Navigating senior years.

[KARNUT]

I’m in a Lego store now. Amazing 

[customboss]

43 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

I'm back in physical therapy for my left shoulder, hope it helps with the dexterity of my hand also.

Are you walking normally? I’m very stiff and struggling more than I thought I would as muscles that atrophied over years need to rebuild. 

[diyer2]

Not walking regularly. Left leg muscles are weak and very tight. Right leg muscles are tight.

[Grumpy Bear]

24 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Not walking regularly. Left leg muscles are weak and very tight. Right leg muscles are tight.

 

Ya gotta keep moving sir. At our age we are like sharks in the water. Swim or......  

 

Dad yells at his PT gal, "Are ya trying to make me twenty again"?

"No sir" she replied, "just ninety five when you could walk to the bathroom and pull up your own pants".

 

I know you have allot going against that right now but you have to move....

 

I've been to that point where you crawl across the floor for a chair to pull yourself upright. Took awhile. It hurt. I was sore. But I can get up quite well now and back in the shop. Crawl under the truck. Even carried a few 50# bags of salt to the basement this week. It can be done. Respect your limits but push them enough to get their attention.   Be careful. 

 

 

 

[customboss]

3 hours ago, diyer2 said:

Not walking regularly. Left leg muscles are weak and very tight. Right leg muscles are tight.

I laid on my bed and stretched legs best I could until I could get up with walker and eventually cane. I’m walking now without help but I’m very tight too. 
Got my first acupuncture treatment Sunday. It’s helpful with 1 tablet of Aleve every 8 hours as needed  to lower inflammation which helps the muscles be less stiff. 
I’m repairing and restoring a 1974 IH 200 4x4 one little task at a time. 
 

I hope you can feel better, you are highly skilled and I knows  it is frustrating. 

Cheers! 
 

[PhilB]

12 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Ya gotta keep moving sir. At our age we are like sharks in the water. Swim or......  

So true!  I wear an Apple watch.  It tracks my physical activity all day long.  I use it to monitor my steps per day so that I can get 10K/day.  Most days I get them, but some days I may not.  What helps me get those steps is I walk my dog every day, weather permitting.  So I suggest getting a puppy and start with small walks.  Build up to longer distances.  It's good for you and the dog.  

[KARNUT]

Exercise is good. Eating the right foods are good. Managing your weight is good. Obviously. The problem usually is the experts keep changing the goal post. If I walked 10,000 steps a day I’d be in constant pain. There is a threshold to where to do more harm than good. I maintain around 4K steps a day. The joints don’t complain at that level. More importantly you have to keep moving. I make sure I’m moving every hour. My mailbox is down the end of the driveway. I start early checking the mailbox. I split up yard work so I’m not doing it all at once etc. Every person has a set point with exercise, food intake and weight management. Recognizing that and being honest about it to yourself is the key to a healthy lifestyle. 

[diyer2]

My legs hamstrings are the problem. This stretch works for me, easy to do.

[PhilB]

I perform a stretching routine daily for my lower back and legs.  Used to be I would spend maybe 5 minutes stretching before playing sports or lifting weights.  Now I spend a minimum of 45 minutes stretching before lifting any weights, don't play sports anymore.  I have a tv in my workout room so it makes the exercises go by quicker.  

[Donstar]

"Use it or lose it".  I also strive for 10k steps per day.  I periodically clip a pedometer to my belt and verify.  I'm not fanatical about the 10k number but strive to average close to this number.  Currently, I'm waiting for a knee replacement and I know I'm walking well below this number of steps.  It can be painful to stand and start walking.  I'm ok once I start walking but I lose a lot of the incidental steps we typically do in a day when it hurts to initiate movement.

[Donstar]

One of my phone apps quit working and I was told my old Android phone would need replacing if I wanted to continue using this particular app.  I was quite happy with my old Motorola from Costco so yesterday I drove to Costco and bought a new Motorola!  I didn't buy the cheapest phone Costco offers, but close! 

[KARNUT]

2 hours ago, Donstar said:

One of my phone apps quit working and I was told my old Android phone would need replacing if I wanted to continue using this particular app.  I was quite happy with my old Motorola from Costco so yesterday I drove to Costco and bought a new Motorola!  I didn't buy the cheapest phone Costco offers, but close! 

I ran into the same problem when my IPhone 3 was going to lose support. It still worked fine. I didn’t get the latest version. I went back a few models saved a bunch. I use my phone for everything. 

[PhilB]

7 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I didn’t get the latest version. I went back a few models saved a bunch. I use my phone for everything. 

While I agree this is a good strategy when getting electronic devices, especially when you don't need the latest and greatest, some devices becomes obsolete sooner.  Technology keeps evolving quickly so hardware and operating system changes occur more frequently.  There are communication issues, security issues, and compatibility issues.  My thinking is if you don't keep up with technology, you may have a harder time adapting to the latest tech.  

[KARNUT]

1 hour ago, PhilB said:

While I agree this is a good strategy when getting electronic devices, especially when you don't need the latest and greatest, some devices becomes obsolete sooner.  Technology keeps evolving quickly so hardware and operating system changes occur more frequently.  There are communication issues, security issues, and compatibility issues.  My thinking is if you don't keep up with technology, you may have a harder time adapting to the latest tech.  

Yes, to a point. I used to be all over technology. My first car a 73 RX3 came with an AM radio. My parents got me an 8 track player for it. I went to Radio shack and bought 4 speakers and a splitter with an amp. I was the first in my high school not only with a rotary engine car but a modified sound system. So in shop class I spent my time installing sound systems in students cars. Starting with my teacher who happened to be my uncle. My phone is my computer, radio, gps navigator etc. My iPhone 3 was just fine. So the 13 I now have is the same. While at home I can still use the 3. As far as technology I don’t care about the camera the only difference I notice. And at my age once they passed anti lock brakes and blue tooth. In not interested. It will probably keep out of anything past 2018. As long as I can find cream puffs. My wifes iPhone 11 is about to be unsupported. We’ll probably go as high as a 15. We’re just beginning to research. I was unhappy to learn they discontinued the 13 mini and said no more minis. I prefer minis. I have no problem with advanced technology. I don’t have any use for it.

Edited December 29, 2025 by KARNUT

[StingerZ16]

1 hour ago, PhilB said:

My thinking is if you don't keep up with technology, you may have a harder time adapting to the latest tech.  

This is not wrong. However you don't want to take a leap too far ahead else you find yourself lost with all the new features you did not learn through progression of devices.

Think about going from a 50s truck to a new fangeled one today. Then wondering where the window cranks are and how come I cant open the wing vents. How come my seat got warm all by itself? Where do I put the key?

So going from a iPhone 3 to an iPhone 10 my be a good jump to iPhone 17 in a few years when the iPhone 24 is released.