Getting old is no fun

Prepping the swamp cooler for summer. Unlike last year, the calcium scraped off easily in the pan!

Changed one cooling pad and it wore me out. I'll have to do the others in two steps - remove one day, put in new one the next. Wasn't that long ago I did all three quickly in one session. Soon fiddle with water lines to pads. That's always a lot of fun, removing and cleaning out these that are plugged up.

Reply to
KenK
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For our old cooler, I installed a second pump, feeding the "spider" from an opposite corner (wasn't a true spider; rather, a rectangular loop originally fed from one corner) and putting check valves in each feed (in case a pump failed, the pads would not dry out).

The EXTRA water made a noticeable difference in cooling efficiency.

Biggest hassle was periodica AGGRESSIVE cleaning, repainting, etc. (previous owners had poorly maintained it; we should have replaced it long before we *did*!)

New cooler purges the sump periodically to reduce mineral build up (at the expense of greater water usage). But, it's a naive implementation -- the "purge pump" can end up draining the pan while the cooler is running (think: hot air).

OTOH, it has kept the pads and cooler in pretty good shape!

Reply to
Don Y

I'm at 70 and I swim 3x a week. Still putting on muscle. I'm wondering how long this can go on before I really start to get less physically fit.

Anyway, my advice to all seniors. You need to exercise. If you can't walk far, try walking farther. If you can walk, run. If you don't want to exercise, you've given up.

Reply to
Dan Espen

From what I've seen (friends, colleagues) what typically ends up happening is an "accident" (e.g., fall) that breaks this routine. Your body spends time healing AND not getting the benefits of the exercise. You lose ground pretty quickly (easier to lose muscle tone than gain it!).

SWMBO has taken to a less aggressive set of stretching exercises, ~30 minutes/day, 7 days/week (unless she has to leave for class at 7:30 -- the days of getting up before the sun JUST to exercise are long gone!). She has found that helps her strength and, most importantly, balance. Prior to this, she did more aerobic exercise -- but less frequently. She also hikes regularly.

[I think there are ~30 in the series so it doesn't get to be monotonous]

I just walk the neighborhood, daily -- 3.8 miles in 56 minutes (4MPH). But, it's not truly aerobic as I simply can't get my heart rate up very high with that level of energy expenditure.

Reply to
Don Y

Getting old is definitely not for sissies.

But it beats the alternative...

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

Per Don Y:

That's what I am trying to keep in mind.... also, I had direct experience a couple years ago: intestinal infection + shingles that put me on my back for 5 months.

I still have not fully recovered muscle strength/nerve function - and do not expect to ever recover fully.....that showed me firsthand how destructive inactivity can be.

I have been working on stair climbing/descending technique - against the day when a leg collapses or something.

What I have come up with is both ascending and descending bent over in the direction of upstairs - one hand on the railing and the other touching a stair at all times. i.e. When I descend, I go down backwards.

My rationale is that will limit the distance/severity when the inevitable fall occurs.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

Yeah, a little while back I fell and dislocated my pinkie and messed up the 2 adjacent fingers. Fortunately I found I could still swim and I think the hand will fully recover.

Well, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You both need more exercise. If you can walk, you can run.

Reply to
Dan Espen

I think starting off from "active" works in your favor.

I'm not sure running is good. It places more stress on the knees. Normally, your knee (singular) sees half your weight. Walking, it experiences your full weight for brief instants (as your weight shifts from both legs to one, then back to both). Running, it sees 150% of your weight. And, it's a more jarring application of that weight.

When I first started walking, MD was preaching "30 minutes, 3 times a week".

"I walk 3.8 miles" "Yeah, but how FAST do you walk?" (avg is 3MPH) "4.0 MPH" (i.e. ~1 hour) "Yeah, but how often?" "On average, 5 days a week -- 19 miles per week" (at that time)

(pause)

"Well, it would be better if you could do *20*..."

(Keep in mind, no less than 60 seconds earlier he was preaching "30 minutes, 3 times a week". Now, I'm telling him I do *60* minutes *5* times a week... and he's trying to get a little bit more! I just gave him my best "stare of disbelief" until he turned beet red -- clear up into his scalp...)

Reply to
Don Y

Yup. One rationalization I use for all the work I do around the house, on the cars, etc. is to keep my body doing things OTHER than what's my "norm". E.g., lugging 60 pound containers of paint up onto the roof ("balancing" on the rungs of a ladder -- very different than carrying 60 pounds across a room!)

Chances are, it will be something totally unexpected!

A friend tripped over her *dog* and struck her chin on the edge of a coffee table -- breaking her neck in the process.

Another friend fell off a roof.

Surprisingly, many EYE injuries (in seniors) are the result of falling and striking the eye on .

I'd be leary that you might set a foot in the wrong place while unable to see it (or something on the stair, etc.)

New business opportunity: Bubble Wrap *suits* for seniors -- endorsed by AARP. Available in three exciting colors! Act now and we'll include a second one, FREE (just pay separate shipping and handling). Operators are standing by to take your call...

Reply to
Don Y

I plan to live forever. So far, so good...

Reply to
Don Y

FWIW,

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I use to consider the price difference when I bought something with a warranty, now I include the odds of me outliving the warranty.

Reply to
My 2 Cents

I turned down extended warranty on my new car last week but now see that maybe I should have gotten it. OTOH, I've heard that that average person can't drive the last 5 years of their life, so it would have been close.

High school classmate bought a new car last year but then his doctor said he could not drive anymore.

Looking at last summers reunion picture for our all boys school, out of

35 attendees, I see 3 in wheel chairs and two with canes. There are also a couple with the look of suffering a stroke and one I know of with Alzheimer's.
Reply to
Frank

I exercise first thing in the morning, every day. I actually enjoy it. One of the different things I throw in about every other day are the core exercises my husband got from the physical therapist after his spine surgery. They are relatively simple to do, but I can tell the difference

I do walk a lot. With my knees running is out of the question. We hike a lot, kayak, and engage in winter sports as well.

Reply to
SeaNymph

Poor baby ! I've been laying block and spent today capping the cellar wall with concrete . I'll have to finish the concrete when the rain that's coming blows on through ... then it's time for some carpentry .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Certain things I quit doing because of arthritis and poorer vision. Climbing on the roof is one and another doing extensive plumbing under the sink or the like. Put a new cabin air filter in my car last year and having to find the 10 or so screws to get out the glove compartment and crawling under the dash to remove the filter, I almost could not do whereas I had done it several times in the past.

Wish I had all this home repair knowledge when I was younger and could have used it.

Reply to
Frank

Per Don Y:

Or single-story houses..... -)

I am beginning to think we should have chosen a different house 35 years ago....

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

Per SeaNymph:

Maybe the most important thing I have learned in 50+ years of obsessive physical conditioning: The Pleasure Has Got To Exceed The Pain.

I tell people that they can put up with exercise being unpleasant for awhile - and they will inevitably have to when starting out or re-starting after a break.... but in the long run they have to find something where they can feel more pleasure from it than discomfort.

Different strokes for different folks... but each person has to be aware that they must keep searching/trying to adapt.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

Per Don Y:

Isn't that what the guy said halfway down after jumping off the Brooklyn bridge?

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

Per My 2 Cents:

I no longer buy the green bananas.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

As a HVAC guy, I'm in and out of peoples cellars. I find that facing the stairs gives my feet more grip. And less likely to hit my head.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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