MEN: So...How many GOOD years do you think you have left?

[mystang52]

I think worrying about how many good years do I have left is wrong-headed. When and if your years become other than good, you will know. Until then, laissez les bon temps rouler!

Ha

I agree with this attitude. I "discovered" exercise late, at age 47; prior to then I was an overweight couch potato. I'll be 64 in a couple of months. These past 17 years have been great.
As I've aged some accommodations have already been made. I no longer run marathons or even half-marathons due to back issues. But I still enjoy my shorter runs, along with cycling and swimming.
I get encouragement from 3 things:1) my brother is 6 years older than I and still cycles almost every day. If my back ultimately prevents me from any running, I'll replace the running days with cycling days. 2) at the Y where I swim, there are many older guys still swimming their laps. I don't know how far they go, but I see them each of the 4 days that I'm there. 3) Several years back I met a fellow racer at a 10 mile race. He was 72 years old, and celebrating a 5 year anniversary of his heart surgery. Now, that is encouraging, that even if a bad medical issue arises there is the real possibility of bouncing back.

 

[Koogie]

Kind of a depressing thread, but a good reminder to make the most out of my 30's, 40's and 50's. For general planning purposes, I figure I'll fall apart some time in my 60's. Two male grandparents didn't last much longer than 70 before things fell apart. I've noticed a huge change between age 58 or 59 and age 64 for my dad. I figure that's the script I'll follow largely because of genetics.

At 35 I can still do pretty much anything I could at 18 though it's not always as easy (and sometimes hurts more the next day ).

You'll notice a much bigger drop off in your 40s. Stuff at 35 that ached for a couple days and was funny/annoying becomes "man... my shoulder has hurt for two years now..."

 

[Nemo2]

Ah, at some point, you will think "Why even bother", and just sit in your rocking chair and enjoy the petunia on your front porch.

Is it depressing? No, it's just life. Life is not always about jumping up and down with exuberance. Life can be very sober, and even sad.

And here's the anthem:

 

[aja8888]

You'll notice a much bigger drop off in your 40s. Stuff at 35 that ached for a couple days and was funny/annoying becomes "man... my shoulder has hurt for two years now..."

Had to laugh! Or, "my shoulder hurts all the time, but I just don't pay attention to it anymore."

 

[RunningBum]

I won't turn 55 until later this year, so maybe I'm not old enough to have the right perspective. One of the first things I'll do after I turn 55 is run another 100 mile race. Someone talked about joints wearing out, but that doesn't happen uniformly. My joints are fine, and I know older people who run a lot more than me who are fine, and people who do a lot less who are not.


I had two ski friends still out there in their early 90s. Another mid 80s friend who skis and took 3 cruises last year where he and his wife (same age) closed down the dance floor every night, which they'll also do around town on occasion. Another 70 year old friend still runs more than one 100 miler a year.


I try to picture myself being like these people more than those who are on a steep downhill slide in their 60s. If it happens to me, it happens, but I'm going to enjoy the active life as long as I can and not worry about when it will end.

 

[Dash man]

I turn 60 in August, but have been fighting cervical disc degeneration for ten years. Pain management has kept me going but things like lower back issues, essential tremors and arthritis have been doing their best to slow me down further. Walking is my exercise of choice and has helped me lose weight and kept my energy levels good. My days of strenuous activities are long gone, but I had some great adventures while I was young, especially while in the Air Force. These days I love walking the beach, reading and going on cruises. DW's knees are shot and can't get them fixed until she loses some weight, which she is working on. Then we hope to do some traveling around Europe and east Asia. I lost my mom at 61 and my dad at 72, but I hope to beat them by quite a bit.


Enjoying life!

 

[Major Tom]

I'm 28 and have anxiety that I will wake up one day and be 65.

Occasionally, I lie in bed at night and think on the possibility that any one of a thousand things in my body could suddenly stop working while I'm sleeping, and I'd be completely out of luck. I mean, A Ford Pinto is considerably less complex than a human body, and those things broke down all the time

Both my parents made it to their mid-80's, with their last few years not being so great, so I'm working on the assumption that any fun that requires the full use of my body should be done in the next 20 years (I am now 52). But heck, as NW-Bound says, life is life, and if you've had plenty of fun when younger, whose to say that sitting on the porch isn't enjoyable too? I already spend a lot of time kickin' back with my kitties at home, and love every minute of it.

