Turning 65 in May; "If you want to change some things in your life, you're gonna have to change some things in your life" ***UPDATED 7-31-23***

[jonsnow]

8 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

King in the North!!!

"You know nothing, jonsnow..."

[Nels55]

19 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

UPDATE 2-13-23:

 

I'm 10 days in & time for an update. A quick recap: I'm working on 3 separate but interconnected improvement plans. In order of priority, they are: 1) Becoming an ex-smokeless tobacco user; 2) Getting my weight down to 185 pounds regardless of how long it takes; 3) Becoming healthier & fitter. Many thanks to all who have chimed in here for the encouragement & advice. Here's how the first 10 days have gone:

 

Smokeless tobacco--I'm happy to disclose I've not had a dip since February 3! No backsliding, been using ground coffee as a pacifier & it has been pretty successful in calming down the mental cravings. The physical aspects of nicotine withdrawal have been manageable & are beginning to abate after about a week. The mood swings have not been as bad as I expected, my wife has only had to tell me a few times to get it together when I got worked up about something minor & I was able to realize she was right rather than letting her input agitate me further. Maybe at 64 I'm beginning to mature. So far, this couldn't have gone better.

 

Weight--I've been doing 16/8 intermittent fasting & have adjusted to it pretty well. I've never been a big breakfast eater so not eating until 1 p.m. after waking up has not been too difficult. I've made a point of not eating after 9 p.m. which has been more difficult; a couple of days we had not eaten our evening meal by 9 & I decided to just not eat that night. I've cut out most sugar & reduced carbs but not nearly to the point I plan to & I haven't really addressed portion control yet, just eaten a little healthier & in a structured time frame. I've lost 3 pounds (240 to 237).

 

Fitness--I haven't gotten off to the start I wanted with my fitness. Did some walking & weight training (with light weights); after the second day of weight training I woke up with severe lower back pain. I've had idiopathic back issues for 30 years. Thankfully, they don't usually last more than a few days if I don't do anything stupid & stretch as much as possible. I hadn't had an episode in 2-3 years. I attribute them to too much weight & a weak core. So for the time being my fitness efforts are going to be tentative.

 

Will update again Monday, 202 for those interested. Thanks again for the support!

Awesome work!  keep it up!  I have been doing the same fasting for a number of years now and one thing that has seemed to be helpful especially when I was starting out is to think about whatever good food I was planning to eat for lunch when my fast ended.  Doing that seemed to help not to think of eating doughnuts or whatever...  Probably just something that worked for me but I thought that I would throw it out there...

[bilbry57]

If your looking to do a deeper dive into training check out Andrew Huberman’s podcast he is doing a 6 part series with Andy Galpin you is a professor of Kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton and has a performance lab.  He talks about how to train for power, strength, and Hypertrophy.

and the myths regarding these topics 

Dr Huberman also has great advice for diet, sleep and other great topics.  

 

[BladesOShanter]

Good going getting this thread rolling, and your journey started. You can, and will, conquer.

 

I've succeeded at what you are trying to do many times in my life, as I always eventually slide backwards into self-destruction.

 

My habits are alcohol and overeating. I'm all or nothing, and am not wired for moderation. Like others have said we are all a little different, and mentally we handle things in our own ways. Each baby step of forward progress will increase your motivation. It's like hitting a good shot, holing a putt, making a good pitch shot: you want more, feel a sense of pride, accomplishment.

 

You should be very proud of the tobacco cessation. I smoked on and off half of my life, and am a serial alcoholic. I've quit, restarted, and quit over and again. When you really feel the urge and can switch your mind away from that urge even for just a minute or two, you've won. You just banged one down the middle again.

 

Emotions play a lot into things. You aren't wearing them on your sleeve in this post, kudos, but we are all getting bad bounces, raw deals, lip outs, and  gusts of wind at the last-minute. We all choke, yip, and pull those two-footers. Shrug off these temporary obstacles.

