Falling Apart

[Doc]

What is happening these days that is making people not age well? On one of the other threads we were talking about summer practice with bows, and it is amazing how many people talked of being effected by failing muscles and joints. Many of them are not really all that old. I think back to old guys like Fred Bear and Howard Hill and Stacey Groscup and others who were famous for using things like 110 pound long bows on elephants and shooting well into their old age. I can't even imagine pulling a longbow (or even a compound) with 100# pull, but these guys were doing it. Hey, and look at how Fred Bear was built ......not exactly what you would call the Charles Atlas of his time. Howard Hill was even deformed a bit from so much shooting that his right shoulder was visibly bigger than his left. It seems like these guys abused their archery muscles far worse than any of us do today and yet were able to shoot way into old age.

So, I have to wonder what we are doing to ourselves that is breaking us down before our time. Even I have been forced to move from an 80# compound in preparation for a moose hunt, in my 40's, to one now set at 60# because of joints and muscles becoming a bit tweaky at times. How did some of those old-timers get away without body break-downs? Or are we doing things to ourselves today that is hastening a breakdown in body structure? I know that hunter ages are increasingly getting older, but it seems that a lot of these breakdowns are happening at younger and younger ages.

[G-Man]

they worked for a living.. most came up on family farms where baling hay was the going to the gym..  shooting bow is most exercise some get ...

[Jeremy K]

The invention of snowblowers has made everyone weak. 

[rob-c]

I think it’s the overly processed foods we eat now, and let’s face it we all have snowblowers , leaf blowers , wood spliters, atv’s  etc.and how often do you shoot your bow ? Back in the day I bet they shot every day maybe twice a day. Heck I haven’t shot mine since last season. I have so many projects going right now plus’s other things that take my time.. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

I've been pulling #52 for years; save the joints is my thinking.

[landtracdeerhunter]

We may be all crippled up, but we're living longer, LOL.

[loworange88]

I think its alot of factors.  First of all the number of people who do moderate physical labor these days has dwindled, now so many people have desk and "work station" jobs, that muscles are affected adversley and posture suffers which makes one way more prone to injury.  Also today's food is crap, outside of homegrown vegetables and such, processed food IMO is all empty calories, with little to no actual nutrition that helps to keep a body in good physical condition.  We are a society of fat, soft people now.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Most of my issues come from what I did when I was younger. Skateboarding, motocross and snowboarding all put a beating on me and took a toll on my body, and now that abuse is starting to show its effects. It would probably help if I got to the gym more often and kept building more strength in my joint areas, but a 60+ hour desk job work week, dealing with everything my kids have going, and finding time to get things done around the house and property, doesnt leave much time to go to the gym these days. It is what it is, I just push through it the best that I can.

[airedale]

You can not stop father time, there will come a point when our bodies just eventually get worn out. Fred Bear and Howard Hill did not pick up their bows a couple of months before hunting season and start practicing, they kept in shooting shape by shooting year around. While there is no stopping the aging process it can be slowed down and somewhat minimized. It comes down to keeping your body in decent condition and that means a moderate exercise program a minimum of 20 minutes every single day, more would be even better.

Al

[The_Field_Ager]

Check out the DR Wahls protocol for feeding your mitochondria, the bodies' engine room. She cured herself of MS. The diet and protocol can be applied to most health issues, including aging. 

 

[Merlot]

I wish father time would just go away. All I do to try to keep ahead of the age thing is to work out 3 times a week at "Y". I also hang around to shoot baskets and walk golf courses....Swim a few laps and shoot bow a little from August on to the season which for me is about last week of Oct.

I just do enough to keep loose and reasonably strong. 

Golf carts certainly can be used by anyone, but I chuckle when I get my golf pull cart ready, when a see a bunch of 25 year old young bucks all riding carts to attempting to play golf. 

I will walk until I cannot anymore, and when that day comes, I may as well quit golf, given my game will probably be crepe by then anyhow.

[left field]

Excessive shitty processed food ... largely sedentary lifestyle ... general physical and mental laziness ... addiction to the internet and media ... lack of respect and empathy to others ... lowering of standards across nearly every aspect of life. 

It will be a miracle if we're not Eloi in three generations.

[Red]

3 hours ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

I've been pulling #52 for years; save the joints is my thinking.

I'm with you I am 37yrs old and have never shot over 60# and have had my bow set at 52# for over 10 years.  Can i pull back 80# yes but definitely no need to. I also keep it at 52# because work puts a hurting on my shoulders and 52# goes right threw the deer just fine.

