Is there a time later in life to back off?
 

At 65 years old, having been doing this physical fitness/endurance/cardio stuff since I was 15 year old — running, cycling, and swimming. I’m not slowing down. Well…I’m “slowing down” due to age, but I’m still getting out there just as frequently as ever, and doing as much, or more, mileage. Whatever…I still push as hard as I always have but I’m just much slower than I was.

A couple months ago, a friend from my open water swimming group passed away from a heart attack unexpectedly while skiing. He was only 57 years old. For me, at 65, it was concerning. He was in otherwise great physical condition. No health issues that I ever knew about. But…I only knew him from open water swimming. He was ‘only’ a swimmer, but swam almost daily. In 2019 and 2020, he and I trained for, and participated in a couple of open water marathon swims events of seven miles. After that, I went back to more pedestrian swims of 2-3 miles at a time. He however, continued training for longer swims, and eventually did several swims of 15 miles. Now, whenever I’m ‘out there’…on the bike, running, or swimming…I constantly think about his passing, and what brought it on. And it makes me wonder if it’s time for me to back off. It’d be hard for sure…I love being ‘out there.’ I know it’s been beneficial to my health. But after a lifetime of pushing myself with cardio activity…I wonder if there’s a point at which I (we) should begin to back off.

Dan

I'm 80 now and for the last year I am no longer setting personal records. In fact, 78 was my best year. I'm only slowing down now because I have a torn ligament in my right knee and it causes pain when I push hard. It also causes my right leg to look like a bloated sausage. Oh well, maybe it's time. I just do what feels good now and still manage more than 100 miles/week.

I think there is a time to consciously slow down one's physical exercise.

For me, I backed off winter ski patrol and summer wilderness ranger in my mid-60s.
Nearly 75, I have downsized my days and miles on the bikes. I still hike our hills and maintain a 1 acre yard and ride when the weather is nice.
Maybe a part of my decision is the risk/reward evaluation. Maybe the cancers.
My final move - to a smaller property - will put me near to a good trail for cycling.
YMMV

reminder to self = eat your beets, get enough protein, move the body throughout the day, and smile/laugh whenever possible.

A lifetime of healthy physical activity (and likely a concomitant healthy diet) has certainly positioned you to be much healthier than you would otherwise be at this stage.

We are going to slow down as we age, there's no getting around that.

I don't think you need to ease off, unless your body or your doctor is telling you so.

I would be interested in what caused the heart attack and his prior engagement with the medical community. At 66 my Doc gave me simple advice "just keep moving." My Dad had a saying that I did not understand until recently: "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was."

Ha... Don't worry your body will certainly tell ya when its time to back off. For me it has really been a matter of things wearing out. And having been an Out Side Guy, I am more beat up than I look. So no more Backpacking, Spelunking, Diving, Running, and tackling major projects. IT SUCKS! And I am only 72! Most of my the wear and tear has been part of my job, 32 yrs Military. I have seen guys much older then me charging on. BRAVO to them!

So when to back off? Well just pay attention to your body. Keep track of those swollen joints, torn muscles, and how long it takes to feel normal after a workout.

Know that there are all kinds of Geezers. Try to be a Happy, Non-Bitter Geezer, that can still take a good ride with a smile and a short recovery time...

Don't quit, continue to do what you're doing but just dial down the intensity a little bit. There is no need for PRs anymore. Consistency is more important than intensity. Whatever you do don't stop, because stopping a physically active lifestyle after a lifetime of being physically active is the worst thing to do for health. Just be consistent do something everyday but don't go crazy with it.

Ha. You beat me. I punched out right at 20 years (Navy), and they teased me as “quitting early.” And WRT “beat up”…yeah I show those signs too. Artificial hip, and artificial knee…and I’m still running (with the surgeon’s consent) although only a slight fraction of what I once did. And there are other surgeries too.

I’ve always believed in Newton’s first law “A body in motion tends to stay in motion.”

Dan

There's a line in a Tobi Keith song that goes "I'm' not as good as I once was, but I'm as good as I'll ever be".

