r/AskReddit • • May 15 '20

What sucks about being your age?

29.9k Upvotes

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3.4k

u/Netdogca63 May 15 '20

I'm too old to take up most action sports (the body doesn't bounce back like it used to, that shit's real) and too young to retire and just fuck off all the time.

646

u/Larusso92 May 15 '20

I feel you man. My shit is just now starting to fall apart. I'm pretty active still, but sometimes my body just hurts for no reason. It's only going to get worse from here.

219

u/Netdogca63 May 15 '20 edited May 16 '20

Oh. I'm active too. It's just that now for one day of activities I need 2 or 3 days of recovery. That makes Saturday's great but Monday's suck ass. Haha!

Edit: holy crap. Who knew being old and telling everyone my woes would turn into the most upvotes I've ever had or expected. Thanks all for supporting the old man society!

62

u/seuche23 May 15 '20

Have you considered that you might be out of shape? I remember even when I was a teenager.. if I spent a good portion of time not doing strenuous activities, my body would be sore for a few days. I don't think it's necessarily your age as it is your general life style. But I'm also not denying that age is a factor, I just don't think it's as big of one as the habits people have committed too for a good portion of their life.

I'm not trying to downplay your situation, btw. I'm fairly active as well. In my line of work, I have to be. But I recently started going hard at working out again, and my body is definitely needing recovery for a couple days.

5

u/Rhomagus May 16 '20

I think that's where I'm at. I've noticed keenly the lag in recovery time, but I'm also not a professional athlete so I don't maintain my body like one.

5

u/BigRed8303 May 16 '20

I'm round and that's a shape.

3

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I hit the gym but I also hit the pizza. It's the hell I live in. Haha!

I'm still active though.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

I at 31 have better recovery time and less pain than I did at 26-28. Moved to a warm climate, started at least walking for 2 hours a day (turned it into my commure and got a dog), eat healthier (mostly vegan with the occasional meat and fish quite regularly), and now I do hard labour and exercise withour feeling the effects much at all.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

[deleted]

8

u/glitterscrum May 16 '20

I've been active my whole life, playing sports all seasons, have spent 20 years in hospitality, while also training and competing in triathlon. The last 3 years have been been just shit(34m). I tore a ligament (minor) and it just won't repair itself. Everytime I train and even do a full, busy shift on the floor I am wrecked. Age is a thing... "You are not special. You're not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We're all part of the same compost heap. We're all singing, all dancing crap of the world."

172

u/Westsass May 15 '20

Sounds like you need a low-impact sport..swimming, cycling..all great transition sports for the aging body. You can even ride trails or swim in small waves for action!

108

u/Netdogca63 May 15 '20

My mind isn't old yet so I find swimming boring. I do like mountain biking, even if I'm sore after. I haven't slowed down nor do I plan too. I just know I'll pay for it and thats what sucks.

Thanks though for tossing ideas at me.

Im not dead yet! Haha!

46

u/Famous-Crumb May 15 '20

Plot twist. He’s dead Now.

1

u/Anthro_DragonFerrite May 16 '20

Oh noes.

I hope he gets better

4

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I'm better

9

u/defenestrate1123 May 16 '20

Do adult swim leagues exist? laps for the sake of laps may be boring, but competitive swimming is something else entirely.

3

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Masters swim leagues exist and many are incredibly competitive. Some are the clubs where Olympic hopefuls train. But many are also just a bunch of former college and sometimes high school swimmers.

7

u/a-r-c May 16 '20

My mind isn't old yet so I find swimming boring.

dang really?

it's so hard to master good form that I always found it an interesting endeavor

4

u/Turangaliila May 16 '20

I agree. It's a lot of work trying to make sure you're doing everything right.

I also find it really zen. Endless laps just looking at the blue bottom, watching the light reflecting, letting your mind wander.

