Slowing down... . .. . .

A snowHead

Air pressure seems to have an effect on my blood pressure. I spend 3 days a week at 4200ft. And if I don't train on any of those days my blood pressure spikes from a nominal 119/68 average to the 140+/90 area. . . But weirdly my resting bpm up here is in the mid 60s and registers in the mid 50s when asleep. At sea level resting bpm is 71-74.

Just a note for those of you/us who are taking 81mg aspirin as a general prophylactic or under orders, take it at bedtime with 500 ml of water. There are a number of reasons for doing this, I'll post another thread re.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Masque Daily, I take a 75mg dispersible aspirin in a pint of water with 1gr of effervescent Vitamin C. But at sparrow fart - not bedtime. 500ml at beddybyes would have me up and down like a bloody yo-yo to the loo. Look forward to your advice on timing. Cheers

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At 71 I am very lucky to have no pain, anywhere, most of the time (did my 100 mile cycle in Normandy last weekend with no ill effects not even sore backside thanks to expensive cycle shorts). BUT I have had to think about how to adjust and respond to problems and injuries I HAVE had. I have a worn knee with ITB problems which has persuaded me that skiing off piste just isn't wise (I did the easy descent at La Grave, albeit in unpleasant snow, with it swollen before I started and like a pumpkin the following day, despite loads of ice and ibuprofen). I was never much good at it, but had been enjoying getting better. Ditto bumps. But now I just ski on pistes in decent condition (as, for example, at the Pre Season Bash in Tignes) and don't aim for maximum hours/mileage. After fracturing my pelvis about 4 years ago in a ski collision I discovered I do have some bone thinning so also work to avoid major crashes. Partly about improving skills, partly about avoiding big crowds, partly about not skiing at warp speed.

To me, vowing to carry on at 71 as you did at 24 is just daft and likely to lead to serious injury. I want to continue to be active, and set myself some achievable sort of targets, and am prepared to put some work in. But accepting that you need to do things a bit differently as you get older is just commonsense to me. I can cycle OK, and I can walk up hills OK, but walking downhill, even with poles, is bad for my knee so I don't do it much.

It doesn't bother me - I'm fortunate to be in reasonable shape at 71 and would like to be in tolerable shape at 81 but I'm not going to achieve that by some kind of macho denial that I'm getting older.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I'm planning to do some rowing - having realised that cycling, of course, does nothing for upper body strength. Will also be kayaking a bit in the summer but again, nothing extreme.

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I’ll be 62 next week and tbh, I’m feeling as fit as I ever was.....
My skiing level hasn’t (yet) started to decline, if anything I’m still improving, albeit slowly!
What can I put this down to?
Ok, I’ve always led an active life, been pretty lucky injury wise and am fortunate to be spending my twilight years in a ski area and having the opportunity to ski every day.
Then there’s the mountain biking, hiking and dog walking in the hills behind our house.
Also careful with my weight, not obsessively so but careful!
In conclusion, just lucky I guess, but to a degree one makes one’s own luck........

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After all it is free

In the UK there are significant regional and social differences in health care outcomes which aren't generic or related to the quality of care provided.
I think that the people with the better outcomes are "making their own luck" too.
That's my personal approach - I'm just biasing the odds in my favour. By the looks of them most people play differently, but unfortunately it's not a zero sum game wink

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On the OP, I don't know.
I expect that one's desire to do things changes with time as well as one's ability to do them.
There are few very old people at ski resorts, and the demographic drops off fairly quickly. They stop doing it for a reason, which I expect to understand completely when the time comes.

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You don't actually "make your own luck". But you can "better your odds" within whatever good or not-so-good luck genetic gives you.

I'm extremely lucky in my genetic lineage when it comes to health and longevity. My Mom is turning 81 in 2 months. She not only navigate the subway of New York City without any issue, a good share of her "getting around" the NYC subway has to do with visit sick or injured friends! Unlike me, she's "un-sporty", yet quite active in her own way. Walking, doing extremely slow laps in the swimming pool (I can do 3 loops in the time she does 2, and I'm a really mediocre swimmer)

All of my "grands" on my maternal side live to their 90's, all healthy and active till the last few months. I have genetic luck on my side alright. But I'd better be careful NOT to screw it up by getting any serious injuries! (I don't drink but that's because I'm alcohol intolerant, so no bear belly either)

On the other hand, I'm not much of an athlete. I'm just not very "good" (competitive) at any sport. That's just the genes I'm given. Not that fast, not at all strong, and not much stamina to speak of, poor eye sight and lousy reflex... I can (did) train to build on those, but it takes me twice as much training to get half the result! (some are not really "trainable", like reflex)

But that's where I "better my odds" with systematic training on both techniques and focused fitness. It just takes me longer but I eventually get there. I can ski off-piste all day long. But that only came after a fair amount of good lessons by smartly choosing the right instructors. I can do 100 mile cycle, with some hills, at the drop of a hat. The only requirement is I go slowly... (just fast enough to finish before it gets dark, on the long days of summer Smile

)

We don't actually make our own luck. But we can do a lot within the luck we're given.

