This meme was me for a time. I assumed it was the inevitable decline of the physical body due to aging. And some of it is. But what I discovered is that you can slow this degeneration significantly through proper exercise, nutrition and rest. I'm stronger and in less pain now in my late 40s than I was in my 30s.
Yeah I'm in my 30s and I hear this about this sort of thing all the time from other people my age, but the only time I experience body pain myself is if I injure part of my body. But then I do my due diligence to let it heal and I'm fine after. I'm not overly fit compared to other people my age, I don't do yoga or anything, I just like, lift with my legs instead of my back. For some inexplicable reason a lot of people I know don't follow that age old advice despite moaning up down and all around about their chronic back pain.
Given that Lemmy is largely populated by programmers, I assume they have done next to no exercise through their 20s and mostly sit hunched over in a chair all day. So now that they are hitting their 30s, they are paying the price for abusing their bodies.
You don't need to be huge like Arnold, but find some way to move your body every day. While you're young in your teens, 20s, and 30s find different and interesting ways to keep your body moving and build up strength, whether that be swimming, running, larping, lifting weights, finding a local exercise meet-up, local sports league, or walking to a park and using the little exercise machines.
A lot of the back issues will go away with more core strength and lifting things properly with your legs. If you can't think of anything, then start by sitting up straight and tall in your chair using your core to stabilize yourself and see whether in a few weeks you can get through a half or maybe even full day without slouching. Anything is better than nothing!
I'm 40 next year. This year I've switched jobs after 16 years of mainly sitting in a chair looking at synchroniser rings for gear boxes.
The new job has a lot more lifting involved and no chairs. I've had so many aches in my back, shoulders and right limbs since I started.
This week I picked something heavy up and put it down on a bottom shelf. My back popped. I saw stars. My brain felt a bit funny for an hour or so afterwards.
Luckily I managed to pop the disc back by hanging by my arms from a low bar, and massaging the hurt muscles.
Lift with your legs, not your back!
I too feel like this meme is a decade early, but I do feel the meme.
This happened to me too, except my L5/S1 disc is permanently bulged now. If I don't keep my core strong, and my hips and thighs flexible, I get debilitating sciatic pain down my right leg.
Stay in shape lads!
Stay strong, but don't lift hard.
Stay flexible, but don't stretch too far.
Get some cardio, but low impact.
If only they taught us in school how to take care of our bodies, our feelings, our minds, our relationships, our communities and our environment.... sadlolz
If only they taught us in school how to take care of our bodies, our feelings, our minds, our relationships, our communities and our environment....
I cannot agree more. I went a bit mental last year, debilitating anxiety, and did a course on how to manage it. At the same time my eldest kid was starting Big School and suffering exactly the same thing, so I spent my time teaching him the things I was learning.
They're much better in schools (at least in the UK) now with mental health, he had daily check ins with the mental health first aider or some such, which I really appreciated because there was fuck all like that in my day, when men were men and everyone had Polio (I jest)