Open Mike: Are You Getting Older?

["Open Mike" is the often off-topic Editorial Page of TOP. It appears on Wednesdays, with the possible exception of when it doesn't.]

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Are you getting older? Not all of us are. The young are not getting older—they're just continuing to be young. I didn't start getting older, for instance, until I reached my 50s. Before then, from in here, I was just me. Aging was something that was going to come along later.

All people are different in terms of what they're most in touch with. Some people are most in touch with their bodies; some with their minds. Some people are very in touch with their emotions. A lucky few have arrived at a "value system" that serves as a filter through which they evaluate and view the world and events within it—I know one person who views the world through the filter of radical left-wing politics; another through Freudian psychoanalysis; another through aesthetics, fashion, and style (this, like all value systems, can lead to distortions—once, when she was young, this friend casually waved off the matter of Nazism's atrocities on the way to waxing eloquently and at length about how cool, and how sexy—yep—their uniforms were); others through a variety of passionate hobbies or pastimes or pursuits, like Jay Leno with cars. It's one of the attractions of photography for me that it's only a funnel: different people can be wholly passionate about it yet put it to the service of radically different interests. Recently I've had the good fortune to meet several old-order Mennonites whose value system is that of their community and their churches, and I have to say they are among the happiest, most well-adjusted humans I have met. There is a great deal to be said for belonging to a tribe. Some people are most in touch with their spiritual side, whatever that means to them. Others might be most in touch with their relationships and friendships.

I'm not very in touch with my body. Somewhat out of touch, I'd have to admit, with my emotions. Literally out of touch with friends, since I don't call them or see them enough!

I'm mostly in touch with my mind. And I've been utterly fascinated watching it...well, decline.

Should I not admit that? Or not write about it? I know this is an unpleasant, even tragic subject, but really, why not hold it up to the light and look at it? We all get old if we're lucky, so why not take an interest in what's happening to us as it happens? Noting the emergence of little glitches in things like my typing, my gait, and my speech, and the declining of my mental powers, was what most clearly alerted me to the fact that I was aging.

I think we reach a stage, in middle age, when we naturally start paying attention to our health. It's like we haven't seen it coming. As if it surprises us. We're like, "Whoa, this is going to happen to me?!? [Expletive deleted]. I'd better stop smoking and start going to the gym."

This may simply be a standard, common reaction to the aging process. Evolution protects us by "programming" certain outlooks at different ages: when we're young we think we're invincible, and young people accept certain risks to their safety in order to experiment, or to have sexual experiences, or for purposes of lekking...just as if they're programmed to do so. Similarly, people at some indeterminate middle age often have what I call the "uh-oh" response: it starts to dawn on us that, in David Letterman's words, "this train only goes one way," and that we had better wake up and take care of ourselves if we want to...well, last.

I live right next to a road in a recreational area—it's open to cars, but in the Summer, cars are greatly outnumbered by cyclists, women pushing strollers, joggers, walkers, dog-walkers, even people on skateboards and Segways. I think of this "uh-oh" idea every time I see a roly-poly fiftysomething striding purposefully past—especially the ones who have outfitted themselves for exercise with special clothes and shoes (and sometimes, if they are female, unflattering tights), and are doing that hilarious hand-up pumping action with their arms. I see that as merely a signifier—they're walking, but what the signifiers signify is, "I'm not just walking, I'm exercising!" (Dammit Gumby.) Doubtless they will treat themselves to an extra cupcake because they burned off so many calories, or so they think, out on their brisk constitutional.

Those folks do make me smile, but I'm not mocking. I walk too. And they're trying. Big points for that.

Here are three basic things you can do for yourself as you reach the "uh-oh" phase of life: You can exercise, improve your diet, and improve your sleep.

Exercise
Taking that first item first, there's new research showing that working with weights is excellent exercise for aging bodies. There's a nice article about that called "The Best Exercise for Aging Muscles" in the NYT that reports some fascinating recent findings. (Good luck with that one, Self! I said to myself.)