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I am 62 and my husband is 69. We learned to ski 15 years ago and have skied on average about 30 days/year since then. Last year we rented a place in the Alps and clocked 50+.

My knees are shot, I have a mojo for when it is deep and heavy, but don’t need to use it all the time. If my knees hurt, I take a few days off. We invest in really good quality tuition and try to improve technically which makes a huge difference to how tired we get and how well we deal with difficult conditions (Steve Angus, you can stop blushing now😄).

We train all summer for skiing, road biking, running, swimming. Pilates once a week. I struggle to keep my weight down but manage to hold level about 63kg by being careful. My husband is naturally slim and is fitter than me but we still bike and run together, we just meet up at an agreed point so I don’t feel under pressure and he can get on with it. I started running at 59 and did C25K. It was hard to start with but it has made a huge difference to my cardio. And no, it did not make my knees hurt more.

I find the biggest difference to my skiing is core strengthening and cardio. My legs are already strong as I rode horses competitively and taught horse riding most of my life (as a hobby, I had to work for a living in an office job). I am not a natural athlete.

We are just so glad we found something so late in life that we enjoy so much. It’s a great incentive for fitness training. We are planning next season now, and hope to be doing so for many, many years to come.

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@codyaitch, Well done!
Try not to leave it so long until the next one Wink

You know it makes sense.

Turning 58 next month. I can relate to the 'don't stop' theories: I had a couple of bad experiences with knees, people careening into me when standing still, so slow twisting falls. Last year I 'took it easy'. I'm not getting any younger, I reasoned, time to slow down. Gained weight so more stress, and a vicious circle ensued: lost ability, lost confidence, ate and drank more: usual stuff.

Then one of my skiing buddies, superb technician, stylish, years of experience, everything you ever wanted to be in a skier, was diagnosed with MND - motor-neurone disease. 6 months on, and the deterioration is dreadful to watch. He will never ski again. (He may not see another winter tbh).

So I've determined that sitting things out and getting (more) portly because of a 'hurty knee' is lame, and I should take advantage of whatever time I've got.
Yes I creak when I get up every morning: but I do the stretches, do some pilates, and I'm starting already to 'get fit ' for the ski season.

I don't know many more sliding weeks I've got (no-one does) , but I intend to enjoy every one of them.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

62 with knackered knees and progressive osteo-arthritis, especially lower neck and upper spine.
Still managed 6 weeks last season, sticking to pistes and trying to avoid big bumps. Take it easy on very bad vis days too.

Have generally kept fit with swimming and gym over many years, which helps a lot. One thing I’ve started, after scoffing at it for many years, is Pilates. A convert now, as it has improved or maintained flexibility and range of movement. Should also slow down my deteriorating balance as I get older.

Commiserations to @Arctic Roll’s ski pal with MND. My previously very active Dad had this in his last 3 years. He showed great resilience to keep going, for example, we were still able to cycle together after he became unable to walk.

His attitude, faced with that challenge, helps inspire me to keep skiing as much and as long as I can.
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A snowHead

I started skiing when i was 48, I'm now 53.

I get the usual aches and pains before and after skiing, but, with the exception of occasional burn in my right thigh (technique), there's no other discomfort during the act itself.

I intend to keep skiing until i am physically unable to so.

A snowHead

Tuition, tuition, tuition!

1) Find the instructor you "click" with. Good techniques are less stressful to the joints and the rest of the body.

2) And if you can't "do" the technique you're taught, or can't do it all day long? Give some thought to your fitness level and find a good trainer to work on THAT too!

3) But if you had previous injuries from your reckless years which you were too pig headed to take care of at the time, and is now nagging you and limiting you with pain? A few session with a top sport-oriented physio would very likely set you up on the road for a decent recovery. At the minimum, it'll stop it from getting worse.

You need to DO THE WORK your trainer & physio assign you though, maybe for the rest of your life. But your joints will thank you years later, and they may permit you to carry on skiing into the age range when others languish in nursing home.

Everyone talks as if off-piste is such a bad idea for older bodies, it isn't. With efficient technique, it's no more stressful than skiing at warp speed on piste. (mind you, you can't ski at warp speed on piste without good muscle either). In my younger days, I "muscle" my skiing off-piste and was "proud" of my "achievement" of trashing my knees. Fortunately, my trainers and physios were able to convinced me to work on reversing some of those damages before it was went too far. Now, with decent technique and good fitness, I ski much more technical terrain (steep, deep, even heavy snow) without a care all day long and do it the next day without any pain.

It's all a combination of fitness and techniques. You can't execute the technique without the baseline fitness. But skiing casually doesn't require a huge amount of strength or even fitness. Good technique is what allows frail looking old farts ski right past you effortlessly on lumpy snow off the side of the piste while you putter along on piste. (young fit folks with decent technique are off somewhere you can't see).

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@abc, you’re spot on.
Wish I’d seen your advice, and heeded it, over 30 years ago.

