bruceb
4th May 2003, 12:37
I have noticed, over the last ten years of my forties, a decisive loss of muscle mass. It has not happened overnight, but obviously, my chest is declining from 54 to 48 inches, my arms are down from 23 to 18 inches, and of course, it seems like all that mass heads for my belly in a regalial of laughter that sings the praises of the 'middle age pot belly'.
After a couple of rounds with Bell's palsy, and steroids as part of the regimen to overcome the paralyzation, I had thought much of the muscle mass was regained, but after two years, and the big 50 coming up, it is shrinking once again.
Don't get me wrong, because I understand that in the journey of life it will continue, but in focus of what is to come, what can I expect in terms of losing the strength of youth and having to rely upon in using the tricks of training verses the rambunctiousness of youth and the courtyards of muscular strength?
Maybe it is just that I am pushing myself too hard in light of my physical ailments, but my attempts to move quicker, and quicker seem to be more difficult instead of being easier. I notice that, more often than not, during shomen, either with hand or bokken, I am checking the hand or bokken with a sweep to divert arc of the strike rather than being able to move easily out of the way. The physical effort just seems to increase or aggrivate my physical conditions forcing me to sit out from practice to regain my balance, or let my body catch up to my practice.
I don't know.
Even though I have a variety of ailments, it seems like I push myself over the physical edge from shorter periods of exertion as the muscle mass decreases?
I would appreciate some observations of some older practitioners who have had to modify practice, and have you noticed a change in practice when your muscular mass began to change at 50 or sixty years old?
After a couple of rounds with Bell's palsy, and steroids as part of the regimen to overcome the paralyzation, I had thought much of the muscle mass was regained, but after two years, and the big 50 coming up, it is shrinking once again.
Don't get me wrong, because I understand that in the journey of life it will continue, but in focus of what is to come, what can I expect in terms of losing the strength of youth and having to rely upon in using the tricks of training verses the rambunctiousness of youth and the courtyards of muscular strength?
Maybe it is just that I am pushing myself too hard in light of my physical ailments, but my attempts to move quicker, and quicker seem to be more difficult instead of being easier. I notice that, more often than not, during shomen, either with hand or bokken, I am checking the hand or bokken with a sweep to divert arc of the strike rather than being able to move easily out of the way. The physical effort just seems to increase or aggrivate my physical conditions forcing me to sit out from practice to regain my balance, or let my body catch up to my practice.
I don't know.
Even though I have a variety of ailments, it seems like I push myself over the physical edge from shorter periods of exertion as the muscle mass decreases?
I would appreciate some observations of some older practitioners who have had to modify practice, and have you noticed a change in practice when your muscular mass began to change at 50 or sixty years old?