How many active years do I have left?

[Scuba]

At that rate I plan to increase drinking! An extra couple glasses of wine to go out at 99 even? Sold!

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[NW-Bound]

I went back to the calculator, and made the following changes.

* Gain 100 lbs in weight
* Exercise: Never
* Health Level: Poor
* Type 2 Diabetes: Yes
* Diet: Poor
* Sleep: < 5 hours each night
* Smoker
* Driving: 2+ accidents/year
* Alcohol: 8+ drinks/week


I don't think the above is as bad as it could be. Just smoking vs no smoking, and no choice for 2 packs/day. And what's this 8+ drinks? A guy can drink a 6-pack/day so that's 42 drinks/week. Calling that 8+ is an insult.

OK, you just have to work with what they let you choose.


What's the result here? Lemme scroll down to see.

It says I will be dead in 6.5 years. And 1/2 of those years will be in misery. Oh man!

 

[donheff]

I was tweaking the sliders and noticed my healthy life expectancy fell fast. Turned out I mistakenly checked yes on diabetes. That is clearly a condition you need to address if you want to extend your healthy time. I toggled diet between poor (probably accurate) and good and that makes a significant difference. Nothing is going to fix my vegetable aversion. I hope vitamins and good weight control will compensate.

 

[Car-Guy]

I changed a few of parameters by one level and I doubled my life expectancy.

 

[MarieIG]

I took this test precisely because it did not ask too many questions

I haven't taken a longevity test in a while, as I would typically get a result to the effect that if I were still breathing, I had better get my affairs in order.

IMHO retirement has improved my health. I have been exercising daily, and my sleep is better. (I improved my diet several months prior to retirement but have kept it up.) My blood markers improved, and my white blood cells have calmed down. My oncologist told me to keep doing whatever I was doing. (I did receive a "live vaccine" and I wonder if that helped.) I don't drink alcohol and am not diabetic, so presumably that helped my score.

 

[RetMD21]

It says I may be healthy to 95. My observation is that even fit/educated/upper income folks start being less active through their 70s.

 

[ls99]

Yeah, right. 15.7 good years, then 4 not so good.
So far I've outlived my mother, father, brother, wife.

Instead, might as well go for eternity like she hoped:

Irene Cara Fame! I'm gonna live forever 1983

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Not that many, so I guess I need to make them count..... or should I show

 

[mistermike40]

... And what's this 8+ drinks? A guy can drink a 6-pack/day so that's 42 drinks/week. Calling that 8+ is an insult.

I think that's a serious flaw in the algorithm... there's a big difference between 1-2 drinks/day vs 3-4 vs 5-6, etc. Seems like a pretty significant difference to be glossed over.

Anyway - I allegedly have 27 healthy years left with 5 not-so-good, 32 total. I'll revisit this thread in 2054 and let everyone know how accurate the calculator was

 

[aja8888]

Surprised that it won't let someone live past 100? Seems like it tops out at 99+.

 

[RunningBum]

It says I may be healthy to 95. My observation is that even fit/educated/upper income folks start being less active through their 70s.

I think a key is to surround yourself with other active people. I've skied pretty regularly with people in their mid/late 80s. A 70 year old friend of mine finished a tough 50 mile trail race last year and has signed up for a tougher 100 miler this fall, and he wouldn't be the only 70+ yr old I know to finish one. I think you are correct, but there are exceptions, and I am working on being one. No more 100 milers in my future though.

 

[Freedom56]

According to the calculator I'm predicted to live until 100.1 years old but in what state? I don't want to be sitting in a chair connected to a computer via electrodes. My parents are 86 years old and they started to slow down after age 82. My wife's parents are the same age and also slowed down after age 82. We are planning for 82 as our cut-off age for major travel and activities.

Your predicted future healthy years is 35.3 Years
Your Relative Healthy Life Expectancy is about 58.3% above Average
Your predicted future unhealthy years is 2.7 Years
Your predicted future total years of living is 38.1 Years i.e. Your predicted age at death is 62 + 38.1 (Current Age + Life Expectancy) = 100.1 Years
Your predicted future unhealthy years, if disabled by a cognitive disease, is 4.0 Years
How does my lifestyle affect my Healthy Life Expectancy?
You are doing a great job exercising, keep up the great work
At the moment your BMI is looking good, but make sure you keep an eye on it
By sleeping more each night you can increase your healthy life expectancy by 3.96% which is about 16.8 months
Your alcohol consumption has little effect on your healthy life expectancy
Not smoking has a positive impact on your healthy life expectancy

 

[razztazz]

I don't want to be sitting in a chair connected to a computer via electrodes..

I wouldn't worry about that. It'll probably all be wireless by then.


Come to think of it, I'm already connected to a computer wirelessly now.

 

[Freedom56]

I wouldn't worry about that. It'll probably all be wireless by then.


Come to think of it, I'm already connected to a computer wirelessly now.

Now I feel better already. I suppose VR will be even more realistic so we can spend our days in the Meta world.

 

[NW-Bound]

Surprised that it won't let someone live past 100? Seems like it tops out at 99+.