Diet
The second, diet, is something I've been working on for a long time, with decidedly mixed results on account of I have average to below average self-discipline and poorish impulse control, along with quasi-addictive behaviors around sugar (common among still-recovering alcoholics such as moi). But on that head I'd like to recommend a plainspoken little book called 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health by Kerry Graff M.D. and J. Morris Hicks. Regarding the "Whole Food Plant Based" (WFPB) eating plan the book espouses, it's very interesting to me that the "V-word" diets (vegetarian and vegan) are essentially centered around an ethical stance towards animals first and foremost...embodied in the late Linda McCartney's idea, "don't eat anything with a face." But you can be a vegan and eat mostly junk food. Rather than focusing on what not to eat, WFPB tells you what to eat: roots, bulbs, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, mushrooms, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, and spices*. I'm personally convinced that anyone not used to eating that way should try it for six weeks. Assuming you are able to pay close enough attention to how your body feels, it will be highly educational.

A small book about the size of a guidebook, the 4Leaf Guide is a very short, succinct tour of the many issues surrounding eating plans today, and does indeed guide you through that confusing maze. The difference 4Leaf brings to the table is that it assumes you'll want to bring WFPB into your eating plans to whatever degree is right for you; hence 1Leaf, 2Leaf, 3Leaf, or 4Leaf. There's no all-or-nothing about it. There's also a short but effective online questionnaire that evaluates the healthfulness of your current diet.

(Disclaimer: I've been dating Dr. Graff, and she's a friend. However, Kerry donates 100% of her proceeds from the book to charity, so she doesn't stand to benefit monetarily from my endorsement.)

Sleep
The third one, sleep, is something that has interested me since I took a course at Dartmouth called "Sleeping and Dreaming" from the late Dr. Peter Hauri of what is now called the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Sleep Disorders Center. Dr. Hauri, who was Swiss, later became the Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. On this heading I'd like to highly recommend Chapter 8, "Rhythms," of the book The Hungry Brain by Stephan J. Guyenet Ph.D. The book, which is about recent developments in obesity research from a neuroscience perspective, was recommended to me by the venerated and oracular Oren Grad, curator of Not-So-Stately Grad Manor View Camera Museum and Graveyard, who himself has 17 advanced degrees and speaks 14 unrelated languages and I am only exaggerating slightly. Oren works as a medical policy analyst, an incomplete description of his job, which takes 6.4 minutes to explain even briefly and again I am only exaggerating slightly.  :-)

Anyhoo, the chapter in The Hungry Brain about sleep is eye-opening...er, eye-closing. The book as a whole is written for laypeople, but I would have to say it would be best for people of considerable scientific literacy, which does not exactly include myself. In case you don't want to read it, here are a few things the author recommends for improving sleep:

• Stay in bed long enough—that is, reserve enough time for sleep. Note that this varies between individuals: average sleep need is eight hours, but the range of normal sleep need can be anything from four to 16 hours and anything in between. But if you're like most Americans, it's probably 1–2 hours more than the time you reserve for sleep now. 

• Set times (or "windows") for going to bed and waking up, and try not to deviate from that schedule.

• Use the bedroom for sleeping and sex and nothing else; remove distractions such as TVs, pictures, fish tanks, clocks, and mirrors.

• Make the bedroom as dark as possible at night and as quiet as you can.

• Starting two hours before your bedtime, lower the lights in your house as much as possible, and don't expose yourself to anything upsetting such as the news. Don't watch any kind of television or video or sit at the computer.

• For an hour or two before bed, don't expose yourself to blue or full-spectrum light. You can do this by using "warm" (2700K) light bulbs in your house—or, for the truly propeller-beanied** among ye, you can get yourself a pair of these and wear them for a while before bed:

They're Uvex blue light blocking glasses. Especially useful if you must work at the computer before bed. (Which you shouldn't do, but which I do. I haven't gotten a pair of these glasses yet though.)

• Expose yourself to blue light as soon as you get up in the morning. You can do this with a SAD (seasonal affective disorder) therapeutic light such as this model by Verilux, but a more effective means is to just go outside for five or ten minutes after you get dressed every morning. (I do this because I take the dogs out first thing. May be one of the reasons why I'm sleeping better lately than I ever have in my life.) There's lots of blue light in daylight. It will help you wake up and re-synchronize your body's circadian clocks.

• Don't nap.

• Don't eat in the two or three hours before bedtime.

