Younger next year?
Last night, I read the book, Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy - Until You're 80 and Beyond.
The theme is how to get functionally younger as you get older by putting off the normal problems of aging--weakness, sore joints, and bad balance as well as reducing illness and injury. The authors, a patient, Chris Crowley, who is a retired lawyer and his medical doctor, Henry Lodge, take turns writing chapters about how to stay fit and younger for men. Though there was some good advice, I found it rather depressing, but maybe that's just me.
Apparently, all kinds of terrible things happen to you as you age while male, according to the book. Hair grows out of your ears, you can't hear well and your balance begins to suck. Women, even those who are not so young, walk by as if you are not there. And everyone in the office sees you as retirement material. In addition, you get hit with something called "the Ugly Stick" where you wake up one day and find out that you've turned into a real dog:
The authors offer decent advice on exercise, the importance of strength training and eating right, etc. but they remind you that you are still old. Yes, very true, but I think something more uplifting would have been helpful. One of the reasons that older people become depressed is not actually being old, it's being told by society that they are old and that they are long past their due date.
For example, in one chapter entitled, "Chasing the Iron Bunny," author Crowley describes how men have been trained to chase the iron bunny like the greyhounds at the race track. Apparently, men who were trying to make money at jobs were "dopes" who bought into a game that led to a materialistic lifestyle. Crowley tells men of a certain age that "it's over. Time to quit playing and come inside." For some men, that would be suicidal.
I could go on, but I will stop here. I have to say that, despite the above, I did enjoy the book and it is worth reading for Dr. Lodge's advice, which is good.
I would be interested to hear how some of you out there cope with aging? Do you have your own personal tips that you could share? Apparently, anyone over the age of mid-thirties in our society is considered "old" so don't feel like you have to be over 65 to give advice.
The theme is how to get functionally younger as you get older by putting off the normal problems of aging--weakness, sore joints, and bad balance as well as reducing illness and injury. The authors, a patient, Chris Crowley, who is a retired lawyer and his medical doctor, Henry Lodge, take turns writing chapters about how to stay fit and younger for men. Though there was some good advice, I found it rather depressing, but maybe that's just me. Apparently, all kinds of terrible things happen to you as you age while male, according to the book. Hair grows out of your ears, you can't hear well and your balance begins to suck. Women, even those who are not so young, walk by as if you are not there. And everyone in the office sees you as retirement material. In addition, you get hit with something called "the Ugly Stick" where you wake up one day and find out that you've turned into a real dog:
Suddenly, your skin gets weird, all over.....In fact, there's going to come a time when there are going to be little notches on your upper lip, as if your teeth were showing through. Ugh. And spots all over the place. And wattles down your neck.
The authors offer decent advice on exercise, the importance of strength training and eating right, etc. but they remind you that you are still old. Yes, very true, but I think something more uplifting would have been helpful. One of the reasons that older people become depressed is not actually being old, it's being told by society that they are old and that they are long past their due date.
For example, in one chapter entitled, "Chasing the Iron Bunny," author Crowley describes how men have been trained to chase the iron bunny like the greyhounds at the race track. Apparently, men who were trying to make money at jobs were "dopes" who bought into a game that led to a materialistic lifestyle. Crowley tells men of a certain age that "it's over. Time to quit playing and come inside." For some men, that would be suicidal.
I could go on, but I will stop here. I have to say that, despite the above, I did enjoy the book and it is worth reading for Dr. Lodge's advice, which is good.
I would be interested to hear how some of you out there cope with aging? Do you have your own personal tips that you could share? Apparently, anyone over the age of mid-thirties in our society is considered "old" so don't feel like you have to be over 65 to give advice.
Labels: interesting books
posted by Helen at 10:35 AM
48 Comments:
I went to grad school, which keeps me surrounded by mentally-young people :P.
Smile a lot.
How to age well? First of all, get over yourself. Learn that life is unfair and you aren't a chosen one. Once you swallow that everything becomes much easier. Take care of your body, you only get one. Find a hobby and do it well. Share your knowledge with others. Eliminate negativity from your world and do what it takes not to take whatever happens to you too seriously. Did I leave anything out?
