Activity might be the most important thing.

[Healthy Lifestyle]

My Mom used to say that all the time. Sure genes plays a major role, but staying physically and mentally active is something we can all do to extend our quality of life. My parents lived to 93 and 96, I’m sure that wouldn’t have been the case had they been sedentary seniors. They both played golf until almost 90 yo.

I like your Mom’s advice and smell what you are cooking.

I want to believe that exercise can cure what ails us as we age!

 

[rodi]

Anyway, they found that running did not necessarily prolong life, but improved quality of life. Runners (and by extension active people in general) had a short period of bad health before their demise, vs years for the inactive group. Here's my contradictory thought: maybe people who stay active into advanced age do so precisely because their genetics make it possible to do so.

I agree with both these points. MIL recently passed at age 96. She was slim, but did not exercise regularly. When dementia set in in her mid 80's her quality of life dropped to nil. She has great genetics for longevity, but never exercised.

My father died at age 77, after a very active life. Used to ride his bike 15 miles each way to work 3 times a week. Running on the other days. Backpacking was his passion. When he realized he needed more upper body training he took up kayaking. Super active. Survived prostate cancer in his 60's only to die of complications from the treatment of multiple myeloma. Genetics played a bigger part in his earlier death. But his quality of life was great till 3 days before he died... He was due to go on a three month round the world trip only 2 weeks after he died. So he hadn't slowed down.

My brother was an avid rock climber and cyclist. He rode the "ride the Rockies" fur the fifth time in June 2007, rode the "Tour d' Wyoming" in July 2007, was in peak condition. Labor Day he ended up in the hospital where they found a super aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma (also super rare). He died 3 months later. Fitness did not save him.

I have some of their genetics, so I try to stay active.... Not for longevity, but for quality of life. I will probably get cancer at some point (mom, Dad, and brother all died of cancer), but I don't want to linger.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Study after study shows that exercise is the best medicine for virtually everything, the closest thing to a magic health pill that exists. Genetics and luck play a big part too so be prepared for s**t happens. I'm turning 76 and have been active all of my life with skiing, windsurfing, roller hockey, etc. The last 20 years I have been an avid cyclist and also keep up with weights. I just returned from a bike and barge tour in the Netherlands.

In 2020 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease - progressive neurodegeneration, no current cure - as I said, s**t happens. One of the most troubling symptoms about 1/3 of us get is neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. When I stand my blood pressure drops more that 20ml diastolic and systolic. I can usually walk OK but have to be on the lookout for dizziness. Luckily, cycling is a good position for NOH and does not present a problem. On the other hand, I tried a Pickleball for PD group and discovered that jumping around or any sort of running is out of the picture for me. Still, the exercise magic pill seems to help slow the progression of most of my other PD symptoms. I plan to keep cycling until I can't, then maybe a rowing machine?

Try golfing. I golf 4 to 5 days a week and even though I ride in a cart/buggy, the exercise is tremendous because our course is built on and around mountains. We are constantly climbing up and down to get the tee boxes and greens.

 

[zaqxsw]

I agree with both these points. MIL recently passed at age 96. She was slim, but did not exercise regularly. When dementia set in in her mid 80's her quality of life dropped to nil. She has great genetics for longevity, but never exercised.

My father died at age 77, after a very active life. Used to ride his bike 15 miles each way to work 3 times a week. Running on the other days. Backpacking was his passion. When he realized he needed more upper body training he took up kayaking. Super active. Survived prostate cancer in his 60's only to die of complications from the treatment of multiple myeloma. Genetics played a bigger part in his earlier death. But his quality of life was great till 3 days before he died... He was due to go on a three month round the world trip only 2 weeks after he died. So he hadn't slowed down.

My brother was an avid rock climber and cyclist. He rode the "ride the Rockies" fur the fifth time in June 2007, rode the "Tour d' Wyoming" in July 2007, was in peak condition. Labor Day he ended up in the hospital where they found a super aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma (also super rare). He died 3 months later. Fitness did not save him.

I have some of their genetics, so I try to stay active.... Not for longevity, but for quality of life. I will probably get cancer at some point (mom, Dad, and brother all died of cancer), but I don't want to linger.

Thanks. It's also my observation. I'm all for exercise as long as you can do it without negative effects. I have for many years. There are negative effects later in life. A body can only recover so much from physical stress as you age.

The healthiest lifestyle folks I've known weren't the longest living. In fact, the opposite. It's so ironic.

My dad was a super active teetotaler who worked into his mid 70's, his older brother was an alcoholic. The older brother outlived my dad by many years.