 

Your back and exercise are like practicing putting and chipping: you've got to get off of your a** and do it. So many great suggestions and all are worthy of trying. I love Myfitnesspal. Haven't used the thing in two years, and have drank daily 5-12 drinks instead, gained 80 pounds, had Covid 4x, and am just finishing building a house. I am the king of self-pity, and using food and alcohol as a crutch.

 

Your situation is different, but like golf the challenges are pretty much the same: we need to adapt, adjust, and commit to the shot.

 

Chip, putt, rinse, and repeat. Avoid stressors that trigger things too. After I'm done with the construction, an about a month, I'll be in your exact shoes. I'll pick a Wednesday, and stop the booze. I'll block any and all stressors like nobody's business, and force myself to walk with a Sunday bag and seven clubs until I'm able to do 45 in one day, five rounds minimum a week.

 

The triathlete upstream who keeps it simple mentioned swimming. Swimming is something I did six days a week, and hated every minute I was in that pool. Controlled drowning! But, very good to rebuild your heart's and body's strength, wind, and low impact. Biking is also good, but you can get killed so just ride in safe places. 

 

If you swim and bike and walk the golf you are a triathlete! You'll be one step closer to passing that PAT! Good luck!

[jonsnow]

For those still interested, here's update #2. I'm just over 2 weeks in & it's a mixed bag but overall positive.

 

Smokeless tobacco--still clean, no dips since Friday, 2-3. Physical cravings are pretty much gone. Am noticing some mental fuzziness at times. This has not been as difficult as I anticipated & hopefully will encourage others out there who may be considering a similar change.

 

Weight--this is still a bit disappointing. I lost 1 pound this week, down 4 pounds overall from starting point of 240 to 236. I thought I would have lost more the first couple of weeks & then see the rate of loss slow. Still haven't gotten portion control addressed but what I eat is better, greatly reduced sugar & carbs. I just still eat too much of whatever I'm eating. I've upped my water intake & been monitoring it since middle of last week. Still following 16/8 intermittent fasting.

 

Fitness--some of you may have seen the other thread I started about the back pain I was experiencing. I got a lot of good advice & have been implementing some of it as I could with the pain. In particular, GoGoErky recommended the McGill Big 3 & I printed a PDF of the Big 3 & have been doing it daily (actually several times daily) for several days now as the back pain subsided & it has helped a lot. I haven't pushed my luck with anything else other than my regular stretching routine but my back is at a point where I feel I can incorporate more exercise now. 

 

One concern I have is blood pressure. My BP has consistently been around 140/75 for many years now. For those of you who monitor your BP, when is the best time to check it? I've been checking it in the morning as I'm getting ready for work & I've been getting some alarming readings, 150/90 or higher some mornings. Is the morning when you first get up not a good time to check it? 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by jonsnow

[johnrobison]

Great to hear how much better your back is! As the pain subsides, you'll be able to incorporate strengthening into your routine and mitigate future flare ups.

 

WRT blood pressure: I don't know about time to check it but I know that whenever I go in for lab work I go first thing in the morning and mine is always good to low and very consistent. I do believe that the further you get from dietary carbohydrates, the better your BP will be. Hypertension is your body responding to arterial damage so the more glucose you get out of your blood, the better. Keep the carb reduction up, give your system some time to develop a better insulin response and you'll probably see the BP fall eventually. You may need to add some salt, too. Reducing processed food consumption removes your prior sources of sodium which you may need to replace with real salt now.

 

WRT portion control: I know that over the many years that I spent reducing carbs, the more fat I added into my diet the easier it became to satiate my appetite. And replacing the carbs with protein and fat also keeps the insulin response in check which is HUGE for hunger signaling. Shedding body fat is very difficult to do in the presence of insulin. Also, adding fat will hydrate you better and make you less reliant on water - you won't be as thirsty - which will help to maintain your electrolyte balance.