My cardiologist has had heart-specific CT scans done on me and they've all come back with clean arteries and vessels, no plaque build-up. I'm not as fast/strong as I once was, but I intend to keep going and not stopping until I crash into that unavoidable solid wall called 'end-of-life'. .

If you are on Medicare you can ask your primary care physician to schedule you for a calcium score. This test will give you a good idea if you should be worrying or not. If you have any family history of heart problems then the test is easier for your physician to prescribe and have Medicare cover it. Or as my wife did she just paid for the test. I think it was around $300.

I ignored a potential heart attack a year ago in March, went to the cardiologist who put me in the ER for an angiogram. Turned out I had no real blockages and had not had an HA. My cardio doc kind of said "near 40 years of swimming and cycling would expect that result". So I wont have an HA anytime soo, in theory, but I've enough ailments at age 71 too slow me down. My ankles are shot and I have terrible balance, so cannot hike or run. Bicycling and swimming are no problems, though my butt is more sensitive to saddle sores so I have a harder time working up to 40-50 mile rides. I do get more fatigued after a 100 mile week on the bike plus a couple of days swimming, and that's to be expected that I cannot do what I was able to at 40. I can't open a twist cap on a bottle, too many dislocations of my thumbs over 50 years as a stagehand, but that doesn't affect cycling. I count myself lucky that I can still ride and swim, so If I continue to slow down over the next 10 year, that's OK.

I have no plans to back off, but I'm wondering how long I'll be able to keep riding. Will there come a time when I just can't do it anymore? I used to be a runner and thought I'd just keep running for the rest of my life, of course getting slower as I aged. But my knees won't allow me to run anymore, which is why I switched to cycling. Will there come a time when I won't be able to (or want to) ride? Maybe, like your friend, I'll keep riding until my last day. Or maybe, if I live long enough, a time will come when I won't be capable of riding. I'm having no trouble now, at 75, but I wonder if I'll be able to ride five or ten years from now. I like seeing posts from riders in their 80s because it gives me some hope that I can keep riding into my 80s too. I don't think I've ever seen a post on BF from someone in their 90s. Right now, I FEEL like I could ride forever. When I reflect on it, I KNOW that's not true.

If you slow down on purpose, you become slow. Most of us know that from our personal experience. Fitness is hard to regain after slowing down. What if you change your mind after a year or two of birdwatching:rolleyes: Get scanned, scoped, whatever to determine if parts need service/replacement then get back to doing what you do. IMO, slowing down because of a prescribed number of birthdays was standard operating procedure for my grandparents generation but now for us -- especially us. I'll be 68 next month and right now, I'm regretting not being more aggressive in my recovery efforts after a back injury last year--while I was lallygagging around slowly getting back to normal, my heart valve gave up and I needed OHS. If I had worked a little harder to get fit after the back thing, I wouldn't have had so far to go after this heart thing.

75 and haven't really slowed much (some, but not much). Still riding some hills that I see some walking and look to be in 40s-50s. I go to an exercise class twice a week and to the gym twice more during the week. An annual wellness exam has so far showed all levels in the normal range except cholesterol which is being controlled with a statin. Hopefully I'll know when to slow down, or the doc can tell me when/if it appears necessary. Until then, gonna go at it until advised not to, or hopefully, my body will tell me it's necessary. If you feel like you're slowing more than you should be at your stage in life, see a doc, discuss what you feel needs addressed, whether leg strength, endurance, running out of breath too easily, etc., etc. If something feels out of the ordinary, don't risk your health!

You can't help but slow down as you get older. I began to feel it in my 30's, when I was riding competitively. The difference between say 29 and 35 is noticeable. And it only goes downhill from there. I still ride at a good pace, but not as quickly or as easily as before. The only thing which hasn't declined is how much I enjoy cycling, skiing, swimming, or whatever. I'd rather do these things more slowly than not at all. My daughter's ski instructor just turned 82, and he's still a far better skier than I am.

I am sorry for the loss of your friend. Being in that age group too, and seeing my cohorts passing away is disturbing to say the least.

