6 ms·

Without writing a book about it I'll just say that I think the most important thing is people shouldn't look at this info and conclude that their body's going t

Without writing a book about it I'll just say that I think the most important thing is people shouldn't look at this info and conclude that their body's going to fall apart no matter what. I'm in my mid 40s and in the best shape of my life, lots of energy, aches and pains from my late 30s have all disappeared, to get there it took diet and exercise changes that were surprisingly modest. For me it was mostly weights, a little bit of cardio, and cutting back on my worst episodes of caloric excess. I have friends who didn't do any diet and exercise interventions, and are starting to look like hell and complain about the "inevitable" consequences of aging. And then there are those jacked dudes in their 70s who are hitting the gym 5 times a week, I can only aspire to be as healthy as them at their age. Use it (with proper care and feeding) or lose it.

andrepd 1y ago
I'm sure there's also an important component of luck and general health there.
- vladvasiliu 1y ago
  Indeed, but I think that the point is that you shouldn't give up and let everything go.
- adrianN 1y ago
  A healthy lifestyle improves outcomes pretty much regardless of genetics. Genetics just determines the ceiling.
  - 6P58r3MXJSLi 1y ago
    > A healthy lifestyle improves outcomes pretty much regardless of genetics to be able to afford a healthy life depends a lot on luck, much more than good DNA. secondarily: modern western societies make it almost impossible for a large portion of the population to live such a lifestyle. It's more probable than an African lives a healthy life style, even in poverty, than an American working 70 hours/week, with no paid holidays, trapped in stressful groundhog days in highly polluted cities. That's why I never left my country, even though it costed me a lot monetarily wise.
    - MOARDONGZPLZ 1y ago
      > That's why I never left my country, even though it costed me a lot monetarily wise. I suspect ignorance is bliss here as your post seems to be mostly weird stereotypes. I hope you didn’t make major life decisions on these bases alone.
      - 6P58r3MXJSLi 1y ago
        > I suspect ignorance is bliss here as your post seems to be mostly weird stereotypes these are just your prejudices talking you haven't even presented a point, besides your beliefs, based on nothing. Several African countries - you clearly know nothing about it - have a similar life expectancy than the US of A. Life expectancy in Mississippi is shorter than Morocco, for example despite a huge difference in wealth. But they usually live a better life, with better food, stronger sense of community, less work hours, less pollution and a vastly superior culture and historical heritage. If it wasn't for the western bombs, regime changes and wars waged using fake intelligence, they would never leave their countries for, say, Detroit, Bakersfield, Jackson etc etc Nobody in their right mind would.
- samus 1y ago
  Indeed, but nobody can be quite sure that they will win the lottery and therefore can afford to kick back and do it the easy way. Moderate exercise, eating more of the good stuff, and letting go of some unhealthy habits have big impacts on overall well-being that are hard to describe. Simply put: not sick != healthy
matthewdgreen 1y ago
I also felt this way in my mid-40s. I still feel this way. But then after a lifetime of perfect vision, one day I was reading a book and noticed that everything was a little blurry. Now I need reading glasses. Not a big deal! I’m doing fine! But a gentle reminder that all the diet and CrossFit in the world isn’t going to save you from a (hopefully) gentle and inevitable decay ;)
- mhfu 1y ago
  I mean, of course exercise isn't going to fix your vision. But if your vision is going to degrade, you can still choose if you want to live as a fit and healthy person who needs reading glasses, or as a person who has aches all over, is in bad shape, feels tired and like shit all the time, and on top of all that needs reading glasses.
  - lynx97 1y ago
    I am in my mid-40s, don't do regular exercise, and still dont feel like "shit". Really, this "motivation trainer" rhetoric coming out of obesity-infested America is tiring. You sound like there is only two extremes: Couch potatoes and people that run a marathon every weekend. There is actually a middle-ground. And a not-so-small group of people is actually comfortable in that middle-ground. You can feel relatively healthy without running around like a wound-up monkey. Step on, don't eat too much. Then you don't have to burn calories to get rid of extra fat. It almost sounds like "uppers and downers"... Mind you, I am not arguing against sports in healthy doses. But whenever I read or talk to fitness fans, I feel like I am talking to a person following a cult.
    - oldpersonintx2 1y ago
      most people who think they are in the "middle ground" are actually unhealthy, because they end up comparing themselves to the outliers of the morbidly obese or those with absolutely terrible diets
      - supplied_demand 1y ago
globular-toast 1y ago
> those jacked dudes in their 70s Those dudes are almost certainly on some kind of testosterone. It obviously works for some. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, has almost certainly been "supplementing" for close to 60 years now. The trouble is we don't know for sure what these individuals have been doing, nor do we know the effects of such "cocktails" on the population at large.
- wonderwonder 1y ago
  You are 100% right, I don't see it as a negative though. Almost everyone in their 70's is on some form of medication. I'm mid 40's and have been on testosterone for ~4 years. Best shape of my life both physically and blood work wise. Testosterone (at sane doses), GLP-1s, etc are miracle drugs that dramatically improve ones' quality of life. While you are absolutely correct that "those dudes are almost certainly on some kind of testosterone" I see it as very positive. My FIL, in his 70's is on a cocktail of pain killers, blood pressure medication and a hundred other things and has a hard time even getting out of a pool. I'll take being an old jacked dude over that any day
- razakel 1y ago
  >Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, has almost certainly been "supplementing" for close to 60 years now. He's admitted it and advised younger bodybuilders not to. Having access to the best sports medicine doctors in the world means you too can look great at nearly 80.
stevesimmons 1y ago
Agree. There's lots you can do to slow the affects of aging. Most of us just don't try. I'm 55 and found - much to my surprise - that 12 months of carefully progressively and intense running training has improved me from a slow plodder (jogging 5km a couple of times a week) to on track for a 3 hour marathon later this year. Along the way, I'm back to the weight I had in my early 20s, but now also am a lot faster and with way more endurance. Of course, at 55, I now need to be more careful now about not getting injured. Which means being disciplined about stretching, strength training and recovery. Things I never needed to worry about when I was younger. So absolutely: > Use it (with proper care and feeding) or lose it.
- FeloniousHam 1y ago
  I got a bad of case of tennis elbow recently from over-exerting during a light set of pushups! The joint stuff you have to think about, where it was barely a consideration when I was younger.
- safety1st 1y ago
  It's so wild that in your 50s you can be more fit and in better health than you were in your 30s. No one ever told me this. My sedentary family bitched and moaned about how they were getting old and their bodies were falling apart every day. I'm so glad I discovered that exercise works in my early 40s. I hear you about injury though. When I get injured now it takes ages to recover. Something that would have gone away in 2 days in my 20s, can take weeks to heal. We're not immortal, but there's so much we can do.
me_me_me 1y ago
[dead]
JFingleton 1y ago
I'm in my mid-40's and I'm in the best shape of my life. However it's taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice, that I weirdly enjoy: * Cooking all meals from scratch (I try and reduce UPFs as much as possible). * No bread or pasta ever. Fresh non-supermarket bread and pasta is probably OK for you... * Less alcohol (only on special occasions). Modern no-alcohol beer is actually very enjoyable. * Lift weights 3x a week. I built a home gym in my garage, with a TV mounted on a wall. It's a great time to unwind, watch YouTube and get fit. It's alone time I look forward to. * Walk every lunchtime for 20 minutes, rather than browsing the Internet The key thing about exercise, is that if you don't enjoy it then you won't do it. For me, the alone time watching Youtube or listening to a podcast is the pull-factor. For others it'll be a sport playing in a team. Food is the major factor in your general health, and we really have fallen into a trap in the Western world with our food habits. Fortunately we have a choice in this regard.