I had read yesterday a study that suggested that when you are in your 50s you are at last happy. Why? Well, perhaps because by that age you know that what you are, what you have become, is what you will be from now on--I will not become a an Air Force bomber pilot.
And you are still young enough so that the major ills of age have not yet (on average0 set in.
You are married, finally, or have been a few times, and are more or less settled in your relationship life. Kids? Gone on their own.
So: moral? Not So Bad!
(ps: I am over 80 and enjoy everything but American Idol.
fred, I don't watch idol either, so that is something we have in common.
"I would be interested to hear how some of you out there cope with aging?" Aspirin helps a lot!
Trey
As I said in the previous post, we have a society that worships the extreme adolescence today. Is it any real surprise that we have a book like this?
Look, people get old. That's a fact of life that no one (and I do mean no one) can get around. Yes, you can exercise and all that jazz, but sooner or later it does creep up on you (which must absolutely terrify most Boomers...rolling eyes). I think it's simply important to look at life realistically and get over the cosmetic dramatics that happen all over today.
I'll be observing my fifty-eighth birthday in less than two months. Here are some things that work for me:
- exercise, but recognize that you're getting older; I set an objective every year for how far I'm going to bicycle, and it decreases every year
- get enough sleep; it affects your mood, and it seems to have something to do with gaining weight
- stay in touch with bright, intellectually stimulating younger people (not all younger people, just the bright, intellectually stimulating ones)
- don't pretend to be younger than you are - no comb-overs, no dressing like you're twenty-five
- don't smoke; the health risks are well-known, and it does terrible things to your skin and how you feel
- don't drink to excess
"One of the reasons that older people become depressed is not actually being old, it's being told by society that they are old and that they are long past their due date."
There's more to the story. In a youth-oriented culture, which prizes novelty and undervalues wisdom and experience, an older man is very likely to feel irrelevant to what's swirling around him. He'll have a harder time staying in the flow of things, even with the most determined efforts. However, that's not entirely because of the deceleration of his mental processes; it also derives from a need to fit his new experiences and information into the matrix of his prior knowledge and exposures. With the pace of change accelerating as we speak, these problems are likely to get worse, no matter what we might do to keep our bodies fit.
Also, having been inundated with messages, overt and covert, about the value of youth, we've internalized the younger-is-better message. We tend to downgrade ourselves as we age. If "society" were entirely silent on the matter, the media's focus on the young, the beautiful, and the physically gifted would still leave old farts like me on the sidelines. We can look but not participate; we certainly can't touch.
That's just the way it is, and we old fogies can't do much about it.
Society valueing youth is a side effect of a free market society. Young people are the perfect consumers. Early youth live at home and have very little in the way of overhead, so nearly 100% of the money they have is available for spending. Once they leave the house, most are single for quite a while and still have relatively low overhead compared to income.
Both early and late youth are subject to impulse purchases and are trying to impress peers and potential mates; both result in a lot of spending.
As Americans age we tend to accumulate overhead, and grow wiser in spending. This makes selling to us much harder. Our purchases tend to be of a higher dollar amount (house, appliance, college...) but you actually have to show us some value, not just a flashy ad.
On the employment side, it can be tough to compete with a young person who's renting and has no family. He/She is in the office 50+ hours a week, is looking to move up and costs 20% less. Compare this to the established guy who has a family at home so likes to be home in time for dinner and has the occasional school function or contractor to wait for at home. If you're not in a job that values experience over raw effort you're in trouble. "You'll be in my shoes someday" is cold comfort...
It's part of the package of living in a free country with a free market. Plan for it and you'll do fine. Ignore the facts and you'll find yourself in a very unhappy "old age"
This also calls for a line from The 40 Year Old Virgin:
"Andy's 40 and looks like he's 20. You know why? Because he's never had a relationship."
