Outstanding spirit.
And, loved your advice about doing squats! I may suggest future students to do a couple before they show up for class or at least sit on the floor and practice figuring out a way to stand up on their own.
And planks. Shows up quite quickly who has the core ready to paddle more efficiently.
1 Like
I am 74 now and just took up kayaking a couple of years ago. I do a lot of camping in a little teardrop trailer and take my ORU kayak with me where I mostly plan on being near lakes or rivers. I picked the ORU because of it being so compact when folded and light weight. Due to bad knees I donāt hike long distances so this had bee a great way to explore and to (attempt) catch my dinner with a little fishing. I have never been a fitness junkie but I try to stay healthy and this has been a great way to do so. I will be taking a 3 week trip through Arizona later this month and every place I will be staying is planned to be near water. I am just saying that age does not have to be a barrier to enjoying life.
4 Likes
Well, I follow my 90 year old mother in lawās example: she says she still thinks she is 18 til she looks in the mirror and says, āwhoās that old lady?ā
I didnāt replace my cycle computer when that last one broke years ago. I donāt calculate my paddling pace(or hiking either).
I go simply on effort: I want to maintain the highest level I can, which varies depending on the current(usually paddling alone upstream) or the steepness of the trail or the strength of the wind.
This way, as far as I know, I am just as fast as I was 30 years ago!
As long as I dont look at a clock, I think Iām 25.
I am 67 and I am Pharoah, King of Denial !
2 Likes
IMHO Little Feat (circa Lowell George) was the best band ever.
4 Likes
And Bill Payne the best pianist in rock 'n roll.
(But not to forgetting Keith Godchaux & Garth Hudsonā¦) At the very least a top flight contender.
1 Like
My husband and I are paddlers, but our main love is soccer. Itās how we met, and weāve been playing for 25 years together. Our philisophy about sports/activity and aging has been this.
Our objectives for playing when we were younger were, in this order:
- Play well (i.e., competitively)
- Have fun
- Donāt get injured
Now, we have re-ordered those objectives to be:
- Donāt get injured
- Have fun
- Play well (to the best of our CURRENT abilities)
So, perhaps for paddling, you can re-assess your reasons for doing it. Maybe now, instead of āattaining the farthest reaches of wilderness,ā itās āthe farthest reachesā¦to my current abilityā or, rather āto enjoy nature, first and foremostā and anything above that is a bonus?
Cheers,
Meg
3 Likes
Back went out 6 days ago. Feel like 120 not 68. Look out window of bedroom canāt even fathom pulling the kayaks up from floating dock to bulkhead. Canāt even think about holding one of my Werner CF Paddles nevermind pulling and twist my body. Hope it ends soon.
2 Likes
Off topic, but I love the use of ā2020ā as a verb. Iām borrowing that.
I am aging but not gracefully. I am kicking and screaming the whole time. At 70 I am plenty capable of getting in over my head.
4 Likes
Right there with you ppine though still a youngster at 66.
PD, I feel for you. Been there too many times. Whatever you do, do not put heat on it. Biofreeze will help.
Low heat seems to help it. My back was going south since last Sunday now itās Friday first day I can say itās a little better. I managed to get out of bed a few times without screaming like I was being run over slowly. Seems like one certain point in my upper right butt us the problem. Weaning off the Advil now. If I lock up my leg and right side butt cheek muscles I can get out of bed now with one leg stiff.
I also have a elastic waistband on my butt cheek which seems to help. Being a commercial mason contractor for 40 + years Iāve been here before. I started with back problems when I was 17-18. Less problems as I aged or maybe I should say not as frequent.
Retired now but work for another company to stay in shape. If laying block easily pickup 10-13,000 lb. in a day. Probably another week to mend up hopefully.
Iāll try some cold on it tomorrow. I had disc problems once just before 9-11 had MRI and the whole doctor deal. I thought Iād never work again. Never felt pain like that in my entire life. That lasted about 20 days. Sadly I was bed ridden watching the horror of 9-11. I was rotating bags of frozen peas on my neck. Wife calls me Peter Pan never aging or at least not admitting to it in my mind.
Iām thankful for everyday I can go to work, have food, clean water, and a roof over my head. The simple things many people like. I shower and think people would kill to drink the water draining by my feet. Better than than they ever had in a life how sad. How spoiled am I?
1 Like
Iām 72, and have been paddling since I was 4 or 5. Iām lucky, I guess, and will continue to paddle for as long as I can. I was a weekend racer for 30 years in northern NY and Vermont, and still paddle from Ice-out in the spring until November or December, weather permitting. Iāve got a Wenonah Voyager, a Bell Mystic, a 17 ft stripper I built, and a Swift Labrador sea kayak. Whether I paddle solo or in one of the tandems, depends on whether or not anyone else is willing. Paddling in winter(dressed properly) with calm water, light snow falling, and geese flying overhead is very inspiring. Everyone who can physically still paddle and finds their own reasons to enjoy time on the water, should carry on because itās one of the real pleasures in life.
9 Likes
PD, glad to hear you are better. I should have qualified the heat comment. Bad for new injuries, relief for old ones.
I spent today with a lower back spasm. Took Advil and got to it.
Was not fun but moving has made it much better.
Our backs sound like they came from the same er background.
Glucosamine, a hot tub, stretching every morning, back brace, staying shape, ice, rest, and regular exercise. Get enough sleep. stay hydrated, donāt drink much. Stay active but donāt over do it. DMSO when something bad happens. It is a lot of work but definitely worth it.
1 Like
Also 72, and a casual paddler for many years. Recently found a fine used West Side Boat Shop EFT and am getting serious about technique for better aerobic workouts. I can paddle some in winter here on my salt water creek off the Chesapeake. Ready to try a wing blade but will start out practicing with it in my old, stable Phoenix Isere.
ā¦a TENS unit and inversion table can be potential helpers as well. 9 compressed, 4 ruptured discs in my 20ās along with 7 broken ribs. These days, flare ups are helped with heat, stretching and the two items above. Fortunately rare, often stiff, rarely in debilitating pain. Daily exercise, no pain relievers. Listen to your body, donāt tell it to shut up.
1 Like
Thanks daggermat,
I have disc problems and a lot of rib injuries from horse and mule wrecks. An inversion device is very helpful for spine issues. It allows the cartilage to spread out and separate the vertebrae. I use a back brace for heavy lifting, but try to stay under 50 pounds now as much as possible. I get help for heavy stuff and use a hand truck a lot.
1 Like
After MSA Parkinsonās started couldnāt walk for falling for no reason. With the meds now no falling but staying upright has taken over. Maybe try again this summer. All in all I started at 7 now 76 so the mind has logged the trips and fun. Got to class 4 running 16ā falls before I stopped. Never got the ACA rating but was with local canoe clubs. You can tell how the arms and legs were slowly just not there any more. I will just ride on like a cowboy to see how far I go. 
2 Likes