Art & Inspiration Am I the Only One ? Aging ?

I've got a bum knee that slows me down some along with that leg being an inch or so short, both due to the same car wreck 50 years ago. By walking carefully within a narrow range of motion and putting a 'lift' in my one shoe, I can walk a pretty good distance without a hitch in my step and nobody can tell that I have any limitations. But that leg does definitely curtail my activities and I'm noticing that I'm losing mass and tone in my muscles because I can't be as active as I should be. A lot of that muscle loss is in my upper chest and shoulders.
The funny thing is I can walk a car show or swap meet just fine but there's hell to pay if I have to stand in one place for a longer time. You know that ache you get when you hold an item with your arms straight out from your shoulders? Or arms overhead to work on a ceiling fixture or car on a rack? That kind of ache comes on in my neck, shoulders, and upper body even though my arms are down if I have to stand still.
We live in a resort area and nearby have a historic beer and music hall with live music every day and big-name concerts on weekends. My wife and I have enjoyed seeing many of our favorite entertainers over the years but I just can't do the "standing-room-only" thing anymore. That "ache" compounds minute by minute 'til I have to go outside and sit down before I'm knocked down. It's a weird malady that makes me feel old.

 

Ya take care of yer legs, you take care of yer lungs. Things won't be too bad. I'm 73 battling cancer 7 years now.

 

Be 76 in a couple weeks, I hear you.

 

I've been 75 for 3 weeks now ... sometimes I feel guilty for feeling as good as I do when a great many of my car buds have passed. Some of the crap I pulled when I was young & stupid should have killed me or caused me to be incarcerated. I am one lucky SOB ....

 

I bought a 3 wheeled scooter/trike looking thing online for less than $700. Went to Pate Swap Meet last year and I swear it paid for itself on that day. There is no way I could have walked that entire swap meet. Hell! It took me the whole day on the scooter to see everything. The scooter ran on a full charge from 9 am to 5 pm, and never hinted at leaving me walking. I use it around my 6.61 acres of property too. If I am working on a project that requires multiple trips to get tools/materials/etc, it is a life saver!

People wondering about me riding a scooter? Fuck 'em! They don't know how much neuropathy hurts! I'm 61 btw, and not ashamed of what I have to do to make my life easier! Work Smarter Not Harder!

 

I love Gruene Hall!

 

I'm 52, can't imagine what it's gonna be like at 62. I get injections in my elbows and knees already. Retiring at 55, but this firefighting gig has taken its toll on me.

 

I'm 61 and still ride the road bike I bought when I was 24, the mountain bike I bought at 36, along with a bunch of old Schwinns. cycling is the best exercise, and everyone should be doing it, then we won't need so many scooters for the old farts at car shows.

when is the last time you rode a bike?

 

I'm 56 and I've already had 2 strokes (January 2020, July 2020), and a heart transplant (July 2020). I can't do what I used to do, but I'm getting there, slowly. Was off of work for 17 months, while all this happened to me. Went back to work June 2021. Stay active, live life, love the loved ones, cause you never know when it's time. I have used a mobility chair, and they do serve a purpose, but I do like to walk. not to get religious, but God is good! hope that's okay to say.

BigMike

 

Lloyd, when you start getting injections in your shoulders, you will be done with all that young gun stuff. I'll be 62 in Jan, and I go at least once a yr to get injections in my left shoulder. I had my right shoulder repaired a few yrs ago. I wont get the left one done until I absolutely cannot raise my arm. Painful shit, that is......the surgery and the rehab....ugghhh!

 

Sciatica in both legs , my lower back is a bag of bread crumbs . No pain meds . Went down that scary road when this started not doing that again .

it is what it is.

 

have not had to resort to one yet but, a couple of friends have and say that OK on asphalt, etc - it is when need to go onto a grass area it gets tough to try to use one

 

A couple of weeks ago.... First time in????... 20 years or so... My ass still hurts..

 

Please tell me you were at Ray Wiley's birthday show!?

 

Worked hard all my life doing millwright work and moving/setting machinery. I played even harder. My body is just about fucked. Some of my kids don't want to go to college. I tell them to prepare to be like me when they get into their sixties. To all the younger guys on The Hamb, "work smart, play smart and live smart. You are not indestructible."

 

Many of us don’t want to hear this but if it wasn’t for the medical advancements many of us wouldn’t be here or able to get worn out. Bypasses, stints, transplants, etc have given many of us extended lives to enjoy. …….
So we reached to years that we would not have had and those are what I call the ”worn out years”. I’m definitely in them. I have good genes I guess because on both my dad and moms side they lived over 100 but working since I was 15 starting to pay into social security. I chose my hands, legs, and back to lead me 59 years of work. I thru in race cars and adult sports like many of you we just wore out because we are living longer than the previous generations who didn’t get the luck of more modern medicines.
Think of many of us see because of cataract surgery, which is next year for me. Hidden hearing aids which I need right now.
I’m guessing that counting my blessings that I can still see and hear the a**holes in their carts….

