Is It Just a Number?

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Whoever said that age is just a number was surely being misleading. I know because today I truly felt my three score years and more.

The cause could just be the miserable dank and grey weather that continues to permeate every fibre, including last week when we spent our regular week in the Lake District. Endless rain and low cloud limited walking to the valley and only as far as various hostelries in several directions. There again it may be that after another week trying to match Grandotty's energy, I am simply more aware of my limitations.

Those limitations were even more pronounced than usual when I realised that despite the best part of a month's arm rest, I still could not properly lift Little Sister although, by way of some complex reasoning, I deemed attempts at doing so as a form of physical therapy along with resistance movements in the swimming pool and warming myself in the infra-red sauna.

The last few days, however, have been relatively pain free and I awoke this morning convinced that my cellular structure has rejuvenated ahead of time and that and despite the bruising that is still apparent, I am well on the way to the resumption of muscular health. Accordingly this morning, at the hospital appointment my G.P. had referred me to, I began by apologising for taking up valuable professional time, my body having healed itself without the need for medical advice or intervention.

"Not so fast," the expert responded before deflating me with statistics that suggested that after the age of forty healing is noticeably slower and injury more likely, leaving me wondering what scope there could ever be for a full recovery in one's retirement years. At least he didn't criticise my attempts at weight-lifting and to be fair did comment that weight bearing exercises aimed at building up core and spinal strength are possibly the best things you can do to combat the skeletal afflictions that come with ageing. 

I can't say I cared for the insight that over sixty it is not unusual for atrophy to set in after as little as two weeks; a comment that followed a physical examination of my biceps. Fortunately the recommended treatment was simply to resume activities at the gym (I've already been back to Pilates and Yoga classes) but perhaps a tad less enthusiastically and to build up slowly and carefully. As a precaution, and hopefully not because of a prescient forecast, I am to remain on their clinical list for 6 months with a warning of all the awful ruptures and serious tears that could take place and never properly heal if I don't give my body time to rest between workouts or press on when it screams for me to stop.

Easier to injure; longer to heal; that seems to be the legacy of age. 


Comments

Treaders said…
I'm still in awe of your dedication to fitness, whatever the doctor says. I am supposed to go to the gym today, today being the first free day of the entire week. Will I get there??? Nah, I doubt it, but goodness knows I need it!
29 January 2026 at 09:13
Caree Risover said…
To be fair Treaders, if I didn’t book into classes and socialise over coffee afterwards, I’d never get to the gym either. As for fitness, it’s felt like a dedication to self-inflicted pain recently!
29 January 2026 at 12:48
Anonymous said…
I've started Tai chi and can recommend it. Also creative courses, drawing and creative writing. Did a ballet taster which was enjoyable. Going to the theatre a lot too. Enjoy your activities Caree
30 January 2026 at 08:17
Caree Risover said…
Thank you for those tips, Anonymous. I did do Tai Chi for a few months but when my arthritic knee joint began to scrape every time I did one particular move in the sequence, knew it was time to stop. The fear of being locked forever in repulsing a monkey, or whatever, was just too great.
30 January 2026 at 10:29
Jennyff said…
I never realised that when you get old life constantly conspires to remind you that you are old. Keep positive and take it gradually doing whatever you can is my advice, that or just eat pies.
30 January 2026 at 13:09
Caree Risover said…
I confess that the pie option sounds very tempting!
30 January 2026 at 22:05
Anonymous said…
My husband loves pies. I prefer yoga to Tai chi but I can do Tai chi, yoga and mindfulness via the u3a locally and it's £2 per session! Our Tai chi teacher is very good and helps one avoid any damaging postures. Enjoy your weekend, it's National lego day tomorrow and World chocolate day soon.
30 January 2026 at 22:28
Caree Risover said…
World Chocolate Day? You’ve got me excited there!
31 January 2026 at 10:29
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