one ages. I like compound lift movements the best.

I have also found that pickleball has really helped my mobility/flexibility/reflexes tremendously and it provides more fun than any sports activity I've tried in a long time.

 

[tmm99]

I can't wait to get back to group sports (my game is volleyball but indoor vball has been shut down for a long time and it's finally restarting (vaccination required)).

I may even try pickleball (I read some posts on the pickleball thread and pickleball sounds like a lot of fun.)

I'm so out of shape. I've just started sliding on my slide board for my legs and set with my vball training ball (heavy) for my arms...

 

[Winemaker]

My understanding is that gut microbiome changes depending on what you eat. So I’m not sure about the locked-in bit.

It also depends on your intake of antibiotics; some get them from their PCP for any little sniffle, but also if one has surgery of any kind, you are put on a short regimen to combat any infection.

 

[11522914]

The best way to improve the gut biome is to LBYM and open a Roth account.

SOP for all problems on this site. Right?

Also take SS sometime between 62 and 70

 

[sengsational]

My understanding is that gut microbiome changes depending on what you eat. So I’m not sure about the locked-in bit.

It certainly changes with food choices. Sorry if something I said led anyone to think otherwise. The point I was trying to make is a temporary shift in food choices will be a temporary shift in microbiome. So if you feel bad on the SAD, then switch to eating real food, your microbiome will shift, and you will probably feel better and get the benefits of a more diverse microbiome. If you go back to SAD, according to everything I've read, your microbiome will pop right back to what you had before. IOW, every study I've read and expert I've listened to has been saying that a person's microbiome is very stable over time. Not that it doesn't change with food choices, but that it's going to act the same way to various diets throughout a person's life.

 

[ncbill]

The best way to improve the gut biome is to LBYM and open a Roth account.

SOP for all problems on this site. Right?

Personally, I'm going with fecal transplantation.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Personally, I'm going with fecal transplantation.

That is a pretty shitty choice.

 

[tmm99]

That is a pretty shitty choice.