Things you find difficult as you get older

I’m 75, have always eaten healthily and exercised. I do strength training, yoga, swimming and hiking, and still go running a couple of times a week. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis nearly 20 years ago, couldn’t get on with the meds so tackled it myself with diet, exercise and supplementation. My trick has never been to think of things like OP, arths

Most of us lose muscle mass steadily as we age so everything becomes harder. The hills are steeper, the shopping’s heavier, the stairs become impassable.
What annoys me most is those plastic fasteners on dog collars and harnesses. Get home on a cold morning with cold hands and it takes 5 minutes struggle to release the poor critter.

Cumbrianmale56

I am quite fit, walk 15-20 miles a week and have no major health concerns, but there are things I find more difficult than I did 10 years ago. I've just been checking my tyres with a battery inflator, which involves a lot of bending down, and it jiggers me for a while afterwards. Anyone else find bending and lifting things a lot harder when they get past 50?

I can easily get down on my knees and spend hours there crawling kneeling or squatting , planting or weeding or spreading stuff out on the floor to find the thing I want.

Getting up again is the tricky bit.

Made me laugh MawsRosie..... oestrogen for Cumbrian male 🤣
I have good days and not so good energy wise. If I've had grandkids for the day, I've learnt that the next day is recovery day. Pace myself more now I'm 70. When I need a pee, I need to take notice....the worse thing is to hold on too long and sort of put my hand between legs to hold it off.. it doesn't as my brain thinks it's a loo. Soree TMI

Memory; making quick decisions; occasionally find it more difficult to think positive; getting back up standing when on the ground. Plus, plus, plus!

I am over 80 years old.

I have also lost strength in my hands and find openings bottles and jars almost impossible.

Plastic tubs of soup. In fact any plastic containers are almost impossible for me to open.

Ring pull cans. Another no no.

I have fairly strong legs as I attend a weekly exercise class.
Afterwords I have to have a lie down at home.
Getting out of the bath is becoming increasingly difficult as well.
I am much more aware of things I can’t do as opposed to things I can do.

My fitness improved in my 60s as I lost a lot of weight and started walking more after geting a Fitbit! However I've slowed down a bit since hitting 70. I had some inflamation in my knee which stopped me for a few weeks and the heat this summer has left me exhausted. I'm never sure how much is old age creeping up or whether I need to work harder at the exercise. I'm trying to eat more protein in the hope it might build muscle but there are so many variables. I have older friends who seem fitter than me and younger ones who need a walker to get around. We all have to plod on doing what we can and try to keep everything working for as long as possible. I'm still more active than my 50s but noticing the slowing down.

Grandchildren have started to exhaust me. I am 75. A day with a super inquisitive, energetic beautiful grand daughter who seems always to be hungry is tiring. After a 9 hour day looking after her last week I couldn’t think of! I haven’t mentioned the other younger two who come on another day.

Watermeadow. Know what you mean. There’s an opportunity for someone on Dragons Den. A secure fastening for dog harness. Walking sandles and I am sure other items. That is easy to open with stiff or cold fingers

I was fine until I was 75 despite serious illness. Now at 80 I’m finding most of the things mentioned difficult and will add in getting going in the morning and making meals that I actually enjoy. I’m not sure whether my cooking skills have gone west or my tastebuds.

Thirdinline

I’m 65 and did happen to notice, last time I clipped my toenails that this task was more of a challenge than previously. I get cramp a lot more as I age, which doesn’t help. It might be that my Pilates teacher takes August off. Hopefully once I’m back in the swing of regular Pilates classes my flexibility will return.

My problem is seeing my toenails! I have to position myself carefully on the sofa with my glasses on, and even then I need good light...
I've been going to the gym for around a year now and do feel fitter, though I don't do any of the cardio or aerobics stuff. Definitely steadier on my feet anyway. The gym has definitely helped with my back, no sign of Sciatica and rarely cramp either.

(I should add that I'm 74).

MawsRosie

I’m afraid I don’t think “past 50” and “getting older” belong in the same sentence.

If (s)he thinks 50 feels old, (s)he has got a couple of decades to find out..... <lol>

Threading needles.

I was fine until I had a major fall knocking myself out, and since then everything has seemed like effort - my balance is off, my energy levels mean that I cannot do more than 3-4 hours of anything without a sit down, possibly a nap even.

Bending down makes me dizzy.

Is all very well talking about a healthy diet/exercise and a positive attitude to life etc as we get older but life is a lottery, my DH was playing football, running, and hill walking in his seventies, kept his mind agile playing chess and ate very healthily, never smoked, never drank, then had a massive stroke. Now he is a shadow of his former self and can only do something if I help him with it, and sometimes can’t do it then either.
If you are older and healthy enough to enjoy life fully do it as much as you can for as long as you can, it really is later than you think.

Putting duvet covers on.

I second that. Reaching for things in the supermarket now that I have shrunk two inches!

Sleep

Opening a packet of bacon is a challenge to me as are most of the meals for one from Waitrose or M&S which I decant as I don't relish microplastics leeching into my food. I can spend 30 minutes removing all the plastic packaging.

Decline really noticeable at 80 and now at 85 feeling really vulnerable.

I will be eighty in a couple of months and that’s presenting me with a real mental barrier. I’ve never really thought of myself as ‘old’ until this year. I have one artificial hip and the other is shot, but I walk as much as I can in an effort not to lose the mobility I have but it’s a struggle sometimes. I have the beginnings of arthritis in my hands and join the others who say opening things is a real problem! All you can do is play to your strengths and soldier on.

A lot of things you can control as you age - and many of us don't or won't........mobility, strength and balance are things we can all help with by keeping healthy and fit. However, when health issues are a problem or circumstances dictate otherwise then it becomes another story and life becomes harder. However, try doing things differently and thinking outside the box. If you can't do your tyres then get someone else to do them before it becomes an impossible issue. I remember when garages used to have someone to help fill your car......pump up your tyres......whatever happened to those? I'd gladly pay someone a small amount to do these things. Garage forecourts please wake up!

At 73 I have spinal stenosis and stage 4 kidney disease, which means that my legs ache a lot and I can't manage stairs as I used to do.

Still, I am blessed with a great husband, two children and three grandchildren who light up my life. Things could be much worse.

Making phone calls and it's something I used to do all the time years ago.