Is self care / health more or less important to you as you age?

Medusa

Senior Member
Location
Mid-Atlantic
As I'm aging I'm finding myself vacillating on this subject.

Most of my life I've moved in and out of physical fitness regimes, focused, healthful eating, etc., It's generally my way, sort of, mostly, (or was) to eat well and try to exercise however, whenever.

Lately though, I don't know... sometimes I feel like, "You're 58.5; the hell with it. Relax and have some pizza." Others though it's, "You're 58.5! You must exercise, avoid gluten, sugar, dairy, high carbs, etc., count calories, blah, blah, blah."

But you know that old adage about people on the Titanic refusing dessert?

I know I should find a medium, but I don't do that well, moderate behavior. I wish I did; it would be less exhausting.

How's everyone else handling health maintenance as we age?
 

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This is a timely thread Medusa, I'm a "young" 75.2 and just this morning I was getting dressed with all of the usual attendant grunting and grumbling due this weird phenomenon that comes with age where the legs appear to extend as the arms contract making the simple task of tying one's shoes assume Herculean proportions. It struck me that most of the discomfort I feel is in my legs, specifically my knees, since retiring my life has become much more sedentary, weight has increased and I'm now expecting these rickety old knees to support my burgeoning waistline.

So ... I've invested in a pair of disgustingly expensive Nike shoes and plan to pound the local walking-track each morning to bring things back into proportion. This will involve some initial pain and tough love for the old knees but, in time, the benefits should follow and, with the help of a more-sensible diet, be maintained.

Stand by (or sit if you prefer) for further developments.
 
Yes absolutely essential when getting older
More so than when your younger
Keep the joints well oiled and exercised
That’s my motto

And was also my parents

Dad was like a whippet always walking and being busy he died in 2020 aged 95

And mum was a busy housewife and she’s still with us age 97 in June
 

As I'm aging I'm finding myself vacillating on this subject.

Most of my life I've moved in and out of physical fitness regimes, focused, healthful eating, etc., It's generally my way, sort of, mostly, (or was) to eat well and try to exercise however, whenever.

Lately though, I don't know... sometimes I feel like, "You're 58.5; the hell with it. Relax and have some pizza." Others though it, "You're 58.5! You must exercise, avoid gluten, sugar, dairy, high carbs, etc., count calories, blah, blah, blah."

But you know that old adage about people on the Titanic refusing dessert?

I know I should find a medium, but I don't do that well, moderate behavior. I wish I did; it would be less exhausting.

How's everyone else handling health maintenance as we age?
Yanno what? I never bothered with keto-friendly, gluten-free, no-carb, low-carb, exercise regime, all the rest of it. I just use common sense, avoid the trendy cr@p and the trendy buzz words, and here I am.

Count on it: as soon as you embrace the latest and greatest discovery about what to eat/do, somebody will come along with "a study" that shows why you absolutely shouldn't eat/do that.

Once a year, every year, I see my PCP for a physical. Every now and then I get a UTI and go to the right-now care at Kaiser.
.
 
Yanno what? I never bothered with keto-friendly, gluten-free, no-carb, low-carb, exercise regime, all the rest of it. I just use common sense, avoid the trendy cr@p and the trendy buzz words, and here I am.

Count on it: as soon as you embrace the latest and greatest discovery about what to eat/do, somebody will come along with "a study" that shows why you absolutely shouldn't eat/do that.

Once a year, every year, I see my PCP for a physical. Every now and then I get a UTI and go to the right-now care at Kaiser.
.
I've tried so many different diets to try to lose weight, with little results. The best way I've found to lose weight is to push my chair away from the table. And exercise.
 
Old joints and hearts don't LIKE extra pounds so I do work at keeping it off. I;m on oxygen so a lot of exercise just doesn't work, but I keep going as much as I can. Cutting portions and staying away from processed foods keeps me pretty level.
And staying away from fast food. I saw a calorie comparison chart on fast food hamburgers and (fried) chicken sandwiches and was astounded. Some sandwiches contain more calories than I eat in a whole day.
Edited to add: "Burger King's Bacon King sandwich comes out to 2,102 calories, the highest of any fast food burger — and that's without any sides, confirms the chain's website."
 
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This is a timely thread Medusa, I'm a "young" 75.2 and just this morning I was getting dressed with all of the usual attendant grunting and grumbling due this weird phenomenon that comes with age where the legs appear to extend as the arms contract making the simple task of tying one's shoes assume Herculean proportions. It struck me that most of the discomfort I feel is in my legs, specifically my knees, since retiring my life has become much more sedentary, weight has increased and I'm now expecting these rickety old knees to support my burgeoning waistline.

So ... I've invested in a pair of disgustingly expensive Nike shoes and plan to pound the local walking-track each morning to bring things back into proportion. This will involve some initial pain and tough love for the old knees but, in time, the benefits should follow and, with the help of a more-sensible diet, be maintained.

Stand by (or sit if you prefer) for further developments.
This definitely seems the right and sensible plan and I admire you for it. :)

I'm just not sure if I'm up for it anymore. --I think I'm hoping getting back to the horse rescue will save me as a side benefit. ;)
 
I'm paying more attention to health and fitness at 79 than I was at 69, but for different reasons. It's now more "defensive" in nature, rather than just "be healthy because it's good for you." Now, I do it to gain back abilities I was slowly losing in the last 10 years, things like getting up off the floor without needing a chair nearby or bending over to pick something up, or being able to hike more than two miles without feeling a dull ache in my back.

It's no longer about continually upping the weights in my bench press. It's actually much more laid back and about health maintenance. I do light weight reps in between certain housework tasks. And it is paying off dividends rather quickly. The things I've mentioned are again things I can do. I've also lost 40 pounds over the last two years and am now getting close to my ideal body weight. The weight loss may be more helpful than the exercises, although they do feed off of each other, and each makes the other easier.

