RpR said:avoiding aches and pains that come with getting older and back in shape is the worst thing any one who is a "mature" citizen can do.
YES !!! I am assuming all of us posting here are older (I'm only 65), but remember how when we were younger, we might work extra hard and get muscle aches. Isn't it obvious that that was a good thing for body strength and health in the long run?
Certainly age is a factor, but if you don't adhere to the saying
if you don't use it, you lose it, then you will be a goner. Of course you can't do all that you use to, and you can't push yourself as intensely as before, but you can still push. Simple things can force you to exercise more:
-- the chair seat at my computer is at its lowest position - 16 inches high. (Use those leg muscles, getting up and sitting down!)
-- the bottom of my monitor is 40 inches. (It forces me to sit up straight.)
-- use a stool instead of a chair with a back.
-- Stretch every morning! (Even so, whenever I climb a tree, I still get sore 1-2 days later.)
-- Eat more nutritiously. Us older people eat less
and often require more nutrients because we don't digest and utilize food as effectively. Muscle cramps are not just "there". They are there for a reason: maybe telling you you need more water, electrolytes, magnesium, potassium, etc. I know my body requires more water than it used to.
---- Know your body and listen to it! ---- but if you just give in, it's a slippery slope to more and more physical (and mental) inability.
