I'm Friggin' Sore...

TC3

TC3

Headache !
Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
1,504
Location
Michigan
...but in a good way, I guess ? Driving home, my back is yelling at me. As I stretch & try to find relief, I know that it's the "good sore" >>> the kind that tells me I've put in a good day. The kind that tells me I'll sleep like the grave. The kind that tells me my mind is sharp now & I'll be able to perpetuate this thing I call 'tree work'.
S'all good.
But I'm 43 come January, and my body is protesting. Getting old sucks.
Any remedies out there for staving off pain/ aches / general protests of the body ??? LOL For real !
 
Word girl I hear ya. Just remember what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.:D
 
Good whiskey and bar fight should help a bit. kinda loosens a feller up.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5
When I traverse up & down a ladder with my arm hyper-extended, holding a Shindaiwa hedgers... for the fiftieth time that day... then I wonder why my wrist & elbow are so goddamned sore all the time ? Will my body recover, or is this jus, "getting old" ???
 
On heavy climbing days I started drinking a protein shake that's made to be consumed before weight lifting. It makes a huge difference with my level of energy in the trees. And I really notice the difference towards the end of the day when I would normally be dragging.
 
There is a thread ove ron the Buzz with attachments from a physiotherapist showing stretches for arborists.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10
The Branch Doctor said:
On heavy climbing days I started drinking a protein shake that's made to be consumed before weight lifting. It makes a huge difference with my level of energy in the trees. And I really notice the difference towards the end of the day when I would normally be dragging.
Click to expand...

Gonna try that, BranchMedicineMan ! I'm not a big one for breakfast... I'm more the Hostess pies & Lays potatoe chip kinda gal. Icky, I know !!!
A protein shake might just get the juices flowing >>> AND KEEP 'EM FLOWING, long enough for me to pack it in & call it a day. Beats knockin' off at 5:00 out of pure exaustion.
 
TC3 said:
... But I'm 43 come January, and my body is protesting. Getting old sucks.
Any remedies out there for staving off pain/ aches / general protests of the body ??? LOL For real !
Click to expand...
Ah yes,43 I remember it well.:D I wish I knew a remedy for the creaks and groans of the aging bod but I don't.Bite the bullet babe,it doesn't get any better,you just deal with it.

I'll tell a little tale.I was out of the steel for about ten years.When I got back in ,it about killed me.After about two weeks I had recovered tremendously and it was tolerable.After a month,good as new although a tad older.If I'm not mistaken , I'm the oldest certified free climber at my place of employment.

Now of days while I still fiddle with high speed machinery and robotics during the week but most Saturdays and Sundays I get a little time aloft to still hold the edge.So far it's working out great and I feel good.:thumbup:
 
TC3 said:
Gonna try that, BranchMedicineMan ! I'm not a big one for breakfast... I'm more the Hostess pies & Lays potatoe chip kinda gal. Icky, I know !!!
A protein shake might just get the juices flowing >>> AND KEEP 'EM FLOWING, long enough for me to pack it in & call it a day. Beats knockin' off at 5:00 out of pure exaustion.
Click to expand...


Eat like shit,feel like shit. You can't stretch too much as we age.

What's wrong with knocking off at 5? Working to exhaustion everyday isn't healthy at any age.
 
Winter has finally hit here in Boise and the day temps are in the 40s. I have been falling asleep before 8pm at night, snoring during story time with my daughter. I have aches and pains too. No good remedies here other than hot showers, advil, shoulder rolls and plenty of stretching. I think like Al says you just learn to tolerate a certain amount of pain and discomfort. Another trick I have found is hiring younger people to do all the heavy lifting. My guy Dan is an ex-collegiate wrestler and enjoys lifting heavy things.
 
I'm about 10 years ahead of you TC. It really doesn't get any better and you just have to learn to work around your aches and pains by working smarter instead of harder. I find pacing myself is the best way to accomplish the days goals as far as work goes, if you have to hit it hard one day your not going to be able to repeat that same performance the next , just a fact of life as you get older.

All the previous mentioned aids like pills, eating right , stretching excersises (Yoga :thumbup: ) are a big help but just won't replace a used up gone forever youthful body . Myself I like to do some stretching in the morning to loosen up , then some at night before actually going to bed so my back doesn't bother me too much so I can get a decent nights sleep, after that just lay down in bed and watch some boring TV show to put me to sleep click off the TV and pass out.

