Hey I am getting OLD!
Turning 50 years, turning 60 years old, turning 65 years old and well even turning 70 years old…not so bad. I was feeling reasonably good…what is this aging stuff? Hmmm, not as thin as I used to be, but my hair was still dark and the wrinkles were minimal.
Lately, my 73-year-old body is telling me, “Baby you are over the hill, past the glory days and there is no looking back. And why do I feel this way? Pain. Yes, pain and limited motion in my shoulders. I am finding it difficult to reach above my head. I result to tricks like standing on my tippy toes or saving tasks for the occasional visit of someone younger and taller.
Each morning, I have to face the challenge of getting dressed. I must choose clothes that I know that I can easily slip over my head or bend over and use gravity to align the clothing. The biggest challenge is my bra (as amply endowed female I need this apparatus)… fortunately I am rather slim hipped (relatively) and can step into my bra and pull it up over my hips and then finally get the straps over my stiff and painful shoulders. I am not amused.
I am back to a rigorous Hot Yoga class, and that is beginning to increase my range of motion…I should have never stopped going, but the class times were often awkward and my energy not always available. And that is another thing some times; I am very tired and fall asleep in the afternoon. I never used to nap. These days sometimes the very best and deepest sleep I get is an unexpected and unasked for nap.
For thoughtful contemplation, my only friend (my age) without any physical complaints or pain or lack of mobility swims 5 miles a week and has done this demanding routine for 20 years.
Use it or it will bite back.