Why do older people walk slower?!
Question: What physical changes in their bodies cause them to walk slower? Is it hip pain or joints getting stiffer? Or what? Just curious?
Answers: What physical changes in their bodies cause them to walk slower? Is it hip pain or joints getting stiffer? Or what? Just curious?
Yes, joint pain, joint stiffness, and the knowledge that any wrong move could throw your back out. Also for some, fear of falling.
The older you get the more fragile you get so theyre more prone to injury my grandfather has bad knees
yep you answered it yourself hip pain or joints getting stiffer
they've already been where you're heading. no need to hurry. they stop along the way to smell the roses.
I'm 53 and it's funny that it takes me a few steps to get going now (the bottom of my feet hurt - it's weird). I think we also start worrying about falling so we move a bit slower and look down more often (I read this is not good for maintaining balance ability though). We don't bounce back as easily as we used to so we're a bit more careful. I still walk a good fast pace (once I get going, lol), but I often wonder what I'll be like around 60 or 70 (if I make it that long!).
I think people said it well here. But I will say that this was not the case with my grandmother. We took her grocery shopping this one time, stopped to say hello to someone and we turn around. she is far away. She moved quickly and could outdance people her age and a lot younger. I don't know if she just didn't have joint pain or if it wasn't bad enough to slow her down. As she got older, she did start to slow down but it seemed more because she was afraid of falling down. She seemed pretty agile still. She was also clinically depressed after my grandfather died.
It's not fun getting older. Growing up, so many people told me not to. :-) Ok. I will not get old. lol.
edit: I started noticing that I was slowing down at 23. I was training like I was an athlete. I just love being active and working out. Now I can't seem to do what I used to be able to do. It might be because my joints are less flexible. I'm not as active as I used to be. Other things have my attention so I don't have the same kind of time. I also value other things more. I play the piano now. I am in a graduate program. I have a husband. I'm 34. My muscles are sore from the last 2 nights' workouts. I don't think I stretched enough. It's hard at the gym because there isn't enough room. It was so crowded last night.
I'm sure joint pain and stiffness is part of it, but, were just not in that much of a hurry anymore.