Eventually, my age will win and take it's toll. All I want at this point is to extend the good life for as long as possible.
 
Count on it: as soon as you embrace the latest and greatest discovery about what to eat/do, somebody will come along with "a study" that shows why you absolutely shouldn't eat/do that.
Well, the evidence seems to have born that out, at least in most cases.

I have to avoid certain things, e.g., gluten, dairy, because of existing conditions which those food groups tend to aggravate. The avoidance, for the most part, of refined sugar just seems sensible to me.

The rest though, I tend to agree; on the whole, almost every time, dieting (fad as opposed to sensible eating) does not work in the long run.
 
Old joints and hearts don't LIKE extra pounds so I do work at keeping it off. I;m on oxygen so a lot of exercise just doesn't work, but I keep going as much as I can. Cutting portions and staying away from processed foods keeps me pretty level.
Sensible and much more effective, I'd wager.
I'm still struggling with processed foods, mainly because I'm lazy. 😅
 
@Medusa I agree with the gluten/dairy when there's a medical reason for it. Too many people just climb on the fad du jour for no reason whatsoever. Someone I worked with said she doesn't "do" gluten or dairy. I commented that it's gotta be hard when you have celiac disease and are lactose intolerant. Nope! She's neither, just doesn't "believe in" gluten or dairy. What?
 
Self-care is more important than ever! A diet of mostly processed, deep fried, and junk foods will result in more inflammation and pain as well as a whole host of other problems. Age-diminished muscles will also result in pain and also will put you in a wheel chair.

If you eat healthy and exercise 95% of the time, you won’t have a problem eating your steak, birthday cake and ice cream in the other 5%.
 
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And staying away from fast food. I saw a calorie comparison chart on fast food hamburgers and (fried) chicken sandwiches and was astounded. Some sandwiches contain more calories than I eat in a whole day.
You know, I actually had a Big Mac the other day and fries. I don't eat like that, normally, but I just really wanted it.
I didn't feel well afterward.

And just a few days ago I had Taco Bell Tacos (see? the waffling. I don't normally even eat red meat let alone fast food.)
I'd like to say I didn't feel well after that either, but no, it was just a big party.
 
@Medusa I agree with the gluten/dairy when there's a medical reason for it. Too many people just climb on the fad du jour for no reason whatsoever. Someone I worked with said she doesn't "do" gluten or dairy. I commented that it's gotta be hard when you have celiac disease and are lactose intolerant. Nope! She's neither, just doesn't "believe in" gluten or dairy. What?
Doesn't believe in those things? LOL People are funny sometimes, aren't they?

Edit: typo
 
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Self-care is more important than ever!
Well, that's the thing, is it, though?
I mean, the obvious answer would seem, "Yes, of course." But I wonder if I want to spend the rest of my years living very carefully just to give myself a few more very careful years or adopt more of an, "Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow..."
 
You know, I actually had a Big Mac the other day and fries. I don't eat like that, normally, but I just really wanted it.
I didn't feel well afterward.
I did the very same thing a few weeks ago, @Medusa ... I was with my daughter and was going to get my usual "regular" little hamburger but I realized it's been years since I'd had a Big Mac... so I did it. I can't even say I didn't feel well afterward because I felt *very* perky and happy that I did it. :sneaky: Now I'm okay for a couple of years again.
 
I did the very same thing a few weeks ago, @Medusa ... I was with my daughter and was going to get my usual "regular" little hamburger but I realized it's been years since I'd had a Big Mac... so I did it. I can't even say I didn't feel well afterward because I felt *very* perky and happy that I did it. :sneaky: Now I'm okay for a couple of years again.
Sounds like you and I felt about the same after your Big Mac and My Tacos. -- Maybe, sometimes ya just gotta party a little. 🙃 🥳
 
As I'm aging I'm finding myself vacillating on this subject.

Most of my life I've moved in and out of physical fitness regimes, focused, healthful eating, etc., It's generally my way, sort of, mostly, (or was) to eat well and try to exercise however, whenever.

Lately though, I don't know... sometimes I feel like, "You're 58.5; the hell with it. Relax and have some pizza." Others though it's, "You're 58.5! You must exercise, avoid gluten, sugar, dairy, high carbs, etc., count calories, blah, blah, blah."

But you know that old adage about people on the Titanic refusing dessert?

I know I should find a medium, but I don't do that well, moderate behavior. I wish I did; it would be less exhausting.

How's everyone else handling health maintenance as we age?
Having said the above, I'm going to run (okay, step carefully) upstairs and make a cup of tea with no sugar and non-dairy creamer. :oops:
 
Well, that's the thing, is it, though?
I mean, the obvious answer would seem, "Yes, of course." But I wonder if I want to spend the rest of my years living very carefully just to give myself a few more very careful years or adopt more of an, "Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow..."
We are not training for the Olympics anymore, so how carefully in our living should we be? I don't think it's time to throw caution to the wind, but a little carefully (whatever that is) wouldn't require an obsession with our health.

The obvious problem with "eat, drink, and be merry," is that none of us are going to die tomorrow. If I was going to die within the next 20 hours, then it wouldn't make much difference, but in actuality, I doubt that anybody on their death bed is focused on wishing they could have one last McDonald's Happy Meal supersized with a double order of fries.
 
Having said the above, I'm going to run (okay, step carefully) upstairs and make a cup of tea with no sugar and non-dairy creamer. :oops:
Be careful with that non-dairy creamer, Medusa. It can contain trans fats, calories and additives you don't want. 1% milk might be a better alternative.
 


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