Originally Posted by spclark

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We are our worst enemy when we discount the physical side of aging. Try as we might to reclaim what was once our younger selves, the potential for damage in the doing is real.

I'm closing fast on 77, still work part-time in a hardware store. I lift heavy stuff (pails of drywall compound, bags of seed, bags of cement....) routinely yet remain aware of my limitations.

After picking back up with 'biking three years ago, I know the physical side of working has improved my outlook as well as my conditioning for biking. It's a balancing act though 'cause one wrong lift will put pain in my back or my knees again that keep me off the bikes.

Those of us who are over 40 need to remain aware of the fact that we're not living in the body we had 20 years before. Hard to accept when our mental age doesn't jive with that of our body I know, yet hard to ignore once we see how much longer it takes a minor injury to heal after what we would have 'walked away' from in years past.