I've noticed my windsurfing or kite related injuries seem to be taking a long time to heal..simple bumps takes a week to subside..scratches take days to toughen..harder injuries don't heal well..bones get crooked..tsk tsk! 
stay away from those new wetsuits that zip across the front , most of us old guys have shoulder rotating problems
I have to do stretches every 2hrs ( including nights) after a sail so I'm not stuck in bed with a headache the next day.( but thats not age it's RSI).
There are guys in their 70s still racing and kicking my butt windsurfing like surfing is an aging sport not staying active would be far worse for my old aching body. It aint over till its over
Get yourself a hot tub, Soak for 2 hours after every session...Add a few beers and your like new again.....Or you can just try drugs, Voltaren helps me keep going.
i do my stretches before a session just like sboardcrazy says but it's those little things that usually was easier before..e.g. jamming your backfoot by mistake on the rail instead of the straps didn't matter before now it freakin' hurts..when I carry my board and rig to shore the sail is now on my left cuz the right wrist can't handle it...as again tsk tsk tsk
Just put Nurofen sprinkles on your corn flakes.
Drugs are good, drugs are the way forward.
Aging is a bitch, but turned 47 recently, and I'm in the best shape I've been in since 30ish.
Lots of activity is the key. As well as sailing, I do whatever it takes to keep me active. Cycling is possibly the ultimate activity for that, as it's easy on joints and keeps weight down and just makes you plain happy.
How much grog are ya drinkin. I gave up the evil fluid a few years ago and halved my recovery times. worked for me.
How old are you? Why are you hurting yourself?
I'm 54 and the intermittent back problems have become chronic but other than that I possibly fitter now than any time (except when maybe I was doing heaps of cross country skiing.)
I am dubious about the value of stretching before a session. Research shows it doesn't do anything useful. Stretching after has been found to improve recovery.
Certainly warm up before exerting yourself but stretching doesn't do that.
Better than stretching before is to have a regular exercise regime that includes flexibility, strength and endurance. It doesn't have to be hard.
Brisk walks, tummy crunches, push ups, a range of flexibility exercises particularly focusing on the back and anything you're weak in.
Eat and drink less but go for quality and enjoyment. Don't binge.
Get a kite. The gear weighs less, you can use it more and you don't have to dick around with gybes, unless you want to.
maybe am just overdoing it besides the windsports I jog once in awhile but around noontime to double the effect of the heat..I have a three day old scrape on my knee body dragging with the sail back to shore till i braked to stop the board's fin from hitting small rocks but hit my knee instead- that was so bright of me
..so after a run today my knee flares up and I was thinking this is only a scrape why the bloat!
Hey Dezza
Could'nt be happier. As long as I can sail, kite and surf I reckon I'll stay happy. I admit I was happy years ago when I felt the need to get pissed three times a week but I started developing to many health issues, Which all disappeared when I stopped drinking. Bit of a lifestyle change and plenty of exercise and I'm in as gooder nick as I was in when I was 30. Not that old yet though, 50 in a few months. Getting a bit slow for motocross now, anyone want a nice YZ 450
Freeriding is not very demanding, but then again kudos for any 70+ doing anything, let alone windsurfing. I sure won't make it there.
At my sailing club, we have an 84yo that sails and races his 26-footer alone, jumps off the deck, fit as most 30yo I know. Does his own boat maintenance too. I admire that, lots of it is genetic, but he takes care of himself too - works out, very active, always happy, etc.
But then again there is the other end of the spectrum: nearly all of my former uni classmates used to be active (rugby, volleyball, running, etc.). Nearly all had stopped any sport by age 30. Very upsetting - all slobs and Norms now.
i know a 56 year old who has a small farm near Midland.
he grows his own fruit + veg,rears his own animals etc.
no coincidence then, he is more agile than than most 16 year olds.
as for stretching before sport,for me i can feel a big difference in flexibility.
warming up is good too. have heard ice-baths make a huge difference.
i always buy the most cushioning pair of trainers i can find,legs feel stiff otherwise.
my imcs used to be 460/25 now 460/15, still good enough for a ride.
when i was playing squash, i used to put on a pair of tracksuit pants straight after/before the match and also wear them to to bed,l found it helped recovery time.
you can overdo the exercise thou,know a ex pro Aussie rules player in his 60's who can barely walk now.
have a friend who i met when i was 22,he was 16 at the time and weighed 75kg.
he is now 40 and weighs 130kg.
takeaway every single day since he left school,washed down by a 1.25litre Pepsi or Coke.
will take up walking/golf when i can no longer w/surf.
