Growing older beats the alternative.

I will be 79 soon and have lots of aches and pains.

I just need to be more active, says the doc.

Happy, have you had your ankle and leg looked at? Living with constant pain is no fun and can make you feel old...which you aren't. Hope you feel better soon.

"If you don't use it you lose it". Join a gym. For my job I sat at a computer all day. I had to pull myself up the steps and my knees hurt. I joined a gym and built my muscles back up. Now no knee pain and I can walk up steps with no problem .

"I am late 60's. I think I am way too young for this. "

Amen! me too. it's just one thing after another. my body just won't let me be. my doctors too. seems they just want to keep sending you for tests and to specialists. I've told my doc, only one doc a week! It's been a few wks since I've been to one but here I start all over again - I have 2 lined up for the 1st week of Feb. Had to break my own rule in order to get into my dentist of choice! He's a dream dentist tho, but he is an hour away from me. I have xrays to be done, the lab to go to etc. and a check up with a surgeon. What a life!

btw, my tooth quit hurting when I called the dentist for an appt. I'm still going in, if I can. I might try to squeeze the imaging in before that. my last trip there, it was a 2 hr wait (probably 3) and I wasn't waiting that long.

roy4me, I hope I have a long time to go.

cat, you poor thing, i hope you continue to mend. You sound like nothing gets you down.

Ava, at least I am not sliding or rocking when I walk like I was last week. My 102 year MIL walks more spryly than I was.

functionthenlook, DH and I are looking into gym membership. Glad to hear that exercise has been effective for you.

Desertsteph, I agree that time spent at the doctor's can get out of hand, but easy to get sucked in. It is worse to keep the dentist appointment even though your tooth has stopped hurting. Whatever the reason for it hurting to begin with is probably still there.

Yes, I have an appointment to see the doctor to check the knee and ankle. Earlier this year, I set a goal with my daughters to walk 400 miles over the course of 4-6 months. They will run and finish sooner. I think my body overheard and is giving me payback. I have not been sedentary but I could/should be more active routinely.

The saying "Old age ain't for sissies" is sooooo true ! If some of the the "younger generation" had our aches and pains ..... they'd go crazy !!!! LOL

Happy, check with your insurance company. Many give discounts for gyms. With my insurance the gym cost is $29 a month. I can go to several gyms in my area and across the US. A lot of the Medicare supplement plans have the silver sneaker and I believe those are free. I had to wear some knee supports at first until I got the knee muscles strong again.

Mentioned to grandson, that I'm aging and feeling the process of aches and pains. Just comes with the times in our lives. I exercised regularly but lately, just have downscaled and my body lets me know so. Just have to make up my mind to get "with it" again.

Every senior on Medicare can take advantage of Silver Sneakers

" I am late 60's. I think I am way too young for this "

Unfortunately your not too young for this. The human body is at its peak before age 30. From there it is downhill. At 55 the body deconditioning is accelerated. Failing to regenerate as it had before. It doesn't mean you just give up. I plan to go down fighting. You just have to be wise on how you treat your body and what you can and can not do anymore. A group of us retires meet for lunch once a month. We were just taking about what we don't do anymore. We are all still active and have no restrictions, but we also would like to keep our original hips. So things like ice/roller skating, etc are out.

rhizo, unfortunately not everyone on Medicare can get Silver Sneakers If you just have MC part A and B, silver sneakers is not a benefit. You have to belong to a participating Medicare Advantage plan to be eligible.

Glad ? to know that I am experiencing aging. It is hard to accept as I do not think of myself as old. I am happy to know that I can ameliorate the effects of aging. One of the reasons I like the KT is the positive attitudes its members set and the busy interesting lives they lead.

The irony - My SIL is a exercise physiologist. Besides lecturing, he works with people on agility, strength, and pain management especially for those who suffer with Parkinsons Disease. His clients are all ages- some near 100. He offers me advice which I listen to, but I am uncomfortable with seeing him in a professional capacity. It seems too close and I do not want to take one of his time slots that he can fill with a client or have him work in his personal time. I think a more casual arrangement is better. SIL and DD have a nice gym set up at home which my daughter uses. She encourages me to exercise, so I think I will suggest that we exercise together. SIL coaches her sometimes, and I can benefit too.