[jonsnow]

Thanks, John. I consulted Dr. Google & found that if I check in the morning it should be first thing before I do any exercise &/or have any coffee. I've been checking it after doing the McGill Big 3, doing some planks & stretching & I've had my first cup of coffee. I've been checking it while getting dressed, should have done it first thing. Will see if it looks more like I expect tomorrow. I bet the instructions that came with the cuff tell me that, but being a guy I have an aversion to instructions. I bet they even tell me to take it while seated with my arm supported at heart height rather than standing up in my underwear looking for my pants. 🤣

 

Sometimes I wonder how I've lived to be nearly 65.

[bellken]

Sometimes, weight loss takes a bit of time to kick in. It is a life long journey, and, there are bound to be a few set backs. But, the important thing is the trend. Losing weight will help your blood pressure.

[Hawkeye77]

UPDATES!

[naval2006]

14 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

UPDATES!

Oh, yeah.  We want to know

[jonsnow]

1 hour ago, naval2006 said:

Oh, yeah.  We want to know

Thought I was starting to bore everyone. I'm currently at day 48. Still tobacco clean. I've lost 10 pounds & beginning to notice it in my clothing, plus Mrs. Snow says my face looks leaner. Portion control is better now. I've been training the last couple of weeks: curls, overhead presses, squats, deadlifts, upright rows, all with relatively light dumbbells. Also doing a lot of planks & bird dogs. Feeling better physically; my sleep is much better since giving up tobacco. I fall asleep easier & wake up fresher.

[Bob Cat]

Way to go Jonny!!

[Hawkeye77]

3 hours ago, jonsnow said:

Thought I was starting to bore everyone. I'm currently at day 48. Still tobacco clean. I've lost 10 pounds & beginning to notice it in my clothing, plus Mrs. Snow says my face looks leaner. Portion control is better now. I've been training the last couple of weeks: curls, overhead presses, squats, deadlifts, upright rows, all with relatively light dumbbells. Also doing a lot of planks & bird dogs. Feeling better physically; my sleep is much better since giving up tobacco. I fall asleep easier & wake up fresher.

Great work!

 

And, lol, like how it says this was updated in April - nobody will bug you for another month!

[ChipStrokes]

3 hours ago, jonsnow said:

Thought I was starting to bore everyone. I'm currently at day 48. Still tobacco clean. I've lost 10 pounds & beginning to notice it in my clothing, plus Mrs. Snow says my face looks leaner. Portion control is better now. I've been training the last couple of weeks: curls, overhead presses, squats, deadlifts, upright rows, all with relatively light dumbbells. Also doing a lot of planks & bird dogs. Feeling better physically; my sleep is much better since giving up tobacco. I fall asleep easier & wake up fresher.

awesome work dude!

[jonsnow]

33 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Great work!

 

And, lol, like how it says this was updated in April - nobody will bug you for another month!

I found out I’ve got a pair of tickets to the Masters for Saturday and decided it’s already April!

[kowalgolf]

My son is a member at Sage Valley and he wanted me to play in the father/son Legacy Tournament with the only caveat was I lose 20 lbs. He sent me a diet plan called Optavia where you eat their food for 1 month. Cost is about 350 dollars. You eat their food 5 times a day every 2 hrs. then what you want to a minimum. Each portion is 110 calories and very small with lots of water between portions. You got to be dedicated to the plan and it took me 2 wks. to adjust. Your probably eating 1300-1500 calories a day. It does trick your brain after 1 month because I lost 20 lbs. I got off the plan after 1 month and concentrated on 1000 calories before dinner and lost another 10 lbs. after 1 year.  Was 273 and now 243. I hate diet plans but this one worked. Will be 74 in Sept.

[Hawkeye77]

1 hour ago, jonsnow said:

I found out I’ve got a pair of tickets to the Masters for Saturday and decided it’s already April!