andrepd 1y ago

I'm sure there's also an important component of luck and general health there.

vladvasiliu 1y ago
Indeed, but I think that the point is that you shouldn't give up and let everything go.
adrianN 1y ago
A healthy lifestyle improves outcomes pretty much regardless of genetics. Genetics just determines the ceiling.
- 6P58r3MXJSLi 1y ago
  > A healthy lifestyle improves outcomes pretty much regardless of genetics to be able to afford a healthy life depends a lot on luck, much more than good DNA. secondarily: modern western societies make it almost impossible for a large portion of the population to live such a lifestyle. It's more probable than an African lives a healthy life style, even in poverty, than an American working 70 hours/week, with no paid holidays, trapped in stressful groundhog days in highly polluted cities. That's why I never left my country, even though it costed me a lot monetarily wise.
  - MOARDONGZPLZ 1y ago
    > That's why I never left my country, even though it costed me a lot monetarily wise. I suspect ignorance is bliss here as your post seems to be mostly weird stereotypes. I hope you didn’t make major life decisions on these bases alone.
    - 6P58r3MXJSLi 1y ago
      > I suspect ignorance is bliss here as your post seems to be mostly weird stereotypes these are just your prejudices talking you haven't even presented a point, besides your beliefs, based on nothing. Several African countries - you clearly know nothing about it - have a similar life expectancy than the US of A. Life expectancy in Mississippi is shorter than Morocco, for example despite a huge difference in wealth. But they usually live a better life, with better food, stronger sense of community, less work hours, less pollution and a vastly superior culture and historical heritage. If it wasn't for the western bombs, regime changes and wars waged using fake intelligence, they would never leave their countries for, say, Detroit, Bakersfield, Jackson etc etc Nobody in their right mind would.
samus 1y ago
Indeed, but nobody can be quite sure that they will win the lottery and therefore can afford to kick back and do it the easy way. Moderate exercise, eating more of the good stuff, and letting go of some unhealthy habits have big impacts on overall well-being that are hard to describe. Simply put: not sick != healthy