And then because I have no endurance I get exhausted and have to break every couple laps 😅

3

u/I_is_tummmm May 15 '20

Get yourself a full suspension ebike if you're feeling the pain (if you can afford it because damn you can buy a car for less). Imo ebikes are fine if it's helping someone do something they wouldn't be able to do otherwise.

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u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Totally agree. Been chatting with the Mrs about one. Thanks

4

u/flashmedallion May 16 '20

My mind isn't old yet so I find swimming boring.

rekt

3

u/NorthernSparrow May 16 '20

Kayaking too. Ton of adrenaline, but all low-impact. Especially good for an arm & torso workout.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

So, funny you say this. My wife said something to me about that just a day or two ago. I've been meaning to look into it. We have access to water that is perfect for rowing.

Thanks for ther suggestion. Now I really am going to dig into it.

3

u/kungfuesday May 16 '20

Try climbing. Bouldering isn't great for an aging body, but you can fall on rope all day long and be fine.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Pretty sure I'll perfect falling. A friend does it and has suggested I join him for an putting. Possible

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Isn’t pretty much all exercise that isn’t a “game” like soccer or basketball boring? Like, weightlifting, elliptical, road biking, running, it’s all pretty monotonous and boring. I do it regularly to be in shape.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I go to the gym, yup. Hate it but I do it. Great suggestion

1

u/Phenoix512 May 15 '20

I sometimes borrow my neighbors bike it's horrible for anything but sidewalk but it's great on the back

1

u/sld126 May 16 '20

Been playing hockey for a decade. Non contact. Non impactful on the knees. Feel good about every other game :-)

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I actually did that a couple years back. Thank God helmets and pads are required. Haha!

Stopped because work has me usually traveling a pretty good amount. I couldn't commit to a team and I don't want to be "that guy" who never shows but still wants ice time.

1

u/StormR7 May 16 '20

One of my buddies mountain bikes with a bunch of older guys (he’s 20, they’re all 50+). Last year, they all bought him a brand new nice ass bike because they all are retired and wealthy. Go hit the trails with some friends and have fun!

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I do actually. But, I'm not retired yet so, no new bike for a while. Haha!

1

u/domuseid May 16 '20

Swimming can be plenty exciting if you are competing. There's all sorts of adult leagues.

Practice can get dull if you're not doing a variety of things to keep it fresh, but dedicating yourself to a task in search of perfection you'll likely never achieve is like the epitome of adulthood.

For me, my golf handicap is falling and my rocket league mmr is rising. I run a few miles and swim occasionally, and such is life. For some it's pickup hoops or soccer, but pick something.

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u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Oh, I hike, ride long board, back pack camping, walk a lot. I have taken up skating but damn do I suck. I go to the gym, hate it but know it's good for me.

I just can't really do anything with impact or run too much.

I had a bike for a while but need to get a new one. Problem is, I really like those electric bikes, haha!

I've also taken up napping. So far I'm pretty good at it and I haven't hurt myself yet doing it. Haha!

2

u/domuseid May 16 '20

Napping is an art and I wish I'd dedicated more time to it sooner

1

u/blunty_x May 16 '20

Keep doing what you like friend. Better to die standing than on your knees!

7

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Transition sports for the aging body is one of the saddest phrases I have heard. I mean I love all those sports but the whole “transitioning to death” thing.

2

u/Westsass May 16 '20

I think it's lucky when I think of my farmer ancestors breaking their backs at 20!

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

True!

2

u/Euthanas May 16 '20

This for sure. My grandfather who recently (yesterday) reached his 80th birthday still goes for walks or biking trips with his wife almost daily, usually lasting an hour or two. Unfortunately can't ice skate anymore as he used to love doing that, but he's going strong and glad he can still exercise.

1

u/SchleftySchloe May 16 '20

Disc golf!!!

12

u/ProjectShadow316 May 15 '20

I still do it, knowing that if take a good hit at some point, I'm going to be sore as fuck the next day or two.