 

For me it’s not walking, I turned 60 a bit ago. I work an overnight shift in a warehouse. It’s not a labor intensive job, but normally walk between 5-12 miles during my shift, depending on how busy it is.
What’s really affecting me is the weather. 60 degrees and sunny with a wind, too uncomfortable, 85 degrees and no breeze, too hot. Lol.
Forget about 90+ degrees and sub 50. Not a lot gets done.

 

I'm 77 yrs young, and I can guarantee getting old isn't for SISSIES..

 

Lloyd, thank you for your service. Fire/Emt/Law enforcement/ Military, all are my heros !!!! God bless you !!!!!!

 

Just turned a young 73, and have no health problems. I am very grateful for my life, and have been known
to always have a positive outlook and sense of humor. My dad was very athletic, me..not so much. I have
lived first-hand through all types of fitness crazes, never jogged, never ran, never played sports. always tried to
avoid having to walk. I figured my joints and heart are only good for so many reps or beats, so why use them
up early in life? All of the jocks that frowned on me when I was in high school are now in wheel chairs or
on their second replacement of something or another. I suppose I just got lucky, but I would do it exactly the
same again. And, yes, I ask every day, "Why me, Lord?". I don't deserve it, but I am thankful.

 

I can't hear a thing your saying!

 

I agree with Jim6. My father died of a heart attack at age 51. I had a heart attack at age 56. I am as healthy as ever now at 73 (knock on wood).
On another note, I wish those who choose to rent scooters or ride bicycles around the PIR race track during the swap meet would recognize the fact that PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY.
Too many times I have had them run into my ankles or nearly hit me as they go peddling by at 30MPH.
I have entertained the thought of renting a scooter as I can no longer walk around the track twice in a day as I used to be able to do but I sure as Hell will give foot traffic the right-of-way.

 

...there's a strange bit of deja vu here with a love of youth at its heart...anyone in that situation you are in my thoughts...I hope I don't find myself there ever but age is creeping up on me...fingers crossed...

​

 

...over 70 but still ride my bike 12 miles a day until the too cold or shitty weather hits,..still feeling older than a few years ago.....do what ya gotta do to keep movin,...here we are talkin bout this stuff instead of cars?

 

I've been thinking about using a scooter the past few years. Worn out body, broken bones, bone to bone. As much as I want to use one, I know that keeping mobile is the key. Painful but it's the key.
I drink plenty of fluids, water and such. No alcohol. I never smoked. I never did drugs.
I was always active and moving growing up. Then the U.S Army came long. I don't regret a thing but it hurts like hell now. Come to think of it, I would do it all over again. It was fun. "AIRBORNE!"
Damn, I need a scooter....

 

No amount of exercise will compensate for a bad diet.
Exercise will temporarily hide the destructive effects of a bad diet.................. Then it creeps up on you with middle aged spread , sore joints, lack of energy ,diabetes etc etc.

But it can be reversed, by sorting out your diet

Me and my grumpy ol' man did exactly this..........and the results were amazing for both of us [reversing/stalling the effects of aging]

 

All men suffer from this......
It's called "Male selective deafness"

 

I'm 60 and sometimes cant walk 50' without excruciating pain. There's not enough space here to explain why. Last therapy they sent me to was floating in a baby pool. I couldn't pass the pain test to get in a baby pool. Problem is, I look young for my age and I'm in pretty good shape. Last guy to guess my age gave me 18 years. I get around a small area pretty good, to watch, you'd think I was fine. There is a car show near me that is spread out, up and down hills. I've taken my car and a chair and sat there all day. It sucks. The food and bathroom are out of my range. I got a small 2 wheeled electric scooter that I can hang out of my trunk. It has a bike type seat and is not too hard on the legs. Works great for me. I noticed that while I was riding around the show, some of the old fucks (old looking, some people look like hammered shit at any age) were giving me the stink eye. I guess they figured I was out there galavanting around for kicks. I'm just like most of us, I'd rather not be seen riding around on a scooter. But, if the option is giving up part of living, you take your hits. For the first time in years, I saw other folks cars, ate and pissed. I guess the sour pusses had some pull because the next year the flyer was emblazoned with "No Scooters". All I can say to the scooter haters is, just hope you never end up where I am. Mike

 

I turned 63 this year. I still have all my original joints, and everything still works as it should. I try to stay active, which is not easy doing a desk job. Early morning workouts work best for me, I push my heart rate into a target zone several times per week. Lot's of stretching and exercising too. And I've been on a weight loss program since Feb of this year, down a good 25 #'s from where I was last December (before I got covid). I'm actually at the lightest weight I've been since probably my 30's. Walking several miles is no problem for me, nor is walking car shows/swap meets. I spend as many weekend days/nights as I can playing music for several hours at a time. I burn a lot of calories doing that.

Covid got me down for over a month, nothing serious, but shortness of breath and overall loss of energy kept me from doing any workouts for weeks. But that was back in January, so I'm well past that now.