Aging and Sedentary

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by Mickmeister, Nov 10, 2011.

  1. Mickmeister Registered Senior Member

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    Why do people become so sedentary as they age? I am almost 40 and most of my peers are just downright lazy. I have been training for months getting ready to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and most have told me I am insane that I should be going to the beach instead. Most tell me I wear them out on Facebook with all of the stuff I do. I understand if you have a kid, but then again my neice has a child and they are out doing stuff all of the time. For those couples that I know without kids, they are even sedentary. I just don't get why people think as they age, they have to become lazy. It just baffles me. IMO, as you age, you should become even more active like I have because you have less days ahead to waste sitting around.
     
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  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    While you would think that is true the problem is that as you get up into your 70's and 80's your body isn't the same as it used to be when you were 20. Your mind at times thinks you are and that's when accidents happen and you have medical issues. Your muscles and tendons, disc's and membranes all have had a great deal of use over the years and aren't as fresh and vibrant as they once were and a simple fall can break your hip or knee. Then there's your heart, it too has taken a beating, no pun intended, and if you stress it out with heavy types of activity you can have a heart attack or other problems with it as well. Some exercises can be accomplished like walking or riding a bike for examples but you just have to realize that your body just isn't capable of the things you once did.:itold:

    Then there are exceptions to what I've said too.

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  5. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Activity level can also be a function of geography and income, among other factors. Depending on where people live, the options available to them may be limited. For someone who lives in a highrise, as example, there may not be many opportunities to participate in outdoor activities. Working out on apparatus in the home or at a gym does not appeal to everyone. As example, I like to be active, but not in a stationary mode doing repetitive movement. I need to produce an output, lol....

    To participate in many things costs money, and for many, their income is limited, which results in poor nutrition, another factor that works against health.

    The natural processes of aging do tend to slow most of us down, as cosmic has suggested, but it is a matter of genetics and personal choice as to how much we slow down and when.

    The proliferation of electronic entertainment and communication media is also to blame, IMO. We used to need to get out to interact and socialize. Parties and shared activities were the norm.

    An increasing number of people socialize through the internet these days. That makes sense where there is considerable distance between people yet folks barely even get together to visit their neighbors these days.

    It is a strange and troubling stage in the development of our species, for a fact. :bugeye:
     
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  7. Mickmeister Registered Senior Member

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    I think you hit on a couple of good points. To eat healthy is expensive. It sucks. When my wife and I changed our diets, our food bill went up a lot. It is sad that pre-processed food is cheaper.

    The electronic media has been a huge disaster to health. I am an IT professional and I can attest to that. I used to be one, but I was finally able to balance it out.

    I think what gets me even more is when people make statements that learning hurts their mind. I am like really? I saw my mom just give up on keeping her mind active. It wasn't but about six months later that dementia set in and then alzheimer's. I still enjoy going to school and learning new things. I guess I just don't get why so many want to just settle and not face new challenges.
     
  8. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Becoming sedentary can often creep up on a person. For example, I sustained a fairly serious injury in coming off a horse just over a year ago. I could not ride for several months and so spent more time on-line at a science forum, joined a chess forum and then joined this forum in May of this year.

    This provided me with educational and social interaction while I slowly returned to my riding pursuits. In the interim, I had gained 10 lbs, despite enjoying a fairly healthy diet.

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    I can carry a few extra pounds because of being fairly tall and big-boned and am now actively regaining my form and fitness. My outdoor activities provide me with the opportunity to do meaningful physical tasks which are helpful in this regard.

    Some persons in a similar circumstance may not have as many incentives to encourage them to remain active and once one starts packing on a significant amount of weight, it can be considerably harder to get back on track. For people who then panic and attempt rapid weight loss, this is not a successful strategy and they can then get caught up in the circular equation of weight loss, subsequent regain, and diet fads which can be expensive and self-defeating.

    Often too, it can be events that occur to others in our lives that can lead to loss of motivation and interest. When my husband suffered a near fatal heart attack in January of 2009, I was derailed emotionally and physically for over a year, as I was dealing with the stress of this event and also dealing with an aging parent, with responsibilities as the eldest child.

    The exact mechanism's of dementia and Alzheimer's are still not completely understood and there may be a genetic component involved, making prevention and treatment difficult.

    The effects, also, of global contaminants that are ubiquitous in the environment and our diets is nearly impossible to avoid and we can do harm reduction at best.

    You may be one of the luckier ones, through genetics, circumstance and personal ambition. Look after yourself, enjoy your capabilities and continue to lead by example would be my best suggestions as an aid to others.
     
