ER slows aging? We think so!

[audreyh1]

DH and I both have been getting quite a few comments lately that we look very young for our ages. We both attribute it to retiring very early and being fully FI. We been retired for just over 20 years - two decades of much lower stress!

[street]

I don't have any science to back that up but I can tell you, that my health with more exercise less stress has made me feel better. My BP and blood tests show the results of not working. As far as getting better looking that may not happen. LOL

Congratulations on 20 years in FIRE.

[homestead]

Went to eye exam recently, my doctor did a high resolution photo of the inside of my eyes.
He was showing me pictures and commented that the blood vessels were fairly straight. He said that denotes low stress. Apparently high stress cause those vessels to get all twisty.
ER'd for 11 years now.

[Midpack]

Retiring early alone doesn’t extend your life, as the OP knows.

If in retirement you become more physically active, eat healthier, stay mentally engaged and stay socially connected, you’ll probably (substantially) extend your life. A desk worker who doesn’t have time to eat right who retires and exercises regularly will probably live longer. The OP is probably an example. And early retirement can extend your life even more than a later retirement if you’re on this path.

But if you become more sedentary, eat less healthy, become less engaged and isolated than during your work years, retiring could shorten your life. A construction worker who retires and sits and watches TV alone all day, becomes obese and isolated will probably shorten his/her life. Early retirement can shorten your life even more than a later retirement if you’re on that path.

There are always exceptions and special cases (e.g. people who are forced to retire, whether due to poor health or other reasons). But in general good health and social interaction can extend your life. Poor health and isolation can shorten your life.

[Timeisprecious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Retiring early alone doesn’t extend your life, as the OP knows. If in retirement you become more physically active, eat healthier, stay mentally engaged and stay socially connected, you’ll probably (substantially) extend your life. A desk worker who doesn’t have time to eat right who retires and exercises regularly will probably live longer. The OP is probably an example. And early retirement can extend your life even more than a later retirement if you’re on this path. But if you become more sedentary, eat less healthy, become less engaged and isolated than during your work years, retiring could shorten your life. A construction worker who retires and sits and watches TV alone all day, becomes obese and isolated will probably shorten his/her life. Early retirement can shorten your life even more than a later retirement if you’re on that path. There are always exceptions and special cases (e.g. people who are forced to retire, whether due to poor health or other reasons). But in general good health and social interaction can extend your life. Poor health and isolation can shorten your life.

+1

[audreyh1]

Our stress dropped so much due to not dealing with corporate type work and commuting, as well as feeling financially secure. I attribute most of our somewhat youthful appearance mostly to the lowered stress.

Of course once retired we also had lots of time - time to eat well and healthily, travel, exercise, rest as needed, enjoy many activities, etc. We have enjoyed a slower pace of life in retirement. I think that slower pace has been good for both of us.

[Chuckanut]

The time to get some enjoyable exercise and cook my own meals should mean I am healthier than I otherwise would have been. If I get my
QPUT (Quantum Parallel Universe Transporter) working, I'll zip over to a parallel universe and see what happened to an overworked Chuckanut.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 DH and I both have been getting quite a few comments lately that we look very young for our ages.

You've chosen your friends well!

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister You've chosen your friends well!

Haha - the most recent ones were actually new acquaintances on a recent trip.

[Bir48die]

So I'm playing a couple weeks ago with the seniors at my golf course. A man I hadn't played golf with turned to me after a few holes and asked me "are you even old enough to golf with the seniors?" I replied I just turned 64. He says "holy cow you look good". I guess I should have hunched over a bit.

[aja8888]

I'm 76 and constantly get carded. (LOL).

Actually, I frequently get told I don't look a day over 65...

So I usually show my ID card to prove the obvious:

AF ID card.jpg

[Car-Guy]

OK, let me do some quick math to see if I aged more during my prime 30 working years VS what I will age during my prime 30 retirement years.

During my prime 30 working years, (age 30 to 60), my age increased by 100% in those 30 years.

During my prime 30 retirement years, (age 60 to 90), my age will only increase by 50% in those 30 years.

So simple math would "seem" to indicate that I aged twice as fast in my prime working years than I will in my prime retirement years. I guess I should have retired much earlier to start slowing down the aging process sooner.