Wake up stiff every morning?

[RJRS1301]

6 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Yep....play a few young bucks, can beat them....but pay the price the next day.

The less impactful exercises are better as we grow older, and wish to remain active.

Swimming will support your muscles and joints making it easier to increase the laps as you decrease the impact on your joints.

Cycling should be ok, but be aware that if using a racing bike your posture suffers and increases weight on lower back

 

[Sheryl]

If the stiffness is specifically in joints, especially joints of the hand, and equally affects both sides you may need to see a rheumatologist to rule out rheumatoid arthritis

 

But if not -- and especially if it is more diffuse muscular stiffness - then I would do the following:

 

1 -  start doing some daily stretches. While you get a lot of exercise, that is not the same as a stretch routine that works all the main muscles and joints. It does not need to be terribly rigorous, but should stretch all the muscle groups and joints equally. I use the one in a video by Ann White (Stretching for Seniors, or something like that) which can get on Amazon, but you may also be able to find something on youtube. Google "stretching  + seniors" and "yoga for seniors". It makes a very big difference.

 

2. As others have suggested, consider a change to your mattress. Could mean adding a topper or adding a bedboard (or both - or even replacing the mattress) depending on what seems to help. If your currrent mattress sags at all then definitely replace.

 

3. Consider moderating your fitness regimen. What worked when you were younger is not necessarily good for you now.  The swimming should be fine but you might want to substitute brisk walking for the runs and go easier on the weights. It will take some trial and error to find the right balance that keeps you toned but not so stiff in the mornings.  Don't feel like it is a defeat to slow down a bit, it is is necessary to adopt to the changes that come with aging. 

 

Aside from the morning stiffness, if you continue to train as you did when younger you may be courting knee and back injuries. Certainly you should stay active and fit but as you age, the regimen has to be adjusted.

[Tarteso]

At 61, I felt the same sensation at time for wake up, I reduced the intensity of sports exercises and beers ????. Then began to take Turmeric... it works

Edited October 15, 2020 by Tarteso

[Tagged]

29 minutes ago, 86Tiger said:

Tumeric is great at reducing inflammation.  I notice huge difference in "stiffness" after digesting tumeric.  But there are also other inflammation fighters out there worth a try.  Quercetin is excellent as well as Niacin.

 

I am convinced it is the inflammation that is killing us.  Whether it be heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, etc. it can all be attributed back to inflammation through out our bodies.

 

As always:   YMMV

Before he start putting Supplements in to his diet, it is a good idea to identify what causing it. Yes the older we get, the more squicky our body become, but it can also be of diet, stress, drinking habits, sleeping pattern, hormons and the fitness he doing is hurting him, and how he do it, as lack of rest. 

 

How is your weight program and rest? Split program, or the same muscle group everytime involved? 

 

Running is good for the younger generation as also cardio training, but still good if it still gives you pleasure doing so. Just maybe a little bit less. 

 

When it comes to supplements it is in best case just placebo for most of it, so good to read up on clinicle researches before taking something that also can harm your digestive system, kidneys, and more,,,,,,

 

Tumeric is best in food and not as supplements. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Tagged

[bodga]

34 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Was thinking of dumping the running and upping the swimming......I might give that ago for a few weeks......hate to give up the squash and badminton though.

Table tennis  is  good  fun............cue  the  ping  pong  jokes

[rumak]

24 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Didn't think of blood tests...mmmmm

as you should know.... there are the " go see a doctor,  go to the hospital,  don't try to figure anything

out yourself"   group of people.  This is of course the largest segment of the population who have been

indoctrinated (IMO)  since forever to take drugs and believe the diagnosis of the "experts". :

"Each year in the U.S., over 12 million adults who seek outpatient medical care receive a misdiagnosis, according to a recent study by BMJ Quality & Safety. That translates to about 5 percent of adults, or 1 out of 20 adult patients."   That is from one study,  others are easily found for one to peruse if interested.    Of course there are even more opposite views,  "studies" often funded by big Pharma or

the AMA.  

"this is only a blood test"....you might say.   Yes, good to have one every once in a while, but to blindly follow what a doctor tells you is not my way.   If one has intelligence enough they should be able to

sift through the analysis and try to decide whether they want pills, surgery, or maybe a "natural" solution if possible.  

 

The medical establishment advocates on this forum will be all over my post.   I am a 70 year old who self insures and makes medical decisions based on my experience along with the help of a doctor

once in a while.    I am in very good health.  I wake up with some stiffness, soreness in my fingers which quickly goes away .......

[RickG16]

If you are 35+ IMO you should be taking rest days in between the heavy training days. This doesn't mean no exercise - walks or light swim is great, things which don't pound on the joints repeatedly day after day.

 

Oh and try stretch more, or even yoga. 