Hey, remember anything “diet” is out the window at Augusta National! Pimento cheese and peach ice cream sandwiches all around!

[Soloman1]

I read somewhere on here that the sandwiches and ice cream are being rolled back 15%. They were going too far.

[jonsnow]

1 hour ago, kowalgolf said:

My son is a member at Sage Valley and he wanted me to play in the father/son Legacy Tournament with the only caveat was I lose 20 lbs. He sent me a diet plan called Optavia where you eat their food for 1 month. Cost is about 350 dollars. You eat their food 5 times a day every 2 hrs. then what you want to a minimum. Each portion is 110 calories and very small with lots of water between portions. You got to be dedicated to the plan and it took me 2 wks. to adjust. Your probably eating 1300-1500 calories a day. It does trick your brain after 1 month because I lost 20 lbs. I got off the plan after 1 month and concentrated on 1000 calories before dinner and lost another 10 lbs. after 1 year.  Was 273 and now 243. I hate diet plans but this one worked. Will be 74 in Sept.

Sage Valley is sweet! I haven’t played there but know several guys who caddie there. One of them gave me one of the caps they issue to caddies.

[kowalgolf]

2 hours ago, jonsnow said:

Sage Valley is sweet! I haven’t played there but know several guys who caddie there. One of them gave me one of the caps they issue to caddies.

I'm sure my son knows them. He brings 7 clients in at a time for 2-3 days very often. Learning to play golf has made him very successful. What they do there to accommodate you is over the top.

[Ghost of Snead]

20 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Hey, remember anything “diet” is out the window at Augusta National! Pimento cheese and peach ice cream sandwiches all around!

 

Alas, no peach ice cream sandwiches at the Masters this year due to supply chain issues.

[vernon]

I started back to the gym a little over eight weeks ago and tried to clean up my diet considerably.  Unfortunately for the first six and a half weeks I actually GAINED about eight pounds.

 

While I got considerably stronger lifting and I felt quite a bit better the weight thing was frustrating.

 

Then I saw an article about the guy that said he could lose fifty pounds in a hundred days eating only McDonald's and had already lost like eleven pounds in eleven days and thought WTF?

 

Seems he would order whatever meal deal he wanted but would only eat half of it and save the other half for the next day.  Well I've never been a fan of McDonald's but figured the theory would pretty much have to work with most anything if it could work with McDonald's for cryin' out loud!

 

Since March Madness was beginning I knew I'd be going to sports bars to drink beer and watch the games but decided to give it a try.

 

While at the bar I would order whatever I wanted (typically a bacon cheeseburger and fries) and eat half before the game and save the other half for three to three and a half hours later before I headed home.

 

I maintained this approach with all my other meals home or away although not bacon cheeseburgers - just the usual meals.

 

Just eat half of what I would normally eat and save the other half for later.

 

Well amazingly I've lost eleven and a half pounds in eleven days, never felt hungry and don't feel bloated from overeating from finishing everything on my plate.

 

Seems like this "plan" should be pretty easy to follow long term as I don't feel deprived in the least.  And I don't have to "count" calories or make a concerted effort to achieve a daily calorie deficit.

 

Only time will tell but I'm pretty excited thus far.🤷‍♂️

[Hawkeye77]

10 minutes ago, Ghost of Snead said:

 

Alas, no peach ice cream sandwiches at the Masters this year due to supply chain issues.

Then I'm glad they didn't see fit to offer me tickets this year!

 

The Taste of the Masters things is so expensive (but we did it the first time they offered) - however, when they weren't showing the Georgia pecan caramel corn this time around I didn't even flirt with it.  And I've got a million cups.  It's those little things.

 

My wife makes "snickerdoodles" for me and I make our own version of the ice cream sandwiches, and although the AN pimento cheese is unique (but for me best enjoyed on the grounds) I make something that I like just as well, and once you put the green "cling film" around them the illusion is complete.  