For some reason my body feels real good after doing some actual tree climbing, particularly pruning not so much the removals. Working a tree from the top down knocking out deadwood and doing a little thinning and corrective pruning is the best excercise and helps to keep me loose. I feel real good when I come home after a day of climbing . With today's techniques and gear it is easier than ever to climb a tree especially without spurs. I can work my way around a tree much better than ever and get into positions that in the past would have been ardious and would contribute more to my back pain.

These posts are a sign of the times with the baby boom generation slowly moving toward the status of senior citizens :cry: . Another reminder that we are gradually becoming a nation of old people.
 
I have found a high protein diet (low-carb) has done wonders for me in a number of areas. I put on a lot of weight after a motorcycle accident in '04. I have been able to lose some of it through low-carbing. An unexpected benefit of this is my energy levels made a huge improvement, as well as not being quite so sore at the end of the day. I also take calcium supplements as well, and if I don't, I can feel the difference the next day, more leg cramps and soreness for sure. I have used the low carb diet as just that, a diet, to lose weight. But as they say, it is not just a diet, it is a lifestyle, you have to keep it up even after you have achieved your ideal weight. If you have a history of insulin resistance, or diabetes in your family, as I do, you may benefit from a low carb lifestyle. Reading the book Protein Power gives a lot of insight into how your body uses nutrients. +1 on the protein shake/bar. High carbs before a run may work for a marathoner, but high protein is best for someone doing hard physical labor or trying to build lean muscle mass. These are just my opinions, both from studying up on the subject, and personal experience.

Newfie makes a great point. If it isn't too much trouble, try reducing the empty (junk) foods from your diet for a week or two, see if that helps.


Dave
 
Cut out caffeine also if you're a coffee/soda drinker. Caffeine and nicotine both tax the connective tissues and cartilage heavily. Dave makes a great point- a diet high in protein, low in carbs, and low in fat will improve energy levels in someone doing "static" work or exercise.
 
TC, I think flexibility is the secret to feeling young. Here are some of the stretches I do...way more than you will probably normally do at one time but if you aren't doing any regular stretching you might want to give it a try. THese are from a Burmese yoga system.

<embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-1762502947645229113&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed>
 
pantheraba said:
TC, I think flexibility is the secret to feeling young. [...]
Click to expand...

If you're the Pantheraba I met at Andersonville you ARE young, more like 25 than 55.

I agree about stretching, I've done it pretty regularly since my late teens but the fact is, at some point your body doesn't recover fast anymore and as long as you keep working hard you keep hurting, especially in the morning. Hot showers stretching and vitamin I (Ibuprofen) are the only things that help me when I'm pressing hard. If I lay off a whole week most of the soreness goes away but one day of climbing brings it back... I'm just used to it now.

Deep muscle massages (not that slappy Swedish stuff) are are great. If you can find a massage therapist who needs tree work it makes for good trading. The actual massage hurts like hell but after... aaahhhhhhh.
 
Welcome, Jacob J...thanks for chiming in.

Haha, Willie...you got me on that one..."no wonder your always working after dark gary!"

Yep, Blinky, Andersonville is where I met you, the day we tagged along behind Guy while he checked out the trees before we did the trimming the next day. You were getting a lot of pictures, as I remember.

I agree on the hot showers, stretching and deep massage...the massage can work wonders. I also take several supplements, two important ones being MSM and glucosamine sulfate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Knotorious
I (Think/Hope) I Developed A New Hitch Design
31 32 33
Replies
800
Views
31K
Knotorious
Knotorious
M
Hearing Loss
Replies
0
Views
775
murphy4trees
M
cerberus
Super-dead limb, conks/mushrooms all the way down stem to the trunk...reallly don't wanna say No to a
Replies
8
Views
1K
CurSedVoyce
CurSedVoyce
stig
Things that go bump in the night!
5 6 7
Replies
162
Views
10K
CurSedVoyce
CurSedVoyce
M
alternative cancer theories and treatments
Replies
3
Views
2K
murphy4trees
M
Back
Top