A coworker once remarked that I didn't have a wrinkle on my face. With a smile I replied that I was single for most of my young twenties.
I don't want to throw this too off topic, but I was wondering if some of you have some advice for someone my age(someone who's just out of college)?
Here's a piece of advice, RW, although nobody will listen to me. Never buy a brand new car from a dealer and never agree to a car payment. Nothing will suck the life out of you faster than a hefty monthly payment on something that has very little value.
At age 57 I still travel the world surfing.
"I don't want to throw this too off topic, but I was wondering if some of you have some advice for someone my age(someone who's just out of college)?"
Being late 20's myself, several things come to mind. The tough economy makes this an extra challenge. You're reading this site and asking the question, which suggests a certain amount of practicality to begin with. Big points that come to mind:
-Get smart about personal finance. Avoid heavy credit card debt (usually pointless frivolities); you can have nice things but don't blow big money on a fake flashy lifestyle.
-Cultivate passions and hobbies; never stop developing as a person. Avoid excessive thrill-seeking, but make a bucket list, and start on it NOW. There will always be a temporal excuse to push things off; make sure you move forward on things you really want to do.
-As you age, you'll get less patient about wasting time with false "friends." Don't feel bad about this.
-That being said, take VERY good care of your networks, the people who do care about you and vice versa. They are the people who will get you jobs, friends and fulfillment.
-Learn to love your memories but leave them in the past. Understand that life's phases change, and nothing makes you feel old like wishing for past glories that are gone.
-Related to this, accept that many times friendships (and relationships) run their course.
-Learn to settle - nothing's going to be perfect, and look on the positive side as much as you can.
-Prioritize your happiness. Whether that's getting married or avoiding marriage, buying a house or not, etc, do what you need to within reason to maintain your happiness. It is the best gift you can give yourself.
Older means happier and wiser, more temperate judgment and better perspective on life.
Older usually means nicer, with better social skills, a greater ability to negotiate differences, and more consideration for other people.
It is useful to add up the advantages of aging, and also the reasons why young people should seek out those who are older for advice and counsel.
There's more to life than knowing the latest pop sensation.
Clearly, there is something wrong with the cult to youth, because, as Dr. Helen says, once you establish a cult to youth, life is pretty much all downhill.
It is good to point out how the culture actively produces depression by making everyone hyperaware of all the signs of physical aging.
I'm not as old as some of the old curmudgeons around here, but I am starting to age. My left knee has always been weaker than my right, resulting in four patellar subluxations (the knee cap slides out of place laterally, instead of sliding vertically like it should). The orthopedist guy put me on some anti-inflammatory to help control the pain and was going to up it to Vicodin because the stuff I was on wasn't working. He told me that at the rate the knee was worsening, I would need surgery in a couple years at best.
Then I stumbled (via Stumbleupon) across a page extolling the virtues of barefoot running. Advocates of barefoot running claim that it can help with all sorts of problems, one of which was bad knees. They recommended that people interested in barefoot running switch from regular running shoes to barefoot running shoes before going totally barefoot so as to let the feet and legs adjust to the different kind of running. Since I hadn't run in my regular running shoes in months, I was simply going to be getting back into running. I figured that there'd be more pain than normal as my body adjusted to running and adjusted to wearing different footwear.
Boy was I wrong. After only a couple months of running in my Vibram Five Fingers KSOs, I've never felt better. My calves are getting sculpted, I'm losing fat (but not much weight), and I can run farther than ever. On top of all of that, my knee almost never bothers me now. In fact, the only days that it does bother me are the days that I don't run. I'm up to 2.25 miles/day now down the trail along the lake and down to the beach. At this rate, I'll be up to about 3-5 miles by the end of summer.
It's possible that simply getting back into running is what's helping my knee, but I doubt it. I used to run and I had all kinds of problems; my knees and back hurt during and after running and it was simply no fun. I seriously think that the different shoes and running style are what has helped my knee.
