To ask what age you would say this to people?

[InThePinkScarf]

Things like-

It's good you have stairs. It keeps you fit going up and down them.
And
You should practice getting up and down off the floor while you still can.

I was told this by a 60 something.

I am 39 for reference and a healthy weight/active etc.

I think I was about 70 when I realised I no longer ran upstairs, that I need to use a hand to push myself up off the floor, and I wish my younger self (eg 40) had realised the importance of exercise and not taken fitness for granted. So I wouldn't say something like that to a random 39 year old, but I might say it to my DS!

It's good advice. Use it or lose it! 39 is certainly not too young to be thinking about these things.

I think about stuff like this all the time.
I think nothing of bending down to the bottom shelf to get the fresher bread in a shop for example.
Climbing and hauling myself into the very narrow Attic on my arm strength alone, running up and downstairs all day long. I'm 55.
What age is that no longer possible? 🤔

They're not wrong. People who lived in bungalows at 40 have worse health outcomes at 70.

That's a strange question, with everyone being different?

I'm 55 and the bottom shelves and running up and down stairs isn't a problem.

Hauling myself up on arm strength is a little more difficult these days, but that's mostly due to menopause and an under-active thyroid I think?

I groan getting up from the floor at 47. This is not normal. I an taking steps to improve this!

And at the other end of the scale Public Health England reports that “43% of men and 37% of women aged 40 to 60 in England report less than ten minutes brisk walking each month”. That’s each month not each day.

so obviously those people are t going to be running up and down Stairs all day.

So what’s your point?

I'm 42 and my fitness and flexibility seemed to have declined significantly in the last 2-3 years despite doing fairly regular exercise so I think this is good advice. I am currently thinking about how to up my game in order to try and get my fitness levels back to where they were.

my whole friendship group are 35-55 years old and in each age bracket there are all ready people who struggle to do stairs and get off the floor. I 100% agree - use your body as it’s hard (but not impossible) to scrape fitness and flexibility
back once lost.

I'm 55 and can still do everything physically that I could in my 20s. No difference at all.

Have to agree with the first post.

I think it’s a bit of an odd comment to say to someone your age. We live in a 3 storey house and in our 50’s and never given it much thought but I’m pretty active - DH does moan about his knees though!!

I taught yoga for years and it is surprising how many fairly young people struggle to get up and down from the floor, squat and do quite basic human movements. I remember a thread on here around Christmas last year where someone was outraged that they had to sit on the floor at a family gathering - it’s these attitudes that lead to the problems many people have with their mobility. I think it should be said to everyone of all ages - use your body, sit on the floor, climb and scramble, squat down to do stuff...

It sounds like more of a reflection of them and their experience than you or yours.

I don't think I'd say it to anyone, but it's something everyone should know.

I heard something on the radio some years ago about how important it is to keep the strength in your legs as you get older. I've not used my hands when getting up from the floor or chairs since. My Pilates teacher quite often does functional exercises eg rising from (and sitting back down) a kitchen chair using one leg x10 each.

I think nothing of bending down to the bottom shelf to get the fresher bread in a shop for example.
It's never crossed my mind that'd be an issue. Though it might be for DH - we're both 63 but he's less flexible.

As to stairs - run up them, but only down if they're not too steep or potentially slippy. I think more caution about falling is probably sensible as you get older.

I used to be a runner, 38/39/40 was the age I started getting arthritis, dodgy knees and my back went for the first time! (Sorry!!)

I’m in my 60s and wouldn’t tell anyone this unless they asked for advice about how to try keep mobile and healthy when they’re older,really .

I had a darling family friend much older than me who used to tel me that I should get a shower stool and a long handled brush so I cold wash my feet properly in the shower. I was 25, had no issues with washing my own feet. Took it with a pinch of salt.

As to stairs - run up them, but only down if they're not too steep or potentially slippy. I think more caution about falling is probably sensible as you get older.

Indeed, if you want to really strengthen your muscles, lower each leg really, really slowly on to the next step as you go down - so you are kind of balancing with your right knee bent and your left foot not quite touching the next step down.
(Advice from a physio to fight arthritis of the knee - it's tougher than you think )

I remember a carer friend saying to my mum make sure you can get off and on the toilet/commode yourself - if you can't that's when your family put you in a care home!!!

gave me the horrors!! But I tell you what I do loads of squats ever since 😂 😂

People tend to think others are closer to them in age than they actually are, and an older person may talk to someone younger as to a peer when the younger person is indignantly thinking "Hang on, don't imply I'm old like you!"

I accidentally did this to a friend who is five years younger than me and she was visibly put out that I didn't see us as being in very different stages of life! But in your case, you genuinely are.

I am 62 and I have definitely noticed a decline in flexibility in the last 2 or 3 years.

I am still reasonably active (yes we have stairs) and we walk quite a lot. Typically we get the boots on for a reasonably long (5+ miles) walk twice a week. But I quite often get issues with my knee and lower back. Consequently, although I can get down on the floor, I find I now give it some thought. Only today I was in the supermarket and needed to look at something on the bottom shelf and I had to think about which knee to bend first and lower myself slowly.

I am not massively overweight - BMI is slightly over 25 so actively trying to lose a few pounds.

I find I am also more wary of falls, losing my valance etc.

Actually don't think I do run upstairs anymore. Definitely not down but that is because I had a nasty fall downstairs about 12 years ago that landed me in A and E so I maybe list a bit of confidence

I know some children who have to heave themselves up and down off the floor. They struggle to climb too and get out of breath/ sweaty very quickly 😞

I'm fit and active so stairs don't even register on my scale of activity, but I am aware that I want to keep the strength of using stairs and getting up and down from the floor in several decades time.

I know I'm feeling better after illness when I naturally start bouncing up and down the srairs again rather than an energy conserving walk. I'm in my 40s and hope I have many more years of bounce left in me.

@NewName24 - that sounds like it's be similar to the lowering part of a single leg squat /chair raise and lower. I think there can be a tendency to focus on the concentric contraction part of exercises but the eccentric muscle movements are, I believe, particularly important for stability so yes, slooow and controlled (channelling my Pilates instructor!)

I don’t think I’d say it to someone, but I’m also 39 and I do think this is an age to start considering how the exercise you do now will support you in later life, so I don’t disagree with them!