 

[frayne]

Turning 65 next month and have been retired now eleven years and all very good years. That said, I have noticed some change in what I can do as opposed to what I use to be able to do. Can't drive the golf ball 270 yards, maybe 220 now with a little roll. Can't run the bases and slide like I could twenty years ago, basketball skills have taken a hit as well. The bottom line is, we are all different, some at 50 don't have any good years left and some at 70 have quite a few. Enjoy the day and try not to worry about it and just live life the best you can.

 

[braumeister]

I think worrying about how many good years do I have left is wrong-headed. When and if your years become other than good, you will know. Until then, laissez les bon temps rouler!

True enough. Just keep on keeping on.

If all goes well, I'll turn 70 next month. I can (and do) still do everything I did at 40, just not as fast, not as heavy, not as frequently, more gently, etc.

Life is good until it isn't.

 

[imoldernu]

How many GOOD years do you think you have left?

All

At age 80, every day is a gift. Some of the items on the "lists" that others have posted, have never been in my own repitoire, like hiking tall mountains. (Mt Marcy was my limit 30 years ago). Golf, or running never a favorite.
Swimming was the thing until about 4 years ago, when pool access became more time consuming.

Age 75 was the tipping point. Up until then virtually no limits as to the activities (though naturally, endurance changed.) So boogie boarding, sailing, and limited sports were still in the mix.

Limitations? Arthritis, idiopathic hand neuropathy and newly discovered asymptomatic Afib... but nothing to limit the physical activities, so I still bike, 15 to 20 miles (mostly on the flat), canoe... about an hour is my limit, and use my antique Vitamaster exercise bike 1/2 to 1 hr/day. (no resistance)

So much for sporty kind of stuff. More important is the physicality of work. Our lakeside camp is a full time never ending project. Repairs to a 40 year old camp, 400sf deck, a 400sf add a room cabin, water, heat , 13 40 foot+ oak trees, and an aging wooden seawall... plus flowers, mowing, mole repair, bird feeder maintenance... and controlling Rocky the Raccoon's attack and damages... Up, down, over and under, a continuous muscle challenge. Now rebuilding my pontoon boat. Exhausting but totally fun. Begin at 6AM, work til lunch at 1PM, and then vegetate watching TV and napping.

So yeah... still there, at half speed or less. Initially not much of a difference, except maybe off road biking changed to paved roads, and moving, pushing, carrying or lifting changed from 50 pounds to 25 pounds. the mental acceptance was slow in coming, but now that it's here, not so much frustration. In another year, will probably hire people to do some of the stuff that I've been doing my whole life.

Every year is a good year... Every day, a good day... Slower, but still really GOOD.

 

[Music Lover]

I'm still young...just turned 54 and have enjoyed good health my entire life and I haven't seen any real decrease yet, but I know it's coming. I have always lifted weights and done cardio so that could be part of the reason (besides my age) why I haven't seen a decrease. I walked 18 holes of golf this morning and finished with no aches or pains and still feel fresh in spite of a lot of hard work on Monday when I made over 100 trips up and down the stairs to the basement moving band gear and clearing out old studs and drywall from the removal of a wall, and transferring tools and reno supplies to the garage.

So, to answer the question, I like to think (hope?) that I have 20 good years left before there is a real decline.

 

[nash031]

I've seen a 78 year old man running triathlons beating people less than half his age. I plan to be like that guy, even if I'm not racing any longer...

 

[misanman]

I will be 70 in July. Good health (as far as I know). Physically active - walking (3 miles each morning), water sports, skiing, work around the house/cottage (lawn mowing, trimming, putting docks in/out). I take no medications and have no aches or pains so far. I think I feel as good as I did 10 to 20 years ago but who knows what tomorrow may bring.

 

[FreeBear]

I am completing a book, "Younger Next Year", that goes into the physical process of aging and how exercise can delay it.

If you do not get enough exercise, you are doomed. The body was not designed for the 20th+ century. It was designed for prehistoric man and the inputs from that style of living. When you do not get exercise (i.e. hunting, gathering, etc.), it is a signal to your that you are ready to die.