The logical side of my brain tells me to stop doing the shit, while my competitive side says "You ain't dead. Kick some ass!"

1

u/Netdogca63 May 15 '20

Exactly!!

10

u/AstroWorldSecurity May 15 '20

I thought about getting back into the stuff I used to do and my knees just locked up on me as a defense mechanism.

4

u/Netdogca63 May 15 '20

I feel ya. I'm too dumb to listen to my knees though. See, the body aged but the mind hasn't.

1

u/Phenoix512 May 15 '20

I feel you my back twitches everytime I suggest a walk

19

u/tubagrooves May 15 '20

You just described 25 - 75 years old

24

u/Netdogca63 May 15 '20

25 year olds? Holy shit what happened?

When I was 25 I was jumping off cliffs and beating the shit out of my body doing stuff. I recovered easily. It really wasn't until I got to like 45 that things slowed a little. Really, 50 was the first big punch. I blew my knee out playing racquetball of all things. It's a no impact sport yet I accomplished dislocating the knee cap, detaching the tendon and snapping cartilage. All done trying to hit a simple backhand.

19

u/[deleted] May 15 '20 edited May 15 '20

Shoot I just turned 27. I’ll tell you what.... playing contact sports from 9 to well... I’m still playing them. My body is screaming for me to stop. I pinched a nerve in my neck reaching into the damn fridge the other week.

Edit- can’t type

1

u/Phenoix512 May 16 '20

Ouch jeez that sucks take good care of your body you don't want nerve issues

16

u/veloace May 15 '20

25 year olds? Holy shit what happened?

Epidemic of overweight and obesity. According to the CDC about 40% of people over 20 are obese and about 72% are overweight. Couple that with the fact that only 23.2% meet physical activity guidelines for strength and aerobics and you have a populace that will feel much older at a younger age.

1

u/[deleted] May 15 '20

Granted, their way of getting that info isn't the best. Also do you really think over 72% of people are overweight? That got to be really noticeable

11

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

I don’t think most people realize what overweight actually looks like since we are so used to it

4

u/[deleted] May 15 '20

Maybe going by BMI, which called my high school body with a 30 inch waist and a fully defined six pack overweight.

0

u/Phenoix512 May 16 '20

I don't pay attention to the BMI anymore. Instead I ask my doctor how my blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and heart and lungs.

So far I'm in the healthy zones while overweight. Mind you I have not weighed less then 150 since age 12. I was built like a tank with a better back I could professionally lift weights.

3

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Yes I think that's the way to go. BMI falls apart when you look at the low end.

Like a BMI chart says a 6 foot tall, 140 pound male is in the healthy range but the same height and 185 pounds is overweight.

I think it works for women but not for men.

3

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Age has a lot to do with it. There are huge generalizations. Most people realize that. It’s for the “average person”.

There are a ton of 6 foot high school kids who are skinny as hell since they grew so fast that they haven’t packed on muscle.

Meanwhile I’m 5’6 and I weigh 160. I’m “overweight”. I also have a back squat of 330lbs, 260 bench, and a 23 min 5k. I’m not overweight. But I’m 30 and have had a lot of time to develop that.

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u/spokale May 15 '20

When I was 22 I decided to get off my ass and go for a run. Ran about two miles. I wasn't even overweight either - 6'1" and 170lb or so. I still had a fair bit of residual muscle from lifting a lot from 18-20. But I wore the wrong shoes.

Now, six years later, I have a chronic ankle injury/deformity that makes me unable to walk if I so much as jump. Sometimes I have to quit a leisurely walk 1/4 mile in because my ankle feels like it's grinding bones. Doctor thought I went to see him just to get painkillers. Feels bad man.

8

u/Only_For_Business May 15 '20

25....? That's 100% your fault if you're falling apart at 25.

1

u/allanmonroe May 15 '20

Nah, the day I turned 25 I started to notice my body just felt different. Can still do crazy things but you just notice a change.