*Disclaimer* The makers of the Vibram Five Fingers KSOs have not paid me to promote their products. I just think their shoes are the shit. If they want to pay me, please feel free to email me at bowenj10@yahoo.com and I'll go all over the internet telling everyone about them. I'll even throw in some medical records of my own as evidence.
I first saw those Vibram 5 fingers 3 years ago. They looked intriguing but I wasn't going to invest $90 in what was most likely to be a fad. I'm way to tough on shoes, I blow through about 3 pairs if hiking boots a year and had a hunch the 5 fingers would quickly become 2 fingers really fast. Plus I was worried about the smell and getting my little toes into them. Maybe one day when the price comes down I will take a chance, maybe on a good imitation.
TO: All
RE Avoid....
....if at all possible, modern pharmaceuticals. The side effects are frequently worse than the cure.
Case in point, statins. Caused me to start losing my memory. I couldn't remember the names of common household items. I started talking like Yoda. I couldn't concentrate to write computer code. I stopped taking them. It took me two years to begin writing computer code again.
Others I know, mostly more mature men who are taking statins report similar issues with memory. They tend to think it's because they're 'getting older'. In the meantime, their quality of life is tanking.
That's just ONE example. If you've got high cholesterol levels, change your diet, exercise more, drink more alcohol, as it apparently prevents the plaque adhering to the arteries.
There are others as well. Like developing cancer. The chemo alone makes life a living hell. Look into pawpaw. The former president of my garden club had a VERY aggressive squamous carcinoma on her arm.
She'd had them before and the doctors had to 'burn' them off or surgically remove them. I told her about pawpaw. She got some. The cancer dried up and fell off within a month. It also seemed to have involved a lymph node, which popped out a week later.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[Life is tough. It's tougher if you're 'stupid'.]
P.S. The reason she is the 'former president of my garden club' is not because she passed away. Rather it's because I've become the president of my garden club.
Don't let your self-worth be measured by women.
Some of the biggest problems for aging men come with retirement. No longer having a job means no longer having the social contacts of the office every day. If retirement is coupled with relocation, as it often is, this means a loss of friends outside the workplace as well as those at work. Without a regular job, it is often difficult to make new friends.
Many people will jump up and say, "volunteer," and that is a good solution for some, but not necessarily all. Diminished sight, hearing, and general temperament may limit that option considerably. Exercise and eating right have very little impact on hearing loss and loss of sight. These things continue apace and there is only limited intervention possible for them.
Making new friends in a new location can be a major difficulty; it has been so for me.
Helen,
This is completely off-topic, but it is such an important development (that you may or may not be aware of) that I feel it must be shared with your readers.
The UK is going to grant anonymity to men accused of rape, extending the franchise already afforded to women, who have been allowed to throw stones over a figurative brick wall with impunity, to men. The cloak of anonymity would be lifted if the man (because rape is always a man-on-woman crime, especially when both the man and woman are drunk and engage in otherwise-consensual sex) is convicted of rape.
I learned about this from the good folks over at The False Rape Society, who are obviously pleased (to say the least) with the development. Naturally, the rabid feminists are all up in arms and have their panties in a bunch. Expect more to come on this as the story develops.
"Don't let your self-worth be measured by women."
Tether is right - learn the lesson of the 40-year old virgin. But allow me to put a positive spin on things: if you don't measure your self-worth by the partners you can attract, you will be more confident and attractive and more able to get a secure, stable partner.
If you want a relationship, get one, don't bother with neurotic or incompatible people. If you are in a good one, don't go to bed angry, and have a lot of sex.
"Don't let your self-worth be measured by women."
----
Your self-worth shouldn't be measured by what men or women think of you, it should be more internal, but it at least has a sensible basis if you are measuring yourself vis-a-vis other men. That's a natural thing that develops in sports competitions and then in work ability later on in life.
Against (some) women, it's a whole different, hypocritical, nonsensical ball game.
Lots of single women are going to judge you vis-a-vis her dream catch and not at all against what her achievements are. Those are the mechanics - that women are looking for the Great Achiever to attach themselves to.
