Open Thread Update: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Seems like there are lots of folks out there who are 30 on the inside….but not on the outside, especially when it comes to daily tasks like opening jars – which got a LOT of tips in the comments!

Apparently it’s common for people our age to come up against some limitation – and find a workaround.  The comments are full of them, and each one is a gem.

Almost as important is finding a community that knows what it’s like to have limitations imposed on us due to age and to share solutions.  As commenter KCR said

“…reading that other previously active people share my problem makes me feel more “normal”.

That’s what we’re here for- – and try some of Senior Planet’s stretching classes online!

Readers, take a spin through the comments and see if there’s a workaround for your issue. – like CLT’s and David’s.  Or if we’ve missed one, feel free to add your own!

Previous column: 

I am in pretty good shape for my age and I work hard at it, but handling the physical changes of aging  requires creativity, flexibility….and workarounds.

As I’ve said before, our bodies are like brand new cars we are given when we are born.  There’s 0 on the odometer.  But as the miles mount, we spend a lot more time in the shop and a lot more time reading the manual!

A Change is Gonna Come

I’m still working on accepting the changes in my physicality and figuring out the workarounds:

I used to be able to knock off five pounds in  a month. Now I’m lucky if I can lose a pound in a month – but this time, they stay off!

I used to do a strenuous workout with a couple miles on a treadmill every day. Now, after dozens of muscle pulls and back aches, I’ve scaled back and switched it up.  The point now is consistency, not intensity.

The most difficult and life changing impact of aging for me has been my hearing loss. When I was younger I spent a lot of time in nightclubs and discos, dancing too near the speakers (I love that bass!) and I’m paying for it now.  My hearing aids are pretty good but no substitute.

Facing the Changes

Of course there are compensations. I don’t sweat the small stuff quite so much, and I am getting smarter at figuring out work-arounds. My big ones so far – keeping an extra pair of glasses everywhere; using closed captions when I watch TV, and accepting my limits at the gym and not trying to squeeze in one more rep.

As the late, great David Bowie sang…Changes.

But how about you? What are your workarounds for the changes that aging brings? Let us know in the comments!

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send  Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.