Bill who putters wrote:
Just wondering if any of you folks who liked to hands on deal with
the limits of hands off the physical stuff.
I hit it as I can but it not as hard as I'd like. Puttering seems to
be becoming more real.
Small tasks seem to grow in correlation with anemia and muscle loss
still the ticker is A OK.

I assume you are under the care of a physician. Three years before I
retired I was working so much that I quit going to the gym. That was a big
mistake, I gained 40 pounds in the three years. I putter around the house
myself and gardening in no way is a substitute for the gym. Specific
machines can target muscular strength and the cardio for energy.

Since retirement this year I went back to the gym. I feel better now and
getting stronger. Also this a big factor, i had a pituitary tumor when I
was a teenager. I have a sluggish pituitary. This is the Master Gland that
controls almost all glands in the body. I have been taking testosterone
injections and other steroids for forty years. With out the shots, and I
have done without the shots to see what would happen, in one year I would
not and was not able to walk to the mailbox without holding on to
something. I used to get one shot shot per month, now I get two shots per
month. The testosterone patches and creams are worthless as they do not
have the strength that I need.

Ask your doctor, like the stupid commercials on TV. Get tested for low
testosterone. It can help you gain some muscular strength and energy.
However, one must lift weights to build muscle mass and cardio equipment
helps build the up the heart muscles or the shots are useless. Without the
shot I could lift weight to the next blue moon and still not gain strength.
The shots does have side effects, about three days after the shot, I have
to watch myself for Rages and a strong desire for sex that last about three
days. But it is much better than hanging on to something in order to walk
between A and B and huffing and puffing.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)