The middle aged thread

You'd get an award for civic improvement.

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Overheard three twenty-somethings on the train who said “well, age is just a number you know…”.
Say that to a middle aged person, I feckin dare you!

At a recent eye test the optometrist mentioned it was probably time I prepared myself for varifocals. Not now, but maybe next year.
Something to look forward to!

I see what you did there.

No Gerry, still stings.

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I've just had to increase the text size on my laptop.

Wanting to stay fit but picking up more injuries that take longer to heal that make me anxious about being unfit.
40 was fine for me it was like being 28 but wiser, I’m suddenly seeing a decline and I’m a little spooked.

At the same time, my inlaws are basically calling me childish for staying fit “at your age” and that I should be cultivating some diabetes and maybe some leg ulcers.

So I’m at a crossroads

I know what you mean. I'm waiting to hear back from my knee guy (<--- free GC thread fodder) as to whether I need surgery or not.

When he checked my uninjured knee "just to compare" he said (paraphrasing) "oh, there's a fair bit of movement in that one too, either Mother Nature built you like this or both of your knees are fucked".

I want to be doing what I do now at the age of 60. I know a few guys who are still going strong. They aren’t obsessive, but can still hold their own on a bike or running or surfing….Christ one buddy is still skating vert ramps in his mid 60s.

I don’t think these guys are outliers, I hope they aren’t, because I definitely am extremely average athletically

I swear to God if I have a cheat day of booze and curry, I put on a stone of pure body fat.

I'm waiting to hear back from my knee guy (<--- free GC thread fodder) as to whether I need surgery or not.

Just heard back. No surgery required thank fuck.

MCL (not completely torn) will heal up with physio (and possibly some injections to prod it along the way) but the MRI showed up evidence of a previous ACL injury that I may have aggravated with the recent incident. At least another 6 weeks of physio before the next checkup with consultant, but I should be fine for swimming (I don't use my legs much for distance stuff anyway) and cycling - both of which should help shift some of the lard and get me back into better shape.

Next physio appointment on Wednesday where we'll work out more of a plan and talk about when I can think about some gentle running (avoiding major direction changes).

2 mile swim in September should be fine. Skiing over New Year might be an interesting discussion point though.

That’s gotta suck, my stuff is just endless tweaks niggles and shin splints.
Generally the background noise of active pain slowly increasing in volume

one buddy is still skating vert ramps in his mid 60s

This is unusual behaviour

Ignore your in laws and keep 'staying fit'! IANAD but all the health stuff I've read suggests that being cardio fit and having more muscle mass is generally indicative of a longer and better quality life span. You just need to be mindful of how much longer it takes to heal be a bit more boring and sensible about what you do.

Yeah vert skater guy is a freak

(Edit)

I don’t know your knee situation but replacements aren’t bad.
My SO (age 61 at the time) had her knee replaced last fall and it was amazing. I visited a few hours after the surgery and it looked awful, huge bandage and a drain to cool her blood.
We wheelchaired her out the next day, two days later she was walking without problem.

Yeah, it was more that I've got away with similar minor niggles (and one fractured ankle as the only major injury) in ~25 years of 5-a-side, but eventually things seem to be slowly catching up with me.

I hope to carry on for a good number of years yet though. Some I play with are >10 years older than me and still holding their own.

Dr Norman Lazarus is a bit of an Audax legend in the Willesden CC, having ridden the Paris-Brest-Paris, Easter Arrows and countless 200km audax rides.

In his professional life, Norman is an expert on the human ageing process at Kings College, London. As part of his research work he has recruited several WCC members to be case studies for his projects.

On Monday Morning, Norman was interviewed by Dr Michael Mosley, the celebrated TV Doctor, on Radio 4″s programme “Just One Thing” about what we can do to reduce the effects of the ageing process. The answer will be music to are ears – it’s simply to ride our bikes.

To listen to the full 15 minute programme click on the link below,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001npnr

barber asked me yesterday if i wanted my eyebrows done as well as my hair

That hurts, but it's when they ask if you want your ears done that it really bites.

I don't even know what they were proposing to do for my eyebrows.
just pull out all the big grey hairs?
shave it all so its a uniform length?

I found out you can get eyebrow shavers. My mate has one.