That is just one step in a more aware of fitness life style plan for me. You have supported what I suspected. It is Carpe Diem time for me.

Happy, exercising with your daughter seems to be a perfect plan.

My husband has been an athlete all his life and excels at every sport he's ever tried. I was a cheerleader in high school back when that consisted mostly of standing on the sidelines and yelling and clapping. I've never enjoyed any sport. My thing has always been to conserve my steps when doing any activity. Whether cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, or gardening, (love to garden) I've always planned it to use as little activity as possible.

That changed a year and a half ago when my daughter bought a new Fitbit and gave me her old one. For some reason that Fitbit got me to do something I'd never enjoyed before. I started walking for exercise. I had plenty of aches and pains when I started but most of those went away in time. My knees continued to bother me and I worried that I was headed for knee surgery like so many of my contemporaries. We are in our early seventies and I reluctantly went to the doctor to find out what exactly was causing the knee pain. She prescribed an opiod even though I told her repeatedly that the pain was barely there. Then she sent me to an orthopedist who x-rayed my knees and showed me the bone spurs and flattened cushioning that was causing the pain. I explained that the pain was barely there but I wanted to know what was going on. He diagnosed me with osteoarthritis and prescribed a gel to rub on my knees four times a day. He said it was better than using aspirin or acetaminophen as it wouldn't upset my stomach. I used it and for the first time in a long time I was truly pain free. I never used the opiod. I have a high pain threshold and was in lots more pain than I realized. I had become so used to the "barely there" pain that I didn't realize how bad it was. I'm telling you this because I suspect that I'm not the only one who tends to minimize pain. Only when the pain was relieved did I realized how much stress and worry it was causing me, as well as the amount of pain involved. Walking for exercise improved my quality of life in so many ways that I was depressed at the thought of having to give it up. Now I don't have to, although I have made a few modifications such as always wearing supportive shoes and walking for twenty minutes at a time instead of an hour. I hope you'll get your pain checked out without making the assumption that you are just getting old and life as you know it is over.

I agree it sounds like a wonderful plan to exercise with your daughter! Good luck in figuring all this out. I figure all those years of migraines that I had were some kind of a time stopper or preservative because right now I feel the healthiest I felt in forever. I'm guessing that I didn't wear out joints that can be affected Etc. I just had reverse aging ;). However my skin that's a whole other story.

Prayers said and wishing you the best of luck in resolving these issues.

I found your comments supportive, encouraging, and reassuring. Also thanks for the vote of confidence.

At 65, I am sure having my turn at illness. As a teacher, I built up quite an immunity to all the stuff. I retired 3 years ago. This fall and winter I have had one minor illness after another. I have never been sick this much in my life. I have things to do, people to see, money to make! But right now I am nursing bronchitis, and getting antsy and shaky from steroids. My friend commented she wants to come over and take photos if I get crazy enough on these steroids to run out in the snow without clothes. Soooo helpful. ....

Only a true friend would make that offer, ladypat1. Hope you defeat all the bugs and get well soon.

My husband is out of town for the weekend and we had several inches of snow accumulation yesterday. I don't know how to use the snowblower so hand shoveled for 2+ hours. I kept thinking the entire time, "Thank goodness for my lifelong habit of walking, working out, healthy eating and especially the last three years of reformer Pilates.". I could have continued shoveling but the sun went down and I lost my light. I shoveled more this a.m. I honestly don't feel a thing! I'm closing in on 70 and literally have no aches or pains. I can't recommend reformer Pilates enough. It strengthens the entire body and is a gentle exercise routine; anyone can do it and benefit from it with the proper instructor. I try and do two sessions a week but often am only able to do one. It's amazing!