It's all fate in the end but put the odds in your favor anyway you can!

 

[Calico]

I get my exercise but by nature I probably lean more in this direction.

I'm so glad I watched this short video.

It turns out that in retirement I am actually an excellent apex predator, and not the "lazy, unproductive bum" several generations of my New England Puritan ancestors would see me as. What a relief!!

And now, back to more feet-on-the-couch, book-in-the-hand, cat-on-the-lap time this evening.

I'll hunt for my food tomorrow.

 

[Zona]

All my life I have been capable of exercise but extremely lazy and inconsistent about it. It felt like a chore and there was always something I would rather do than go to the gym. Having had a dear friend recently pass from an aggressive cancer before age 50, I know there aren't any guarantees for health or longevity. Genetics play a big role. But it was also a wake-up call to do the best I can to keep my body in good condition for whatever life has in store. So I've been focusing every week to make sure I do at least something in each of these areas: building strength, increasing flexibility, keeping balance, and improving cardio capacity. Each week I try to fit in hiking, treadmill walking on a high incline, rowing machine and yoga.

Thanks to posts on this forum, I read "Younger Next Year" and that was eye-opening too.

 

[Chuckanut]

It is possible to exercise too much, especially as we age and our bodies need more time to recover. I try to listen to my body. It’s pretty good at telling me when I need to move more, and when a day at the beach is a better choice.

 

[audreyh1]

I’m most hoping to avoid dementia. Supposedly a diet low enough in carbs to maintain at least mild ketosis helps considerably, and is even used as therapy for those suffering from dementia as the brain readily takes up ketones for energy when it has difficulty taking up glucose due to brain insulin resistance. Diabetes is a large predictor of dementia in later life, so doing whatever you can to stay metabolically healthy is very important.

And I’ll keep up the exercise especially yoga. I focus more on walking, hiking, strength training, some cycling and yoga these days and less on aerobic fitness. Nothing super strenuous anymore as I’m careful of injury. Regardless we usually go on long hikes at high altitude (7000 ft+) at least once a year these days, and I know that after a few days adjustment to the altitude from sea level I do very very well, experiencing little to no breathlessness even climbing. So that seems like a great measure.

 

[savory]

You’ll find me playing pickleball, riding my bike for commuting and multi-week bicycle trips, boxing on the meta verse and more. But, I think it Is unfortunate that we make fitness sound like a special and extra activity.

I think the place to start our discussion is to with our motor vehicles. People in cities with good public transport and driving is difficult, NYC, are healthier than people living in cities like Phoenix. But, all of us can participate in the drive less fitness effort.

Re-evaluate opportunities when a destination can be reached without a car. Or, park a 1/2 mile or more from your destination and walk or bike the rest of the way. If available ride a bus

Bottom line, have a conversation with your automobile and tell it you are angry that s/he is not helping your health. And then find ways to get to destinations without taking your car the total distance.

 

[Koolau]

For some reason, this thread reminds me of the old joke:

A reporter heard that folks in the hollers lived long lives and decided to interview one to determine the reason for their longevity. He found a grizzled old guy sitting on his porch with a hound dog. He asked "What's the secret of your long life?"

"Well, sonny, I've been married 4 times. I smoke 5 packs of Camels a day. I drink a fifth of 100 proof every day. I never exercise and stay up til all hours."

"So, how old ARE you then?"

"32!"

 

[tmm99]

I play group sports. I really enjoy them, so I'm not particularly doing it for health. When all the group sports stopped during the lockdown, my step count on my Fitbit decreased drastically and I hardly ever got into the fat-burning zone. I have a feeling the lockdown affected a lot of people in the same way. I didn't want to get weak, so I tried to strength train during that time, but it was not fun, so I didn't do it that much.

I hope engaging in sports will make me live longer, but someone mentioned Parkinson's. Playing vigorous sports will lower blood sugar for sure, so that is a plus, but I don't know if we can say it's the most important thing for health/longevity. A lot of other things may play some big roles as well.

My mom walked a lot. She lived in Japan, and she never learned to ride a bike, so she basically had to. She didn't walk fast, but she would go grocery shopping almost every day and carry the groceries home. I'm sure that contributed to her being healthy for a very long time.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I started exercising daily at 31 and continue to this day. I recently added yoga. Out of my 4 grandparents only one exercised regularly and he died younger than the rest at 79. He rode his bike daily to do all their errands unless the snow was really deep. They didn’t own a car.

