My legs are recovering from the fasciotomy operation I had a week and a half ago. I still have the stitches in and I will have my siter-in-law or her husband (who are both medical professionals) to take them out, so I don't have to book a separate appointment at the hospital or healthcare centre. But, other than a mediocre amount of walking yesterday (5000 steps), I haven't really tested them. Though, one thing I have noticed is that the soles of my feet haven't cramped since - though this was not the point of the surgery.
I miss moving.
I really don't understand how some people can spend so much time sitting down in front of a screen, because I feel terrible for it. My entire body feels lethargic and sore in places it shouldn't be, and I am constantly "uncomfortable" in my own skin. The last time I have sat so much like this was just after I had a stroke, and even then I moved far more.
A long time ago I read a book "Born to Run" which was about barefoot running and in it there was a quote of a traditional saying that resonated:
You don't stop running because you get old. You get old, because you stop running.
This afternoon I had a discussion with my daughter about how we "are our behaviours", meaning that how we behave is who we are at any given point of time. Every action we make, is saying, "at this moment, I am..." even if we might not normally be like that, or believe we are something different. People talk about "living in the moment" but then say, "I am normally..." - that is not the moment buddy.
And at the moment, I feel terribly lazy and am itching to get moving again. I have even broken out some elastic bands so that I can stretch and put some tension on my shoulders and back - though, i haven't used them on my legs at all. I don't want to push it.
I have lost weight.
Most people would consider that a good thing, and I do need to lose weight, but not like this. The weight I have lost is from muscle atrophy by not moving enough, not fat weight. I need to lose fat, but sitting here on the couch is turning me into someone who would ultimately become skinny-fat - High fat content, with low muscle mass.
I was thinking about this today in relation to how people workout and how someone like my wife will see her weight as the indicator of her overall health, without factoring in the muscle density. However, while too much weight is definitely a problem as we age, too little muscle is also a problem as we age. It isn't about looking good in clothes, or fitting into those twenty year old jeans, it is about having the muscle to keep the core strong for movement and balance, as well as being able to better manage daily tasks when elderly.
Going for a walk doesn't cut it.
What I have noticed is that a lot of people (especially women) will not do enough strength training because they "don't want to get bulky". But, what they are actually more concerned with is their weight. Weight is a pretty meaningless metric alone. However, doing something like walking for twenty minutes a day at forty years of age, is not going to build the muscle required to be healthy physically capable at seventy five. The body degrades quite quickly after forty, and it will degrade from the top back toward the foundation. If the building isn't high enough, it doesn't take long to get down to ground level - or into the basement.
A lot of people seem to be using their body like they are seventy five, despite being far younger. They are sitting around in front of the screens, avoiding exercise, eating poorly, and acting more like their parents, who are nearing the end of life. So, if we are acting like seventy year olds, what does that make us?
We are our behaviours, right?
From my behaviours over the last week and a half, I feel terrible. Yes, I am recovering from surgery which is meant to help improve my mobility so I can move more, but it is indicative of how quickly the body shifts to become "someone else". Because I do have a base of strength training, it won't take me long to get into better condition again, and hopefully with the benefits of mobility, I will be able to build even further. Yet, I know how "it feels" to feel physically and mentally much older than I should at my age.
It isn't good.
You know, often people say "act your age" when people are acting childishly, but they should be saying it when people are behaving older than their body allows. We might be living longer than earlier, but are we living better? Looking at how people behave, I suspect not. And of course, I am averaging here, because there is a subset of people who are pushing themselves to actually get their bodies to perform well for their age, so that they are outperforming the average of people who are half their age. Because younger generations aren't looking after their bodies either - so when they get to forty - they are going to have bodies that are more like grandparents.
Of course, I can't speak for everyone, just myself. But, I am people too - I am not anyone special, with a unique body that is so different to everyone else's. I am normal, average. But, we are our behaviours. If we act like everyone else, we get similar results to them.
That is not how I want to be.
You?
Taraz
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