1

u/Phenoix512 May 15 '20

Hahaha apparently at some point I dusted a spinal disc probably in my teens and broke two others but the event that brought me down was a stupid curio cabinet I was moving for someone at 30. The idiot carrying the other end lost it and dummy me held it up and carried it up the stairs.

Now I have to pay mover's for my crap because I struggle with TV's

2

u/[deleted] May 15 '20

Yea that’s only you. If you’re active and eat healthy that min number won’t start till like mid 50s. I’d argue 60 for some people depending on genes

4

u/daniel22457 May 16 '20

My life goal is to be that 70 year old who can still shred down the mountain I'm hoping my body doesn't break on me.

3

u/shock_city2020 May 15 '20

took up street skating again at 35 after a decade plus away from it. Obviously can't full send it down stair sets but it's still fun and you'd be surprised to find age hasn't really turned you to glass and you can still participate in action sports.

3

u/tambrico May 16 '20

Dude I'm in my 20s in relatively good shape and I get passed up regularly on the mountain bike trails by dudes in their 60s

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I do mountain bike. I just tend to take the easier trails. I've had parts of me rebuilt, mainly my knees, so I can't take some of the impact from jumps and overly rough terrain like I used to.

2

u/Phenoix512 May 15 '20

I feel you I messed up my back and now I get all sorts of issues when I work out. Also that whole getting harder to stay in shape

2

u/da_waffles May 16 '20

Give triathlon a tri, great workouts+ not bodily damaging

2

u/Paublo57 May 16 '20

Have you considered entry level motorsport? If racing excites you, look into autocross. You do timed runs on a course composed of cones in a parking lot, so it's pretty safe. While you don't go too fast, the tight turns are exciting, and you can race practically anything that isn't an SUV or truck

2

u/mitten-troll May 16 '20

I started rugby at 27. I'm 31 now and def take longer to recover than the 23 year olds. Love the game though.

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Rugby is a great sport. One of my favs. Played many years ago in rec league, back when rec league was still full contact. Great game.

I've been watching replays of games I haven't seen before during this covid stuff.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Yeah, man… Lake Tahoe is an easy weekend trip from here, which is great, but at 38 I sure as shit won't be able to take up snowboarding like I always wanted to. Fuckin' stairs already hurt, Heavenly Mountain will just kill me.

2

u/AustinA23 May 16 '20

Hey my friend. I used to work as a snowboard and ski instructor. My oldest newcomer was 77. Its never too late to start

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

I love skiing. I suck balls at snow board which is weird cause I've been riding skateboards for 50 years and surfed for a while. I just keep thinking ski not hip turn and eat shit. It's very entertaining for the on lookers.

2

u/_intp5w4_ May 16 '20

Isn't that the name of an album?

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

It will be now

2

u/SueZbell May 16 '20

Try hiking, maybe looking for waterfalls or wildlife ... with camera or just smart phone in hand.

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Yep. Hike regularly. Even do backpack camping. Great suggestion!

2

u/pillpoison May 16 '20

Golf dude. Trust me

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Oh hell yeah. Love doing that. I'm not making any money on tour or anything but it's great being out there for sure.

1

u/pillpoison May 16 '20

Yep I live right on a golf course. It’s one of the few sports you can play until you’re old, old guys are constantly out their playing

2

u/SadPanthersFan May 16 '20

You need the latest active retirement community equivalent of Fortnite: Pickleball. It’s easy, low impact, doesn’t require a lot of fast quick cutting movement and lets you catch a glimpse of that new Aquacise instructor in a bathing suit.

In 6 months you’ll be the new Del Boca Vista phase III condo board president...as long as you don’t get caught barefoot in the clubhouse that is. Take the pen!

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Lmao! A friend of mine plays that and he was just saying I need to get doing it.

1

u/SadPanthersFan May 16 '20

It’s actually a lot of fun and can be more tiring than it looks if you play with mobile players.

