Building Energy & Endurance - Woman at 50

I'm 53, overweight with RA and Sjogrens. I am very active and the neighbors are always telling me that they can't see HOW I can be overweight with all that they see me doing! I just tell them that I am what my grandma always said was a "hyper active fat woman" I just pace myself - don't try to do it all at once. Work awhile, then rest a bit and have some water, then get up again and work some more! I can't sit a long time because with my RA, I will get too stiff. I think being active is the key to staying young. My students (middle school age) keep my brain active and young and my little "homestead" keeps my body in shape and from freezing up with the RA.

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Eternal Optimist

Pace yourself, soak in a tub of hot water and stretch before doing any bending, pulling, picking up, etc.

Walk..walk and walk some more. Ride a horse - lol..now that zaps me really good, especially if I fall off..hope not to do much falling anymore, switched breeds of horses from hot and flighty, zoom! to "ya really want me to walk over there, geez, that is a long ways..ok.sigh" horse.

Hopefully she will be too laid back to spook and tilt a whirl so the ground and I won't be meeting anytime soon. Every fall takes me longer to recover from - oh my new horse is shorter than my old ones..lol..by the time I am SFM's age, I'll be riding a shetland pony..lol..every five years I downsize in height cause I can't get the foot in the stirrup anymore at 18 hands, 17 hands, 16.2, now I am at 16 hands. funny how nice 15 hands is starting to look..

Do some weight lifting and get the cardio up by either doing treadmill or walking (fast/power walking) in the neighborhood. Just strolling about isn't going to cut it. Eat healthier and taking joint supplements help.

I don't know about memory, I am a bona fide CRS member..so I make lists and notes.

We all age, it's whether we give up or march on that is the difference.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

Bananas and watermelon are very high in Potassium. When your potassium levels go down, you drain energy away. I can tell because my legs ache and they usually don't much. One banana a day makes a big difference. 2 is better. Try it. Also grapes are like a miracle food when it's hot and you might be getting dehydrated. I am skinny and have to eat something every 2-3 hours. Too much meat makes me tired. When we get pizza I feel great for days. Take a vitamin every day too.

I take a break after lunch, and stretch out on the sofa for about 30 minutes at least, resting my back. I don't like to doze off, as it makes me feel sleepy and lazy the rest of the day. We usually stay out till 10 this time of year, it's so cool in the evenings, but the evenings aren't long enough.

This makes me think of a couple of little old ladies that used to come to the Dr. office. One was 90 something and had to come in every year cause she would have and asthma attack from raking her yard. She had Asthma,arthritis,osteoporosis,and high blood pressure. I asked her why she didn't let one of her kids help her. She said the reason she had lived so long is that she wasn't going to sit down and become helpless.The day she had to rely on someone to do the things she should do for herself was the day she would start dieing.
The other little old lady would come in with her husband who was almost 100. He was very ill and she looked after him. She asked me(she was 90) how often she should come in for a physical.She still drove even though she was about 4 feet tall. She said when she looked in the mirror she still expected to see herself at 20 cause thats how she felt.She had tried to walk everyday and keep her mind sharp by learning something new as often as she could.
One was from a poor farming family and the other I am pretty sure had probably never even made her own bed.
These two ladies are my inspiration. I feel I cannot feel sorry for myself with my petty aches and pains at 47 ,if these little old ladies could do what they did without complaining at 90 something.I just suck it up, keep active,and try to learn something new as often as I can!

I remember telling my doctor that whenever I would do alot of bending, it was as if the muscles froze in place. Sometimes for days I would have muscle aches after I spent a day working in my garden. My previous solution was to work a few hours and then rest a few hours in an EZ boy to get those muscles to release the pain.

My solution now? I try to drink a full coffee mug (~2.5 cups) of 4-herb or Essaics tea per day. I get the dried herbs from www.herbalhealers.com and make up a gallon batch that I keep in the refrigerator. (I started out with the concentrate and that worked too, but it is more expensive.)

I used to have pretty massive constipation but no longer. I used to have a bad jaw ache that acted like a migraine. No longer.


Now if any of the above "act" up I just go and have some 4-herb tea or up the amount I drink per day and it clears right up.

It may not help everything, but it sure helps alot!

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"in returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength"

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i spent 4 hours today using a battery operated paint roller to paint 4 rooms. that gizmo sure lets you paint walls quickly but holding up that paint filled roller with a big tube and the gallon container of paint really did a number on my hands and shoulders.

my great aunt always said that if she didnt get up in the morning that was the day she would never get up again. when her knees quit bending she used a cane in each hand. if she fell down she couldnt get up so she would crawl to the nearest fence and pull herself up. later she couldnt even do that. we'd see her on the ground and go pick her up. it was before cell phones and happily before fire ants invaded the state. one tough old lady and a real character.

i agree with taking it a little easier and working smarter. now if only feed and fertilizer bags and hay bales would come in 25 lbs.

chris30523-My grandma just past away last year at 92. She told me one time that she looked in the mirror one morning and expected to see herself at 16 and "scared myself to death!!!" LOL She then said that she quit looking in the mirror because she didn't feel like the wrinkly old woman that she saw!!!!