In my case I also suspect the 20 years football, tennis and 10 years marathon running in worn out trainers hasn’t helped my joints. Skiing hard with dubious technique, especially off piste and on moguls, just ‘put the tin hat’ on it!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@abc, equally, good technique means bumps are no problem either.

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@PeakyB, I wish I've seen and heeded that advice 20 years ago myself! snowHead

I wish I had worked on my technique 20 years ago (I only started skiing 20 years ago). I would have enjoyed skiing even more than I have had.

I also wish I had listened to my body 20 years ago. My joints were telling me I had bad technique and muscle imbalance from my 8-10 hr/day desk job. But I was too lazy to work to address that issue. So between lousy technique and poor fitness, I definitely put more wear and tear on my joints than necessary given the same activity level.

"Backing off" or "slowing down" will be necessary eventually. Heck, it already happened in a way. Though fortunately for me, it's offset by the technique & fitness improvement I managed to do so I'm still able to ski at the level I am. I'm happy for that. But had I been more receptive to the right advice, I probably would have been skiing at a higher level before my current "slowed down" level.

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The Lake District ski club are some of the fittest people I’ve ever come across. Many of them are in their late seventies. Bernie warriner was in his 80s and still skiing almost as many days each year as his age Shocked

A lot of that was on Raise where there is an hours walk up and then back down again at the end of the day. Many of the other members are also exceptional athletes in their own right. Lots and lots of amazing anecdotes making them entertaining people to spend time with. No doubt the Scottish ski clubs are similar. Years of local skiing and easy access to Good mountain resources Helps create some exceptionally fit people.

No doubt the current generation of back country skiers in the UK will be at least as impressive once they too enter later age. Cool

After all it is free

Only 53 and I've slowed down a lot! I just don't have the brute strength to get me out of trouble anymore, having to resort to technique to get me down the mountain🙄🙄🙄

My goal is to ski down Palafour on my 100th birthday and then to be shot dead in bed by a jealous husband.

I'll let you know how that plan works out......

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@tangowaggon, At 74 I know exactly where you are coming from. the strength just isn't there anymore especially when trying to get back on my feet. This tends to make me less brave/foolhardy than I used to be. That said I can still manage 6 hours skiing a day before enjoying some well-earned beers before bed. Smile

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@Masque, @Dubaian, and others:

A heads up about taking aspirin:

If you are taking aspirin for various reasons watch how much Ibuprofen for joints etc you take as well.

Aspirin and ibuprofen are from the same family of drugs, make sure that your COMBINED aspirin/ibuprofen intake isn't greater than the recommended intake for either, eg, if you take the maximum recomended dosage for ibuprofen of 6 tablets a day (1200mg) AND you're taking a prophylactic dose of aspirin then you're technically overdosing.

Basically make sure your combined intake of both drugs isn't greater than 1200mg per day.

@marodo2712, yup, quite clear on dosage levels. A low dose Aspirin at bedtime to pre-dose in case of the most common event event time with enough hydration to compensate for nightime kidney function . . . I'd rather get up fer a piddle than croak from a thick viscosity blood induced stroke at 03:00.

The same with nsaids, no more than 600mg taken 1hr prior to workout to subdue exercise induced inflammation and negate any need for post exercise palliative medication that inevitably requires both more time and drugs to recover.

You know it makes sense.

I used to ski hard all day, quick kip then party hard all night, I can still ski hard all day and party all night but NOT in the same 24h period Laughing

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

its just about being in the mountains for me, i"m a slow older skier with lots of aches and pains, and the skiing is just a nice way of getting somewhere to take a photo or have a drink. unfortunately its not my age or physical condition thats gonna stop me skiing but the cost.

A snowHead

@chocksaway, 😄
Palafour? Trolles home run on your 100th surely? Swigging champagne.

A snowHead

I recently turned 50. I don't have any issues with skiing, in fact it's one of the few activities that doesn't induce pain. But getting ski boots on and off is increasingly difficult.

I've started doing a bit of e-biking and I enjoy hiking, but both leave me limping.

Getting old is rubbish!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

[quote="queenie pretty please”]

Getting old is rubbish![/quote]
Beats the alternative

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I'm 53, but i don't feel old, i just feel like I've been alive for a long time.

I can clearly remember being what they now call a 'goth' back in Leeds in the mid eighties and all that that entailed (😜), and then i get woken from my daydream and find that it's 2018 and one of my 8yo twins is asking if i can play lego with them - very bizarre. 😶

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@marodo2712,
8yr old twins.... Now there's a coincidence!

After all it is free

@Graham Warren, 'a long and arduous process', wow your partner must love all these compliments!

I don't know about 8yo twins keeping me young, skint yes.

I've got one of each, instant family (after years of IVF, which i hope is what you were talking about).

I was a lot faster 18 mohnts ago when i broke my leg than i ever was... suppose breaking a leg should slow me down... at 55 i still feel a better skier than i was 30 years ago

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At 52 I am running longer and faster than ever ...

My skiing is perhaps suffering from a lack of attention and challenge Sad

Help!!

Slowing down... . .. . .

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