Yes you're right @Cody Fousnaugh I'm in my early 60's not near 70... I walk around a lot at home and around the area on a daily basis, and I'm a fast walker ... in Spain I walk more, the ground is flat and well maintained and I walk along the beach where exercise is encouraged..bikes and scooter rentals, and lots of exercise machines on the beach free to use.. Our property is at the top of a mountain so it's a very long walk.. so not really suitable for walking in 100 degree heat.. but I can usually walk down it without any problems... However I do have lower back problems ( altho' I find walking frees up my lower back)..but I've also found more recently that walking briskly for more than a mile or 2 brings on a painful hip, often the next day rather than the same day
Don't worry about dark thoughts early in the morning @Nancy Hart , it's already mid afternoon here...
My brother is nearing eighty and he works there, along with his wife. They go back to Michigan in the summer but, this year, they had work for them, so they went to Florida early. I know their jobs involve a lot of walking because he's talked about that but I think they are both working below ground. In southern Texas, temperatures are frequently above 100 degrees but the humidity isn't so bad. It took some getting used to but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable once I acclimated.
Ok, so I may be a tat big wrong about Seniors walking, but I sure don't see them here. Ken, don't know how far south in Texas you are talking about, but we are only 17 feet above sea level and all of Florida is known as "tropical". Here is a statement I found online just now, from a doctor: "We all know that hot weather can be dangerous. This is especially true for older adults. Every summer, nearly 200 Americans die of health problems caused by high heat and humidity. Most of these individuals happen to be age 50 or older. Hot weather is more likely to cause health problems for older adults for a variety of reasons. These reasons include aging-related physical changes in the body, chronic health conditions, and even side effects of taking some medications. If it’s especially hot and humid, go for a walk in an air-conditioned mall." The heat and "feels like" humidity where we live can be very high and definitely uncomforable. Again, Florida is very well know for it's high humidity. In the afternoon, when it's 89 degrees and 70% humidity, which adds up to a "feel like" of 98 degrees, that's quite a bit higher in humidity than the northeastern side of Colorado and the southeastern side of Wyoming where it would be 20%humidity at 90 degrees. That 20/90 is definitely tolerable, but 89/70 for us, definitely isn't. At 7AM here, the average temp in the summer is 76 degrees with 97% humidity. IOW, we really thought (key word here is "thought") we'd like Jacksonville and Florida, but now that we are almost 10 years older, than when we moved here, just doesn't appeal to us anymore.
I need to walk more, and so far I haven't noticed any particular discomfort being outdoors in hot weather. But then, it rarely gets above the eighties here.
When I’m at the gym, I constantly find that things are a lot heavier than they used to be and yeah, distances do seem a bit longer. When I was younger, it seems as though it was nothing to load up a hundred pound sack of potatoes on each shoulder, directly off the delivery truck and load them into a storage area. When I was in the military, a 20 mile forced march was practically a good trek down the road complete with a hundred pounds of gear whilst listening to the drill sergeant call cadence. Things changed. The guy that did those things disappeared into the past and is only some vague memory. A few years ago and after much thought, I went for years not having to do the menial tasks and my body just decided to go with the flow and got much weaker. Age has a lot to do with how our body reacts to stress whether it’s walking long distances or lifting weight, but I found that I needed to put some of the blame upon myself because of shear neglect. With the deterioration of skeletal muscle tone compounded with joint problems I had to admit to myself that I had a problem with loving life and how much longer I wanted to live and in what condition I wish to be in whilst I am still alive. For me, the 4 year journey I have experienced thus far has vastly improved my ability to handle the weight and in some instances, I’m beyond what I have ever been but it goes with the territory of determination. But, the caveat at all times is still the same and that is that I have to park my ego somewhere before I start working and really pay attention to my limitations and only stretch those limitations a little at a time. When it comes to working or whatever out in the heat, I carry my jug of water or have it close by in order to stay totally hydrated. Sometimes it’s flavored, sometimes it contains nutrients and sometimes it’s just plain H2O but at any rate, I go through about 2 gallons a day. I’m getting older which means that I have to pay closer attention to what my body needs in order to complete a task and quit thinking about what I used to be able to do when I was invincible and concentrate on what I can do at this moment, at this time and in the condition I’m in. I don’t have to hide when things get rough, I just have to listen to what my body says to do, and follow the instructions closely.
Good post @Bobby Cole ..one of the things I have difficulty with is not pushing myself that extra mile..I never stop when I should, and then I pay the price, whether it's walking, gardening and heavy manual labour there..whatever..I always just take it too far despite knowing I'll likely pay for it in pain . I too am a big H2o drinker and take a bottle of flavoured water everywhere I go..even in the car , and even in winter..
I have had to learn to stop when I get tired, mostly due to my back injury. I think it aged me about ten years, and the forced inactivity has set me back and I doubt I will ever get back to where I was. Now I have learned that if I push myself too much, I will suffer for several days in the aftermath. I used to be a hiker and backpacker, and I was losing that some before the accident, but the injury took the ability to walk any distance away completely. I carry a small stool and a trekking stick with me in the car when I go someplace walking distances may be required. I can deal with shopping and such fine, but long walks, such as at the Fair and in large parks or zoos required that stick to keep me upright.
Y'know I absolutely believe you aged due to the back injury .. ...I have lower back problems, been operated on twice , but nothing compared to what you've suffered..absolutely nothing..and the pain from that I always believed aged me, both mentally as well as physically, so I can only imagine what you went through, and how very frustrating it is for you..