So you get situations like a 24-year-old female cashier living at home making fun of a 23-year-old male assistant manager who has moved out to his own small apartment.
If she competed straight up, SHE would be the loser. But she is putting him up against the wealthy prince who is going to sweep her off her feet and take her away in his high-end Bentley off to his castle.
You have a similar dynamic among lots of older, married women. She is pitting you up against her husband, certainly not against herself.
I've seen bizarre things like this: A group of military wives had to be together on a weekend when their husbands were working together on some issue. One wife said that she was the highest-ranking wife because her husband was a Lt. Colonel, so she was the boss and leader. The others kind of accepted that. That's something that even some children would find odd.
I routinely hear housewives give advice as if they were their husbands. Some wives (particularly sit-at-home housewives with no career of their own) who are married to physicians, lawyers or other advice-givers will preface their statements with "Well, my husband would tell you ...". Later on, they don't even say that. A wife of a physician is pretty much the same as a physician.
A last point about young men:
Young men are also intimidated by good-looking women, and good-looking probably means young - in their age group - and they then attribute intellectual or ethical powers to her that she just doesn't have. Young women get an extremely high sense of entitlement because of the goofy boys around them. As you age, you gain more wisdom about the world and the women lose their looks, so you see them for what they are.
I'm at the point, though, where good-looking women in their 20s are starting to look like 10-year-old girls playing dress up with mommy's lipstick and high-heels (much too large for them). They are starting to look stupid to me - which they are.
I don't try to deny or cover it up. Just turned 50, and told the hot babe cutting my hair that I wanted her to take it shorter. She said, "More of the gray hair will show then". Oh, boy, did I feel like Joe Sexy! But still, take it short, let the gray show.
When I was about to turn 50, I made all kinds of preparations (much like Tibetans celebrate the New Year), getting things in order, having things done that I've been putting off (like getting my will ready), having something new to give to myself (Burt's Bees men's products, those get a big fail in my book), etc. Make a big deal to it, I'm told that the subconscious is sensitive to events, so I run with it.
Also, I don't pretend to be a kid and use their slang, wear their clothing styles and so forth (but I do listen to *some* of the "new music"). Yep, I hit the big five-oh and admit it. But I still look at the hotties. Don't worry, I'm subtle and I won't touch your daughter.
I turned 59 last month. Exercising, eating fairly well, staying mentally active, and spending time with my kids make up a large portion of my "staying young" plan. But, my "staying young" plan is really a "staying active" plan.
Even when I was in my twenties and thirties the motivation of staying fit was so that I could participate in the activities I wanted to and my kids and future kids wanted to. Being an activity oriented person, I don't care much for accumulating material goods. I prefer doing things, not so much for the experience of doing it, but for the feeling I get at that moment from doing it.
I enjoy spending time with kids. Primarily, I try to learn something from them as much as hope they learn something from me. Sometimes in a simple comment or interaction a kid can give you a new perspective.
I do a lot of the things others have mentioned here. Smile a lot. Take vitamins and other supplements. Don't watch too much TV. Don't let others determine my self image. Etc.
J.Bowen,
Thanks for the information.
Don't smoke, drink and eat in moderation, hope you have good genetics and take advantage of modern medicine.
Anyone promising youth by going beyond that is selling snake oil.
(To illustrate; my father has the genetics for long life. His mother, aunt, several great-aunts and uncles lived past 90 and a few past 100. But, without bypass surgery and a pacemaker, he wouldn't have lived past 75. One other difference; my grandfather smoked like a chimney, my dad has never touched the stuff.)
To add to that; people don't realize just how much Americans, especially women, smoked post WWII until the late 60s.
Despite claims to the contrary, people under 50 are vastly more healthy than a generation ago. In thirty years, we are going to see a massive jump in life expectancy. The impact of this on social security and medicare is going to be huge and is being completely ignored by the politicians.
There's a lot of great advice up there. The only thing I would add is buy a set of tweezers and pluck the hair growing out of your ears.
