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matisse
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 25, 2017 - 06:30pm PT
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Thanks for all your thoughts.
I would love nothing more than to walk and hike, unfortunately while my knee is pretty functional for every day activity, or at least it was before this latest insult, I'm not good for more than about 3 miles. The 4 surgeries have caught up on me.
The John Muir trail or even long walks are going to have to wait for my new knee whenever that is. The kayaking is a really good thought, hopefully my upper body would be up for it. On the bright side it would help to keep the crutching fitness I've built up over the last few weeks. I just figured out I spent over 1% of my life on crutches. Lol.
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
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Feb 25, 2017 - 06:31pm PT
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Matisse,
It seems we have a lot of parallels.
Total knee reconstruction mid 80's, shoulder separation a few years ago and a passion for two wheels.
I just turned 56. I still race Desert and Motocross and trail ride often with my teenage sons. We mountain bike a lot too. We hike and climb as often as possible.
I don't hit the tripples as often these days and I gave up roadracing in 2010 as we have younger children also and it was just too damn dangerous.
Low impact exercise is key. Weight training regularly is great for keeping core and upper body strength. Yoga and stretching can add years to quality living.
I quit Road Racing after 20 years because I didn't want to risk my family having to deal with and invalid or worse. If it weren't for this, I'm sure I'd still be road racing.
I think quitting something you love leaves a void that may be hard to fill constructively. Toning down speed and other risk(s) by riding smart and within your limits are a better choice imo.
John Gill is a great example of an extraordinary athlete aging gracefully.
Give up your passions when you absolutely have to. Otherwise Get back on the horse. You'll be glad you did.
Edit: Lose the clip-in pedals for sure
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 25, 2017 - 06:36pm PT
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MH2 has it right - skiing and biking can both be tough on you over time. It's hard, sooner or later, to avoid injurious falls in both. I've personally always considered climbing way, way safer than either or them. Lived in Hood River for a while for the windsurfing and between skiing and mountain biking it was the knee brace capital of America.
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monolith
climber
state of being
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Feb 25, 2017 - 07:12pm PT
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Modern rigid MTB flat shoes and pedals are awesome. Makes you develop good technique. Read up about flats vs clipped-in on the net, with lots of strong opinion both ways.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 25, 2017 - 07:15pm PT
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Just hang it up and don't make any excuses, enjoy life.
You don't need to tear yourself apart to be happy ....
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pb
Sport climber
Sonora Ca
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Feb 25, 2017 - 07:21pm PT
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I like that Werner (3 dots).
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Feb 25, 2017 - 07:39pm PT
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Matisse
Hang in there. I'm looking at possible rotator cuff surgery
at 65, and I haven't once thought of giving up climbing.
I may not be able to do some things I used to, but I don't wanna
stop. And look at Donini--he's in his 70's!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Feb 25, 2017 - 08:19pm PT
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dial it back as needed.
no clipless peddles
do the fun things
you got this
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Feb 25, 2017 - 08:28pm PT
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not sure why clipless pedals is such a bogeyman
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Feb 25, 2017 - 08:45pm PT
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I'm not good for more than about 3 miles.
Whoa! You're an athlete. That's good for a lot.
Unless you go out 3 miles and then...
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Feb 26, 2017 - 12:12am PT
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I knew by my 30s that my body wouldn't be capable of climbing into my 60s and 70s.
So any time I wasn't in physical recovery I tried to climb hard and take advantage of whatever opportunities there were.
I don't regret any of my climbing. But if I had walked away from climbing sooner I might be able to still day hike.
My back can't handle any sort of pack and one flight of stairs using the guard rail is about all my knees are good for.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Feb 26, 2017 - 03:31am PT
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Everyone is different....I have been extremely fortunate to have had zero major injuries and no joint problems and I am 73. I do find that I need more recovery time. I laid around all day yesterday after returning from three arduous days in the mountains here in Patagonia.
Follow what your body tells you regarding recovering from injury or activity but don't let your mind tell you that it is time to retire to the rocking chair. You are quite right that the biggest danger to good health as you age is to cease strenuous physical activity.
Good luck in recovering from your injury and I hope to run into you on a crag somewhere!
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Feb 26, 2017 - 05:27am PT
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That said by a near mutant even if he is some what unknown,
}B^7-
I drink a lot if water, and consume a fairly large amount of herbs and spices,
So much is contradictory, but just in case I take some supplements? Mmeh,
I do a lot of the cooking for the family of 4 . I try to only eat goat food, but fail miserably.
I love chocolate, but we do not use butter (much) low low salt and almost No sugar!
(That white powder is like so many white powders, poison.)
We switched to a soy cream/milk thing . .
No-fat all from raw, fresh food nothing packaged, still we swell,
Arsenic in rice sent us to quienwa and other grains, still we swell?
Pepper and now down to only one condiment, a medium Sriracha sauce, still I swell
Go figure ? , it is more like GO To The Gym. . . .
im a victim, sloth, and excellent sedentary skills, leading to a near rock like appearance.
Unfortunately it's a round rock.
In my world of suburbia, planting bushes, cleaning gutters, the most mundane activities
pose as great threat of injury as the risky scramble /choss hoping that I . . . like
( small rock Hell - its all I got )
After Digging holes for bushes, having retrieved 21 bushes from a short steep 50% hill,
something just above my knee went, the next day started a spiral decline in my activity,
the battle to keep my mouth closed, and not gain weight is a fight I'm always loosing.
