I am in pretty good shape for my age and I work hard at it, but handling the physical changes of aging requires creativity, flexibility….and workarounds.
As I’ve said before, our bodies are like brand new cars we are given when we are born. There’s 0 on the odometer. But as the miles mount, we spend a lot more time in the shop and a lot more time reading the manual!
A Change is Gonna Come
I’m still working on accepting the changes in my physicality and figuring out the workarounds:
I used to be able to knock off five pounds in a month. Now I’m lucky if I can lose a pound in a month – but this time, they stay off!
I used to do a strenuous workout with a couple miles on a treadmill every day. Now, after dozens of muscle pulls and back aches, I’ve scaled back and switched it up. The point now is consistency, not intensity.
The most difficult and life changing impact of aging for me has been my hearing loss. When I was younger I spent a lot of time in nightclubs and discos, dancing too near the speakers (I love that bass!) and I’m paying for it now. My hearing aids are pretty good but no substitute.
Facing the Changes
Of course there are compensations. I don’t sweat the small stuff quite so much, and I am getting smarter at figuring out work-arounds. My big ones so far – keeping an extra pair of glasses everywhere; using closed captions when I watch TV, and accepting my limits at the gym and not trying to squeeze in one more rep.
As the late, great David Bowie sang…Changes.
But how about you? What are your workarounds for the changes that aging brings? Let us know in the comments!
Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.
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