There are all sorts of good reasons to get a good night's sleep, and, by extension, to work to reset your body's clock mechanisms. All those reasons are beyond the scope of this already-too-long post, but I will mention a couple of fascinating things from The Hungry Brain: habitual lack of sleep correlates surprisingly well with obesity. (It also increases your risk of injury or death in an automobile: driving while sleepy is almost exactly as predictive of accidents as driving while drunk.) Not only that, but eating during or within your sleep period is an exceptionally bad idea. One study fed a control group of rats in the middle of their waking hours, and a test group in the middle of their sleeping hours. The group fed during sleeping hours became obese, and the group fed during waking hours stayed at a sleek, healthy weight, even though both groups were fed exactly the same amount of calories. This suggests that food intake might be metabolized differently by the body when ingested during the hours of the night.

That's enough typing for me on these topics! This got a little out of hand. As someone*** said, sorry for writing so long, but I didn't have enough time today to write it short.

Mike

ADDENDUM: The day after I wrote this post, I had a dream in which my hair got grayer and grayer over about a 24-hour period, and I ended up looking like Nelson Pass. Think aging was on my mind, maybe?

*Here are a few examples of what those things mean: roots (potatoes, carrots), bulbs (onions, garlic), stems (asparagus, celery), leaves (lettuce, spinach, and other salad greens), flowers (broccoli, artichoke), fruits (berries, citrus, tomatoes), mushrooms (white, shiitake), nuts (walnuts, pecans), seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp hulls), legumes (beans, peas, lentils), whole grains (rolled oats, brown rice), and spices (nutmeg, turmeric, oregano).

**Not to say tinfoil-helmeted

***Usually attributed to Mark Twain, but then, as someone else said, a lot of things are. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, Mark Twain never even said half the things he said.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ken James: "Hi Mike. This subject is standing squarely right in front of me this very minute. My jaw dropped when I saw that you had posted on the subject. In April of this year I got up one morning and I was 42 or so. This morning when I got up I was clearly around 75. Like you I am mostly in touch with my mind and as you also totally utterly fascinated watching this change. Yes you should write about it, absolutely. I will read eagerly. I am enthralled by the subject. I have had several things happen to me the last bunch of months which has totally shifted my perspective. I am really 70. I do pretty good with all three points you bring up. I have been a vegetarian most of my life, but never eat junk food, except for pizza and that once a month, only. Cheese has always been a no. The most interesting thing is the change in outlook on life, and looking at the perspective that time gives one. I will look for your friend's book. Over the years I have enjoyed following your adventures in eating and diet. I find this subject also very interesting."

bryan willman: "I'm actually getting younger. Partly because in my younger years various health issues made me 'old,' and those are better managed now —> younger. Partly because my life circumstance allows much more time for exercise, proper sleep, and so forth —> younger."

Don: "This is excellent: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. A really good read by a sleep researcher. Most memorable for me was the idea that we should set an alarm clock not to wake us up, but to tell us it's time to go to bed. Also, from another source: 10, 3, 2, 1. 10 hours before sleep no caffeine. 3 hours before no food. 2 hours before no work. 1 hour before no screen."

Steve Jacob: "Hi Mike, very apposite in my case as we are of a similar age and decrepitude.

"Ten years ago, I was overweight, had high BP and cholesterol, and was prediabetic. My weight is now normal, BP 120/70, blood sugar normal, cholesterol 3.1. Drug intervention at my age is almost standard, but I am on the minimum dose in each case. Most of it is precautionary.

"I lost 28 lbs. by simply avoiding sugars and simple carbs, as well as fatty foods and alcohol. I also eat small amounts as needed, rather than full meals. I eat probably about 6–7 times a day, but small quantities, which reduces my appetite. I feel ‘full’ after a tuna salad, which is great.

"I don't have anything in the fridge that's bad for me, so there is no temptation. I have a very standard shopping list of healthy foods, which also means I have one less boring chore to think about. I have far more interesting things to do, and life is too short.

"Similarly, I do much more exercise, but never for its own sake. I find the idea of it mind-numbing, so I do it for some other motive, not to feel virtuous. I find reasons that are entirely practical, or fun, and which integrate it into my useful activities. I call it stealthercise.

"I live in an area of London full of rivers and canals, so there are many winding scenic routes between my home and most places I frequent. Instead of using a car or bus, I walk. It's tough in bad weather, but in good weather, I take a camera.