[huskydawg]

On 3/26/2023 at 12:18 AM, vernon said:

Only time will tell but I'm pretty excited thus far.🤷‍♂️

Sounds good except do you eat stale fries?

[northgolf]

I am 6'2". In 2014, I was 54, weighed 227, drank and ate too much, and was type 2 diabetic.  I continued to eat and drink what I liked but in a smaller quantity (not that much, 1 drink less, an 8 ounce filet instead of 12, sometimes a salad instead of fries, just little changes). I also alternated 40 minutes of cardio and kettles bells on weekdays.

 

I lost 15 lbs the first year, 10 lbs the next, 11 the year after that. After 5 years, I stabilized in the mid 180s.  By 2020, it was the mid to high 170s and my type 2 diabetes was under control. 

 

It is a Marathon, not a sprint. Small changes over time add up and small changes are easier to make and maintain over time than big ones.

 

The 2020's have been brutal. Bilateral adhesive capsulitis took me out of excercise from the middle of 2020 through to October 2021. I didn't gain the weight back, but I fell completely out of shape. I got to play golf in 2022, but I didn't restart the excercise = big mistake.

 

April first kidney stones announced themselves.  The biggest was 1.2 cm x 1.2 cm by 1 cm blocking my left ureter at the kidney. There was an 8mm and a 6mm in the kidney. My right kidney had a 9mm stone.  The urologist's comment about the big stone was " There's no way in hell you are passing that." Scheduled surgery the next morning and had me on morphine until then. He could only take out the big stone as just breaking it up beat the hell out of my kidney. Big change : not a drop of alcohol since I woke up with that stone.

 

Karma wasn't done. When the urologist took out the stent a week after the surgery, I felt fine. But with the increased flow, the 6mm and the 8mm left the kidney. The 6 lodged just above the bladder and the 8 just outside the kidney again. I had forgotten about them and they were passable size, but the didn't pass.  In terms of pain, it was 4 on a scale of 10  as they only restricted flow and with aleve I didn't even notice it. I thought my kidney was just taking a long time to heal. Middle of last week I started getting chills. By Monday of this week I couldn't eat.  I went to the ER Wednesday 10 AM, I was in surgery by 6 pm. My kidney was infected. IV antibiotics while waiting on the cultures from my kidney and my blood. If the blood had been positive I would still be in the hospital on IV. 

I feel like crap and am facing two weeks of antibiotics that are going to destroy all the good bacteria in my gut, and if I don't relapse then I get the stent out (some strains of the bacteria are antibiotic resistant). I also have to watch out for C. Diff.

Big change 2: I have to completely change my diet as it turns out my favorite food are high oxalate and my stones are calcium oxylate, plus the infection completely blew my diabetes out of control fasting numbers well over 300 when I had been stable at 110.

 

I am now in the same boat as the OP. I have to change my eating and excercise habits on a dime. The drinking was easy - it was habit and not addiction and habits break when you are too sick to do them. Still, I have great short term motivation- the desire to live, not to mention I still have that 9mm stone in my right kidney.

 

So OP, I am with you on the total life style rebuild.

 

Oh, to add to the mix I closed on a house in NC on the 14th and I was supposed to move tomorrow. The new date is sometime in the third week of May.

[Alpha3]

On 2/19/2023 at 12:21 PM, bladesoshanter said:

Good going getting this thread rolling, and your journey started. You can, and will, conquer.

 

I've succeeded at what you are trying to do many times in my life, as I always eventually slide backwards into self-destruction.

 

My habits are alcohol and overeating. I'm all or nothing, and am not wired for moderation. Like others have said we are all a little different, and mentally we handle things in our own ways. Each baby step of forward progress will increase your motivation. It's like hitting a good shot, holing a putt, making a good pitch shot: you want more, feel a sense of pride, accomplishment.