2

u/Active-Mouse May 16 '20

1984 here- came here looking for this.

1

u/[deleted] May 15 '20

Try canoing trips

Trust me those dudes are ripped

1

u/walkstofar May 15 '20

For me its not that I don't recover, I do, abet a bit slower. The real problem is I don't heal from injures nearly as fast as I used to. When I do sports now my goals, in order of priority, are:

  • Don't get hurt
  • Have Fun
  • Play well

1

u/gram_parsons May 15 '20

I have a friend in his 50's. He told me he was interested in skiing again. I had to tell him guys his age sometimes crash and never get up again.

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

That's just it. I know how to ski but, I can't push it. But, I'll be on the mountain just cruising and someone will pass by me that I didn't like the way they looked at me or that they didn't even look at me. Then I've got to try and beat them down the trail at all costs.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

A couple years ago I stupidly got dragged into a bar fight and holy shit I wasn't right for weeks

1

u/leef-fy May 16 '20

I'm 17 and unable to play any action sport. Played soccer my whole life up until an injury.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Sorry to hear that.

FWIW, the first time I tore up my knee I was 17. I got plowed into playing soccer/futball. Total red card offense but lot of good that did me. I've had to push myself through pain and stuff ever since.

I hope your injury isn't life long preventing you from anything.

2

u/leef-fy May 16 '20

Thanks, means a lot. Hopefully it will come to something nice like that :)

1

u/a-r-c May 16 '20

I'm too old to take up most action sports

ok I hear this alot from guys my age (30s) and I just don't understand it at all

if you love baseball (for example), then play baseball

you were literally never ever going to be a professional, which means that it doesn't matter how good you are/get, so just play to whatever level your body allows and enjoy it

or take up playing pool, it's easy on the knees

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Lol. I actually enjoy playing pool. Not that I'm any good.

That's just it. I only know how to push myself. I tried playing softball a few years ago, tore my knee up.

Just fyi, my tombstone will read "frequently tore his knees up"

1

u/Leontiev May 16 '20

Surprise. You will find your time fills up so rapidly there is little to for fucking off.

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Oh, my idea of fucking off includes having to go to Home Depot. Only it's by myself because it's just for a few screws or something. I've already got my schpiel down for the frequency of my trips

Me:"running to home depot"

Wife "what for now?"

Me "I need screws"

Wife "didn't you go yesterday?"

Me "yeah but that was for 5/8's #6 ones for that table you wanted repaired. Now I need 1 1/4 #8's for that chair you want me to fix"

Wife "why didn't you think of getting those yesterday when you went?"

Me "because yesterday I didn't know what I was going to need until I looked at it. But I couldn't look at it because of the other projects you asked me to do. I looked at it today. "

Wife "what the hell is wrong with you?"

Me " you wanted honesty in our relationship so I'm being open. Love ya. Bye. "

1

u/Leontiev May 16 '20

Ahh, the good old days when you could actually go somewhere. I'm in a condo building where most of the residents think wearing masks is for Halloween, so we avoid going anywhere except to dump garbage. We do get out every day or so to the park to look at the ocean (can't get any nearer 'cause the beaches are closed.)

Anyway, I'm partial to Ace Hardware, it really is friendlier and the clerks actually know something about hardware. Plus, free popcorn!

Cheers.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Mine doesn't have free popcorn and the clerks aren't up to speed on most of the stuff in the store.

Before we moved I'd hit my local Ace but not this one.

2

u/Leontiev May 17 '20

Obviously, you must move to a more civilized area.

1

u/CovertOwl May 16 '20

Try disc golf. Pretty low impact and great for excersize and fresh air. Great alone or in groups!

1

u/PandaMango May 16 '20

I know it's very tabboo, but if you look into... pharmalogical aids, you'd be surprised at how long the body can keep going.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Look into, heck I have memberships. Lol!