That's what I do. I'm 43. The hair started two years ago. I'm not ashamed to pluck ;-)
On the topic of drinking in moderation...even in my late 20's I see people my age who have that permanent facial contortion that suggests they got drunk one too many times.
Topher, were our parents right, then? Sometimes your face *does* freeze "that way"?
Adding on to my other comment, I've been smoke free for almost nine months.
Your face, skin, posture and size are a billboard for what is going on with you internally. If you are miserable, or have bad habits there is no way to hide it.
I walk my dogs twice a day - age has eliminated all other forms of exercise. I work every day at making things, some of which I like. I recently took up drinking, figuring "what the hey" - a beer or two a month shouldn't do too much damage. I have had major surgeries, have not had a job since 2002, been divorced for 18 years, have some money set aside, have pets to keep me company, and other than reading about silly stuff like this once in a while, do not dwell on it. I am grateful for every day and work as hard as I can. Overall, at 60, I am happier than I have been in years, and know that it could all end tomorrow. That concerns me not a bit.
Cure for aging: move to a better country, one that values older folks more and includes them in all family and friendly gatherings. Even better: one where you will have to learn a new language. That itself will keep you young.
Move to one where you don't need a car, where you meet and greet dozens of people once you set out in the morning to walk to the neighborhood free clinic or to enjoy your free bus ride to the center of town.
Amerika is boring and unfriendly as hell. The only place you will be around playing children is at Walmart. I just drove 7000 miles with Brazilian friends around the States, enjoying beaches, mountains and snow. We traveled hundreds of miles along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts with barely any chance to see or talk to a pedestrian!
Here in Brazil, the town center is so crowed with pedestrians that it's actually hard to walk! Fun and activity abound.
Never retire
Never stop running
Always have a goal
@ Jeff
Spoken like a man that has never had his sense of balance suddenly fail him,
never come to the realization that you can't hear most of what is being said in the meeting,
never heard the doctor say, "well it is partly due to cataracts and partly to glaucoma,"
but your day will come.
Focus on your personal development from as early an age as possible. Try to figure out a great career for yourself with an above average income. Save 15% per month for retirement.
Buy a really nice single person's place and pay it off.
Focus on your activities M-F, barter for sex on the weekends and companionship for vacations.
Don't be disillusioned it is a commercial age and you have to pay for everything, the price is the only question.
Talk Love. Love. Love but deal, deal, deal.
Be different, have money in the bank. Understand that if men did not have to comp women for sex all the restaurants in town would close :-)
Do not deny what written large in 2010.
Don't Marry!
All the advice a man ever needs!
@ Brad Spitz,
When I was driving and doing deliveries for an office supply chain, one fellow was talkative and asking me questions. When I answered that no, I'm divorced, he seemed happy. But then I just had to add, "But I'm engaged now". You should have heard that Brooklyn-Italian accent when he said, "What da **** is wrong with you?" Still funny seven years or so later.
as I sat in front of the computer, having lost my balance and luckily having fallen into my office chair, I was pulling my ear hairs out while listening to led at 120 dB and perusing the internet-
and lo and behold, I found
The 15 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media
with Dr. Helen at #12-
the only problem I have with that is that she should be higher on the list-
way to go Dr. H!!
(rightwingnews.com)
George,
Went to the site. Liked the list.
Clicked on "Interviews with 3 professional dating gurus."
I had low expectations since the Achilles' heel of conservative movement is white-knighting and pedestalizing.
Wasn't disappointed (or was, I guess):
"Wayne, what do you think the biggest mistake most men make with women is?
Probably coming across as needy. ...They get way too ahead of themselves. They're trying to get a girl into a relationship or into the bed when they need to be living in the moment ..."
Fine so far - neediness is a huge turnoff. Let's continue:
"It's a guy's job to have fun and to show a girl a good time."
OK so we are starting with the male responsibilities and obligations...
"A lot of guys look at themselves like medicine. They act as if women should take them because they'll be good for the girl."
