Is 80 the new 60? 'It's the triumph of aging' — but not for everyone

[luckydude]

No offense to anyone but let's be honest...if you're still doing the same things in your late 70's that you were doing at 55 then you weren't really doing all that much at 55.

From my own circle of friends, I ride mountain bike with a 75-year-old guy who can keep up with me on climbs and leave me in the dust on descents. For reference, I am in my early 50s, ride 6 days a week, run once a week, lift weights, do martial arts/sparring and hike, and yet he can still keep up with me.

I know another guy who is 83. He rides a popular mountain bike trail around my neighborhood. The trail is 12 miles with 1,300 ft of elevation gain. He rides it EVERYDAY. We jokingly call him the "Old Man" but he is still faster than a lot of the young people on the trail.

I have another friend who is 70 and rides 4 times a week and does dirt jumps. Great rider.

Sure, many people are living longer because of the miracle of modern medicine, but many older folks are also fitter than ever well into their 70s and 80s and doing physical activities once thought impossible for their age.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Despite all eating healthy and exercising I have had 8 friends die of cancer between 59-67.

 

[Chuckanut]

There are people who are simply blessed with good genes.

From what I have read, the now infamous Lance Armstrong was able to oxygenate and pump more blood that most of us. Maybe twice as much. I've heard that some runners have joints that allow them to stride just a bit farther than others with the same build. It makes sense since we are all different.

 

[tmm99]

I guess my point was that if you're somewhat active at 55 and your health holds up then you can sill do the same somewhat active/moderate activities into your 70's such as exercising, walking 18 holes, etc.

But if your activities at 55 were more difficult or high level you won't be able to maintain the same level. Such as skiing the blacks, lifting heavy weights, carrying bundles of shingles up ladders, etc.

I have to agree with you on this. It's simply the natural order of things. We lose muscle mass as we get older, and we don't have the same strength as we get older. I see older guys playing volleyball too at a competitive level, but they play in their own age bracket if they want to stand out. I've seen some older guys (in their 60s) playing at an intermediate level with young folks (in their 30s, etc), and they're good, technical players who know where to place the ball, etc, but when it gets to hard-hitting spikes, there is no competition there. I've played with a 65-year-old ex-Olympic volleyball player a few times and he was better than anybody there, but that doesn't mean much. I'm sure he played a whole lot better when he was younger.

I played in the 50+ women's volleyball circle for a while. Almost everyone has played at a high school or uni-level so they have been playing for decades. I think the oldest bunch was 65ish. There was a noticeable difference in the speed of the movement of the older group when they had to run for the ball. I am 63 and am still hanging on, but I feel my days are numbered. I can always go down a level when I get slower.

 

[MichaelB]

My mum was a public health nurse working mostly with seniors. She often said diet and exercise - being in good physical condition - would add a couple of years, but modern medicine and avoiding accidents was what helped most people live longer.

The big difference that exercise and diet did affect was quality of life. People in poor physical condition still lived long lives but spent years fading, with limited mobility, needing lots of care, assistance and health services. Medicine kept them alive, but it was not a high quality existence.

People in better physical shape enjoyed a higher quality of life, were far more mobile, remained independent longer, needed less care. When the end did arrive, it came relatively more quickly.

 

[Dtail]

You are what you eat. Most people show it.

Bill Maher had an interesting monologue recently. Titled "Fat Acceptance". You can find it on YouTube. He was pretty blunt.

I agree that medicine can keep you upright longer, but I don't see much "health" in 60s, 70s. More like "getting by".

Bolded by me - Possibly true taken as a whole, but much less so for active adults of this age.
Take a look at the Florida senior games with categories of 95 to 99 in some sports.
Additionally, people with top notch care overall tend to live longer healthier lives. The recent past presidents are just one example.

 

[Dtail]

Despite all eating healthy and exercising I have had 8 friends die of cancer between 59-67.

Yeah the cancer diagnosis seems to still be the issue, vs. heart attacks/strokes.

 

[Music Lover]

My mum was a public health nurse working mostly with seniors. She often said diet and exercise - being in good physical condition - would add a couple of years, but modern medicine and avoiding accidents was what helped most people live longer.

The big difference that exercise and diet did affect was quality of life. People in poor physical condition still lived long lives but spent years fading, with limited mobility, needing lots of care, assistance and health services. Medicine kept them alive, but it was not a high quality existence.

People in better physical shape enjoyed a higher quality of life, were far more mobile, remained independent longer, needed less care. When the end did arrive, it came relatively more quickly.