[moog5050]

41 minutes ago, left field said:

Excessive shitty processed food ... largely sedentary lifestyle ... general physical and mental laziness ... addiction to the internet and media ... lack of respect and empathy to others ... lowering of standards across nearly every aspect of life. 

It will be a miracle if we're not Eloi in three generations.

In  defense of the baby boomers (who are mostly those complaining of pain), they are credited with originally making America great so laziness may be overstated.  The rest of us have simply rode the train of their successes.  At least that's what they tell me!

[rob-c]

1 hour ago, left field said:

Excessive shitty processed food ... largely sedentary lifestyle ... general physical and mental laziness ... addiction to the internet and media ... lack of respect and empathy to others ... lowering of standards across nearly every aspect of life. 

It will be a miracle if we're not Eloi in three generations.

I have always worked out and been very active with all my jobs. The single biggest thing to help me is I started eating clean , I can’t get over how the inflammation has gone way down in my joints and body. Granted I have injuries from football and being young and dumb but clean eating is where it’s at.. 

[Nomad]

It’s a game of attrition, at the gym there are tons of older guys, most walk on the treadmill and do a few machines but, a few guys into their 70’s are still pushing serious weight and running hard . What’s the difference? They’re the few who’s body held out . I’m sure back in the day the guys you mention are those few as well .

Myself at 59 arthritis in my feet, carpel tunnel both hands , two,bad shoulders , a hip and knee that occasionaly hurt . Let’s see a couple  years of construction, 9 loading safes into tractor trailers , and 28 as a firefighter , where you’re judged on how hard you work not how smart . I had a rafter fall on my head in a roof collapse, the guys just laughed and I went back to work..... that lead to neck surgery.

Im sure they’re  plenty of FF who,worked at slow companies, who,held up much better , the can probably shoot their bows fine .

Well of to the DR. To talk about a upper GI exam ......

Edited July 25, 2018 by Stay at home Nomad

[Jeremy K]

I brought it up in another thread , if you don't take an omega 3,6,9 supplement ,you should really give it a try . I've learned so much about inflammation the last year with some issues going on with my wife . There is a couple other natural supplements you can take as well .

[grampy]

I've worked hard, and played hard my entire life. It's showing now, at only 61.

But considering what I've been through, every day I wake up is a great day!

No complaints either. Wouldn't change a thing, if I could.  Well maybe that date with Rose back in 77, when all I went for was a kiss.......

 

 

[dbHunterNY]

4 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

The invention of snowblowers has made everyone weak. 

and then some of us have tractors with plows just to survive. lol

[dbHunterNY]

slowly things are getting away from physically demanding labor. so instead of being worn out from abuse people are worn out from sitting on their ass.  often not by choice but occupation.  i sit in an office all day for long hours at times. only so much you can do with a job like that. i still do farm work just not as much as when i was young and living there. others may have done extreme sports when younger that has left them broken and still young.

[Buckmaster7600]

I think the biggest problem is people don’t work for a living anymore. My job is terrible, if I wanted to I could sit in a chair for 15hrs and 45min of my 16hr shifts but I get up every 15min or so and walk around or just stand for a while. I also do little workouts throughout the day just to stay as active as I can. My body is ruined, from working on a farm, doing construction, playing sports and racing motocross as a kid to my time in the service. A few shoulder surgeries and a back surgery has slowed me down a little but I refuse to let it bother me. I’m sure I’ll have to change my ways eventually but not until its debilitating. I work out 5 times a week because when I got heavier everything hurt worse. I know for me staying at a comfortable weight “220lbs” is a big factor in how I feel from day to day. I’m a youngster compared to many on here and can only hope I can keep doing what o want for many years to come.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[left field]

Me:

stairs not escalators / park at the back of the lot not the nearest spot / splitting maul not log splitter / lawnmower not riding mower / wheelbarrow not UTV / three cups of kale+blueberries+maca+various other healthy stuff in place of one meal a day not fried food / standing not sitting / water not sugar water / reading paper not screens.

Could use more yoga, cardio and weights. And fewer desserts and whisky.

[ATbuckhunter]

A lot of guys arent exersizing and eating right. Both of those are key factors in how you age. Of course there are many things that can effect that, but it seems like thats the cause for a lot of the guys I can see. 

[moog5050]

As my father says, its tough getting older but better than the alternative.  lol

[Nomad]

It’s not for the weak ! 

Plus Doc is picking out the best of the best and comparing them to guys here.

Well Jack Nicklaus sunk a hole in one at age 75, and he a Palmer played better  in their later years then anyone here did in their prime . That’s one thing that sets the stars apart from Joe Sixpack .