This is exactly the confidence a man needs to successful attract a woman. But this is projection (and the interviewer is a dude!) - most women I meet think they are self-evidentiarily awesome and don't have to lift a finger to deserve a male's attention. (Some of them argue they should be PAID for their time!)
"But, that doesn't work in reality. The girl is more likely to want an addicting drug. ...You should be like a drug, better than drugs in a sense. You should be someone who is fun to be with all the time."
Well, it's true most women crave the "fun and unpredictable," but THAT doesn't work in reality. Being boring on a date is a non-starer but it's a failing game to set yourself up as some kind of "fun machine" when you are inevitably going to come down from that high. Better to present your life as it is and ask her into your world than to play entertainer.
It's so weird that women in society (in general) are the ones begging for commitment, relationships, marriage, etc from guys, but they also act like they're too good for them, like men should beg and pay them for the privilege.
One thing I learned in the flood is that I need to be in better shape. I need more strength and endurance and less extra weight to slow me down. So I am more active now.
And it is making me feel older than 50! With more aspirin and muscle building, I hope it will end up with me feeling younger and stronger, but in the early stages I just feel stove up and old!
Trey
topher-
I don't know a thing about the dating scene; I've been married for 39 years and I don't know how I would be.
I usually prefer talking to women, and am usually true to myself with anyone (not that that's any kind of a freakin' big deal, since I'm somewhat of a curmudgeon).
Maybe I ought to take notes; you never know what might happen to your spouse (in all likelihood, I'll go before she does).
I do know that I'm the type that will find someone very quickly. I always was a one woman man (why am I writing this? does anyone give a shit?).
Anyway, I have not read the interviews but I will go now and check them out (if I don't get distracted by the photos of the females).
stormbringer-
nice job quitting smoking-
I am a vascular and echo ultrasound tech by trade-
I've seen too much the damage caused by smoking-
i will turn 50 in october and i will celebrate by doing the same shit i did in high school.
playing guitar, lifting weights, riding my bike and loving my woman.
(different woman though...)
oh yeah, and playing soccer.
three times a week.
the bones hurt a little more now, but i`m a far better guitar player, lover and dead-lifter than i was then.
and i challenge myself to do new things.
for my birthday my wife and i are going up north to go dog-sledding, and i finally began building my first tube guitar amplifier from scratch ( marshall jtm 45 clone for those interested.).
i`m 6' 2" 220 lbs and wear my six-pack with pride.
life is good.
I grew up in a family where people rarely retire. Example, my father was a CPA until almost age 90.
While they don't retire they change their lifestyle -- more travel, more vacations, etc.
Really what it's about is being productive, having interests and having an aversion to boredom.
Peter
OurBroker.com
How to look and feel younger than you are:
1. Exercise so you break a sweat 5 times a week
2. Vitamins C, E, a multi and D with Calcium for women daily
3. Limit (seriously) consumption of bagged, boxed or canned foods. Steer clear of "fast" food altogether
4. Avoid red meat, eat mostly fish and chicken and remember it's ok to eat veggies/fruits only once or twice a week
5. Eight glasses of water daily, inlcuding 10-12 oz when you first wake up and another 8-10 oz before you retire each evening
6. Keep a journal of your activites, thoughts/moods, workouts and food intake
7. Drink at least 1 tsp apple cider vineagr in glass of water daily (keeps colds, congestion, flu at bay)
8. Get into a routine
9. Go to bed early and get at least 8 hours of sleep a nite
10. Limit your alcohol consumption
11. Go for walks, get outside
12. Wear sunscreen daily all year round
13. Stay curious and current, and continue to learn new things
14. Love your partner, friends, family
15. Get in touch with your spiritual side
16. Do 40 push ups at least 3 times a week
17. Stretch, touch your toes, bend from side to side, for 10 minutes at least 3 times a week
18. Keep your hair cut, colored and styled appropriately
19. Limit your make up to tinted moisturizer (w/ sunscreen), mascara and lipstick
20. Never let yourself get more than 10 lbs above your ideal weight
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