Refusing to act your age has a fun name: the Peter Pan syndrome (less ‘cult’ than the old Greek mythologic ones …as they were inmortal 
)…except Tithonus (upon which I guess the movie ‘The Substance’ was scripted…) But that’s another story.
Your article reminds we why I don’t like these sort of articles as they are poorly researched pieces with the journalists failing to understands even basic statistics.
For example, this one states, as an argument for why older people should not undertake this sort of sport:
For instance, a 2020 study found that nearly 91% of people showing up to the emergency room with injuries related to playing pickleball were over 50.
The study used data from 2001 to 2017.
In 2015, 68% of pickleball players were over 60. The figure was higher earlier in the study.
The next group of players were much younger.
Looking at it like this, it would suggest there is little correlation between age of players and number of injuries requiring hospital investigation.
Certainly not enough evidence to use a an argument against older people playing pickleball.
Social media/Youtube is full of this type of nonsense regarding health, diet and fitness - much of it seems to get spouted on here by the gullible.
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One thing I realized rather late in life is that joints don’t like cold.
I used to ride my bike to school and work Summer and Winter, rain or snow.
I din’t wear any special gear for a long time (mostly jeans) - until I realized that this would cause arthritis later in life.
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Ooh, that’s interesting. I never heard that before. I know that friends who have dodgy joints complain that they are worse in wet or cold weather but never that it’s a cause in the first place. I’m a bit the same with clothing when biking / running, preferring just to get warmer as I exert myself. Will have to check that out!
What? Is there a causal relationship between cold and arthritis?
AFAIK, cold weather makes already existing joint damage feel worse, but don’t cause the joint damage.
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It’s more anecdotal.
I just felt one day in Winter that the cold wind felt awful on my knees.
And then I realized that I had been doing this for the better part of 25-ish years and it wouldn’t get better with age…
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Google says that the drop in air pressure caused by the colder temperatures causes this:
This change in pressure can cause the tissues in and around your joints to expand, leading to more pain and stiffness.
And also:
- Thickened synovial fluid: In cold temperatures, the fluid that lubricates your joints can become thicker, making it harder for them to move smoothly.
- Reduced blood flow: Cold weather can slow blood circulation, which may increase muscle spasms and sensitivity in the nerves around the joints.
- Decreased activity: Shorter days and bad weather can lead to less physical activity. Inactivity can cause joints to become stiffer and muscles to weaken, which can contribute to more pain.
Funny, we read what we want to read in an article. I didn’t look too closely at the statistics because I think they are not so relevant.
I started playing pickleball two year ago and am now addicted. It is much easier on the body than tennis because the basic stroke is an underarm motion rather than a round or over arm action. Added to that the court is much smaller, being almost exactly the same size as badminton court. Unfortunately this has led some people, particularly seniors, to underestimate the physical demands, especially if one plays in a more dynamic, competitive style. I need to do my exercises and stretching these days; in my youth all that was required for recovery was a couple of beers after sport. That was the message that I took from the article.
I agree with what the article is saying with regards to retaining flexibility and strength as people get older, and to lay off things like Cross Fit (which wasn’t mentioned but should have been) but to make an argument based on flawed (or lazy) interpretation of data seems wrong to me.
As I’ve said before, people only want confirmation from these pieces of what they already think they know.
There’s a BBC Radio 4 podcast called “What’s up docs” where the twin Van Tulleken brothers discuss a different health subject each week along with a medical expert.
It’s a bit hit and miss but one thing struck me as a bit of an eye-opener was on the subject of occasional knee pain when doing sport and otherwise.
I’m not talking about that severe kind of arthritic pain and being lined up for knee replacement but the less severe kind.
Anyway, the expert basically said “So what, you get a bit of pain occasionally. Just ignore it and carry on”.
I think the expert has hit the nail on the head. Just carry on doing what you are doing - it may not get better but it probably won’t get worse (taking no exercise would probably make it worse).
My knees ache in winter, especially when walking uphill or up steps. I take a fish oil supplement daily and if the pain is bad I resort to 2 Panadol Extra with caffeine before going out. It’s a total bummer, in my head I’m still about 30, but my knees are a reminder I’m 64.
OH is not much better at the moment, he’s got a torn meniscus at the back of his knee and is going for physio / medical gym exercise 3 times a week; he has a follow up appointment with a knee guy next week, they’re trying to avoid him having an op. It’s making it difficult to go out walking, he has to stick to the flat where possible.
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Insomnia struck, so I went down a rabbit hole with this super article on core muscles and strength. The links are very interesting too:
My mother put a book on my head and insisted we kids sit up straight…posture is everything.
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When I was a teenager my mother constantly told me not to slouch. I read the article and am the first to admit I really need to work on my core.
Yeas ago after I had cancer I had really bad joints from the chemo drugs so I took a yoga class for older ladies. Most were in their 70s but at the time that level of class was all I could cope with. I ended up looking really elongated with a much trimmer waist and core area.
Sadly work commitments eventually took over and I had to give up yoga. I’ve intermittently gone to gyms over the years and know there is a Pilates class near me that’s taught in English but at the minute it conflicts with the day and time of a course I’m on so maybe I’ll give it a go when that finishes.
Yes, @Cherub, but I took a lot of satisfaction from the article, because it confirmed what I’ve thought since we started renovating This Old House. Namely, that you can get benefit even from everyday activities, from carrying the new clothes drier up the stairs to loading fallen leaves into the garden bins. You just need to perform them thoughtfully and feel each set of muscles you are using.
I get achy knees from time to time and the doc is eying me with a glint in his eye and a knife in his hand.
However I have found that CBD oil is quite effective in reducing any aches snd pains related to being an antique.
and surprisingly imbalance in these muscles exacerbates blood pressure. I got hypertension 2 on regular readings, but once I started with Calisthenics readings went back to normal in a matter of a month and as a surprise I realized that I don’t slouch anymore over the keyboard
I am in two minds about health apps. Some friends use them successfully for motivation, others seem obsessed: How fitness apps affect your health: they’re not as good as you may think
I have stopped using my smart watch blood pressure and ECG monitor as the medications seems to have both conditions under control and there is a big plus in not thinking about the issues all the time.
I just take my blood pressure tablet in the morning and forget about it tbh. At the same time as I found out I had really high blood pressure 4 years ago I also found out I have a slight shadow on my heart from Herceptin treatment years ago when I had cancer, I don’t worry about that either.
More pressure to act on ultra processed foods.
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Your article states:
The problem…is not a lack of willpower on the part of individuals but rather is primarily commercially driven – the result of a powerful industry.
Interestingly, the rise in these ‘addictive’, easy-to-over-consume UPFs started when tobacco companies owned large food companies.
They used the same marketing strategies and knowledge of addictive-qualities in a substance to produce foods which became the staple in many peoples’ diets.
This legacy exists today with non-tobacco companies such as Nestlé taking up the gauntlet and whose food portfolio consists mainly of UPFs.
I don’t buy anything from Nestlé.
Not just because of their tactics in developing countries in getting the local, often indigenous populations hooked on UPFs at the expense of their health but because almost nothing they sell is healthy in any way.