[KKr]

check your KFK Kreatininefosfokinasa.
Maybe you exercise so much that the body cannot cope with the produced waste and muscles got inflamed.
At least something like that happened to me.

[scammed]

massage and higher quality bed, expect condition to worsen until you are dead.

i even drive slower now to reduce the pounding on my spine as i ride over bumps, i wouldnt even think of running, get more cushion jogging shoes or stop that madness

Edited October 15, 2020 by scammed

[Pravda]

I have given up on exercise especially running. I find that when I don't exercise I feel better in the morning. Fact. 

[kwonitoy]

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

Was thinking of dumping the running and upping the swimming......I might give that ago for a few weeks......hate to give up the squash and badminton though.

Do you do this exercise routine 7 days a week?

You've got to give your body recovery time, 2 days on 1 day off or some such routine

Even top athletes have days when they don't train

[Berkshire]

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

I might be fooling myself as I find the training quite easy now ......after 6 months of the same regime I hardly break a sweat......it's just that first 20 mins on a morning getting up and having to 'free everything up'.

I think it's just the age.  I'm not even 60 yet (close), but I struggle each morning just to put on my underwear!  But once I'm up, it's fine.  I too workout regularly and I'm quite fit.  The only advice I'd give is take it easy on the running.  I do run, but not every day.  Even Tiger Woods said his biggest regret is running too much in his younger days. 

[Tagged]

52 minutes ago, rumak said:

as you should know.... there are the " go see a doctor,  go to the hospital,  don't try to figure anything

out yourself"   group of people.  This is of course the largest segment of the population who have been

indoctrinated (IMO)  since forever to take drugs and believe the diagnosis of the "experts". :

"Each year in the U.S., over 12 million adults who seek outpatient medical care receive a misdiagnosis, according to a recent study by BMJ Quality & Safety. That translates to about 5 percent of adults, or 1 out of 20 adult patients."   That is from one study,  others are easily found for one to peruse if interested.    Of course there are even more opposite views,  "studies" often funded by big Pharma or

the AMA.  

"this is only a blood test"....you might say.   Yes, good to have one every once in a while, but to blindly follow what a doctor tells you is not my way.   If one has intelligence enough they should be able to

sift through the analysis and try to decide whether they want pills, surgery, or maybe a "natural" solution if possible.  

 

The medical establishment advocates on this forum will be all over my post.   I am a 70 year old who self insures and makes medical decisions based on my experience along with the help of a doctor

once in a while.    I am in very good health.  I wake up with some stiffness, soreness in my fingers which quickly goes away .......

Bloodtest is just to simple rule out things as high calium, gout and more where it is easy to just change diet to improve. Drugs do not do anything about the cause of it, and often do nothing good for the overall healt. We can aggree on that!  

Edited October 15, 2020 by Tagged

[rumak]

31 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

If you are 35+ IMO you should be taking rest days in between the heavy training days. This doesn't mean no exercise - walks or light swim is great, things which don't pound on the joints repeatedly day after day.

 

Oh and try stretch more, or even yoga. 

OP is 65 .   I am 70 .    I do not do any "heavy training" ,  which i think (meaning it is my opinion) is

really somewhat of an addiction , and does more harm then good.   I definitely am not implying that exercise is not good as i have been active all my life.  But I try to make adjustments as i age, otherwise i get hurt.  Played basketball about a month ago and fell (almost) flat on my face.  Strained rib muscle for 10 days after that, from catching my fall.

Stretching and yoga bore me, and so i never did it.  Now i find that swimming is my answer for stretching and relaxing .    

in summary,  kudos to the OP and any others who are maintaining an exercise regimen.  Some are more gung ho than others........ all have to find the BALANCE  that is best for feeling good for them

[BigStar]

7 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

Even Tiger Woods said his biggest regret is running too much in his younger days. 

Good call. I'd read that, too.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

It's called getting old.

And it is absolutely no excuse for not getting laid, an essential activity that is curiously absent from the OP's fitness and happiness regimen.

 

Testosterone depletion goes with the over-60's territory. A blood test will show what's what.

Edited October 15, 2020 by NanLaew

[rumak]

Just now, Tagged said:

Bloodtest is just to simple rule out things as high calium, goutvand more where it is easy to just change diet to improve. Drugs do not do anything about the cause of it, and often do nothing food for the overall healt. We can aggree on that!  

yes, i believe i implied as much.   good to know the basic tests levels,  things like blood counts and liver functions, etc  are very good indicators.   For those who worry an occasional EKG  and prostrate PSA are not expensive.       OH,  and definitely agree about drugs doing nothing to solve the problem. IMO they

just add another one in sooo many cases.   

