You can't bend.You can't push.You can't work the way you used to.
This is not the way this place should look, with weeds and brambles taking over the docks. We try, Hubby and I. We go out and pull weeds, cut vegetation, trim the rambling vines.
We work an hour or so, with hoe, pruners, weed-wacking machine, hands and shoulders, legs and hips.
Soon, everything aches.
Not enough to make us cry; but enough to stop us in our pursuits. Sorry, we say to ourselves. Sorry, we say to each other. We have abused our muscles and joints enough for one day.
The rest of the day is shot too. The tiredness pins us down for a few hours, through a meal and a nap. And it still lingers in our bodies through the night. The only thing that helps is a hot bath or a massage. The bath is not so easy to get in and out; and the massage requires fingers and muscles from someone else who is strong and invincible.
Do we age faster after a certain age?
Or, have we neglected our bodies to the point where this decline is inevitable?
I used to....
I wish I could still...
The irony is blatant: Now that we have time, we lack energy and stamina.
And tomorrow does not look any brighter.
28 comments:
Oh boy can I ever relate to this post! It makes me SO mad when my body, muscles and joints act like they are old!
Isn't that the truth!
The decline certainly isn't inevitable! :) The trick is to work out daily and then your muscles won't hurt and you'll have a lot more energy. My almost 90 year old Dad, does 5 miles a day on his exercise bike, and 3 miles a day on the treadmill! Both are very good investments if you don't have a good gym in your area.
This year for the first time I've noticed that if I get too tired during the day, I'm tired the next day as well. It used to be that a night's sleep would refresh, but that doesn't always happen now. Aches carryover more frequently, too.
I'm with you, the mind is willing but the body is weak. It's one of the reasons I moved to a house will a smaller yard. I miss the many flower beds, lawn and trees but not the work!
My Dad used to say, "getting old ain't for sissies!"
We have similar strength and endurance issues Rosaria, particularly for the first month or two of the growing year. We do find that say 40 minutes a day doesn't leave us more tired than can be recovered from after a good sit down (with a piece of cake :O)) and if we do that every day the weather allows we can keep on top of things. Mind, we only garden about 3/4 acre and your garden looks to be significantly larger.
What about finding a local teenager who needs a weekly day working during the summer holidays?
I can also relate to this. I get out and weed a bit and cut a bit and limit myself cuz I know that the hurt will soon arrive. And, especially heavy things. So, I'm keeping things minimal and just plan to do a few things each day. No treadmill or bicycle for me. Have a great day.
aww...a bath and massage sounds good...get some rest....perhaps you will feel up to the bath in a bit...
I know the feeling oh so well!! The mind feels just the same as it did 40+ years ago but the body has different ideas!! I exercise, and cycle so there is no guarantee that this is going to work!! I am a trained aerobics instructor, but the body does not always believe this! My mother always said that the golden years are tarnished!! Some people certainly cope better than others and Marguerite's father is obviously one of them. Diane
G'day Rosaria. After a few hours in the garden here I am ready for a lay down, the massage sounds lovely, but of course hubby would only last a few minutes giving me one before he complained that his hands were aching and we are only in our late fifties. Now that's a worry :). Take care. Liz...
I wish I knew. But the things I always took for granted, I no longer do.
I am hoping that walking on my treadmill will keep MY muscles loose. People think taking care of my daughter will do this, but that really doesn't require a lot of physical exertion. But if I did yard work (which I don't, since I rent), I don't know what would happen! Probably what happened to you and your husband!!
Ann Best, Memoir Author
It seems like overnight I became an old lady and I'm only 64. I certainly was not expecting to be slowed down so. If you're lucky enough to avoid disease, then continuing to work out is a great option to stay young feeling.
In California they have chair massages where you can buy varying amounts of time. I miss that so!
Meanwhile, the bath works great.
It really does seem like aging accelerates in the sixties! My husband and I work out every day and I think that does help, but there are still things that were easy just a few years ago -- when I was not in shape and much heavier -- that are a struggle now. This aging thing is a surprise. I can relate so much to your wonderful post!
Oh boy do I hear (and feel you!) in this post. We have been gardening, weeding, planting flowers, and mowing. I have one area that I have neglected for the same reason as you...my "get up and go, got up and went"! After working all day I go out at night, water and stand and look at that area and cringe...like Scarlett says:"tomorrow is another day". Then I go in and dream about a condo with a pool and someone else to man it all!
I'm also a member of the aches and pain club, Rosaria. Even if I do get on the treadmill ( a rarity ), it does not seem to diminish my pain the next day. Last week, when my friend arrived to visit from New Orleans, we were so exhausted after going out to lunch, then shopping at Costco, that we just sat in the car after we got home, both complaining of back pain, that we couldn't budge to unload the groceries. Were we ever happy when my 40-year-old son arrived home from Travis AFB to take over the task for us. After a brief nap, I was able to manage cooking dinner but, there is no question in my mind, even ordinary tasks are much harder to do than they were even a couple of years ago.
love what remains!
Aloha from Waikiki;
Comfort Spiral
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My parents are in their sixties, and I see them struggle with aches and pains day in and day out. And they have always been fairly active people. It is in the last few years that they have become so extremely vulnerable to aches and pains. May be aging does accelerate after a certain age. But, I think that age is different for everybody. My grandfather was in his eighties when he passed away, and he hardly ever complained of aches, did his exercises and walks in the morning and evening. Of course, his eyesight had gone terribly bad.
I can certainly relate to this post and each day seems to be a battle against our failing bodies.
We have the time to do all sorts of things........ but not the stamina, energy & health. It is so upsetting to see everything get out of control around us. I think this is the most difficult things in old age. (If you can really call us old!) seeing everything that we used to do, being an impossible task & having to watch the chaos that causes.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
Ouch. Old age is not for sissies.
So good to be among friends! I can so relate to this post in every single respect! Have to admit though: regular exercise is the answer. don't do it though: so boring! ALways something nicer to do. Pity that gardening is the worst thing for one's back/
Drugs...Valium is good for the muscles and once you get used to it it does not make you drowsy and depending on your pain levels either codeine or Vicodin. Personally I prefer the Vicodin because of the same reason as the Valium. You all could probably get away with1/10 of what I use.
Course you don't have 9 fused vertebrae, 2 misaligned fractures in your necks, and enough metal in your body to make it through a metal detector. But Drugs are good, it makes no sense to age in pain.
For the strength, flexibility and endurance to do what you really want to do, a weight training program for seniors and walking 3-4 times a week can do the trick. Even seniors' muscles respond positively to wt. training and the cardiovascular benefits of regular walking can keep you healthy at any age. It's never too late to start and we could encourage each other.
For the rest, hire a teenager or college student!
I agree with Marguerite. Work out a little every day to maintain strength and muscle tone and stamina.
Yes, we do decline much faster as we age. Me at 60 and me at 70 are vastly different people.
I can still do a lot of what I used to, it is just do I want to pay the price for that same action?
Luckily my rebound is still good or my memory is bad for the next day, I usually abuse my body once again.
This sounds all too familiar! I get out and push for a few hours and am so pleased with my work, but the next day(s) are filled with achy joints. My muscles don't complain, but the arthritis in the joints does.
A good book and some rest...then perhaps the massage.
Tomorrow can be better.
I helped move beds in our guestroom on Saturday, and I walked five miles in Seattle yesterday. I am absolutely astonished I don't hurt. Lucky day for me.
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