As almost everyone has said; becoming sedentary, for me is the greatest threat to wellness!
Wyomingrockman ! Your mom's haut! {B^7
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anita514
Gym climber
Great White North
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Feb 26, 2017 - 05:50am PT
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I'm still in my 30s with no major injuries (knock on wood) other than some pretty significant surgery on my leg a few years ago. I spent a good chunk of my childhood in and out of hospitals with many, many surgeries to patch my bones up.
I have not been able to do anything with impact pretty much my whole life, to prevent breaking my leg. So I used to do a lot of low impact type stuff, like walking/hiking, and then climbing.
If you can't walk 3 miles, then there is a pretty big problem here and if I were in your shoes, I would get off the bike or at least least ditch MTB and take up regular cycling.
Walking is the best, low impact activity you can do. I took that for granted all those times I was either in a wheelchair or on crutches (I'm probably up there in how much of my life was spent on crutches. Hell, I never even learned how to ride a bike because of my busted up leg).
I don't want to offend anyone here, but I've noticed that with older men/women, they tend to really push hard. I am guessing there's some element of pride/ego involved, plus having to prove something to themselves/others perhaps? (sorry). But I feel that, often they push so hard, they do not listen to their bodies and end up busted up and broken, unable to do anything. Not saying this is you, but what I am saying is listen to your body. Let it heal. It's OK to recover and take it slow. It's OK to stop doing things your body can no longer handle. There are certain things I just won't be able to do because it's not worth the potential injury to my leg. And that is OK. I want to be able to be active for as long as possible. Think about that too. Plus as a woman, as we age, we have to deal with stuff like osteoporosis. So take it easy NOW, so that you can continue being active well into your 70s and beyond!
Swimming is a great way to stay in shape and is good for your joints. Yoga too. But for me, the best is walking. I'd try to work myself up to being able to do easy hikes, stuff like that.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Feb 26, 2017 - 05:54am PT
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I'm 57 Here's what I'm doing: I don't clip in--one finger on the brake all the time, the wheels stay on the ground. I get passed A LOT! Just riding those medium flow trails--Is it my fault that their fun? Never met a hill yet I couldn't push the bike up.
I X-C ski as much as possible--low impact and super fun
Just started Fly Fishing--it's surprisingly fun.
Planning to re-start climbing this summer--my goal is about movement and flexibility. Oh yeah- I"m doing it for fun.
When I started I was told that "this is all just monkey business" 40 years later it's too late to gain any sense of identity from my recreation. So go out and have another piece of pie
I'd also suggest swimming but I find it so boring--maybe if you want to feel what it would be like to live forever.....
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colin rowe
Trad climber
scotland uk
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Feb 26, 2017 - 06:18am PT
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"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
Dylan Thomas 1914-1953
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perswig
climber
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Feb 26, 2017 - 07:33am PT
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Just started Fly Fishing--it's surprisingly fun.
Fully expected to get my ass kicked resort skiing with the pseudo-nephews this past wkend after at least 2 years w/o downhill or skinning time.
Turns out, 3-season scouting and wading small to large streams will maintain joint flexibility and core/leg strength way better than I'd have expected. All that time braced into the current, water swirling near your wader-tops threatening to drown you if you drop your guard as you focus on the drift or swap out for a tiny bead, recruits everything from your arches to your shoulders into making constant adjustments that you certainly feel later and will appreciate when you get back on boards, bike, rock, ice.
(Throw in semi-regular pool laps and some trail-running, hiking hills during upland-bird season, and I'm losing ground less rapidly than I would have expected.)
Don't stop; diversify.
Dale
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Feb 26, 2017 - 08:45am PT
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Bike less, those things will kill you.
Climb more.
Seriously? Keep doing what you like, just be careful. Maybe go a bit less 'extreme' in your biking pursuits. Momentum can be a bitch when you get into trouble on a bike.
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
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Feb 26, 2017 - 08:54am PT
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I don't want to offend anyone here, but I've noticed that with older men/women, they tend to really push hard. I am guessing there's some element of pride/ego involved, plus having to prove something to themselves/others perhaps? (sorry). But I feel that, often they push so hard, they do not listen to their bodies and end up busted up and broken, unable to do anything. Not saying this is you, but what I am saying is listen to your body. Let it heal. It's OK to recover and take it slow. It's OK to stop doing things your body can no longer handle. There are certain things I just won't be able to do because it's not worth the potential injury to my leg. And that is OK. I want to be able to be active for as long as possible. Think about that too. Plus as a woman, as we age, we have to deal with stuff like osteoporosis. So take it easy NOW, so that you can continue being active well into your 70s and beyond!
Anita, I think you miss a valuable point when you see "older" men and women that can still "push hard" at their chosen avocation/hobby/sport. The reason one can continue to perform well into their 50's,60's, 70's is is likely because they DO and HAVE listened to their bodies throughout their lifetime.
I personally don't want to give up any of my passions until it becomes the right thing to do. This alone motivates one to stay in shape. Maturity helps bring the wisdom to choose the appropriate time to make these decisions.
Taking care of one's body should always be a top priority.
You can't get very far if your vehicle is broken or weak.
Speaking for myself, I find the time with my helmet on is as far from my ego as I can possibly get.
When I'm in the zone my only thoughts are in the moment and fortunately, I have found activities that take me there in minutes.
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