 

You should be very proud of the tobacco cessation. I smoked on and off half of my life, and am a serial alcoholic. I've quit, restarted, and quit over and again. When you really feel the urge and can switch your mind away from that urge even for just a minute or two, you've won. You just banged one down the middle again.

 

Emotions play a lot into things. You aren't wearing them on your sleeve in this post, kudos, but we are all getting bad bounces, raw deals, lip outs, and  gusts of wind at the last-minute. We all choke, yip, and pull those two-footers. Shrug off these temporary obstacles.

 

Your back and exercise are like practicing putting and chipping: you've got to get off of your a** and do it. So many great suggestions and all are worthy of trying. I love Myfitnesspal. Haven't used the thing in two years, and have drank daily 5-12 drinks instead, gained 80 pounds, had Covid 4x, and am just finishing building a house. I am the king of self-pity, and using food and alcohol as a crutch.

 

Your situation is different, but like golf the challenges are pretty much the same: we need to adapt, adjust, and commit to the shot.

 

Chip, putt, rinse, and repeat. Avoid stressors that trigger things too. After I'm done with the construction, an about a month, I'll be in your exact shoes. I'll pick a Wednesday, and stop the booze. I'll block any and all stressors like nobody's business, and force myself to walk with a Sunday bag and seven clubs until I'm able to do 45 in one day, five rounds minimum a week.

 

The triathlete upstream who keeps it simple mentioned swimming. Swimming is something I did six days a week, and hated every minute I was in that pool. Controlled drowning! But, very good to rebuild your heart's and body's strength, wind, and low impact. Biking is also good, but you can get killed so just ride in safe places. 

 

If you swim and bike and walk the golf you are a triathlete! You'll be one step closer to passing that PAT! Good luck!

Too much is never enough! Good luck with trying to pick a day to stop addiction, I picked many life milestones to quit, never worked. Been sober a few calendars. 

[jonsnow]

5-11-23 update

I had been having numbness & weakness in my left leg & foot as well as my left arm & hand for a while. My doctor scheduled an MRI of my brain earlier this week & it revealed I've had a series of strokes in both sides of my brain over the last couple of months. I guess by definition they are mini-strokes since I'm still here. I've gone from taking no medication to blood thinner, cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication & low dose aspirin I have an ultrasound scheduled to see if there are any heart issues that could be causing this as well as check out my carotid arteries & see if they need cleaning out. Also a trip to a neurologist next week. The weakness & numbness are still present, hard to type & harder to swing a golf club. Yes I've tried, nobody has told me yet that I shouldn't; feels like my left leg is going to collapse when I get my weight on my lead side. Fell a couple of times last week when my left leg collapsed on me. Nothing hurt but my pride. Also wearing a heart monitor for the next 30 days. Not how I envisioned turning 65 would be. Not looking for medical advice here but any personal anecdotes from those of you who have gone through something like this would be appreciated. I've never had any serious health issues & I'm a little freaked out right now.

Edited May 11, 2023 by jonsnow
typos

[golfarb1]

2 hours ago, jonsnow said:

5-11-23 update

I had been having numbness & weakness in my left leg & foot as well as my left arm & hand for a while. My doctor scheduled an MRI of my brain earlier this week & it revealed I've had a series of strokes in both sides of my brain over the last couple of months. I guess by definition they are mini-strokes since I'm still here. I've gone from taking no medication to blood thinner, cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication & low dose aspirin I have an ultrasound scheduled to see if there are any heart issues that could be causing this as well as check out my carotid arteries & see if they need cleaning out. Also a trip to a neurologist next week. The weakness & numbness are still present, hard to type & harder to swing a golf club. Yes I've tried, nobody has told me yet that I shouldn't; feels like my left leg is going to collapse when I get my weight on my lead side. Fell a couple of times last week when my left leg collapsed on me. Nothing hurt but my pride. Also wearing a heart monitor for the next 30 days. Not how I envisioned turning 65 would be. Not looking for medical advice here but any personal anecdotes from those of you who have gone through something like this would be appreciated. I've never had any serious health issues & I'm a little freaked out right now.