My other grandparents sat around all the time and died at 84 and 91. In fact I remember thinking as a kid how can they just stay home so much unless they’re going to one of the kids homes.

My ex husband’s wife ate well and runs daily and still got Alzheimer’s at around 67. She only got diagnosed last year at 74 but we all thought she had it long before getting diagnosed. She still runs 5 days a week but her memory is really impaired.

My hope with exercise is to have a higher quality of life. When I went to Europe the past few years I could easily walk 15-20k steps a day. My mom had a very healthy lifestyle and yet fought 3 different cancers between ages 78-89 and skin cancer since the age of 50. However, she lived alone until a week before she died.

 

[SilentWalker]

My weekly routine is a 1.5 mile walk and 1 mile swim on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It unfortunately does nothing for my weight (a bit over obese limit BMI), but it keeps my joints mostly painless and helps keep me moving pretty much effortlessly despite my weight. I have been doing this for about a year now and had lots of various joint pains and aches before I started. 60 years old male.

 

[nOOky]

I'm 56 and still running ultramarathons. I ran a 68.9 mile trail race in Croatia a month ago, and I'm running Western States 100 in June, then UTMB 171K in August. October will be the Marine Corps marathon to wind down the year.

It's noticeable in Europe especially, I see a lot of older folks in their late 50's and into their 60's doing these events. I'll be the first to admit that running races that long probably isn't the best for the body, and I'm quitting them after this year. But it is vitally important to keep moving, I saw the famous motion is lotion already stated above, it's true.

This is noticeable to me everyday as my job is mostly riding a desk, I make a point to get up at least every hour to move around, and twice a day I go out and walk around the building. I generally work out on my lunch break, I do not go out to eat. Even after a 100 mile race that takes more than 24 hours on your feet, it helps the next day to move around and walk to get the blood flowing through those tired muscles. Active recovery is so much better than resting too long.

My family has the genetics to live into the early 90's or so, provided we don't smoke cigarettes or abuse alcohol etc. I want to be like my wife's aunt. She is 92, and it seems like she is always doing something. She does taxes for other retired seniors and some of the 65 year olds look far worse than her. She also pounds the pavement going door to door soliciting people's votes come election time.

Bottom line, keep moving.

 

[aja8888]

I'm 56 and still running ultramarathons. I ran a 68.9 mile trail race in Croatia a month ago, and I'm running Western States 100 in June, then UTMB 171K in August. October will be the Marine Corps marathon to wind down the year.

It's noticeable in Europe especially, I see a lot of older folks in their late 50's and into their 60's doing these events. I'll be the first to admit that running races that long probably isn't the best for the body, and I'm quitting them after this year. But it is vitally important to keep moving, I saw the famous motion is lotion already stated above, it's true.

This is noticeable to me everyday as my job is mostly riding a desk, I make a point to get up at least every hour to move around, and twice a day I go out and walk around the building. I generally work out on my lunch break, I do not go out to eat. Even after a 100 mile race that takes more than 24 hours on your feet, it helps the next day to move around and walk to get the blood flowing through those tired muscles. Active recovery is so much better than resting too long.

My family has the genetics to live into the early 90's or so, provided we don't smoke cigarettes or abuse alcohol etc. I want to be like my wife's aunt. She is 92, and it seems like she is always doing something. She does taxes for other retired seniors and some of the 65 year olds look far worse than her. She also pounds the pavement going door to door soliciting people's votes come election time.

Bottom line, keep moving.

Very nice that you can run those long runs. Best I could ever do was a couple of marathons. Now I have two metal hips and just walk 10,000+ steps daily (sometimes more) and play golf at 80.

 

[Ronstar]

Bottom line, keep moving

This is it. And move a lot. Keep moving all day. The more movement the better.

I don’t run anymore, but I keep moving at least 10 hours a day. Hiking, biking, yard work mostly. Easily get 10,000 steps a day doing yard work without leaving our property.

Movement over a longer period of time during the day is better for my joints than the running I used to do.

 

[Chuckanut]

Has anybody else noticed that the two NASA astronauts about to launch in the new Starliner are 58 and 61? Obviuosly, they are fit.

 

[dixonge]

I average walking over 5 miles per day, mostly in the early morning. I think it's one of my better habits to have picked up after retirement.

 

[RunningBum]

I'm 56 and still running ultramarathons. I ran a 68.9 mile trail race in Croatia a month ago, and I'm running Western States 100 in June, then UTMB 171K in August. October will be the Marine Corps marathon to wind down the year.

