Aging, Health, and When to Stop RVing

[Firstime RVer]

All I can say is keep on keepin on. Do what you like until you can't do it anymore, and then, find something that you would like as an alternative.
Some people go for long walks, others go to parks, others go dancing. I've got an 84 year old friend that still keeps honeybees. Get out of that chair and move around to keep the critical parts working, until you just cant do it anymore.
Safe travels and all the best.

 

[garyb1st]

woof-n, I think you misread my post.

 

[RayIN]

I have a buddy who worked in a hospital and he tells me he has seen countless people become messed up in seconds, from both natural reasons and accidents.

Includes a guy who was 22 years old who died of a massive heart attack and that type of thing, of people who seemed to be in perfect health just a few minutes before.

Years ago, I knew a ranger at Zion National Park, who would let us park our motorcycles at his home residence. He was also in his early 20's and I first met him on a hike way out in the middle of nowhere in the high country (Bear Trap Canyon). Far from ANY trailhead. Nine topo map miles, which means most likely even farther out. IOW, he got a lot of exercise just to go to such places.

Anyway, the next year he was not around and I asked about him. He had a major stroke in his early 20's and could not get outside anymore, but was still alive.

We never know, living is very dangerous.

-Don- Big Creek Camp, NV

Yep, we never know the future. I had a young drill sergeant working for me in the army that exercised daily, ran 5 miles before breakfast each morning. One day he did not appear for roll-call. I called his home and his wife said he had died that morning while running; he was 38 yrs old.
It has taken me a long time to accept/admit to myself It's time to stop driving the MH. It has sat unused for 3 years so far, and DW is not able to travel now. I plan to call Camping World and just sell the MH to them outright instead of beginning the consignment hassle.
Also, my health is slowly going downhill, a combination of poor kidney health, heart health and COPD are taking their toll on my body. For instance, Monday I weed-eated my 1.5A the house sits on, then ran the farm tractor bush-hogging 10A. As of this morning I am still not recovered from that long work day. Today we must have a daughter drive my wife 80 miles to a Dr. appt. as I do not feel I can safely drive that far, especially through Indianapolis, both directions..

Off-topic. I really hope your house and property remains safe from the disastrous fires. I worked with a man that lost his house to a fire. He said it changes your life forever and how you think about personal belongings.

 

[Brad Buchanan]

My other thread on aging didn't elicit the response I was looking for. Maybe the question was too vague. Or maybe a response would have included or alluded to personal information you're not comfortable sharing. I totally understand if that is the case.

For the record, I wasn't really looking for suggestions on how to keep busy in retirement. My question was really intended to better understand how hanging up the keys affects our mental and physical health. And whether or not it actually speeds up aging. For me, hanging up the keys changes on a daily basis. One day I think I'm close, the next I'm looking for another motorhome.

I'm 83 and I don't like what aging is doing to my body. I've had two serious falls in the past year and a half and, as they say, been there done that. Don't need a repeat. In that regard, when I'm not looking at RVs, I'm researching aging and it's effects on the body.

There are things we can do to prevent falls. But first we need to understand why we fell. In my case, I believe the first was a related to proprioception. The second, was caused by, let's just say always have a flashlight when walking in total darkness.

We can't prevent our body from aging. But I believe there are things we can do to slow it down. I believe RVing is one of those things.

So for those of you who haven't had enough of the hanging up the keys threads, what are your thoughts? Here's one of mine. Sit to stand.

Hey Don.

I am a bit younger than you (66) but I have some of the same problems. I have diabetic neuropathy and it affects my balance.

I try to stay active and stretch and do weight training 5 days a week or so.

I also do a bit of mountain bike riding 15 to 20km every week or more often.

Also helpful is the 'bosun ball' which you stand on.

I do a bit of martial arts and boxing....really interesting is that if I stand flat-footed I have fairly good balance but if I get up on my toes I can really move much better.

Anyway, the best of luck to you whatever path you choose.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I'm 71 years (young) now and I consider my health to be good. I'm still walking between 6 and 10 miles a day, camp hosting in the North Carolina Mountains, still do blacksmith demonstrations in Louisiana, still chop my own fire wood, climb on the roof of my camper and my house, crawl, kick, and scream. I'm more active now than I ever was in my working days. I've worked hard all my life and played hard also. I never drank alcohol, except an occasional wine on New Years, and our first camp-out for the year (our tradition). I smoked only about 2 week when I was 15 years old to tick my mother off and then realized how stupid it was and never picked one up again. I can out physically out perform the young bucks, have longer stamina than my son, and simply do not quit or give up doing anything I put my mind to. I stubborn person who refuses to cave-in to my body. I'm the master of my body. My body is not the master of me.

So, about 2 weeks ago, here I am at a state park in North Carolina mountains as a camp host. I shoveled sand slides and small rock slides across the road and camp sites and thought I had a pretty good handle on things .... then ....

I was coming down from one campsite and crossed the asphalt parking spot on the next one, going down hill. Now, I'd cleaned off that asphalt, but there was still a layer of compacted sand and silt across it. I didn't think a thing about it until I got into the middle of the spot and I felt like a cartoon character running in place going no where. My feet, literally sliding, and I'm running attempting to keep from falling, sliding down hill the entire time until gravity won! FLAT on my back, covered in mud and sand-silt. I think that's the first time in 20 years I've fallen.

Well, once I quit sliding down the road (just like something you'd see on a YouTube video of someone sliding on ice in the winter), I was able to regain control, and got back up. As hard as I hit the ground, I figure something had to be broken. But nope! Absolutely nothing hurt except my pride. I laid there in the mud, looked around to see if anyone saw me. I saw some people above the hill behind their tent, I laid low in the sand-mud-silt until the went out of site and then got my foot hold and got up.

I went back to the camper, stripped my cloths off outside (yea... I took a chance on being seen standing there in my underware), left those sandy-muddy-silt smelly pants and shirt outside and I dashed into the camper. I took a shower, got cleaned up (and the smell off of me), dressed in clean and dry clothes and then went outside, got a garden hose, and sprayed down my infected blue-jeans, shirt, shoes, and socks and got all that sand off of them.

Yep, it happened. I suppose I'm not invincible.

Old age affecting my mental state ... yes, most definitely. I am more determined than ever to keep going, even if it kills me!

 

[mountainkowboy]

Age is a number, I'm in better shape and healthier than I was in my 40's. 68 and strong as an Ox.
You are what you eat, most EVERYTHING is poison in the grocery stores.

Shop accordingly

 

[Firstime RVer]

At 76 I'm still getting around pretty well, enjoy my cigars and evening cocktails. Manage to keep my lawn mowed, doing repairs as needed, around the house, and still enjoy the activity of RV'ing.
Living life is its own reward. Do it while you can.
Safe travels and all the best.

 

[whiteva]

In a few days I'll be 78 years old. Just replaced the A/C on top of the motor home, worked on the 76 MGB, replaced rollers on the huge sliding doors, walk the Tasmanian devil 4 or 5 times a day, operated my tractor and 2.5 hours of cutting grass with the ZTR mower. Just for fun I continue to instruct pilots in advanced aerobatics. My down time consists of camping on the river, sitting in my Bass Tracker watching for the rod to bend. Then there are the Grand kids & Great Grand kids to run after and offer words of wisdom. (such as: What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator!) On top of all that there is so many folks to PO and so little time to accomplish that monumental task.
When I get old I plan to slow down but until the man with the bbq lighter sets my fanny on fire for the final flight west, I'll keep busy!

I never thought I would be so busy in my retirement days.
Cheers