C'mon, John Galt. At age 25 we just THINK we're immortal.
It's true that at age 25 I had the POTENTIAL to be in much better shape than now (on the cusp of 44).
Lessee, in 1985 I was standing six-hour midwatches on top of 12-hour days, drinking 6-8 daily cups of Navy coffee, working in spaces so clogged with second-hand cigarette smoke that we were cleaning the air filters weekly, eating all the fatty fried food I could wrap my lips around, finishing it off with a cup or two (or three) of ice cream, only working out when I was ashore (maybe), and drinking as much Guiness (ashore!) as any self-respecting Scotsman. I eyed vegetables with suspicion and sunscreen was for wimps who couldn't handle tanning oil. Looking over my medical records from those halcyon carefree youthful days, I weighed 205 (I'm 5'10") with a 36" waist, 230 cholesterol (we didn't bother with that LDL/HDL stuff then) and a BP of 145/90. Oh, yeah, and I was absorbing 20-30 mrem/month of gamma radiation from a nuclear reactor with an unmeasured chaser of neutrons from ICBM warheads.
Luckily I don't have to worry about the workplace environment any more. Last night I logged my sixth month of tae kwon do training. Today I just finished a couple hours in the surf and I'm paddling stronger than ever, but I'm saving myself for a couple hours' surfing tomorrow before Friday-night sparring. I still drink an honorary daily cup of Kona but most of my hot beverage is green tea. I eat mostly fish & poultry, LOTS of green stuff, and a half-cup cone of ice cream 4-5 days a week (apparently I'm still human). A case of Corona beer lasts me over a month. I work out six or seven times a week and most of it is recreational, not mandated by the workplace. I'm down to 185 lbs with a 32" waist and all of my old uniforms are too small in the chest/shoulders. My cholesterol is below 200, my BP is below 120/70, and I'm pretty sure my house is in a radiation-free area.
As another example, the Navy has been running a physical-fitness test for at least 20 years now. With a few notable exceptions, my scores over the last two decades have been rising to the point where I was doing better than many of the young whippersnappers who should have been "in the best shape of their life".
Clearly I should have lived a healthier lifestyle & worked out to my full potential when I was 25 so that I could have even better health today. But back then I was immortal and couldn't even spell cognitive dissonance! However, I'm pretty sure that by the time I reach your rarified age strata that I'll look back on 44 as "the best shape of my life".
It's true that at age 25 I had the POTENTIAL to be in much better shape than now (on the cusp of 44).
Lessee, in 1985 I was standing six-hour midwatches on top of 12-hour days, drinking 6-8 daily cups of Navy coffee, working in spaces so clogged with second-hand cigarette smoke that we were cleaning the air filters weekly, eating all the fatty fried food I could wrap my lips around, finishing it off with a cup or two (or three) of ice cream, only working out when I was ashore (maybe), and drinking as much Guiness (ashore!) as any self-respecting Scotsman. I eyed vegetables with suspicion and sunscreen was for wimps who couldn't handle tanning oil. Looking over my medical records from those halcyon carefree youthful days, I weighed 205 (I'm 5'10") with a 36" waist, 230 cholesterol (we didn't bother with that LDL/HDL stuff then) and a BP of 145/90. Oh, yeah, and I was absorbing 20-30 mrem/month of gamma radiation from a nuclear reactor with an unmeasured chaser of neutrons from ICBM warheads.
Luckily I don't have to worry about the workplace environment any more. Last night I logged my sixth month of tae kwon do training. Today I just finished a couple hours in the surf and I'm paddling stronger than ever, but I'm saving myself for a couple hours' surfing tomorrow before Friday-night sparring. I still drink an honorary daily cup of Kona but most of my hot beverage is green tea. I eat mostly fish & poultry, LOTS of green stuff, and a half-cup cone of ice cream 4-5 days a week (apparently I'm still human). A case of Corona beer lasts me over a month. I work out six or seven times a week and most of it is recreational, not mandated by the workplace. I'm down to 185 lbs with a 32" waist and all of my old uniforms are too small in the chest/shoulders. My cholesterol is below 200, my BP is below 120/70, and I'm pretty sure my house is in a radiation-free area.
As another example, the Navy has been running a physical-fitness test for at least 20 years now. With a few notable exceptions, my scores over the last two decades have been rising to the point where I was doing better than many of the young whippersnappers who should have been "in the best shape of their life".
Clearly I should have lived a healthier lifestyle & worked out to my full potential when I was 25 so that I could have even better health today. But back then I was immortal and couldn't even spell cognitive dissonance! However, I'm pretty sure that by the time I reach your rarified age strata that I'll look back on 44 as "the best shape of my life".