My wife had three TIAs that were pointed out by a neurologist in 2017. She totaled our Lexus SUV  in 2017, but luckily no one was injured. Whether this car accident was related to a TIA was not possible to determine. We were not even aware of 2 of the TIA before the MRI . She did exhibit some odd symptoms before the first TIA -sitting down in the shower stall .

Luckily she had no overt physical symptoms , but she occasionally has memory gaps and has some trouble with following instructions for an IPhone and laptop.

She has high blood pressure and complains about dizziness , which may be related to the medications that she is taking  and the fact that we live at an altitude of 5,000 feet in Northern Colorado .She has had 4 instances of blood pressure spikes , but in each case the hospital observed her for only a few hours and did not admit her overnight  because her blood pressure stabilized 
After talking with other stroke victims , I can not emphasize enough the need for physical and mental therapy  as soon as possible . She walks 2miles every day and uses the bike and rowing machine at our gym. She does puzzles and uses a device called the “Vielight”, which supposedly stimulates the brain by light therapy.It is expensive at $2,400, but it was hard to veto considering I paid $700 for the “Hackmotion” wrist device . 
We met a stroke victim who had the standard physical symptoms of a stroke. Even after therapy , he had considerable  weakness in his left leg and suffered depression . After buying and using a fancy RECUMBENT  bike , both his left leg weakness and his depression markedly improved . 
Most areas have stroke victim meetings frequently . These meetings are a good source of information .  
Bonne chance

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by golfarb1

[ShortGolfer]

I had a brain stem bleed twenty years ago that wiped out my balance and coordination.  Had to learn to walk again. 

Luckily insurance paid for a month of in hospital rehab and some outpatient rehab.

I was on my own after that but continued my own physical therapy.  I learned to build, launch, and recover model rockets all over again!

Then I got into gardening growing flowering shrubs.  Learned how to throw darts in my basement. 

A few years ago I was cleaning my gutters on a ladder and realized that my balance and coordination had improved so much that I could play golf again!

 

I spent three months learning to swing a club and perhaps a month playing an executive course before I was comfortable taking swings on a hilly course.

Last year I had no balance issues at all and learned to play with brand new clubs! 

Best score was 42, 11 over Par on an Executive Course.

But, just being able to play is a big success for me!  On quiet weekday morning I can walk 9 holes in 1 hour 15 minutes.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by ShortGolfer

[bellken]

11 hours ago, jonsnow said:

5-11-23 update

I had been having numbness & weakness in my left leg & foot as well as my left arm & hand for a while. My doctor scheduled an MRI of my brain earlier this week & it revealed I've had a series of strokes in both sides of my brain over the last couple of months. I guess by definition they are mini-strokes since I'm still here. I've gone from taking no medication to blood thinner, cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication & low dose aspirin I have an ultrasound scheduled to see if there are any heart issues that could be causing this as well as check out my carotid arteries & see if they need cleaning out. Also a trip to a neurologist next week. The weakness & numbness are still present, hard to type & harder to swing a golf club. Yes I've tried, nobody has told me yet that I shouldn't; feels like my left leg is going to collapse when I get my weight on my lead side. Fell a couple of times last week when my left leg collapsed on me. Nothing hurt but my pride. Also wearing a heart monitor for the next 30 days. Not how I envisioned turning 65 would be. Not looking for medical advice here but any personal anecdotes from those of you who have gone through something like this would be appreciated. I've never had any serious health issues & I'm a little freaked out right now.

I would freak out, too. Longevity for the males in my family isn't great, so, I hope to be an outlier. I think the important thing is that you are still here, able to freak out about it, and, am able to do something about it. Attitude is important.  You were making the changes to improve your health, so, keep at it.