But, I would guess that if was not as active as he was, he might have died years earlier. No consolation, I know, but exercise can only extend our life span.

r.e. bold -- sorry but nope

At 65, I know my potential performance is not what it was as a young man. Still I'm hopeful I can get better than when I started cycling at age 58. But I think it's clear that as we age we will need more time to recover between efforts. So the risk is overdoing the total effort and putting yourself in a condition of constant fatigue. This is an issue for young people too. But for them it's at a much higher overall level of activity.

As for heart attacks, I don't know that I would ease off because of concerns about that. Plenty of people have them sitting still. Many times the heart attack is a sudden burst of plaque breaking away from an arterial wall. I'm not sure there's anyway to anticipate that.

I too have concerns about heart attacks. I pretty much just wonder when I'll have one, not if. To that end, I'm thinking about looking into some sort of scan to really check things out. Likely something I'd have to pay for out of pocket. But I'd rather some test tell me I've got significant obstructions developing than to be calling 911 from the side of the road while clutching my chest.

80 and I still go as hard as I used to . . . except that's WAY slower and at a much lower HR. :) I've had all sorts of heart/artery issues including open heart surgery (CABG) and a pacemaker. I'm still having fun. My wife and I mostly ride our tandem now. I'm not good at accepting defeat. My favorite thing has always been athletic stuff and there's no way I'm giving that up until I have to, which might just be never.

the day we are born we are one day closer to death...it comes to all of us sooner or later.
i don't think about it at all, 71, and live each day as i want.
i still race and ride around 10k miles per year.
take care of your body and mind so every day is fun.
i hope i die doing what i love and it is fast and relatively painless.
i've watched family members linger for months in pain, helpless and hopeless...Odin i hope that's not me...

A large component of heart disease is genetic. Whenever you see a doctor with a potential heart issue they will ask about your family history. You can be healthy, eat right and exercise, and still get heart trouble. There are also people who abuse themselves and live long and never have a heart issue.

I have had a-fib, an irregular heart beat twice. When I was 69 I saw a cardiologist for the first time and the issue had subsided by the time I got checked. He said there was nothing wrong with my heart and suggested I not red-line my heart rate all the time. If I chase faster riders for hours I don't feel so great but I can climb and ride for hours without any problems if I stay in control. At least I could until I broke my foot last month.

Some people have conditions which dictate that they should not push hard. Half of them probably don't know they have those conditions. The rest of us should move as much as possible. Ask your regular doctor and your cardiologist. Your swimming friend may have had a condition that placed him at risk despite his activities. And then there are people who die suddenly for no apparent reason. Not much to do about that except to keep moving. A friend of mine died suddenly when he was 70. He was very fit and took his health seriously. No one did anything wrong. And I miss him.

Thinking about backing off implies that you think your current regimen may be dangerous to your health. If I were in your situation, I would consider getting a thorough work up from my physician, and which ever specialties he suggests. I would think cardiology and dermatology. Then you would either have a clean bill of health, or indications of what to avoid or keep an eye on.

I had a very fast riding buddy, fastest guy in our group, only 60 years old. He was also a very good skier, did some backcountry. He went skiing one day, came home, made dinner for his wife, watched a movie, went to bed and had a massive heart attack. One never knows when the bell will toll.

I refuse to think I'm old at 72. The men in my relatives that didn't die at 65 were still good over 90. Swimming is hard on the heart, IMO. I was never a swimmer.
I do a lot of napping tho most days, could be anytime in the day.
Monday I went on my first highway ride of the year 95 miles, I took my CCM 3 speed. Only did 150 before this. LOL I didn't cramp till 3 miles from home.
First 44 miles mostly tailwind, 3Hr40 min, 11 hours clock finish my usual result. Worst hill is at 80 miles this route to kill what pep I have left. LOL. DQ rest at 84 mi. Last year I did this on my second ride and thought that was special. LOL. Next day only dehydrated as usual and not stiff either, good to go 14 miles around shopping. I winter I walk up the 80 or so stairs and got out 10 times to chop some snow and ice.
Damn cold Aprils we are lucky to get one good all day to ride.