  9. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    You are insane. You are going to kill yourself. Just fucking relax already.
     
  10. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    I'm chuckling at this. Many people consider me a 'Type A' personality for the energy and endurance I have. I look at others whom I consider to be 'Type A+' and they wear me down just being in the same room with them, lol.

    We all move to the beat of a different drum and all I ask is the freedom to move at my own pace.

    Will the rest of you either lead, follow or get the hey out of the way?

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  11. Aqueous Id flat Earth skeptic Valued Senior Member

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    I became increasingly sedentary as I aged largely due to the accumulation of injuries I inflicted on myself by pushing things, taking risks, being careless, which are the most wonderful experiences I ever had, so now I sit in my rocking chair with my milk toast and my hot water bottle and reflect on the good old days.
     
  12. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Maybe because it feels good? The purpose of life is not merely to extend itself. You're supposed to enjoy it too!

    The latest pontification from the health-safety-fitness-and-sobriety-at-any-cost Nazis is that the Industrial Revolution was the worst thing that ever happened to our species because we can now work sitting down! They want the next generation of office space to have the work areas at a higher level, so we can stand up while we work!

    The desire to engage in strenuous activity is driven by a combination of hormones, muscle tone and attitude. These things attenuate as we get older. Attitude in particular changes enormously as our brains reach their full development in our 30s, and things we used to enjoy, such as fighting over possession of a ball, now seem pointless or downright uncivilized. In addition, these things used to release endorphins but they don't anymore. Athletics feels more like a chore than recreation. Finally, we used to recover from the damage to our bodies in a few hours or overnight, but the speed and effectiveness of body repair diminishes with age, so now it takes a week and there are still a few aches that haven't gone away.
    I hope you understand that even though your friends' attitude could stand some adjustment, you are nonetheless a one-percenter!

    I'm 68 and I go to the gym 3 times a week. I can walk at a good speed for an hour without slowing down. I can lift things and do chores without needing help or hurting myself. I can dance, which is more important than any of that other stuff! I'm in a band and I can load my own musical gear in and out.

    Being limber is as important as being strong, and I do plenty of stretching--especially since I had rotator cuff surgery last year and surgery on a knee meniscus last week. At this age, balance is arguably the most crucial ability, because our bones are more fragile and it's easy to break a hip in a fall from which a younger person would jump up and scamper away. I work hard on my abdominal muscles with stomach crunches and torso twists, because those are key to staying vertical even after stumbling.

    But I have no desire to play tennis or climb a mountain.
    I don't regard "sitting around" as a waste of time. I enjoy reading, moderating this forum, practicing my music, watching movies and TV, and snuggling my dogs. I have a well-paid career as an editor and writer, which is sit-down work but it's also my favorite kind of work and the work I do best. The last thing I would ever want is an outdoor job involving physical labor. I'm a mental person. After all, this is what distinguishes us from all the other animals.

    There is a sequence to life. When you're young and uneducated there are a whole lot of things you can't do, but since you're at your physical peak you can go out and run and jump until the cows come home. Later on your physical peak is behind you but your mental peak is on the horizon. At my age I can do all the things I envied adults for in my childhood. They bring me great pleasure and satisfaction, and I'm also contributing to the advancement of civilization. I don't miss fighting over possession of a stupid ball!
     
  13. Twelve Registered Senior Member

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    377

    Well, not everyone becomes sedentary as they age. I think it depends on the kind of life you have had previously. I have never got a decent job; I have hardly traveled; ...
    So, I am in my forties, but I'm feeling like a teenager because I still need to achieve any of my aims.

    And everytime I wake up, I think the countdown is working yet
     
  14. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Sounds like you keep getting in your own way. Let me guess: friends and family are no help because they keep getting angry. Professional counseling may be the only way out of this.

    I have a dear friend considerably older than you who is in the same position. I think a big part of her problem is that the aims she set for herself (obviously the primary one was to marry a reasonably prosperous man, which resulted in not having any fallback goals such as education or career, which could then have served as means to a different end) were not compatible with the path she was willing to travel to achieve them (she made no effort to become the kind of woman that is selected as a trophy wife, who these days ironically are often quite well-educated so they can impress business associates).

    Have you sat down and taken a serious analytical look at the things you tell yourself that you want to accomplish? Have you put together even a rudimentary game plan for pointing yourself in that general direction--note I'm not asking if you have followed the plan, just if you even have one.