"I also like wandering around London. It's a huge area (around 500 square miles) and there are wiggly routes around all of it that throw up interesting discoveries. It keeps me engaged, I meet people, find great little galleries and museums, and interesting images. If I end up miles from home, there is always a bus or a tube to get home on. It's not exercise, it's exploring.

"However, the one thing you didn't mention, and which seldom gets serious attention, is mind exercise. A few years ago, I started doing cryptic crosswords, something I was never good at. Gradually I started to 'get it' and now I can sit down and polish off the Guardian daily in about 30 minutes. It was hard, but that’s the point. I am now trying the Times.

"It also contributes to my stealthercise, because my favourite coffee shop is three miles away. I walk there, pick up the paper en-route, spend a happy half hour stretching the brain over a skinny latte, then walk home via the scenic route, carrying my groceries in a backpack.

"Six-mile round trip by the river means I hardly notice the fact that I walk around 30 miles a week, briskly. It also means I can buy groceries from several sources and markets, instead of just drudging round the supermarket and being tempted by all the unhealthy

"About three years ago, I also started writing a technical book. It was a subject I knew something about, but if you want to find out how little you really know, just try writing a book about it (or running a course about it). It put me back in the zone I was in at college - trying to understand something, and then trying to find a way to explain it—which is another challenge in itself.

"I found that my mental abilities improved markedly as part of the process. This took some time, and so did the book, but the difference after a year was astonishing. I looked back and realised how dumb I had become. It was quite scary.

"One of the problems as we age is that we become habitual thinkers, avoid challenging what we think we know, and get very defensive about it. We actively stop creating new neural pathways and rely on habitual thinking that was forged and fixed in our thirties. Creating new ones helps us cope with change, like digital cameras and editing software, and change habits that are no longer appropriate—like partying, eating burgers, and getting drunk....

"Neural pathways, like muscle tissue, need to be constantly renewed, and it has to be something challenging. The trick is to make sure there is also a real objective that matters to us, not a dull virtuous one that is an evil necessity.

"Exercise or dieting for its own sake, or simple vanity, becomes a chore to be secretly and subconsciously subverted. 'I ran six mikes today so I deserve a pizza' is the reason why there are so many fat joggers around. A little self-knowledge is a dangerous thing, and far too many self-help books are written by charlatans.

"I find getting obsessed about things other than myself is a lot healthier."

Comments

[James Weekes]

I can agree with almost all of what you say here. That being said, I find it godawful hard to DO a lot of it. I am 71 and my body has tapped me on the shoulder a few times, triple bypass 8 years ago, a deteriorating hip, hearing aids and I just had cataract surgery in both eyes last May.

I am overweight and would love to move over to that diet. I have two daughters and a granddaughter who have been vegan for the last 20 years. My granddaughter is 16 and has never eaten meat, dairy etc. and is the picture of health. But it's hard. I do get 8 hours most nights, 6 out of 7 at least. My iPad is set to move over to yellow light at 7:00, I do cardio 4 days a week and weights two days. The only problem with weight work is that it makes me hungry in direct proportion to how hard a workout I do.

Tonight I'm being good, tofu stir-fry with veggies and rice.

To sum up. Very good advice and I will keep trying.

[Ben Rosengart]

Talk about burying the lede!

[Yeah, see? Declining mental abilities. :-)

Actually, to be honest, it's a pastiche--I had about three posts going that I took bits and pieces of and whanged together. It's like what my father used to say about making omelettes--"sometimes you get an omelette, sometimes you get a mess of eggs." --Mike]

[Not THAT Ross Cameron]

As one Dr Karl says here in Australia (a science presented / communicator); don't eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognise as food. Although even that was after the industrial revolution and the impact that it had on humans in terms of sugar and flour production - i.e. The beginning of "processed" foods.

As a gross generalisation, there's lot to be said for those still living on farms, and are able to be more in touch with the natural world around them and it's rhythms; cycles of day and night, and the changing of the seasons, shifting of the stars, waxing & waning of the moon.