We just spent a week visiting relatives about an 8 hour drive from home, we took my wife's mother along as one of her best friends lives 3 hours the other way so she was able to drive and visit MIL that she hasn't seen in a few years.

The difference between the two 84-year old women was noticeable. Wife's mother is very inactive and had difficulty with stairs and getting out of her chair. Basically, her legs are so weak from inactivity that she's a danger to fall at any time. If she trips she has no chance of catching herself and preventing a fall. Her friend is very active, exercises regularly (as she told us) and had no problems at all on stairs or getting out of her chair.

 

[Ronstar]

Every one of my friends and relatives between 60 and 80 years old have some health issues. But they have their issues mostly under control through modern medicine, increased doctor visits, better diets, more exercise. So they lead active lifestyles within the limits of their health concerns.

I think the healthy 80 year olds of today take better care of themselves than the average 60 year old did years ago. And the results show. So I can see where some people think that 80 is the new 60.

 

[harllee]

My 90 year old mother was still walking a couple of miles a day, dancing, driving her car, living independently and briskly walking up and down stairs (no cane or walker for her) until about 6 months ago. In February she had Covid (was vaccinated and one booster) and has significantly gone down hill since then, especially her memory. He doctor says she has long Covid. So things do happen even to those of us in the best of shape. But she has had a great life for 90 years. I am hoping I have inherited her genes. I really work at keeping in shape.

 

[aja8888]

My 86 year old neighbor, and golf partner, was buying a new driver to try to get a few more yards off the tee last Fall. We play with a group over 75 years old each Thursday.

Before my neighbor bought the $500 driver, he had a stroke and lost the use of his left side. He was in PT when he had another stroke that took him out. Healthy and active guy, with no material things wrong with him, but a stroke got him.

I fear that happening to me more than anything else. All systems are good, but those strokes can come out of nowhere.

 

[Ronstar]

My 90 year old mother was still walking a couple of miles a day, dancing, driving her car, living independently and briskly walking up and down stairs (no cane or walker for her) until about 6 months ago. In February she had Covid (was vaccinated and one booster) and has significantly gone down hill since then, especially her memory. He doctor says she has long Covid. So things do happen even to those of us in the best of shape. But she has had a great life for 90 years. I am hoping I have inherited her genes. I really work at keeping in shape.

My MIL used to walk a couple of miles a day living independently. But she quit exercising during this past winter, and couldn’t get started this spring. Now at 93, she can barely walk on her own. Memory problems, and now heart issues are taking their toll. She just move in with us yesterday after she spent a few days in the hospital getting a pacemaker. She gets exhausted after DW walks with her for a couple of laps through the house.

I think the key is to stay active as long as you can. Or else things will go downhill with little chance of recovery.

 

[Koolau]

My mum was a public health nurse working mostly with seniors. She often said diet and exercise - being in good physical condition - would add a couple of years, but modern medicine and avoiding accidents was what helped most people live longer.

The big difference that exercise and diet did affect was quality of life. People in poor physical condition still lived long lives but spent years fading, with limited mobility, needing lots of care, assistance and health services. Medicine kept them alive, but it was not a high quality existence.

People in better physical shape enjoyed a higher quality of life, were far more mobile, remained independent longer, needed less care. When the end did arrive, it came relatively more quickly.

Yep. "Good habits" are more about wellness than life span. I've seen a number of studies that mention the differences between fit and obese being 2 or 3 years on average. The ONE difference is smoking. That was around 10 years life-time deficit IIRC (not to mention lack of health.) Medical interventions keep folks alive - even though they aren't well. YMMV

 

[Chuckanut]

Sadly, bad things will happen to most of us as we age. The trick is to put them off as long as possible.

IMO, we are all going to have aches and pains.

A buddy of mine is an aging high school PE teacher and he put it to me simply, "As you age you are going to have more aches and pains, especially when you start moving early in the day but often during the day also. What you have to decide is do you want to have aches and pain while maintaining as much strength as you can? Or do you want to have aches and pains most of the day while you are weak and feeble?"

I would just like to add that besides exercise and diet, the best thing to help slow down aging is laughing and have fun. For some oddball reason when I take a grand to the zoo and am racing about in a desperate attempt to keep up with the kid, the aches and pains are mostly gone.

 

[Scuba]

My mum was a public health nurse working mostly with seniors. She often said diet and exercise - being in good physical condition - would add a couple of years, but modern medicine and avoiding accidents was what helped most people live longer.

The big difference that exercise and diet did affect was quality of life. People in poor physical condition still lived long lives but spent years fading, with limited mobility, needing lots of care, assistance and health services. Medicine kept them alive, but it was not a high quality existence.

