Body Aches and Pain

I also take 3000mg of fish oil daily in 2 doses (30% Omega3's- total of 900mg O3's/day) and this seems to help.

Frank, thanks for the response.

John, I realize that's well within the "safe" dosage range for that drug...
Maybe I'm just a wuss, but even 800mg/day would tear up my GI.

I gotta say that Levin's advice is pretty sound. At least #1. I'm not sure that weight training routinely has made me a stronger climber but I do feel that it has helped make me more injury resistant. Which let's me play more/harder outside.
For me I'd say other than strength conditioning the other huge factor in keeping the body running with as few aches and pains as possible is having a solid diet. (This may look very different for different folks, I'm a firm believer that the only way for someone to figure out what kind of diet their body likes is to experiment and try different eating patterns/diets and see which one makes you feel best. My diet would probably horrify a lot of Boulderites)
And that's not going with the crazy badger milk or organic spider testicles or whatever... basically just real, basic food that's not processed crap.

Cool to hear what works for folks as we all continue along the timeline (me: currently 41)
cheers,
BA

45yo here and have adopted the thinking that something will always hurt, hopefully not too much though. I'm going to try the turmeric and see if that helps at all, but between the two options of doing nothing and doing something with pain, I'll certainly take a bit of pain...

Joe M. wrote:45yo here and have adopted the thinking that something will always hurt, hopefully not too much though. I'm going to try the turmeric and see if that helps at all, but between the two options of doing nothing and doing something with pain, I'll certainly take a bit of pain...

Tumeric is just great for you overall and you won't suffer by adding it to your diet. I take the pill forms myself. vitacost.com

Again, great thread. It is comforting somewhat that it is not all in my head. I think the NSAID stuff is interesting. I can barely stomach the stuff and I am amazed at the fact that folks can use it so frequently.

No real suggestions as I am still struggling with the aging process. But I do appreciate the tips here. Especially to just accept it as a sign of a life well lived. My biggest struggle is to not loose faith and motivation.

Thanks for this!

To quote a well-known septuagenarian alpinist:
"There are three factors involved in the aging process:
1. Genetics.
2. Luck.
3. Lifestyle.
Of these, the only one we can control is the last, Lifestyle."

Some concepts I've found helpful:
What one avoids is as important as what one consumes.
What works for one person may not work for another, hence experimentation is key.
Patience is as important as determination.
Learn to appreciate the "on" days, but don't expect one to follow the next.
When you stop moving, you fall over.

Steve Levin wrote:When you stop moving, you fall over.

Thanx for that one. Keeping perspective and (probably more important) have a sense of humor is key.
I do plan to keep at it. A few years ago I was at Applebee camp in the Bugs and a couple of 70+ guys showed up. They said they don't do much hard climbing any more but still get out. I was inspired.

Steve Levin wrote:To quote a well-known septuagenarian alpinist: "There are three factors involved in the aging process: 1. Genetics. 2. Luck. 3. Lifestyle. Of these, the only one we can control is the last, Lifestyle." Some concepts I've found helpful: What one avoids is as important as what one consumes. What works for one person may not work for another, hence experimentation is key. Patience is as important as determination. Learn to appreciate the "on" days, but don't expect one to follow the next. When you stop moving, you fall over.

Great post!

Fred Beckey was climbing in his 80's...

Attitude towards pain has a lot to do with how you deal with it. If you are in severe pain-pay attention because there might be something seriously wrong. For mild aches/pains, I find it helps to accept them as a part of an active life & not try to elimate them or dwell on them. I have mild pain all the time but realize that is the price I pay for doing the things I want to do. I can choose to give up climbing, backpacking, skiing and weighlifting but I'm not ready to take up golf yet.....

J. Ivan Locke wrote:My biggest struggle is to not loose faith and motivation.

Yeah, motivation has been more and more of a struggle, especially "training" when I'm not climbing. I do find that if I just get my ass out there I enjoy it and feel more motivated (see my response to Steve Levin above).