[RickG16]

5 minutes ago, rumak said:

OP is 65 .   I am 70 .    I do not do any "heavy training" ,  which i think (meaning it is my opinion) is

really somewhat of an addiction , and does more harm then good.   I definitely am not implying that exercise is not good as i have been active all my life.  But I try to make adjustments as i age, otherwise i get hurt.  Played basketball about a month ago and fell (almost) flat on my face.  Strained rib muscle for 10 days after that, from catching my fall.

Stretching and yoga bore me, and so i never did it.  Now i find that swimming is my answer for stretching and relaxing .    

in summary,  kudos to the OP and any others who are maintaining an exercise regimen.  Some are more gung ho than others........ all have to find the BALANCE  that is best for feeling good for them

In that case the OP's routine certainly constitutes heavy training in my book - I am not talking about 'heavy' as in weight training. I am just referring to a high workload.

 

Even at half the OP's age, I feel a massive difference if I just cease all high intensity activity for a couple of days. I feel a lot fresher. As said, it doesn't mean stopping exercise, just not going high intensity (running etc, day after day).

 

And just because you get bored stretching, that really doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

[rumak]

4 minutes ago, BigStar said:

12 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

Even Tiger Woods said his biggest regret is running too much in his younger days. 

Good call. I'd read that, too.

I think that brunettes he only had to walk to get.   But blonds ?   He needed to run to catch them !

[Saltire]

I am the same age, 65, as the OP and have similar issues in the morning.

 

I think a few have hit on some likely remedies you could try.

 

Before I moved here around 3 years ago from Siem Reap I would get a massage at least twice a week, never had the stiffnes problem, but now I am nowhere near a massage place so that's not an option sadly. I can feel the difference.

 

I did however invest in a Sealy bed (25k Baht) a few years ago and now I sleep better than I ever have, which helps I think. Ii used to toss and turn a lot but now I barely change position through the night, so I think this may contribute to feeling stiff in the mornings.

 

I also do a mornng and evening walk around the village most days, I find that's enough, at about 5km per day.

 

Best thing about getting old is being in Thailand to do it.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

[rumak]

1 minute ago, RickG16 said:

 

And just because you get bored stretching, that really doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

i do not think i said it was not worth doing.     

[steven100]

I do too ,  but not every morning and it soon resides after a few minutes.

[BigStar]

2 hours ago, Surelynot said:

I train everyday...... run 2 miles, 300 rep's on weights, swim for 40 mins, play squash and badminton once a week.

I speak as a former gym rat who's also run a few marathons. Been there, done it, drank the kool aid. Read extensively for decades. Like you, I've also had to deal w/ the challenge of figuring out how an old guy can remain both fit and healthy. Ain't been easy, but so far so good. Wish I hadn't tried so hard in my younger days.

 

Had some good suggestions here already except the one about "do nothing." I think we all know what that's going to mean sooner rather than later--unless of course you've got the genes of, say, George Burns. Spend more time in the Health forum.

 

First, you're way overdoing it. If you must run, then running intervals 20-30 min once a week will do you more good than 2 miles a day, with less repetitive movement. I wouldn't run on pavement, either. Lessen the impact.

 

And all those reps are simply destructive--maintaining fitness, perhaps, while destroying joints, tendons, etc. No wonder you're so stiff. Not for old guys, man, really unnecessary. Look into lighter weights lifted super slowly, 1 set only per exercise to failure. Maximize intensity and time under load. Worked well enough for Mike Mentzer. This isn't nearly as satisfying as frantic pumping (I laugh when I see that in the gym nowadays), but--safety first.

 

You can get away with doing such resistance exercise only once or twice a week (splits) if you do it right. So you get a lot of rest and feel up for stretching and massage on off days. You can get started w/ this method by searching for Body By Science on youtube. A number of other sources exist for similar methods, been around a long time: just google super slow exercise. 

 

Also incorporate isometrics, where you don't have to move so much. Can be very effective. 10 Reasons to Try Isometric Training (Various ways to "incorporate.") Check your numbers after a couple months and see if they aren't at least as good.

 

And as others have noted, add in stretches and massage. I stretch and use a foam roller daily and the combo works surprisingly well. Boring, perhaps, but, as I do, you can just watch a video or listen to music while doing it.

 

Takes time & some study to get fluent in a new routine. Even learning to breathe properly is part of it. Find out what works for you.

 

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

it's just that first 20 mins on a morning getting up and having to 'free everything up'.

Have the coffee prepared already and watch the news in bed for that first 20 min after waking. You can do a few stretches right then. Let your body wake up a bit before you really get going.