People in better physical shape enjoyed a higher quality of life, were far more mobile, remained independent longer, needed less care. When the end did arrive, it came relatively more quickly.

I agree with all of this.

 

[harllee]

DH and I dance several times a week (all kinds, ballroom, shag, swing, salsa, clogging). Most of our dancing friends are in their 70s-80s and even 90s. These folks are all in the best shape. Dancing, laughing and having fun. No sitting around for us.

 

[ncbill]

Yep, stay active for better quality of life.

Saw that in my father versus father-in-law.

Dad worked at a desk, never exercised, wouldn't even participate in physical therapy when he started having movement issues...died end of last year after being a virtual prisoner in his own house for the last few years of his life.

Father-in-law is just a year younger, worked a physical but skilled blue-collar job, stayed physically active even after retiring almost 30 years ago.

He's slowing down some but still is outside working on something nearly every day.

As a transplant recipient he's grateful for every day but also hopes that being such means less lingering when his time comes.

 

[EarlyandLate]

Where are you seeing these "masses" of people in their 70s not in good shape? At the Walmart? Look instead at the fitness centers, golf courses , dance venues, etc and see 70 plus people in good shape. Or maybe you don't recognize us, maybe the active good looking people you think are 55 are actually 70.

Yes, it all depends on where you look. When I visit my dad in a state that is pretty low in any national ranking of fitness, health, longevity, I go to his church with him. It is a large, but dwindling collection of people from 60's to 80's with huge guts, giant hips, bad joints and stooped backs. If that were the only place you made observations, you'd certainly believe that the decline with age is steep and severe.
Fortunately my dad believes in the power of good diet and exercise. He just gave up mowing the field on his tractor this year due to having covid.

 

[SJhawkins]

The main reason I want to retire early, before 60, funerals are starting to hit closer to home!

Plan for the worst hope for the best as they say!

 

[Koolau]

The main reason I want to retire early, before 60, funerals are starting to hit closer to home!

Plan for the worst hope for the best as they say!

It's a rude awakening - especially when friends, co-w*rkers, family start to die at ages younger than you. That motivated me to become financially independent. I stayed at Megacorp only because I found myself enjoying it again. The minute I stopped enjoying - I was gone. YMMV

 

[aja8888]

The main reason I want to retire early, before 60, funerals are starting to hit closer to home!

Plan for the worst hope for the best as they say!

Between close friends and family members, I have more funerals behind me than left in front. I'll be 79 in a couple of months and the oldest left in the family. But still able to post here!

 

[jeffmete]

It’s easy to look at sedentary older people and blame them for being sedentary. My wife has arthritis in all her joints, new knees helped, but now her ankles and shoulder are going out, so it hurts to walk, and the less you do, the less you want to do. She had infections in her last knee replacement that took 5 replacements (spacers) and a year to get over. So she’s scared to do anything with her ankle. And the history on ankle replacement infections is worse than knees and usually end up with fusing the joint. People playing competitive sports in there 70’s hit the genetic lottery and shouldn’t gloat, it’s less about you than it is your parents. I quit playing league basketball at 50 cause I could tell I was losing ground to the kids. Still walk, Pickelball and hit the gym couple times a week at 70.

 

[yhoomajor]

I don't think 80 is the new 60. Rather 50 is the new 60.

These days stress (mental stress) of a Job consumes one's energy more than it used to in old days. More people burn out at work than they used to.

In olden days, one income family lived happily. Now, dual income families are struggling to meet (illusionary) societal expectations. Society is living on drugs (whether ADHD, stimulants, anti-anxiety and many others).

Few decades back, we made it to moon. Now we celebrate if we send a rocket in outer space. Earlier, we invented new things all the time. Now innovation involves apps to post pictures of what food someone had for lunch and share that with social friends.

And no.. I am not a boomer. Just another (almost) burnt-out cog in the machine.

 

[NW-Bound]

And, sadly, as if on cue...just heard that Olivia Newton John just died, at 73...

Unfortunately cancer is a wildcard. We can eat healthy and exercise and still die young from cancer. You just never know.

There ya go. Man proposes, God disposes.

 

[NW-Bound]

Few decades back, we made it to moon. Now we celebrate if we send a rocket in outer space. Earlier, we invented new things all the time. Now innovation involves apps to post pictures of what food someone had for lunch and share that with social friends...

Hah. I am glad I am not the only one lamenting about lack of progress in some areas, while having access to much better technology than older generations did.