matthewdgreen 1y ago

I also felt this way in my mid-40s. I still feel this way. But then after a lifetime of perfect vision, one day I was reading a book and noticed that everything was a little blurry. Now I need reading glasses. Not a big deal! I’m doing fine! But a gentle reminder that all the diet and CrossFit in the world isn’t going to save you from a (hopefully) gentle and inevitable decay ;)

mhfu 1y ago
I mean, of course exercise isn't going to fix your vision. But if your vision is going to degrade, you can still choose if you want to live as a fit and healthy person who needs reading glasses, or as a person who has aches all over, is in bad shape, feels tired and like shit all the time, and on top of all that needs reading glasses.
- lynx97 1y ago
  I am in my mid-40s, don't do regular exercise, and still dont feel like "shit". Really, this "motivation trainer" rhetoric coming out of obesity-infested America is tiring. You sound like there is only two extremes: Couch potatoes and people that run a marathon every weekend. There is actually a middle-ground. And a not-so-small group of people is actually comfortable in that middle-ground. You can feel relatively healthy without running around like a wound-up monkey. Step on, don't eat too much. Then you don't have to burn calories to get rid of extra fat. It almost sounds like "uppers and downers"... Mind you, I am not arguing against sports in healthy doses. But whenever I read or talk to fitness fans, I feel like I am talking to a person following a cult.
  - oldpersonintx2 1y ago
    most people who think they are in the "middle ground" are actually unhealthy, because they end up comparing themselves to the outliers of the morbidly obese or those with absolutely terrible diets
    - supplied_demand 1y ago

globular-toast 1y ago

> those jacked dudes in their 70s Those dudes are almost certainly on some kind of testosterone. It obviously works for some. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, has almost certainly been "supplementing" for close to 60 years now. The trouble is we don't know for sure what these individuals have been doing, nor do we know the effects of such "cocktails" on the population at large.

wonderwonder 1y ago
You are 100% right, I don't see it as a negative though. Almost everyone in their 70's is on some form of medication. I'm mid 40's and have been on testosterone for ~4 years. Best shape of my life both physically and blood work wise. Testosterone (at sane doses), GLP-1s, etc are miracle drugs that dramatically improve ones' quality of life. While you are absolutely correct that "those dudes are almost certainly on some kind of testosterone" I see it as very positive. My FIL, in his 70's is on a cocktail of pain killers, blood pressure medication and a hundred other things and has a hard time even getting out of a pool. I'll take being an old jacked dude over that any day
razakel 1y ago
>Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, has almost certainly been "supplementing" for close to 60 years now. He's admitted it and advised younger bodybuilders not to. Having access to the best sports medicine doctors in the world means you too can look great at nearly 80.

stevesimmons 1y ago

Agree. There's lots you can do to slow the affects of aging. Most of us just don't try. I'm 55 and found - much to my surprise - that 12 months of carefully progressively and intense running training has improved me from a slow plodder (jogging 5km a couple of times a week) to on track for a 3 hour marathon later this year. Along the way, I'm back to the weight I had in my early 20s, but now also am a lot faster and with way more endurance. Of course, at 55, I now need to be more careful now about not getting injured. Which means being disciplined about stretching, strength training and recovery. Things I never needed to worry about when I was younger. So absolutely: > Use it (with proper care and feeding) or lose it.

FeloniousHam 1y ago
I got a bad of case of tennis elbow recently from over-exerting during a light set of pushups! The joint stuff you have to think about, where it was barely a consideration when I was younger.
safety1st 1y ago
It's so wild that in your 50s you can be more fit and in better health than you were in your 30s. No one ever told me this. My sedentary family bitched and moaned about how they were getting old and their bodies were falling apart every day. I'm so glad I discovered that exercise works in my early 40s. I hear you about injury though. When I get injured now it takes ages to recover. Something that would have gone away in 2 days in my 20s, can take weeks to heal. We're not immortal, but there's so much we can do.

me_me_me 1y ago

[dead]

JFingleton 1y ago

I'm in my mid-40's and I'm in the best shape of my life. However it's taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice, that I weirdly enjoy: * Cooking all meals from scratch (I try and reduce UPFs as much as possible). * No bread or pasta ever. Fresh non-supermarket bread and pasta is probably OK for you... * Less alcohol (only on special occasions). Modern no-alcohol beer is actually very enjoyable. * Lift weights 3x a week. I built a home gym in my garage, with a TV mounted on a wall. It's a great time to unwind, watch YouTube and get fit. It's alone time I look forward to. * Walk every lunchtime for 20 minutes, rather than browsing the Internet The key thing about exercise, is that if you don't enjoy it then you won't do it. For me, the alone time watching Youtube or listening to a podcast is the pull-factor. For others it'll be a sport playing in a team. Food is the major factor in your general health, and we really have fallen into a trap in the Western world with our food habits. Fortunately we have a choice in this regard.