+1

I'm also a fan of "Younger Next Year". I really hope that the basic premise, rapid decline in physical capability can be delayed into the 80's by daily rigorous exercise and careful diet, holds true for us. On paper, for what it's worth, we're planning for the high activity "go-go" years to last into our 70's. This is based on what we see in our reasonably healthy, but much older friends. A big reason were retired early is to maximize the time DW and I can enjoy these active years.

Financially, our withdrawals are also front-loaded. We're reasonably confident that we have enough to pay for the "go-go" years and many of the "slow go" years that are likely to follow. We'd like to have the most fun while we can still move and remember what we just did...

Most of us are "beating the odds" financially by retiring early. DW and I would love to do likewise by enjoying a long, active, and healthy life. In fact, you can say this is our next big project or goal now that we've achieved ER!

FB

 

[NW-Bound]

Had to laugh! Or, "my shoulder hurts all the time, but I just don't pay attention to it anymore."

Cue George Burns' quote

"You know you are old when everything hurts. What does not hurt does not work" -- George Burns

... and if you've had plenty of fun when younger, whose to say that sitting on the porch isn't enjoyable too? I already spend a lot of time kickin' back with my kitties at home, and love every minute of it.

Well, then it's time to get off the porch and take off in the RV. You can take the kitties too. Many RV'ers whose blogs I read travel solo with their cats. Do it soon, while you are still young and fit.

 

[Blueskies123]

"glucosamine is a scam for joint pain"

THIS- 100% agree

 

[fritz]

Retired at 58 (almost 7 years ago) and turning 65 in a month. Live in a retirement community and have access to an indoor pool where we swim laps. Was doing three days/week and now doing two days/week. Ride our bikes just about every day when it's warm and walk in cooler months (in the mall in colder/wetter months). Snow removal and lawn mowing are in the HOA, but we do a lot of gardening in the yard (SFH). We winter down south since retiring and walk and golf while there.

We've also changed our diet to eliminate most meat - kind of vegan/vegetarian, but still like a good steak or hamburger occasionally. This has helped health-wise tremendously. Owe all this to DW, who pushes me along to a healthier me. Wouldn't say we're the athletic types, but since retiring it has been part of our daily habits. I have noticed that the last couple of years things have slowed a bit and my body lets me know when I've overdone it (even with gardening).

We believe it's important to stay active and moving, as it appears to slow the aging process and keep us active enough to enjoy more than the TV. Also have no regrets about pulling the plug and retiring early (58/57) - enjoyed everything so far and looking forward to many more active years.

 

[NW-Bound]

As I often say here, I am not athletic, but reasonably trim and active. My bloodwork has always been good, and I take no meds. Yet, I could have died a couple of years ago because of a sudden problem (I am OK now).

Right now, no part of my body hurts (and everything still works ).

I do not know how much time I have left, but worrying about it is not productive. I am enjoying life as I can. I make plans only a few months in advance. I will be at a seaside Mexican resort next week with my grown children and son-in-law. When I come back, maybe I will look to take a European trip in fall. Maybe a river cruise, which I have not done. I don't know. There are so many places I have not been, and so it should not be too hard to go somewhere new, see something I have not seen, eat something I have not eaten.

 

[FreeBear]

Ah, at some point, you will think "Why even bother", and just sit in your rocking chair and enjoy the petunia on your front porch.

Is it depressing? No, it's just life. Life is not always about jumping up and down with exuberance. Life can be very sober, and even sad.

Seems like retirement can have several stages, almost certainly from active to less active. These transitions don't seem easy, especially if considered negative. Adapting to change, whether considered positive or negative, is just part of life.

Funny, apparently many folks dread retirement as a time to grow old and die, so I'm told by the mass media. I'm glad that most here embrace it as a time to take care of the important business of living, especially in light of the realization that we won't be healthy forever.