    Have you put enough mental concentration into these goals, and added details to the scenario, so you can actually picture yourself going through what will be a "normal" week, month or year in that career (or whatever kind of life it is)? Have you included a spouse, a home and all the roots that people yearn for as we grow older (in our spare time while we're wasting our lives being sedentary

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    )?

    Do you see yourself with an identity? I was Fraggle Rocker the Computer Programmer for a couple of decades (a career that was lucrative and fun, but I just stumbled into it), but eventually I made the transition to Fraggle Rocker the Professional Writer and Editor--a career that resonates with things I loved to do clear back in high school. I never had a business card, but now I proudly hand out cards calling myself a Technical Writer. I feel like I have my identity; the me in high school would be proud of the me now. (You're getting the condensed version of my life story since you didn't pay full admission price. I went through a couple of intermediate career changes that were progressively more fulfilling and guided me in this direction.)

    People have lots of reasons for not achieving their goals, many of which are simply bad luck. But a common one is that the goals are not well fleshed-out so they don't really know how to go after them. And one of the biggest reasons for this obstacle is that the goal involves some kind of effort, strife, personality change, etc. that they don't want to do.

    Remember the immortal words of Pee-Wee Herman when his best friend confided to him, "I do want to follow my dream, but..." His response: Yeah. Everybody I know has a really big "but."
     
  15. Stoniphi obscurely fossiliferous Valued Senior Member

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    I am 61. I run 7 miles a day 7 days a week, practice Taekwon Do daily, lift weights and do yoga.

    While it is true that I no longer get in the ring for the occasional 12 - 14 rounds of kickboxing or do power lifting or power breaking I still climb mountains and backpack with the family - wife, son and dog come along.

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    Yeah, stuff hurts most of the time...but not bad enough to make me stop.

    I think that some folks quit trying as they age (just as many persons never start exercising), but not me. I have a bunch of geezer friends that do likewise as well. Some are in their 90's and still going strong. We may be a minority but we are still here having a great time staying physically fit.

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  16. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Way to go, Stoniphi! A rolling stone gathers no moss, lol....

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  17. chimpkin C'mon, get happy! Registered Senior Member

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    The idea of getting in a ring and fighting tickles my fancy, now that I finally lost all the weight. Plus in a crisis, I'm reluctant to throw the first punch. Even when said first punch was somewhat called for last year, it did not happen, and it could have been useful. I'm actually at the lightest weight I have ever been in my adult life, if not the best shape...around '02, I used to be able to ride about 8 miles a day on a bike; I can't do that at the moment.
     
  18. Stoniphi obscurely fossiliferous Valued Senior Member

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    Kickboxing is touted as working out about 95% of the muscles in your body. After our weekly bout, my ring partner and I would each weigh several pounds less than when we started.

    I quit because he was no longer available and I found no substitute for him. There is no other experience quite like gearing up and getting in the ring. I would start back up without hesitation if the opportunity arose again.

    My inspiration is folks like Jack LaLane. One notable example was a 93 year old walking buddy I had who did 10 miles a day 7 days a week until he just died one night while asleep. I have another friend who just turned 93 who still gets out there every day and puts in a few miles. Also goes to his office for 4 hours a day to - as he puts it - appear that he is still working. He runs a law firm, his son is the junior partner.

    I am real clear that one must use it or lose it, and I like having it so I will continue doing this.

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  19. Search & Destroy Take one bite at a time Moderator

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    Nice. Will you summit the mountain? I've heard good things about Tanzania.
     
  20. Search & Destroy Take one bite at a time Moderator

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    Ha that is crazy.

    I lived with a Shaman down in Ecuador for several months who would outpace and outwork me consistently. Where we were, we needed 10km or so just to purchase some eggs, and I think he made the walk at least twice a day. He was 84 and had lots of energy. Maybe also notable to mention the sheer amount of Ayahuasca and Datura doses he has taken in his life doesn't seem to contribute to any decline in health.
     
  21. Mickmeister Registered Senior Member

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    I am hoping to. I am training right now for it, as I have 10 months until the climb. The biggest enemy I am going to have is altitude sickness. I don't see me having any issues with the actual climb. To try and circumvent that as much as possible, I am going to rent an altitude tent one month before the climb to acclimate myself first to high altitudes, along with taking diamox.
     
  22. Pincho Paxton Banned Banned

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    We lose pressure. Pressure is our energy catalyst. We wrinkle up like a balloon that has lost pressure.
     
  23. elte Valued Senior Member

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    True, when i was a kid I could get away with so much more than today.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2011

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