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Eternal Optimist

Well, I'm about to turn 51 toward the end of this month and I feel fine except for my knees, they hurt something awful, and my neck & right shoulder aches when its getting near that time of the month, don't ask why, they never use to ache until I was in a car accident in 2002, but other than that I'm fine and I refuse to let any pain rule my life.
Wouldn't it be nice though if we could all move like we did when we were kids? I already tell my kids to look after their knees because some day they are going to be real important to them wish someone had told ME that .

Oh my I do know how you all feel. I am 56 and it has hit me hard. Side passer, I also ride horses. Had a nice size quarter horse. I could not get on her anymore. Went to a smaller quarter horse. Still was having a hard time and the bounce was killing my body. Finally went to a 13.2 hand pasofino. Perfect. LOL
It takes me a least a hour to get motivated in the morning. And by afternoon I am ready for a nap. This is the pits. I have 12 horses to take care of 7 dumped dogs and two goats. I have to carry alot of 50 lbs bags and 65 lb. bales of hay. I also have Three homes to mow. I never get everything done. Husband is going to bring the washer and dryer up from the basement because my knees are getting bad. I will go down fighting though. Using the three wheeler as my legs. Using a wheelbarrow a lot more. Decided no more animals. So please do not drop you dog at my house. Tomorrow I am taking the grandchildren to Cedar Point. You know, rides and lots of walking. Ugh. I am dreading it and hopeing there are alot of empty benches to rest on. Also weight gain. I had a hysterictiame in Feb. I think i have gained 15 lbs. Doctor said Easy for him to say.
But at least I do not have to run after little children anymore. I can sleep any time I need to. House does not get to messy any more. Not alot of dishes to do. I can go horse backriding when ever i want to. So 56 does have a bright side to it. Wonder what 66 is going to be like.

Gotta love em!! I hope at 92(if I live that long) I have as much grace and character.

I'm 48 and already having my share of aches & pains. As others have said, see your doctor first to rule out anything medical and learn to work smarter.

I get most of my exercise from walking; usually 2 miles a day just from walking the dog. Every year I gain my winter 10 and every spring I lose it. My goal is to lose 15 this summer and then I'll be 5 ahead! I also have an exercise ball that takes a bit to get used to but can really help your balance.

I was in a car accident a couple years ago and messed up my shoulder. It took a couple months of physical therapy to get almost back to where it should be. This past winter I developed tendonitis in my elbow. Dr suggested therapy. I checked on the internet and found some exercises to do at home. Between that & avoiding things that made my elbow hurt, it's almost back to normal!

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"Never stop questioning - curiosity has its own reason for existence." Albert Einstein

"I used to be a terror, now I am a tired man" Jim Croce

I tell my daughter to enjoy her youth, because after 50, it all goes downhill. Figuratively as well as literally.

I've always been an extremely active woman. Since 50 (I'm 54), my energy level and memory have definitely been affected. Dramatically. Even after thyroid correction, I just don't have the stamina nor strength I used to have. Thankfully, no aches & pains...yet.

Yep, 50 (give or take) is the magic number. As for building endurance & strength, I believe the key is to simply not quit being active. Even if that's slower than what you used to be. We know that weight-bearing exercise is important. I think some slow-down in later years is to be expected, but remaining active is vital to maintaining strength and endurance for longevity.

50 looms large (my b-day is in March), and I can feel it, especially after a couple of accidents (falling into a window well, for starters...) I am feeling it big time.

I've started getting regular massages (therapeutic massage, NOT the frou-frou stuff you get at the spa); starting a stretching program; working to tighten the abdominals.

When DD comes home on leave next week, I'll be asking her to help me work out a yoga program. If we are ever going to get on to a piece of land, I have to find a way to build stamina and strength -- or at least hold on to what I have!

Also, I feel lots better when I take vitamin and mineral supplements, including fish oil. Too many fats in my diet make me sluggish as all get-out, as does too much refined anything.

So glad to read that chocolate is good for you! 1/4 oz per day of the dark stuff is supposed to do wonderful things... Does that count if you drink it in chocolate stout? LOL!

Pony!

I am so glad you brought this up. You are describing me! It totally mortifies me to get worn out from just hanging out a few loads of laundry. Or weeding my garden for an hour. I used to do this kind of stuff all day!

I sit all day M-F at a desk (horribly inactive). I finally told my doctor that I felt horrible --- hurting and no energy --- and he was very understanding. He highly recommends walking --- and I enjoy walking when I don't hurt. Right now I hurt too much to walk very far. Hopefully the new meds he prescribed for me will help with the discomfort and I can get back to a semi-active life again.

Its reassuring to know that there are other women of the 50-ish age who are experiencing the same thing.

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For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring - Carl Sagan