Energy or lack of it !

AshTree I found that when I got off the steroids, a lot of the puffiness disappeared. However I still had excess weight from the steroid induced overeating.

That's true Greenfinch After all, it's what retirement is all about I suppose.

We'll slob around together KatyK

Greenfinch I can slob with the best! My mum had more energy than me when she was 80! I'm 68!
I was a hard worker, but now I soon lose my impetus. Isn't that what retirement is for though, doing what you want to, when it suits you? (As KatyK just said )

The trouble is, I sometimes feel I've lost the motivation to do anything, and I've only been retired for four months!

I have just picked up on this thread, after walking through the living room door and saying to OH that I think someone has turned my switch to OFF today! I have been lolling about in the conservatory reading a book - although I did make myself go out for 2 walks of half an hour each, as I need to exercise my hip. But they absolutely did for me! I am not quite sure how I got back up the hill. I have had a nasty chesty cough for weeks and spent Easter in bed with a temperature, and I do not seem to be able to surface - I am going about in a fog.

I think it is mainly post-viral as I am still coughing for England and seem to have pulled a muscle in my chest - I must say I will be glad when things improve!

I hope you all get your energy back soon.

Granjo it is really interesting what you say about your doc reducing you to 100mcg. My doc did the same saying that Tests showed I was on too high a dose. I stupidly put up with feeling tired from lunchtime till bedtime for a year. In the end I said I was only functioning for 7 hours a day so I was put back to 150 mcg, having said that I am far from energetic.

I too am on statins. Did you know that those with under active thyroid often have high cholesterol ? I have gone from 7.6 to 4.3 and statins have had no side effects for me. I hope you are sorted out.

I have been retired now for 9 years, and really it has taken all that time to get into the swing. It just shows how programmed we are. But now if have a no motivation day I treat it as a day "given" and do exactly as I want.
I usually do through the house once a week - not terribly thoroughly I must say, but if I don't feel like it I don't. In a sort of way because I know that I can do nothing if I want - then I don't get cheesed off when I have stuff to do if that makes sense.

The other thing is that when I was at work I remember going to the Dr saying that I was so tired to the point of utter exhaustion. He gave me open ended sick leave and said that I was burnt out and one day would wake up and realise that my candle was once again alight and that is exactly what happened. Sometimes it is good to be kind to yourself, and sod everyone and everything else.

Lona I empathise completely. I am the same age as you and my mother at 80 helped us move house. She cleaned the whole house while I was at work.

Mishap.You have my sympathy. I know how painful it is to pull a muscle and have a cough. It is really awful. Get well soon.

I have no energy at all. I worked yesterday and was exhausted afterwards.
Just to walk across the room is very painful and tires me out!
I've got to really make myself get up tomorrow and go to archery. After an hour of shooting I can't even hit the target let alone score!

When I was put on statins, I read up about them and realised you should take CoQ10 with them. I still take them even though I do not take the statins, as you can absorb less CoQ10 from your diet as you get older.

I am on thyroxine as I had my thyroid gland removed over thirty years ago.
I have been told I have too much free T4 in my blood, but this is the first time that has been measured in over thirty years.
I was on 100mcg and asked to be put up to 125. I now take the 25mcg every other day.
However having read up on it, I am going to ask about T3 the next time I see my GP. They rarely look at T3, but maybe we have too much T4 because our bodies cannot convert T4 to T3 any more.

My motivation has all but disappeared since I retired 5 years ago. I'm talking about housework, gardening, shopping, all that tedious energetic stuff. CBA anymore.
I'm very motivated when it comes to photography, playing on Photoshop, looking through Flickr. I'm also very motivated with craftwork - patchwork, soft toys, etc, also knitting and crochet. All the things you can do in an armchair .
Every so often the guilt overcomes me and I do something outside of the day to day minimum stuff I can get away with. Yesterday I cleaned the porch and the front door, for example. As quickly as possible, so I could sit down with a clear conscience and get on with the baby blanket I'm doing for my daughter.
As I sit here now I can see the TV unit disappearing under dust. But then I think of that lovely quote by Quentin Crisp, "There is no need to do any housework at all. After 4 years the dirt doesn't get any worse."

A good rest

Carbohydrates

To have no stress - stress can drain me of energy

Bananas

Milk

But of course you have a medical reason, perhaps it would be a good idea to go along to your Doctors and have a chat with him about it.

I'm turning into a complete slob [retired 18 months ago]. I spend far too much time on the computer and almost need to put some sort of lock on it to limit myself . However, I'm having some work done on the house tomorrow and I'm hoping it will spur me on to doing more. I've said before that I find my house is a constant drain on me; not so much for the fact that I'm doing things on it but that I spend a lot of time procrastinating. Like now ....

This thread has at least made me feel better about myself - at least I now know I'm not the only one!

When the S.O. took early retirement years ago the company put them on a course about how to deal with retirement. Now, he is a 'get up at 7 o'clock every day' sort of person and he has continued to do so. Whereas I was someone that had to get up at 7 each day but was really a nightowl that wanted to stay up late and get up late; the past 18 months has just seen me live more of a day for night sort of existence. I'm also too pig headed to live by his timetable when he's here [feels like a sort of 'you've won' scenario]. I'm going to try to have some sort of routine next week, but it doesn't help that I slept really late today as I actually needed to catch up with some sleep. I don't miss work, but I do mis the routine and the lack of daily contact with 'real people' means that I am drawn even more to the computer.

Parcs, If you have too many carbohydrates in your diet you will experience slumps in energy after each peak.

Feeling up one minute and down the next is exhausting in itself.

I am absolutely the same, Tegan! I keep telling myself I've got to get into some sort of routine. I've tried setting the alarm (not too early) but I just turn it off and go back to sleep or doze.

I suppose it doesn't really matter, but it's the lack of purpose I feel in my life at the moment that's the problem. I miss the day-to-day contact with the people at work too, but getting motivated to join things to meet others seems beyond me at present!

There is an article in the ST today about how arbitrarily the decision about what level of cholesterol is normal and what is not came about. It slightly destroys one's faith in the medics. All those statins being doled out on the basis of an arbitrary number!

Even better Mishap the same article rubbishes the use of BMI and the medical preoccupation with weight! (and BP)

My Dad was a heavyset man all his life but healthy and fit on the whole and he lasted in his own home, quite compos mentis until the age of 93. He would have gone on longer but he got gangrene in his leg after a leg ulcer was neglected by the visiting nurse and had a stroke on the operating table when they removed his leg. He never regained consciousness.

I have never gone along with all these target figures and avoid them wherever I can.

This is so liberating, so many of us coming out of the closet about being slobs in our retirement . Thank you ladies, I feel totally vindicated .

Not so much being slobs, as recognising that we do slow down - and accepting that. We are too brainwashed by these gadabout sporty grans and grandpas in the media. I have no desire whatsoever to run a marathon.

I hate those photos of supposed OAPs in magazines who have grey hair but look slim, fit, and bursting with energy.

Did anyone watch Countryfile tonight? One of the farmers up for an award is a woman in her eighties. She still works the farm but looks every bit of her age. A true farming hero. I thought she was brilliant!