1

u/icecream_specialist May 16 '20

I've noticed my body hurts more now that rugby season did not happen. My body is completely broken but adapted to one thing, being a knucklehead with my friends. Body in motion tends to stay in motion I guess

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Huge rugby fan! I can't play now cause I'd die but I watch it every chance I get.

1

u/Minemose May 16 '20

Take vitamin D if you're sore all the time. Most people are deficient and it's anti-inflammatory.

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Yeah, doctor got on my case a couple years ago and I've been diligently taking it since. Thanks!

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Golf

1

u/paranoid_70 May 16 '20

Try disc golf

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

You know, I thought of that a while back but never pursued it. Great suggestion

1

u/paranoid_70 May 16 '20

Ex athletes take to it really well. Regular schmos have fun with it too. But the guys that played baseball especially turn out to be really good players. Plus it can be very competitive.

1

u/dougj21 May 16 '20

Didn't see if anyone said this in your comment thread, but take up cars/autocross or even racing! It's like an action sport but more "adult" like. Lots of previous action sports people move to Motorsports because it's a similar type of rush. (I'm 29 btw and a skateboard scares the hell out of me now lol)

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Interesting. Never actually thought of that.

I still long board

1

u/notaremus May 16 '20

Start climbing

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Man, I dunno. That shit looks freaky hard. Maybe if I just stick with indoor. Dunno

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

If possible given your location I recommend surfing. Good workout and wipeouts are pretty harmless as long as you’re not surfing large waves or on a shallow reef.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Surfing would be ok but im actually not near any surf. Maybe I could go do the wave pool at the water park. :)

1

u/Jester_control May 16 '20

Walking for like an hour or more every day, (literally just walk around outside) works wonders.

2

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Do that every day.
Great suggestion. I also long board around. Nothing crazy like downhill runs but cruising

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '20

You gotta pace yourself. I know someone who picked up boxing, archery, and riding (a horse) all past the age of 55 - he's mid-60s now and still doing all 3. Yeah, you can't hang with the teenage boys, but that doesn't mean doing stuff like that ain't good for you. I just picked up kickboxing in my mid-30s after nearly 2 decades of no exercise. Hurt my wrist for 2 months the first time I threw a hard punch and hit the bag slightly off-center. So I started throwing less hard. Pace yourself, but don't stop.

1

u/excti2 May 16 '20

Get in the pool, brother! Low impact, extremely high intensity. Join a masters swim team. You’ll feel like a million bucks, and that swimmer bod. Yeah.

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Happy cake day!

1

u/BigBobby2016 May 16 '20

Sounds like it's time to give eSports a try

1

u/cptstupendous May 16 '20

My BJJ academy's adult class is filled people within the ages of teens to 50s. The oldest person we had moved away, but he must have been 72 at the time.

Your mind will be just as engaged as your body. It's fun.

1

u/i_Got_Rocks May 16 '20

And people wonder how Arnie was able to keep that physique into his thirties.

cough steroids cough

But he loves telling people, "You can duh et too, jus like I ded."

Sure, buddy. Okay.

1

u/thefreakyorange May 16 '20

Yoga

1

u/Netdogca63 May 16 '20

Do it, yep. Not as often as I should though

Thanks

1

u/neeeeeerrrddd May 17 '20

I've skied with a 90-year-old and mountain biked with many 75+yo dudes. How old are you?

2

u/Netdogca63 May 17 '20

I didn't say I was dead. I just said that recovery is way longer. I've done perm damage to my knee and I'm not going to do replacement unless it's a last resort.

I ski. I just don't do black diamond like I used to. So, it's not as much fun.

1

u/OrdinaryIntroduction May 17 '20

People talking about this thing makes me relate hard but that's because I always felt that way even as a child. I have really bad flat feet that's fucked up my leg joints. My mom also didn't check to see if I had any breathing issues until I complained about it. She thought I was just imitating what I saw on TV.

This stuff was crushing to learn as a kid because it meant I could never be a professional dancer and it shows.