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Am I the only one that isn't even 1% surprised by this? Nearly every person I know that is over 40 years of age does next to no exercise, and eats and drinks to

Am I the only one that isn't even 1% surprised by this? Nearly every person I know that is over 40 years of age does next to no exercise, and eats and drinks too much.

onetimemanytime 8y ago
Our genes weren't made to sit around, browse the internet and open the fridge door every 45 minutes. Eventually our genes might change but we'll probably need the old ones, when /if West Civ collapses.
bluntfang 8y ago
my parents just retired. they are ~70. they think exercise is walking outside for 2-3 miles. they sit and watch tv and don't move much beyond going out to restaurants daily. Their nutritional knowledge is limited, and sometimes flat out wrong/contradictory. They think they are eating healthy when they order the salad loaded with bread and drenched with dressing. I am not surprised.
- uxp100 8y ago
  If they're walking 2 or 3 miles daily or most days they're more active than most in their age group.
  - rootusrootus 8y ago
    Heck, at 2-3 miles a day they'd be above nearly everyone older than about 12.
- faitswulff 8y ago
  Walking 2-3 miles on a regular basis is actually sufficient to stave off a whole host of geriatric diseases
  - Insanity 8y ago
    Exactly, and especially and the advanced age of his parents, any active should beat no activity. My grandparents (85ish) do the same, they go on walks and occasionally bike rides together. Not very far, around 5km. But it beats just sitting around doing nothing!
Toine 8y ago
I don't understand this trend on HN lately. "In other news, fire burns"
- misterprime 8y ago
  You might have too many casual users like me browsing this forum now.
chrisseaton 8y ago
Newly every person over 40 I know is training for a triathalon and eating sophisticated diets and hardly drinking.
- Jallal 8y ago
  Same for me (actually, most of the people I know are focused on running, but I guess it could be applied to nearly all sports). The closer I get to my forties, the more important it is to take care of my body. Basically, you just realize that your body is not what it used to be, and you have either the choice to do something to stay/get back in shape (more sports, a better diet), or let it go (which is, unfortunately, the first step to health complications). There is also a strong bias regarding to whom you hang with then. Being "seriously" involved in any sport means that you are going to dedicate a significant part of your free time to training, and therefore, will spent much more time with your fellow sportsmates than "regular" friends.
- h2onock 8y ago
  I'm really, very pleased to hear that... where in the world are you out of interest!?
  - chrisseaton 8y ago
    The UK, in the industrial north. It's bi-modal isn't it? Half of people are fatter than ever, the other half are fitnesses obsessed. There's not as much moderation in the middle as there sued to be.
    - lososos 8y ago
      Here's some conjecture: The people that were driven to be healthy in the past were about as healthy as the health-obsessed people today. And the people in the past who didn't care defaulted into a lifestyle and eating habits that, based on what was marketed and available to them, left them looking and being average from a weight and health context. Now, they've similarly "defaulted" into the lifestyle and eating habits that are available to them, but those are worse for their health.
mtgx 8y ago
Lack of exercise is definitely part of the issue. But "blood pressure rise with age" is almost certainly due to atherosclerosis. And atherosclerosis seems to be primarily caused due to inflammation, which destroys the artery walls, which in turn kickstarts the immunity system to come and "repair" them by patching them up with cholesterol and calcium. Then there is less room for blood to pass through the arteries = higher blood pressure. The calcium/cholesterol plaques breaking apart = heart attack. There's also this new theory that the stuff that acts as protection for your artery walls is destroyed by high glucose in the blood/high-carb meals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTuBaWN5sg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTuBaWN5sg
fouc 8y ago
Please move somewhere where you're not surrounded by unhealthy people.
- wild_preference 8y ago
  Well, those people will need healthy people in their health insurance pool to fund their lifestyle, so maybe not.
specialist 8y ago
A lot of it cultural. The fitness craze (and denial of death) is strong in the USA. Some of my geriatric relatives are ridiculously healthy, by choice. Two of them were part of this program: "Are you Fitter than a Pensioner?" [2010] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txmm3 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txmm3 In response to the obesity & diabetes epidemic, the BBC sent kids to live and train with seniors in the USA. The before and after interviews are quite telling. Losing to seniors really changed the kid's perceptions of and expectations for aging.
pkaye 8y ago
I'd say people under 40 are no better. It is just that when you are young your body can compensate for poor habits and excesses.

