Look After Your Legs

[NoisySnail]

I was in a cafe today and over heard an elderly woman talking to younger friends about getting older. She said the best advice she could give is to look after your legs as they are so important for mobility. But annoyingly she did not explain what she meant by this, and I could hardly ask!

So does anyone know how we can look after our legs?

@TheSilenceofTheMajority my mother had lots of skin issues all her life. She had bad eczema as a child and in later life had breast abscesses and vaginal lichenises. Good skin, which I seem to have, is under rated.

Does anyone know what good results are for a 60 second 'sit to stand' test is, please? I've been Googling for ages but I'm still unclear. I'm 53 and did 33.

I think this is what happens as a lot of people get older. They get something that makes walking and being active painful, so understandably do less. I get sciatica and have to be careful not to aggravate it.

These kind of threads are always full of ultra fit people who do masses of exercise. But I think there needs to be more advice for those of us who are not going to be going to a gym but want to remain functionally active.

I have a condition made worse by sitting, and a sedentary job. Every 30 mins I get up and go to the loo or make a hot drink. While the kettle boils I do stuff. I try and do the movement but as fast as I can so I both minimise the time away from my desk and also maximise the blood flow as I trot up and down the stairs.

Thank you for the thread- it’s postponed my bungalow buying, if nothing else! I’ll be trying out the various suggestions people have shared.

I’m 55 and have various health issues but am determined not to get sofa bound again as I was a few years ago. My bum fell off, quite literally! I’m now flat at the back having had a big bum my whole life. It doesn’t seem to want to come back, either!

So things I didn’t know that I’ll take away from this thread-

Look after leg skin. I’m lazy about skin care but have had issues with apron skin in the past.

Look up the sit stand test and assess myself.

There’s a kneel to stand equivalent which is easier than the cross legged to stand one.

I’m going to dig out the old functional exercises I used to have to do and restart to make sure I’m still staying fit.

@pickledandpuzzled I am glad you are in a job that allows you to do that. I would have got disciplined if I went ti the loo or to make a hot drink every 30 minutes.
I have seen people with flat bums but didn't realise they were not born like that. I know your bum is the biggest muscle in your body.

Here. Anyone want a bit of accountability as they work on this kind of thing? We’ll all be different ages and stages, but mutual support as we work on it would be nice! (54, chronic illness).

Yes. Lots of hip breaks happen as people don't have strength / stability 'stepping down' - so doing step ups + downs and massively helpful.

I’m lucky to work from home. If I don’t move, my neck and shoulders seize up and I lose mobility quite severely.

I can’t sit though a concert, a film, a long conversation… I have to swap seats when I meet friends as focussing on them as we chat is too immobile.

Don't forget your hips either. I'm reasonably fit but had to step over a wall about 1m high and was shocked at how little control I had lifting my leg up high on an angle.

I have worked hard on my squats and it feels fantastic to hinge up from low sofas and chairs without using my arms.

I know balance is a big issue. But so is being sensible. I know if I try and carry too much I am liable to drop something. I have seen older people get badly injured when they try and do something they may have been able to do 20 years before, but is now dangerous for them.

Thank you for the thread- it’s postponed my bungalow buying, if nothing else! I’ll be trying out the various suggestions people have shared.

I remember having to push my mum up our stairs when she came to stay and she was only in her 70s and otherwise fit but I saw the effects of moving into a bungalow.

I try to run up and down our stairs (3 floors) as part of every day life and more often than I "need" to. No car so I do a lot of everyday fast walking. Once I'd increased the stair- climb, I've discovered I can now get up from kneeling without using hands. Every little helps as they say!

This is inspiring so thank you

My friend needs a hip replacement and has bought one of those chairs that lifts you up. She says it is fantastic. But I worry it will simply mean she loses muscle mass. Although I know its hard when you are in pain.

Just checked. I can get up from kneeling without using my hands, but it was harder getting up using my left leg. I will try and do this every morning and evening from now on. I know small things every day can make a big difference.
I will start moisturising the skin on my legs as well. I know skin integrity is very important.

Don't bloody drive everywhere. Many in the current older generation have been in the habit for fifty years of hopping in the car for any journey over half a mile. No wonder they struggle to walk now!

@NoisySnail have a look at Annie Deadman fitness on YouTube. She’s all about strength training for healthy ageing.

Weight bearing exercise as well as flexibility.

@drspouse the flexibility one worries me. I used to do exercises to stay flexible but can no longer do them. Even when I try gentle ones it always sets off my sciatica again and makes walking difficult for a few weeks until it settles down.

@Zodfa I do not recognise that at all. I and many others my age were not brought up with a family car and were used to walking everywhere.

I'm approaching 67 now. I walk every day except Sunday which is a day of cooking and hosting mostly and little rest!

I can stand up from a sitting position without using hands or arms no problem. I can get up from the floor but using hands, any other method is just not worth it at my stage in life and smacks of masochism! I have a fall alert on my phone. Hopefully will not need it anytime soon.

When walking I regularly stop at my favourite shops and often carry back up to 10kg in my backpack which evenly distributes the weight. I hardly notice it, and it does help upper body.

My motto is "use it or lose it". Be active every day even if it is housework or gardening. No need for a gym or complicated exercise routines, well for me anyway. I can walk for miles without any problems so I consider myself very lucky and not obsessed either, I listen to my bones.

Oh and I was advised to increase my protein intake as much as possible to preserve muscle mass. Get advice on this if you have kidney issues though.

Thank you. That's very much appreciated.

I very rarely encounter stairs these days except in my house. In the days of the department stores I used to take the stairs instead of the escalators. But these days all the shops I go into are on one level.

I have this problem with the standing from a seat exercise - the knees hurt like blazes, but there's no getting round it. The genetic condition apparently triggers arthritis and that's getting worse. There's also the fact that the condition means that my knees spontaneously dislocate and lock.

The knees caused a spectacular fall downstairs at work (a secondary school) one time. I was badly bruised, but otherwise ok. However, I couldn't drive for a couple of days because I was so sore. (Hips and back were rather colourful.)

Got back into work on the Monday. Two S4/Year 11 boys came running up to me: "Mrs AuldWumman! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, boys. That's kind of you to ask."

Just then, their pal came running up: "Aww! I just missed it!"

At least I provided entertainment!

Another vote for good compression socks - I'm prone to lymphodema and they have changed my life.