NJ Quilter

I am 60+. I have certainly slowed down but consider myself to be quite active at this point. I still remember my mother at this age and think I am light-years beyond her activity level at a much younger age. And much of what I do is fairly 'extreme' for my age (at least I think so).

But as to yard work...I was out in one garden a couple of weeks ago... That particular bed is 30' x 15'..not small. I'm only about 1/2 way through weeding it to within an inch of it's life, along with some new plantings. It occurred to me at the time - don't plan your flower gardens/planting beds when you are in your 30's - they will come to haunt you in your 60's! I have another 10'x 24' bed; 2 more 3' x 15' and 2 more smaller beds yet to deal with. Sigh. And have 3 part time jobs that really stretch the available hours to manage those in addition to regular household chores.

But it all beats the alternative....

jmoore

The spoon thing is a great analogy...I'll have to share with my husband. He is 18 years older than I am but his energy and physical level is above average for a man of 73. He over estimates the things he can get done in a day but not on account of his physical abilities, more that he runs out of time or gets side tracked.

Battle Axe

I'm right there with you fellow quilters. Out of energy, falling asleep in the middle of the day and once behind the wheel. Took out a mailbox and a street sign and narrowly missed the fire hydrant. The next day the Dr. changed my meds. Am better now.

I've been doing a lot of reading on energy levels and trying some new things. My latest thing is a Vit B 12 lozenge in the a.m. and then another just before noon. Seems to help.

There is supposedly a certain kind of magnesium that starts the metabolic process of making energy. My mind is blank right now.

One thing that I've got that I hope the rest of you don't have is hemochromotosis, (Iron Overload). Often called the Irish Disease. It doesn't show up in women until about 65 and in men about 60. The symptoms are the same for aging. A blood test for ferritin is what you need.

A regular person takes in 4 molecules of iron and uses one and excretes the other 3. People with Iron Overload, store the other 3 in places in their bodies that cause trouble: the liver, kidneys, heart, etc. If your ferritin level is over 1000 you are in organ damage territory. Normal is below 50. Mine was 1060. I had come down with colon cancer, hyperparathyroidism, restless leg syndrome, fatty liver and more.

This is a hereditary thing and my dr. never caught it. My brother's dr. in Calif. found it in him and he called and I tested positive for it too. There are 6 bad genes and I have two of them. But I don't have the two worst, just one of the worst and one of the minor ones.

I really thing that this hemochromotosis is what is the cause of all my ills. I am one quarter Irish.

paoberle

I agree totally!

Chasing Hawk

Same here......My Mom will be 89 this month.......Yay Mom!!!!!!

She still walks at least 2 miles a day. She lives near the grocery store, one of the few Kmart's left and restaurants.
Travels across country to Michigan several times a year ALONE!!. Her Doctor says she has the energy level of a person half her age.

trolleystation

There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with that life style.

madamekelly

I have several disabled friends like me, and we have running joke about our"spoons". Some days we have enough spoons for what we want to get done, and some days all of our spoons seem to be made of plastic. Lately I am happy to finish one extra job a day. Tomorrow I want to put out slug bait (never buy cheap potting soil at a dollar store, this is year three of trying to get rid of them, resorting to chemicals this year.), transplant the gorgeous 3' wine colored rose DH bought for me today, transplant my three little tomato starts, and put up the fencing to keep cats and dogs away. Wish me luck. I will need it. Weather man says expect warm sun.

Fizzle

Good article. Makes you think!
i am not to 60 yet but am coming up that hill. Harder to get up from the floor playing with grandkids. Used to be able to just hop up on counters to reach tall shelf. Now it's a long thought and I can't make myself do it. I do think we can think ourselves old! We slow down gradually until we just can't do things. There's nothing wrong physically with me? I just can't do stuff any more. This makes me want to MAKE myself get out more!

y.morman

Me ... I'm going to be like my mom. She retired last Dec. at the age of 93 and still get around better than most of my friends do that are in their late 60's and early 70's. She is just like the energizer bunny... she keeps going and going and my friends tell me I'm just like that.

coopah

Energy...ebbs and flows. Mostly ebbs. Sublingual B12 has helped. And a husband who helps tremendously as an additional caretaker for my mom. We have had to hire out yard work as hubs is 73, and I developed arthritis in spine/hips this past spring. We are working on eating better and exercising. Plus, we switched to a new GP who actually asks, "What are your concerns today?" So things are looking up energy wise. The whole retirement thing is too depressing to even talk about here, but one thing is that I will never ask my son to do anything for me after I'm "late." Lots of unintended consequences, and none of it needs to be repeated. So each day is to focus on, "Today I get to..." instead of looking at it as a chore, and that has actually helped my energy. Each day is a privilege.