It's noticeable in Europe especially, I see a lot of older folks in their late 50's and into their 60's doing these events. I'll be the first to admit that running races that long probably isn't the best for the body, and I'm quitting them after this year. But it is vitally important to keep moving, I saw the famous motion is lotion already stated above, it's true.

This is noticeable to me everyday as my job is mostly riding a desk, I make a point to get up at least every hour to move around, and twice a day I go out and walk around the building. I generally work out on my lunch break, I do not go out to eat. Even after a 100 mile race that takes more than 24 hours on your feet, it helps the next day to move around and walk to get the blood flowing through those tired muscles. Active recovery is so much better than resting too long.

My family has the genetics to live into the early 90's or so, provided we don't smoke cigarettes or abuse alcohol etc. I want to be like my wife's aunt. She is 92, and it seems like she is always doing something. She does taxes for other retired seniors and some of the 65 year olds look far worse than her. She also pounds the pavement going door to door soliciting people's votes come election time.

Bottom line, keep moving.

Wow, States and UTMB in the same year. I think I'd retire after that too! Good luck!

I ran 2 flat 100s at ages 53 and 55, and I think the latter one wrecked me, or contributed to it. If I had it to do over I wouldn't, but I have friends older than both of us still running that far without issues. I still try to run/walk a couple of marathons a year.

 

[frayne]

This thread reminds me in some ways of the recent credit card thread. Use it or lose it. Yes, genetics and diet do affect the way you age but there is no substitute for an active lifestyle. Again, use it or lose it.

 

[Ian S]

I average walking over 5 miles per day, mostly in the early morning. I think it's one of my better habits to have picked up after retirement.

We walk 5 miles a day as well. We also hike around where we live near Sedona which has an elevation around 4500'. We're just finishing a vacation on the island of Kauai and, on Monday, did the truncated Kalalau trail hike which is a total in/out of just over 4 miles. Quite a workout! Worst part was the slippery mud conditions. Anyway, we both believe in keeping active, mostly by walking/ hiking.

 

[skyking1]

My recent encounters with gout have really hobbled my walking routine. my plan was to get back on my bike and now this is a sooner than later thing, since the pedals to not put pressure on the heel. Sometimes you need to make some adaptations to keep moving.

 

[audreyh1]

We walk 5 miles a day as well. We also hike around where we live near Sedona which has an elevation around 4500'. We're just finishing a vacation on the island of Kauai and, on Monday, did the truncated Kalalau trail hike which is a total in/out of just over 4 miles. Quite a workout! Worst part was the slippery mud conditions. Anyway, we both believe in keeping active, mostly by walking/ hiking.

I remember that hike! Yes, muddy but just unforgettable! Incredible scenery! Over 25 years ago. So glad we did it.

 

[athena53]

Genetics and luck do play a part. I developed mitral valve prolapse at 68 and get winded more easily now. The blessing is that everything/every expert I’ve checked says “keep on exercising”. I have to push myself a bit harder than I used to but I’m now in Miami Airport on the way home from a trip to Central America where I climbed a few Mayan pyramids and went snorkeling off Belize. Magical.

I’m sure part of the reason I can still do this at 71 is my discipline about exercise, but the mitral valve prolapse is a stark reminder that Stuff Happens.

Peter Attia’s book “Outlive” is focused on making your last decade (whenever that is) as high-functioning as possible instead of a long, slow decline.

 

[skyking1]

I'm 56 and still running ultramarathons. I ran a 68.9 mile trail race in Croatia a month ago, and I'm running Western States 100 in June, then UTMB 171K in August. October will be the Marine Corps marathon to wind down the year.

It's noticeable in Europe especially, I see a lot of older folks in their late 50's and into their 60's doing these events. I'll be the first to admit that running races that long probably isn't the best for the body, and I'm quitting them after this year. But it is vitally important to keep moving, I saw the famous motion is lotion already stated above, it's true.

This is noticeable to me everyday as my job is mostly riding a desk, I make a point to get up at least every hour to move around, and twice a day I go out and walk around the building. I generally work out on my lunch break, I do not go out to eat. Even after a 100 mile race that takes more than 24 hours on your feet, it helps the next day to move around and walk to get the blood flowing through those tired muscles. Active recovery is so much better than resting too long.

My family has the genetics to live into the early 90's or so, provided we don't smoke cigarettes or abuse alcohol etc. I want to be like my wife's aunt. She is 92, and it seems like she is always doing something. She does taxes for other retired seniors and some of the 65 year olds look far worse than her. She also pounds the pavement going door to door soliciting people's votes come election time.

Bottom line, keep moving.

Did you wander over from ATOT?