Use it or lose it. Well I’ve really lost it and I’m frightened. I’m 66 and I’ve been sedentary for the last few years. Not sure exactly why, some depression, achey knees. I’ve gained a tremendous amount of weight too. Now I can only walk or stand 5 minutes at a time before I have to sit down again. I’ve started walking in the evening but not very far. My stamina is shot. I’ve seen the doctor and he says to walk. I found some YouTube videos for chair exercises that I’m wanting to try. DH has taken over a lot of things I used to do. Grocery shopping, etc. I feel so bad for him. He just retired and there are places to go and things to see. Thanks for letting me vent.

(((((Natesg)))))

Just take it one step at a time. ;))

All jokes aside it really does work to add some steps every day. Aches and pains are hard to ignore but if you have to do that to some degree to regain mobility then do that. Also don't let the aches and pains go unchecked. Soak in Epsom salts take NSAIDs if you're allowed to, talk to your doctor about pain management and even go to a pain clinic. Don't ignore it because it does contribute to great depression if you don't acknowledge and try to do something about it.

A lot of people say Fitbit helps them. My dogs help me :-)

Personally I'm going to check out the Pilates reformer too.

Natesg, an extra few seconds each time and you will get there. I can remember being so non physical that I would have to stop and catch my breath when doing the warm up on an exercise tape. Those chair exercises are good -- hope you like them. It will be hard at first, just accept that and keep at it!

Age and extreme stress has taken a toll on this old body... My worst complaint stems from a blotched hip replacement that I had in 2008...but it took 8 years of several doctors and years of PT to find out what happened. When I had that surgery, the surgeon cut the nerves in my hip and they were not repairable. I even wanted to have another replacement to try to correct the problem but neurological tests showed it was not possible. Therefore, with no nerves, my hip “gives way”and it causes me to walk with a “wabble”, which in turn, causes me to have terrible back pain when I walk or exercise.

But, Natesg, I do go to chair exercises twice a week for an hour a session...it has been a salvation for me...not only do we get a good workout, we but have a wonderful time visiting and laughing while we do...which helps with my depression....staying home alone being a recluse is hard on me. I do hope you will find a class and give them a try... good luck...I understand where you are coming from. (((0)))

Thank you so much for all the great ideas and support. It means a lot to me.

natesg, the advice you've been given is right on. If you keep walking and start doing the chair exercises, you will gradually notice your condition improving. For those with no underlying health issues, it's never too late to start exercising and getting in shape. If you walked 100 steps yesterday, make it your goal to walk 110 steps today. Your quality of life will be vastly improved so don't allow yourself to get discouraged and give up. Maybe it would help keep you motivated if you had a walking partner to cheer you on. Would your husband walk with you? Or, do you have a dog that you could take for walks?

I've never been much of an athlete, but over the years, I've done some form of exercise, often halfheartedly, with gaps of no exercise in between. Fortunately, I've always liked to walk. A few years ago, I noticed that I was losing range of motion in my arms and shoulders and started doing gentle yoga for more flexibility. It has helped me so much. I'm more flexible and bendy, my muscle tone has improved and I've regained strength as well. It has really helped me get function back in my knee after breaking it almost two years ago.

Recently, I started doing some light weight training to further tone and strengthen my arms. I'm going to look into the pilates reformer; I'm a firm believer in use it or lose it when it comes to staying fit as we age.

Best of luck to all of us who are trying to stay fit or get in shape as we get older!

What made a difference in my knee and hip pain was finding supportive shoes (lots of cushion is the worst) and when needed, using orthotics. Misalignment from your feet to your hips will cause all sorts of problems. Your PT should be able to advise you on this.

Oh, yes to the supportive shoes and/or orthotics! I had a severe case of plantar fasciitis several years ago which developed after moving into a new house with all hard surface floors. DH developed it at the same time. OTC arch supports alleviated his problem but nothing including custom supports helped me until I discovered Good Feet arch supports. They're $$$ but my problem was solved quickly and life was good again. Very good point annztoo!

Another vote for taking small steps each day. My Pilates instructor was very discouraged that her mid-80 y.o. parents were becoming less and less active resulting in physical ailments including extremely swollen legs and feet. She teaches a "sit and be fit" class for seniors and convinced them to participate. It's been a few months now and they are doing much better physically and becoming more active. Slow and steady wins the race. :)