Edited October 15, 2020 by BigStar

[sead]

I'm 50 and worked physically 33 years. Yeah those first 20min in the morning is boring. Relax with your exercises, I think your overdoing it. More and harder exercises at you age will only make you die faster. A power walk a  some swimming is OK. And fullbody exercise twice a week. Forget the running.. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by sead

[RickG16]

5 minutes ago, BigStar said:

I speak as a former gym rat who's also run a few marathons. Been there, done it, drank the kool aid. Read extensively for decades. Like you, I've also had to deal w/ the challenge of figuring out how an old guy can remain both fit and healthy. Ain't been easy, but so far so good. Wish I hadn't tried so hard in my younger days.

 

Had some good suggestions here already except the one about "do nothing." I think we all know what that's going to mean sooner rather than later--unless of course you've got the genes of, say, George Burns. Spend more time in the Health forum.

 

First, you're way overdoing it. If you must run, then running intervals 20-30 min once a week will do you more good than 2 miles a day, with less repetitive movement. I wouldn't run on pavement, either. Lessen the impact.

 

And all those reps are simply destructive--maintaining fitness, perhaps, while destroying joints, tendons, etc. No wonder you're so stiff. Not for old guys, man, really unnecessary. Look into lighter weights lifted super slowly, 1 set only per exercise to failure. Maximize intensity and time under load. Worked well enough for Mike Mentzer. This isn't nearly as satisfying as frantic pumping (I laugh when I see that in the gym nowadays), but--safety first.

 

You can get away with doing such resistance exercise only once or twice a week (splits) if you do it right. So you get a lot of rest and feel up for stretching and massage on off days. You can get started w/ this method by searching for Body By Science on youtube. A number of other sources exist for similar methods, been around a long time: just google super slow exercise. 

 

Also incorporate isometrics, where you don't have to move so much. Can be very effective. 10 Reasons to Try Isometric Training (Various ways to "incorporate.") Check your numbers after a couple months and see if they aren't at least as good.

 

And as others have noted, add in stretches and massage. I stretch and use a foam roller daily and the combo works surprisingly well. Boring, perhaps, but, as I do, you can just watch a video or listen to music while doing it.

 

Takes time & some study to get fluent in a new routine. Even learning to breathe properly is part of it. Find out what works for you.

 

Have the coffee prepared already and watch the news in bed for that first 20 min after waking. You can do a few stretches right then. Let your body wake up a bit before you really get going.

All of that looks true.... and we haven't even got to rest and the right kind nutrition yet! Two things which I think might be overlooked a lot by the older generation.

 

IMO if you aren't ticking those two boxes, it can be hard to see improvements.

[Firefan]

Great advise here - and I agree that reduced work load is the key adjustment to make when older.

Work smart, not (too) hard. Adding flexibility/stretches and strengthening the core/weak muscles (often lower back, hips other core Etc.) rather than the usual suspects (chest/arms) and getting muscle balance in the body is key (legs Etc.).

 

When you have done that(and nutrition/sleep); the thing that works best for me for inflammation is systemic enzymes. I order from the US. Give it a google. Cheers!

[Tagged]

If not used to stretching, stretching can do more harm than good, as well how you stretching and when you stretching. 
 

stretching is not what it used to be, static as dynamic stretching. Before starting stretching you should pay attention, and upgrade your knownledge about what stretching is. Again, back to school as anything we do in life, there is new information available. As there is alot you need to rule out, as approved quality sourches is sometimes hard to find. But youtube do have some who would appeal to you and your situation. Important to double check the "trainer" and see who dissagree and what they back it up with. Been training all my life, but still need to improve my knownledge when facing back problems, stiffness in the morning as you, and it involved  totally change of lifestyle when I passed 50. Now have good routines that works, but not as I used to do or used to eat. Time and patience it takes

Edited October 15, 2020 by Tagged

[FritsSikkink]

Don't train everyday, have a rest day in the week.

[n210mp]

Lack of  enough water (dehydration) was always a a cause of aching and stiffness that shouldn't have been normally present.

 

When I was younger (much younger) I used to exercise different parts of the body on different days , for instance one day legs and bottom half, next day top half. allowing the body  24 hours to repair the parts damaged by using them fairly aggressively.

 

Now in my mid 70s I go on my cycle twice a week and play walked up 18 hole  golf twice a week alternating the disciplines' with minimally 24 hours off between activities.  

 

I also take "ibuprofen" 200 mg every  eight hours or when needed  which helps me personally a great deal with  "inflammation".

 

 

[rumak]

Just now, RickG16 said:

All of that looks true.... and we haven't even got to rest and the right kind nutrition yet! Two things which I think might be overlooked a lot by the older generation.

Young man Rick.   Don't get all worked up by my next suggestion:

 

One thing you might be surprised by............ in 30 years time there could be some real surprises in store for you.    Many of us older generation were once members of the younger generation. ????

 

Yep,  we were playing air guitar and shouting along with the Who  " hope i die before i get old "