F**k me - I seriously overestimated my abilities this eve

[eagleray]

The kids were messing around this eve doing 'gymnastics' (they're 2 and 6) and I decided I would try a somersault.

I used to do them all the time but that was 40 years ago.

My head landed on the mat then my neck kind of caved in on itself. I feel quite lucky I didn't do myself permanent damage and probably need to face up to how pathetically fat and unfit I've become (recovering from cancer too which I imagine didn't help much)

Off to practice my cartwheels now 🙄

Yeah, I did this, used to be able to bend myself backwards into a crab position, then raise myself into a hand stand, so decided to show my daughter, as you do.

But my core muscles are not as strong, so as I went backwards, lost control,landed on my head then collapsed in a tangle of limbs.

Never tried it since 🤣

Been there! Tried to show my nephew how to do a handspring... astoundingly I managed to land it, but my back was spasming for about 30 minutes after and sore for days.

I can still do a good cartwheel if I'm warm, but I think it's the combination of power, balance and coordination that screwed me with the handspring.

Like Tillyscoutsmum I was mortified to discover that I was unable to trampoline at all at the age of 53 - not that I ever had, but it looks so easy when kids do it! Granted I have had 4 kids but all CSs & I had no idea my pelvic floor was so feeble

Also at a much younger age (32) I tried to swing across monkey bars but just hung there.

Who knew you need to be fit to do gymnastic things...

I tried to do a back flip in a pool, and felt something in the back of both my legs kind of rip. I couldn't move, being in the deep end didn't help. Took over 15 minutes to be able to move them again.

Demonstrating a cartwheel to my granddaughter cost me a new fence panel, a tetanus jab and 4 stitches in my shoulder.
Leaping off the stairs from 3 stairs up ( the bottom 3 stairs ) cost me 2 stitches in my brow and a duck egg sized lump on my cheekbone.
Beth Tweddle I ain't 😂

I wonder why as adults we get so dizzy doing a forward roll and kids don’t ?

The fluid in your inner ear gets stickier as you get older apparently, i was googling why i get much dizzier on fairground rides now I'm old.

Also, your 'explosive' muscle power is one of the first things to deteriorate with age, which is why everyone's struggling with their handsprings, cartwheels etc... (That one is was googling to see how long it would take me to learn how to kip up like my coach does... The odds are not in my favour it seems )

I tried to show DS how well I could dive last summer. Turns out I'm now very good at bellyflopping. DS took great pleasure in coaching me to do an actual dive

I broke my wrist trying to teach one of my DD's how to cartwheel. The doc at A&E made a comment about age and I was only 27 at the time!

We played Twister over Christmas and I was in fucking agony for a week after it. My knees and shoulders do not like that game!

Oh yeah, that's my new responsiblity mantra, before i embark on some exciting physical challenge...

"How will it sound when I'm telling this story in A&E?"

I knew my gymnastics days were over one day at work ( I’m a primary school teacher )
I walked through the middle of a PE lesson my friend was teaching in the hall and I decided to show off - as she was explaining to the kids how to cartwheel I though “ I can still do this “ and did an impromptu demonstration.
I landed in a crumpled heap to the amusement of her class
Mortified doesn’t begin to cover it

DH was entertaining a friends kids when he took a running jump in through the window of a bouncy castle. It was an impressive move and the kids loved it, but DH is 48 and couldn't raise his arms for a week afterwards.

I am wise enough to know that I couldn't easily perform a forward roll or a handstand now I'm 46 and a bit fat, but I did recently re-start C25k. And discovered that even when pre-emptied, my bladder can discharge about a gallon of wee with every running stride. Thank god for Always discreet.

I was showing DD rollerblading (which wasn't around when I was a child but I did ice skate) I discovered I don't bounce as well as I used to. It took 6 weeks before I could roll over in bed without crying out in pain as my coccyx was so sore. However DD is now happy she's better at rollerblading than me as she now goes backwards etc whereas I just go round and round sedately rather than try and tricks.

I went in a pop up adult ball pool. It was exhausting. I ached for a week afterwards!

I can still do a handstand, headstand, cartwheels and Arab spring at nearly 50. Doing yoga probably helps!

I never could do a cartwheel. I used to do things like dancing, still do yoga and have always stayed fit but am just ridiculously inflexible.
DS1 knows not how much he mocks me when he relaxes on the sofa with his feet behind his head!

DS1 can do front, back and side somersaults on the trampoline - he can even do them on a scooter on the trampoline. Proprioception is real.

I, on the other hand, can't handle swings, roundabouts or rollercoasters. I feel sick.

I tried to demonstrate the dance moves (as little they are) to a song from the Nolan's (I'm in the Mood for Dancing) on video (as DS2 had randomly sent a text to his friend saying that he was in the mood for romancing and I thought it might help to place it in context) but ended up having an x-ray in ER as I dislocated my hip

For context DS2 is autistic and didn't realise the social/sexual connotations of his text to an 11 year old friend.

I think another part of it, is actually fear of hurting yourself.

When I was younger I did it all, from hanging from monkey bars with my knees and somersaulting off, in my early teens I used to climb a very high tree and sit in a branch and read (don't ask) to backward crabs, to handstands, I pulled shit like that until my early twenties, and had no fear,, now I'd not try it, and that's for two reasons, fear of hurting myself makes me more inflexible, when you're younger it doesn't occur to you, and fear of looking like an absolute and utter twat 🤣

MIL decided flossing to impress my 18mo would be a good idea. it did not end well!

I just read this thread and found out that, at nearly 40 and 2st overweight, I can still do a handstand and a forward roll, I can lift myself up into the crab, I can touch my toes and I can touch my nose with my toes. Not bad! I even got a round of applause from my dc 👏

Oh fucking flossing

I tried to dab in front of my DCs and punched myself in the side of my face

I nearly dislocated my hip trying to demonstrate to my kids that I could still get my leg behind head. It appears that I can't!

I can still turn a mean cartwheel (I'm 50). And I was very very smug last week to be able to skip without weeing myself AND to last longer than everyone else

But a forward roll fills me with nerves and I start imagining broken necks and paralysis and all kinds of disasters.

Oh my god monkey bars! I used to be a dab hand at them as a kid, could always win a ‘race’ along the bars -but probably because I was skinny. Tried again a couple of years ago and couldn’t even get a swing going, let alone move to the next bar. I was actually quite disturbed by how I couldn’t even do one swing! Simply too much poundage to haul along!

This thread is brilliant. Had to laugh at the skipping rope and trampoline pelvic floor fails ... I was quite proud of how intact mine were after 2 babies 11 months apart - until I got on a mini trampoline with my toddler ... didn’t even have a chance to get both feet in the air to realise my smugness had been misplaced ..

I'm 52 and still regularly do cartwheels, handstands, headstands and crab. The secret is to do it little and often. (Plus yoga).