I have always been an active and sporty person with a sense of adventure. Virtually every year has brought a new challenge with more activities to try and yet another sport to master. Until recently I have had no trouble coping with any activities and have always looked forward to more adventures but then things took a drastic turn for the worse as my body finally started to show signs of age.
Middle Age

I hadn’t concerned myself with the arrival of middle age. In fact I just ignored it as an issue and simply carried on. A look in the looking glass would tell me that I wasn’t as young as I used to be but I was still enjoying my adventure sports without any issues and just presumed I would continue into old age. On reflection this was rather delusional!

Signs of Trouble

My troubles started with the onset of gout. I am not a great drinker, I am not obese and I eat a healthy diet and so it was a surprise to develop the condition. The gout meant that I had to be careful about choosing good footwear but wasn’t really a problem until I took up skiing. Here my sore feet did not react well to the ski boots and after my first skiing holiday I realised that my general fitness had declined and my leg muscles were struggling to cope. I was starting to get left behind by my younger friends.

Further Problems

To add insult to injury my sight began to deteriorate necessitating the use of ready readers and then the menopause started leaving me enduring hot flushes (not great when hiking) and feeling randomly fatigued. I also now suffer with back problems from time to time. The age thing is starting to be a major inconvenience and in the space of a few months I have gone from fighting fit to a good distance down the slippery slope.

Frustration

If you are an active person it is incredibly frustrating to find that your body is letting you down. Your spirit may be willing but your body protests and you are forced to slow down. Learning new disciplines becomes harder and it takes forever to recover from major exertion.

Enjoy Your Youth

Those who enjoy outdoor pursuits should do as much as they can when they are young. Before you know it some things are beyond you and there is no going back. I always dreamed of walking the Inca Trail and hiking to Half Dome in Yosemite but I fear that now I will probably never do either. My poor old feet just wouldn’t cope and the rest of me might not like it much either!

It is all too easy to ignore the passing years and to imagine that life will always be the same but it can’t be. I am still pretty active and not thinking of taking up floristry as a replacement hobby just yet but things are getting harder. I don’t want to slow down but I have to and that is a real pain in the bottom!

Byline

Article by Sally Stacey