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Saving It Later Versus Use It or Lose It
Jul. 8th, 2015 10:00 amAs I get older, I am starting to wonder about some aspects of aging. It seems like many things are use-it-or-lose-it, others require us not to use it up and/or not abuse it, and some just change regardless of what we do. Here are some examples.
Use It or Lose It
Muscles - It's pretty clear that you should make sure to use any muscles that you want to keep using in the future so they don't waste away.
Bones - Also, one should make sure to do weight-bearing exercise to keep bones strong.
Flexibility - If you want to still be able to do things like reach high places and sit cross-legged later in life, you need to make sure to keep doing them now. My friend D has been told she is more flexible than average in some ways because of what it takes to braid her hair.
Physical bravery - I quit doing flips (okay, trying to do flips) and at some point became too chicken to try them anymore.
Lactose tolerance - I've heard if you quit drinking milk for a while, then you lose your tolerance for milk sugar.
Balance - I've heard you should do things like exercise your core and practice yoga so that you minimize your risk of falling (and getting badly hurt). (I like ballroom dance for that, myself!) However, I'm noticing that it's now helpful for me to stretch my ankles before I get up in the morning and walk around even though my balance is good.
Save It
Muscles - Right after using your muscles more than usual, you are supposed to rest for a while (at least 24 hours) to minimize the risk of injury.
Skin - Stay out of the sun to minimize breakdown.
Teeth - Use your teeth, but not for sugar, make sure your teeth aren't wearing against each other wrong (some people need braces for that), and make sure to brush, floss, and take care of cavities before they get big.
Lungs - Don't abuse them by smoking.
Liver - Don't mess it up by drinking a lot of alcohol.
Diabetes? - When I was a kid, I made up the hypothesis that once you eat too much sugar, you get diabetes. I've never heard anyone else say this. And I guess I consume less sugar than some people since I rarely drink sodas, so I may not yet really be the poster child to disprove this.
Joints - Wearing down the cartilage in your joints can lead to arthritis. The treatment for arthritis appears to be anti-inflammatory drugs, but also more exercise. The latter seems contradictory, but apparently keeping the muscles around one's joints strong helps to stabilize the joints which, in turn, helps minimize future wear and tear from improper use.
Doesn't Matter
Skin - Skin loses its stretchiness as you age regardless of what you do. Sunscreen helps, keeping hydrated probably helps, and probably eating vegetables helps (because doesn't that help everything?), but nevertheless, if you're 100 years old, your skin is likely to sag a bit.
Eyes - Eyes also get less flexible as you age--you're not as good at changing your eyeball's shape to be able to focus on close things, so people tend to get more and more far-sighted.
Fingernails - Do these get more brittle? I think I've heard gelatin helps?
Hair - That probably gets more brittle; as time goes by, people can't grow it as long.
Hair follicles - I think whether your hair turns grey or falls out or starts growing in different places is based on things like age, hormones, and genes rather than how you are treating your hair follicles.
What to do
I once thought that I always wanted to stay in shape enough to be able to get out of a chair when I'm old. But then I found out that some people have trouble getting out of chairs not because they're too weak, but because they're hurting from arthritis or something. :-(
I know a couple who decided to buy a house with stairs so they would always be in shape to climb stairs. But eventually one couldn't make it anymore and started sleeping in the recliner downstairs, and the other is using her hands like a mountain climber to help her get up. So one of their nieces is making sure to move to a house with no stairs before she gets old.
Whatever happens, I've decided I definitely will use aids like canes and wheelchairs (and of course glasses) if they help me, even if they make me look old or whatever.
Use It or Lose It
Muscles - It's pretty clear that you should make sure to use any muscles that you want to keep using in the future so they don't waste away.
Bones - Also, one should make sure to do weight-bearing exercise to keep bones strong.
Flexibility - If you want to still be able to do things like reach high places and sit cross-legged later in life, you need to make sure to keep doing them now. My friend D has been told she is more flexible than average in some ways because of what it takes to braid her hair.
Physical bravery - I quit doing flips (okay, trying to do flips) and at some point became too chicken to try them anymore.
Lactose tolerance - I've heard if you quit drinking milk for a while, then you lose your tolerance for milk sugar.
Balance - I've heard you should do things like exercise your core and practice yoga so that you minimize your risk of falling (and getting badly hurt). (I like ballroom dance for that, myself!) However, I'm noticing that it's now helpful for me to stretch my ankles before I get up in the morning and walk around even though my balance is good.
Save It
Muscles - Right after using your muscles more than usual, you are supposed to rest for a while (at least 24 hours) to minimize the risk of injury.
Skin - Stay out of the sun to minimize breakdown.
Teeth - Use your teeth, but not for sugar, make sure your teeth aren't wearing against each other wrong (some people need braces for that), and make sure to brush, floss, and take care of cavities before they get big.
Lungs - Don't abuse them by smoking.
Liver - Don't mess it up by drinking a lot of alcohol.
Diabetes? - When I was a kid, I made up the hypothesis that once you eat too much sugar, you get diabetes. I've never heard anyone else say this. And I guess I consume less sugar than some people since I rarely drink sodas, so I may not yet really be the poster child to disprove this.
Joints - Wearing down the cartilage in your joints can lead to arthritis. The treatment for arthritis appears to be anti-inflammatory drugs, but also more exercise. The latter seems contradictory, but apparently keeping the muscles around one's joints strong helps to stabilize the joints which, in turn, helps minimize future wear and tear from improper use.
Doesn't Matter
Skin - Skin loses its stretchiness as you age regardless of what you do. Sunscreen helps, keeping hydrated probably helps, and probably eating vegetables helps (because doesn't that help everything?), but nevertheless, if you're 100 years old, your skin is likely to sag a bit.
Eyes - Eyes also get less flexible as you age--you're not as good at changing your eyeball's shape to be able to focus on close things, so people tend to get more and more far-sighted.
Fingernails - Do these get more brittle? I think I've heard gelatin helps?
Hair - That probably gets more brittle; as time goes by, people can't grow it as long.
Hair follicles - I think whether your hair turns grey or falls out or starts growing in different places is based on things like age, hormones, and genes rather than how you are treating your hair follicles.
What to do
I once thought that I always wanted to stay in shape enough to be able to get out of a chair when I'm old. But then I found out that some people have trouble getting out of chairs not because they're too weak, but because they're hurting from arthritis or something. :-(
I know a couple who decided to buy a house with stairs so they would always be in shape to climb stairs. But eventually one couldn't make it anymore and started sleeping in the recliner downstairs, and the other is using her hands like a mountain climber to help her get up. So one of their nieces is making sure to move to a house with no stairs before she gets old.
Whatever happens, I've decided I definitely will use aids like canes and wheelchairs (and of course glasses) if they help me, even if they make me look old or whatever.