Risks due to loss of strength in old age

When I tore my Achilles a few years back I had my left leg in a cast for a couple of months. When the cast came off it was half the size of my right leg but a few months work built it back up again. I don't seem to be loosing strength, but I am losing stamina & tire quicker than I used to. Another 67 yo kid.
 
I do a lot of walking (15-20km uphill and down dale----there always seems to be more up than down in Portugal!) , also go dancing (paso doble ,salsa) so my legs ain't so bad . Upper body strength isn't TOO bad, but my arthritic hands make it difficult to use it. 70 going on 21,by the way.
P.S. Decent weather instead of cold rain and biting winds does no harm!
 
I am told that a very high proportion of accidents (and drownings) that happen to ageing yacht people happen when climbing in and out of dinghies onto their boats. Obvious really, but worth thinking about when you are next lifting something heavy up and over the toe rail
 
Early 60s, full of minor aches and pains, lazy git, I have started parking the car a little way from the kerb so I am forced to walk, I hope to build up to fully crossing the road without the car, it is best not to rush things.
 
wombat88 said:
I am told that a very high proportion of accidents (and drownings) that happen to ageing yacht people happen when climbing in and out of dinghies onto their boats. Obvious really, but worth thinking about when you are next lifting something heavy up and over the toe rail
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tie the dinghy to the yacht, use a centre line, less likely to go for a terminal swim

be interesting to know how many (old) yachtsmen die after falling over board vs a terminal injury on the boat, i suspect most fall over board with the inevitable result :(
 
Another 67 here. Beginning to find the unballasted faering a bit too lively, so am building a ballasted cat yawl. I still work at a fairly active manual job, but have had some shoulder probs that limit mobility(over half my life). Can do most stuff, but constant pain which gets worse if I push the limits. Learned to live with it, after taking good advice from top physios. I should do more walking, as my medic recommends. But I notice he does not do it himself, or observe the limits of alcohol he talks about.
 
DownWest said:
Another 67 here. Beginning to find the unballasted faering a bit too lively, so am building a ballasted cat yawl. I still work at a fairly active manual job, but have had some shoulder probs that limit mobility(over half my life). Can do most stuff, but constant pain which gets worse if I push the limits. Learned to live with it, after taking good advice from top physios. I should do more walking, as my medic recommends. But I notice he does not do it himself, or observe the limits of alcohol he talks about.
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Do as I say,don't do as I do!
 
Use it or loose it.
I'm not anywhere near my 70's yet.
Just a youngster in my 50's.
When I was a young sailor. I came close to the traditional main cause of death for sailors
I fell in the drink. After a great deal of drink. In Gibraltar. I came to my senses between the stonewall and the launch. The launch was coming back in. I went down under and came up on the other side.
I was able to reach a grab line and pull myself up to the gunwale where I was helped aboard. I was immediately sworn to silence lest there be repercussions.

No way I could do it today. I was a fit teenager around 10 or 11 stone soaking wet. Probably 15 or more now completely dry. I might have the sense not to drink quite as much.

I still ride a bike; walk, hike, ski, canoe, and row. Like others my legs are strong. Staying active life is more fun. I don't know if it will be longer.
 
I have just had the results of my blood tests back and all is A OK so I'm feeling pretty smug!!

So now for some advice: It is not just about exercise it is eating the right foods. You need to eat foods rich in flavenoids which destroy the "free radicals" in your body which damage your cells and make you age. It's a bit like having an oil filter (flavenoids) which destroy the sand (free radicals) in your sump.

Foods rich in flavenoids are red wine, dark chocolate, tea, strawberries, broccoli, garlic, spinach..................

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-artic...s-minerals/9-foods-rich-in-bioflavonoids.html

https://www.google.com.au/#q=flavonoids+anti+aging

Eating oatmeal and muesli for breakfast fixed my cholesterol problem some years back. Check out the benefits of cinnamon and flax meal

https://www.google.com.au/#q=flax+meal+health+benefits
https://www.google.com.au/#q=cinnamon+health+benefits

Hope you don't mind me getting on my soap box.
 
I think Searush has hit the nail on the head

As a youngster I could keep going, a missed nights sleep was a mild nuisance. I can still lift much the same weight now as I could 20 years ago (if i can get my arthritic fingers in the right position!). The difference is that then I could put a full days 'heavy humping' in.

Nowadays all I can do is keep going - to the loo! (And yes, i do take the pills)

The pills and potions given for the ailments of old age can also have much more radical and subtle side effects than the docs will tell you. I was put on beta blockers 15 years ago. Within a week or two I was positively dangerous on the boat. Stumbling over things, fumbling around, no strength or stamina. I stopped taking them, and recovered. Recently I was given Ibuprofen gel for arthritic thumbs (had to go to the Doctor with a sore thumb for blanks sake!). Disastrous, within a week I was feeling totally knackered, tight chest that made me think I was having premonitory heart attack symptoms, severe indigestion. It wrecked me again. Stopped taking it and am fine now - but still have the sore thumbs! Lesser of two evils so far.

I thought I knew about getting old, having worked with elderly people. But its so much more complicated than I realised!

BTW, I usually sail single handed, and have a folding stern ladder rigged so that I can reach and deploy it from the water. The only problem now is to work out how I would catch the boat up: I cant swim at 5 knots any more....
 
Oldharry

I won't bore people with my experience of different prescription drugs but one you mention (beta blockers) causes diabetes. I don't think they use it anymore in Australia.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-403973/Beta-blockers-increase-diabetes-risk-50-cent.html

With the doctor's permission I stay off drugs. There are foods that have therapeutic benefits. Bacon gives me aches and pains (gout?)

They have changed the guidelines for managing blood pressure. If you have blood pressure problem I suggest you make sure your doctor is up-to-date with the latest guidelines. People around 60 years the cut-off point is 150/90. Elders it is 160/90. ( It's almost back to the 100 plus your age guideline that doctors used 70 years ago)

Prescribing little doses of poison to cure someone's ailment is a bit like witchcraft!!
 
BTW, I usually sail single handed, and have a folding stern ladder rigged so that I can reach and deploy it from the water. The only problem now is to work out how I would catch the boat up: I cant swim at 5 knots any more....[/QUOTE]

An Australian sailor with 40 years experience (Alan Lucas) said he always towed a long line when he was single handling. Of course the idea was that if he went overboard he could swim to the line and haul himself on board. (I think he may have even had the line attached to the tiller.)
 
coopec said:
.....if he went overboard he could swim to the line and haul himself on board. (I think he may have even had the line attached to the tiller.)
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neat idea. I might need to arrange for the autopilot to disengage from the tiller (I think it could be done). However I will always (if I remember) have a PLB in my pocket.
Best idea is to rig jackstays so you always stay on the deck.
 
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