FB

 

[6miths]

Just turned 55 two years retired. Father was very active until 73 when he died of sudden cardiac death. His heart issues were probably smoking related and I have never done that and am very active. Mother still going at 83. So I am hoping for 25 more good ones. Still playing hockey 2-3 times per week. Tennis. Ski. Cycle. Garden like crazy. My gardening must be different than that mentioned above as it is not a low intensity proposition. With a hilly acre of green I think that I get a pretty good workout most days. I have quite a few good role models for living well in old age so hopefully I will be able to emulate them. DW and I certainly have much travel planned once we get the last of the nestlings out and she fully retires. But who knows with smartphones and texting that bus with my number on it may get me tomorrow.

 

[jjquantz]

Just turned 57. I've always been athletic - ran a marathon to celebrate my 45th, did a sprint triathlon at 50. I am stronger than I ever have been due to finally being conscientious about weight training but there is no doubt that my endurance has decreased, at least in part due to nagging injuries that prevent running (arthritic ankle and bad knee, especially). The most noticeable things about aging to me have been A) just how rapidly I decondition if I lay off for a week or two, and B) how much longer it takes to recover after deconditioning. Even 10 years ago, I could take 10 days off of training to let an injury recover and really wouldn't notice any loss when I resumed. Now, however, 10 days off and I almost feel like I'm starting over.

 

[btdt22]

I'll be 74 in 4 months and 2 days, (if I make it).....
Bottom line....when I hit 60 I thought "If this is as bad as it gets then no probs"......but the bridge between 60 and 70 (for most of us, I suspect), is far wider than the bridge between 50 and 60, and the one between 70 and 80 is huge.

At 69 I am finding much the same with a far wider bridge between 60 and 70 than 50 and 60. Had rotator cuff and knee surgery in 60's, with knee replacement on the schedule for this winter. I have always been very active but have found proper exercise more difficult when knee or shoulder requires surgery.

 

[stepford]

It all depends on how you define your life. My Dad was largely sedentary and enjoyed culture, academics, conversation and dining well into his 80s. I'm sure he felt all but the last 3 or 4 years of his life were good ones.

For good or ill I've taken a different path and have been involved in "action sports" (the kind where you occasionally hit the ground really fast and break bones) for much of my adult life. Though I've been luckier than most in avoiding the inevitable injuries I am keenly aware that my recovery time is MUCH longer at 55 than it was 20, or even 10, years ago. Others in my sport seem to last into their mid-late '60s and occasionally into their late '70s if they're careful - though at that point injuries can be life changing/ending.

So I have, at best, 15-20 or so "good" years likely followed by another 15-20 years missing the good old days. Nothing like preemptive nostalgia.

 

[HFWR]

Approaching 62. Have been formally exercising since my mid-30s. Was active in sports growing up. Also, genetically the "sprinter" type. Current weight is 177, ~20% bf. RHR about 60, BP 110/60-ish. Triglycerides a bit high, a product of genetics as well; runs in the family. Have a few vices...

Weights 2-3 days/wk, and am the strongest I've ever been. Walk most every day, and bike when the weather cooperates, but, even though I've added strength, I can definitely tell I've lost stamina, and also flexibility. Stuff hurts a bit more, especially joints, and recovery is slower. Need to work on those areas...

Not planning on ascending Everest, but am hoping that staying active will allow staying active longer.

 

[AboutThere]

Fascinating thread - I'm 52 and it hurts to write that down.

I was going to mention yoga but I see the OP was active in that - I'm still in the beginner's class and I love it. If you can do level 2 or 3 yoga you are healthy, almost by definition.

Biking: I love it almost as much as running. Looking forward to doing it for many years I hope.

I would consider fishing to be an active pursuit - much more active than golf. I spent last weekend wading up- and down-stream, crawling over and under branches, and casting thousands of times. I'm worried that I won't be able to wade when I'm in my 70s but I see guys out there doing it.

I'm very happy with where my fitness level is going, but I don't think of fitness as "winning" anything. I was never a competitive athlete so I'm not burdened by any memories that I'm not living up to. My main concern remains having the time to enjoy the things I want to do.

When I eventually slow down, I'll be in front of my stereo with Wagner blasting away, or pointing a telescope at the stars.

I will really miss not being able to travel, if and when that goes away. It's one of the main reasons I want to start winding down by my late-50s.
I'm also worried about the bad Midwestern winters, as I greatly prefer the outdoors to gyms.

Thanks for posting this thread