Not true.

I can make the following fudges, and live to 103.5.

Exercise: 5 days/week
Health Level: Excellent
Diet: Excellent

I am in decent health, but cannot call it excellent because I have hypertension. Would not want to fool myself.

Come to think of it, how do we define an "excellent diet"? I eat plenty of veggies and have a fairly balanced diet, but how to measure the quality?


PS. Here's a surprising thing. I gave myself 200 lbs more weight. Everything else left at "Super Duper". My life expectancy is knocked down from 103.5 to 102. That's all. Hah!

 

[audreyh1]

It says I may be healthy to 95. My observation is that even fit/educated/upper income folks start being less active through their 70s.

I know some people who did really well and lived completely independently until their very late 80s. They had a few health scares along the way, but overcame them.

 

[audreyh1]

Surprised that it won't let someone live past 100? Seems like it tops out at 99+.

No, I got 101.5. Scary that!

 

[MarieIG]

No, I got 101.5. Scary that!

Me too.

 

[razztazz]

Now I feel better already. I suppose VR will be even more realistic so we can spend our days in the Meta world.

I meant medically speaking. I have a defibrillator in my chest that gets challenged and replies every 90 days from a modem in my bedroom and sends the data to some big computer at the hospital.

Remember the Star Trek episode "Menagerie"? Not quite the ending "Cocoon" had but something I might consider

 

[Badger]

I was careful to be very honest with my answers and it said my expiration date was once I was 99.1 years. I seriously doubt I will get anywhere close to that. It is too simplistic and doesn't take into consideration my joints are going bad and more will need to be replaced (already have fused lumbar area and knee) as well as other issues.
It seems more like one of the surveys you find on Facebook for entertainment.

Cheers!

 

[jollystomper]

Results

- Your predicted future healthy years is 33.2 Years
- Your Relative Healthy Life Expectancy is about 63.2% above Average
- Your predicted future unhealthy years is 2.8 Years
- Your predicted future total years of living is 36.0 Years i.e. Your predicted age at death is 64 + 36.0 (Current Age + Life Expectancy) = 100 Years
- Your predicted future unhealthy years, if disabled by a cognitive disease, is 4.1 Years

How does my lifestyle affect my Healthy Life Expectancy?
- You are doing a great job exercising, keep up the great work
- At the moment your BMI is looking good, but make sure you keep an eye on it
- By sleeping more each night you can increase your healthy life expectancy by 4.25% which is about 16.9 months
- Your alcohol consumption has little effect on your healthy life expectancy
- Not smoking has a positive impact on your healthy life expectancy


Of course, the proverbial truck or bus can change all that in an instant...

 

[Freedom56]

I meant medically speaking. I have a defibrillator in my chest that gets challenged and replies every 90 days from a modem in my bedroom and sends the data to some big computer at the hospital.

Remember the Star Trek episode "Menagerie"? Not quite the ending "Cocoon" had but something I might consider

It was the best episode from the original series but it was a zoo full of species lured and trapped from other worlds. But the woman was nice so I guess the illusion would work out.

 

[Out of Steam]

I hadn’t had an accident, other than once having my car hit while stopped, at a light, for 25 years, then had two in six months.

While I assume an above-average life expectancy in my planning, the reported healthy life to age 92 seems optimistic.

 

[RetMD21]

I know some people who did really well and lived completely independently until their very late 80s. They had a few health scares along the way, but overcame them.

Sure though I see a loss in activity level generally. Driving to the grocery store and walking in the park in the late 80s is great but the same folks might have been taking multistate car trips and hiking on trails in their mid 70s. Pre-pandemic it seemed like there were noticeably fewer 80 year olds in airports than around town.

 

[friar1610]

Sure though I see a loss in activity level generally. Driving to the grocery store and walking in the park in the late 80s is great but the same folks might have been taking multistate car trips and hiking on trails in their mid 70s. Pre-pandemic it seemed like there were noticeably fewer 80 year olds in airports than around town.

My wife and I (75 and 77, respectively) were talking about this the other day. We don’t seem to have returned all the way to our pre-COVID levels of activity. We were trying to decide if:
- we’ve slowed down a bit because we’re 2 years older. We’ve each had relatively minor health issues during those 2+ years - are they real reasons or just excuses? In either case, is it physical or psychological?
- we tapered back on activity (gym, yoga, plays, athletic events, dinners out, vacations , etc.) during the COVID restrictions and have yet to return to those levels. Will we ever return? If so, totally? Partially? Minimally?
- the hassle factor in, say, going to a play or game in Boston (an hour +/- drive) sometimes feels overwhelming and we decide against it. Of course, traffic is awful - has it gotten that much worse or are we less tolerant than before?

Even the dog (14+), who has always been a great impetus to get out and walk, lets us know he doesn’t want to go as far these days and digs his paws in when we get about 15 minutes into a walk as if to tell us to turn around and limit the walk to half an hour!

A big test for us (unless COVID comes roaring back) will be an autumn river cruise in Europe with trans-Atlantic flights and a 3 day extension in a major city at the end.