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Old person here (+7 decades). Not much you can do about physical deterioration. The only thing I've found you can easily carry into old age is (assuming no seni
by every 6y ago
Old person here (+7 decades). Not much you can do about physical deterioration. The only thing I've found you can easily carry into old age is (assuming no senility or debilitating disease) coordination. One can be weak and frail yet still somewhat graceful. As for the mind, it depends on when it freezes in time. If you find yourself comparing everything current to the "good old days", then you are probably lost. But as long as you have an appetite for the new and unfamiliar (maybe something like ycombinator) then there is possibly still hope...
- m463 6y agoRemember when computers didn't hook to the internet for everything?
- every 6y agoI was in college when unix was invented...
- AtHeartEngineer 6y agoGiven your grander temporal experience, do you have any predictions/foresight into how the world is changing? It feels like we are being wound up to be shot out of a cannon if I'm being honest.
- every 6y agoGiven my experience, it will be more of the same only different. Adaptability is a virtue...
- ramraj07 6y agoDo you have advice on how to keep your intellect intact? Many of my older relatives can barely think through things at 0.1x the speed they had even a decade back, if they even bother to think through anything. However, very old people in academia seemed to remain very sharp well into their seventies (some study suggested that they can be as sharp as a regular 25 yo). I guess it's good to keep reading and constantly use your brain, but any more solid actionable habits might be useful!
- pdubs1 6y agoI'd recommend checking out nootropics, such as lion's mane. Also, nutrition & exercise (both mental and physical)-- If you don't use it, you'll lose it. And social well being.
- every 6y agoAnything I can offer will be anecdotal. I have been placed somewhere on the autistic spectrum so perhaps that is a factor. People who constantly think and wrestle with things are driven to do so. Those who don't, aren't. I know of no way to manipulate or adjust this difference. I would say the thing to avoid at every turn is calcification, if you can...
- nradov 6y agoKeep your cardiovascular system healthy. In many older people the loss of intellect is simply caused by insufficient glucose and oxygen reaching the brain. Everything is connected; intellect isn't some separate quality that can be maintained on its own. Of course some people start from a higher baseline and so a slight loss of intellect is less noticeable.
- travisjungroth 6y agoThere might be a bit of circular reasoning about the old academics. People who lose their cognition don’t stay academics. It’d be interesting to see a cohort analysis starting at 40.
- naasking 6y agoExactly, survivorship bias.
- scollet 6y agoWell I'm not in that age group, but my dad reads every day and does some Python on the side. I don't think he's ever coded before, but he's interested in new things every day.
- danbmil99 6y agoyou should try to separate mental speed from intellectual capacity. Many older folk are perfectly capable of understanding things, but their minds don't necessarily operate at the same clock speed they did when they were in their 20s.
- nradov 6y agoThere's no need to be weak and frail. You can actually do a lot about physical deterioration ... up to a point. In one of the triathlons I raced last year the retired Marine who won the 70 - 79 age group was only a few minutes slower than me. The key to staving off muscle atrophy and loss of bone mineral density is doing high-impact training and weightlifting at least a couple times per week, while maintaining proper form to avoid injury. The digestive system also becomes less efficient at absorbing some nutrients so you have to increase protein intake in order to have the necessary building blocks for repairing damaged muscle tissue.
- hammock 6y agoNot sure why you've been downvoted. Weightlifting (specifically heavy+low reps) has major effect to promote bone density, that's why astronauts do it now in space. It also prevents muscle atrophy, that much should be obvious. Finally, more muscle mass will keep your metabolism up and prevent fat gain.
- jfo 6y agoI know you meant resistance training in general wrt astronauts in space but I just got the funniest image in my head of Chris Hadfield doing a zero G overhead press with a loaded bar and floating all over the place hahaha
- Out_of_Characte 6y agoSo far I've seen no rules stating that world records should be taking place on earth gravity. Maybe this is my chance to take some weightlifting records.
- michaelcampbell 6y agoSadly, in zero G there is no weight so every record would be 0. Equally sadly, there are no "masslifting" records to actually beat. What does "lift" even mean where there is no objective "down"?
- jaynetics 6y agoDo you do anything that maintains your coordination?
- every 6y agoConcentration and practice. If you are moving, concentrate on the moving. When you were younger, movement was natural and in the background. Older, you need to focus...
- esperent 6y agoDo you take any supplements or medicine to maintain cognitive abilities?
- every 6y agoSort of. It is not uncommon with age to lose the ability to efficiently breakdown and/or absorb B12. A B12 deficiency can mimic the physical and mental symptoms of the more serious neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. Definitely not fun. I take a supplement that provides roughly 100k of the RDA every day...
- elevenoh 6y agopsilocybin mushrooms, for one, help hone mind-body coordination.
- rantwasp 6y agowhat do you do to keep yourself physically active? anecdotally from what you’ve observed, would you recommend strength training as a way to build/keep muscle more functional as you age?
- every 6y agoPersonally, I walk and pace. I spent many years as a bartender so that activity feels natural to me and actually is relaxing. As for strength, if I can open a jar, I feel pumped enough...
- stormdennis 6y agoThis already opened jar of gherkins became impossible to open. My daughter came up with the idea of putting boiling water on the lid and then it was easy to open. I was very impressed.
- burntoutfire 6y agoJust knock the jar (lid down) against a table. Works every time.
- mercer 6y agopunching into the jar's bottom with a flat hand (90 degrees from the arm, palm facing outward) has always worked for me.
- naasking 6y agoWrap a thick elastic band around the cap. The greater friction from the rubber makes it much easier.
- Good_Karma 6y ago> The only thing I've found you can easily carry into old age is (assuming no senility or debilitating disease) coordination. One can be weak and frail yet still somewhat graceful. This is a beautiful and powerful example that eloquently supports your point ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0eFx5a-FMg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0eFx5a-FMg
- maps7 6y agoI like this way of counting age (+3 decades here)