Am I the only one that isn't even 1% surprised by this? Nearly every person I know that is over 40 years of age does next to no exercise, and eats and drinks too much.

onetimemanytime 8y ago

Our genes weren't made to sit around, browse the internet and open the fridge door every 45 minutes. Eventually our genes might change but we'll probably need the old ones, when /if West Civ collapses.

bluntfang 8y ago

my parents just retired. they are ~70. they think exercise is walking outside for 2-3 miles. they sit and watch tv and don't move much beyond going out to restaurants daily. Their nutritional knowledge is limited, and sometimes flat out wrong/contradictory. They think they are eating healthy when they order the salad loaded with bread and drenched with dressing. I am not surprised.

uxp100 8y ago
If they're walking 2 or 3 miles daily or most days they're more active than most in their age group.
- rootusrootus 8y ago
  Heck, at 2-3 miles a day they'd be above nearly everyone older than about 12.
faitswulff 8y ago
Walking 2-3 miles on a regular basis is actually sufficient to stave off a whole host of geriatric diseases
- Insanity 8y ago
  Exactly, and especially and the advanced age of his parents, any active should beat no activity. My grandparents (85ish) do the same, they go on walks and occasionally bike rides together. Not very far, around 5km. But it beats just sitting around doing nothing!

Toine 8y ago

I don't understand this trend on HN lately. "In other news, fire burns"

misterprime 8y ago
You might have too many casual users like me browsing this forum now.

chrisseaton 8y ago

Newly every person over 40 I know is training for a triathalon and eating sophisticated diets and hardly drinking.

Jallal 8y ago
Same for me (actually, most of the people I know are focused on running, but I guess it could be applied to nearly all sports). The closer I get to my forties, the more important it is to take care of my body. Basically, you just realize that your body is not what it used to be, and you have either the choice to do something to stay/get back in shape (more sports, a better diet), or let it go (which is, unfortunately, the first step to health complications). There is also a strong bias regarding to whom you hang with then. Being "seriously" involved in any sport means that you are going to dedicate a significant part of your free time to training, and therefore, will spent much more time with your fellow sportsmates than "regular" friends.
h2onock 8y ago
I'm really, very pleased to hear that... where in the world are you out of interest!?
- chrisseaton 8y ago
  The UK, in the industrial north. It's bi-modal isn't it? Half of people are fatter than ever, the other half are fitnesses obsessed. There's not as much moderation in the middle as there sued to be.
  - lososos 8y ago
    Here's some conjecture: The people that were driven to be healthy in the past were about as healthy as the health-obsessed people today. And the people in the past who didn't care defaulted into a lifestyle and eating habits that, based on what was marketed and available to them, left them looking and being average from a weight and health context. Now, they've similarly "defaulted" into the lifestyle and eating habits that are available to them, but those are worse for their health.

mtgx 8y ago

Lack of exercise is definitely part of the issue. But "blood pressure rise with age" is almost certainly due to atherosclerosis. And atherosclerosis seems to be primarily caused due to inflammation, which destroys the artery walls, which in turn kickstarts the immunity system to come and "repair" them by patching them up with cholesterol and calcium. Then there is less room for blood to pass through the arteries = higher blood pressure. The calcium/cholesterol plaques breaking apart = heart attack. There's also this new theory that the stuff that acts as protection for your artery walls is destroyed by high glucose in the blood/high-carb meals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTuBaWN5sg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTuBaWN5sg

fouc 8y ago

Please move somewhere where you're not surrounded by unhealthy people.

wild_preference 8y ago
Well, those people will need healthy people in their health insurance pool to fund their lifestyle, so maybe not.

specialist 8y ago

A lot of it cultural. The fitness craze (and denial of death) is strong in the USA. Some of my geriatric relatives are ridiculously healthy, by choice. Two of them were part of this program: "Are you Fitter than a Pensioner?" [2010] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txmm3 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txmm3 In response to the obesity & diabetes epidemic, the BBC sent kids to live and train with seniors in the USA. The before and after interviews are quite telling. Losing to seniors really changed the kid's perceptions of and expectations for aging.

pkaye 8y ago

I'd say people under 40 are no better. It is just that when you are young your body can compensate for poor habits and excesses.