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That's a very shortsighted statement, but I can see where you're coming from. I thought the same way when I was in my late teens/early twenties. Was a way for

by shafyy 8y ago

That's a very shortsighted statement, but I can see where you're coming from. I thought the same way when I was in my late teens/early twenties. Was a way for me to justify unhealthy food, smoking and alcohol. Now I'm 30 and slowly realized it's not true. Living healthy when you're young doesn't have short-term reward. But I'm pretty sure when you're 50+ you'll be happy that you ate healthy, exercised and had a way to deal with stress (e.g. meditation). If you're mentally and physically fit, you can do as much with 65 as you do with 20 today. Also, I believe that our understanding of how sicknesses work and tech advances, we'll be able to live much longer. So, in 40 years from now, 65 might just be "middle-aged". Heck, it's even possible that you'll never have to die if you don't want to.

Kaveren 8y ago
> "If you're mentally and physically fit, you can do as much with 65 as you do with 20 today." Can you, though? You're definitely long past your peak physically and in terms of testosterone. I don't know if intellectual decline is a factor at that age. You can definitely still do a lot, but I don't think you can come close to your abilities at age 20.
- shafyy 8y ago
  Yeah, I mean it'll be harder to become a professional athlete or something, but you can surely do 99% of what people normally do in their lives. There are definitely 65-year-olds who are fitter than some of the 20-year-olds you see :-)
themagician 8y ago
I’m older than you. When I was younger I thought you had more control over your health. Now I realize the amount of control you really have is minimal. It seems like a crapshoot. I see older people who did nothing to take care of themselves doing just fine, and plenty of fit people whose health is surprisingly bad. I see some people over 65 who can do what they once did, but they are the exceptions. I see how diet and excise impact heart disease. That’s obvious, particularly in the extremes. Other than that… it seems like the genetic lottery determines the majority of outcomes.
- darkerside 8y ago
  > I see older people who did nothing to take care of themselves doing just fine, and plenty of fit people whose health is surprisingly bad You may be older, but your viewpoint seems surprisingly immature. Unless you've kept careful records, it's likely that you feel this way because your brain has lived the surprising counterexamples, not because people don't have control over their health outcomes. Genetics obviously play a role, but until those can be changed, you can choose to work with the tools you have or opt out of the game.
  - dang 8y ago
    That crosses into personal attack. I assume you didn't mean it that way, but we ban accounts that do this on HN. Please make your points without resorting to it. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- shafyy 8y ago
  Of course you could be perfectly healthy and then get a bad disease, or get run over by a bus. But life is about probability. And living healthy increases your probability of living a longer, healthier life. And as this study shows, it increases it by a significant factor. Of course, the wonderful thing about life is that you can make your own choices. And if you don't want to eat healthy and work out, and are fine with the consequences, that's totally ok.
tacon 8y ago
I will be 65 in a few months. I did my first ever dead hang strict pullup about a year ago. Lately I can do six. This time next year, probably twelve. It is fun slowing or reversing sarcopenia, which is mainly a societal result, not a genetic curse.

by shafyy 8y ago

Kaveren 8y ago

> "If you're mentally and physically fit, you can do as much with 65 as you do with 20 today." Can you, though? You're definitely long past your peak physically and in terms of testosterone. I don't know if intellectual decline is a factor at that age. You can definitely still do a lot, but I don't think you can come close to your abilities at age 20.

shafyy 8y ago
Yeah, I mean it'll be harder to become a professional athlete or something, but you can surely do 99% of what people normally do in their lives. There are definitely 65-year-olds who are fitter than some of the 20-year-olds you see :-)

themagician 8y ago

I’m older than you. When I was younger I thought you had more control over your health. Now I realize the amount of control you really have is minimal. It seems like a crapshoot. I see older people who did nothing to take care of themselves doing just fine, and plenty of fit people whose health is surprisingly bad. I see some people over 65 who can do what they once did, but they are the exceptions. I see how diet and excise impact heart disease. That’s obvious, particularly in the extremes. Other than that… it seems like the genetic lottery determines the majority of outcomes.

darkerside 8y ago
> I see older people who did nothing to take care of themselves doing just fine, and plenty of fit people whose health is surprisingly bad You may be older, but your viewpoint seems surprisingly immature. Unless you've kept careful records, it's likely that you feel this way because your brain has lived the surprising counterexamples, not because people don't have control over their health outcomes. Genetics obviously play a role, but until those can be changed, you can choose to work with the tools you have or opt out of the game.
- dang 8y ago
  That crosses into personal attack. I assume you didn't mean it that way, but we ban accounts that do this on HN. Please make your points without resorting to it. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
shafyy 8y ago
Of course you could be perfectly healthy and then get a bad disease, or get run over by a bus. But life is about probability. And living healthy increases your probability of living a longer, healthier life. And as this study shows, it increases it by a significant factor. Of course, the wonderful thing about life is that you can make your own choices. And if you don't want to eat healthy and work out, and are fine with the consequences, that's totally ok.

tacon 8y ago

I will be 65 in a few months. I did my first ever dead hang strict pullup about a year ago. Lately I can do six. This time next year, probably twelve. It is fun slowing or reversing sarcopenia, which is mainly a societal result, not a genetic curse.