[David Boyce]

The sleep thing. A few years back, after struggling with a range of things including low energy level, ongoing tiredness, anxiety/panic attacks and weight issues (from what I realise now was eating high energy foods to combat tiredness) I had a sleep test done. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was having a spectacular number of “micro wakes” every hour which meant that I was not getting REM sleep.

Long story short, I was fitted for a CPAP machine. Pretty much overnight my life changed. I had energy and enthusiasm. My panic/anxiety issue retreated, and I found it easier to lose weight. My wife was also some what happy with the reduction in snoring.

I strongly recommend that if you have the slightest suspicion that you are having sleep issues that you have a sleep test. Mine was done at home, a technician came late in the evening, connected a few monitoring devices to me and left. They collected them in the morning. No need to go to a sleep clinic. Very simple.

And as I said, life changing.

[Pedro]

Thanks Mike! As I have recently entered my 60's, your post is very timely for me.

I think reference points and expectations also play a very important role. You write "It's like we haven't seen it coming". I am quite an optimist, but at one time nearly 30 years ago I had health problems, that made me think that I would no longer be able lead a normal/good life. In a way I saw ir coming early in my life, but it didn't come, as I recovered. I feel always very lucky, and even in the face of important problems my life remains above my reference point.

You mention sleeping, eating habits and physical exercise, which are all very important. I would add mental exercise, using our mind to solve any challenging problems that we are interested in. Learning new things, and keeping up-to-date about events and ways of thinking prevailing in our current "environment" (from family and friends, our profession and hobbies to global problems).

[longviewer]

** Look what you made me do -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgh59Bdckj8

[Tim Auger]

One key ageing moment is when you realise that greyness has extended not only to your eyebrows (which is very ageing), but also to - ahem - other parts of your body.

Then, there is the moment when you have an ECG with a real fear, for the first time, that it might reveal something nasty. Not to mention buying a blood-pressure monitor.

For me it the key thing has always been tangible, a physical sign of ageing, rather than a major emotional or psychological step. In fact I have noticed that other people age in steps - sudden deterioration following a long period of apparent non-ageing and then an accident, or a bereavement, or some other trauma.

[Frank Petronio]

Thanks Mike, one of your best posts and the reason I read TOP.

[cdembrey]

I was born before WW2. I've been officially old for a long time. My main problem is that I'm mentally a 16 year-old who occupies an aging body. On the good side is that I don't have an addictive personality—giving-up bad habits is easy. When I started getting health issues about 5 years ago it was easy to quit beer & wine, red meat & potatoes and to cut way back on caffeine (it's nice not being wired). I'm very happy living on spinach, fish, blue-berrys, brown rice and maybe 3-4 cups of coffee a week.. On the bad side the 16 y.o. half still isn't risk adverse, is still an arrogant jerk and still a loner.

Now on to something important. Uniforms are meant to be sexy, be it military, police or marching-bands. The French. the Nazi era Germans and Russian Federation do uniforms better than most. Some American police departments are among the least stylish.

Something I find interesting is that some non-Mike bloggers, have recently discovered the Bret Easton Ellis novel Less Than Zero. Ostentatious name dropping has become de rigueur.

[Doug Thacker]

Things we take for granted when we're younger, or even scoff at, become vitally important as we age. Things like diet, exercise, outlook, rest. Things like keeping to a schedule, but staying out of a rut. Things like physical and mental flexibility.

Until fairly recently I maintained a regular schedule of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. (I don't do that now, for reasons I won't go into.) A few years ago -- I remember it vividly -- I was on a stationary bike in the gym, nearly an hour into it, when I suddenly felt this surge of robustness. The world seemed more alive and I seemed more alive, as though no harm could befall me. I felt strong, a young turk eager to take on anything. Just breathing, looking around, and being alive were a thorough pleasure. And that's when it hit me: I used to feel this way all the time. Half a lifetime earlier this was my constant state of being, but it had been so long since that was the case I'd forgotten all about it. What I was experiencing was probably increased endorphin flow brought on by intense exercise. But what it felt like was youth. Youth don't have to work at that, but we older folks do. Maintaining the discipline required to make yourself feel that way from time to time may not extend your life, but it will certainly enhance the quality of living.

[Andrew Lamb]

"sorry for writing so long, but I didn't have enough time today to write it short."

Isn't the original version of this usually attributed to Pascale? Didn't I read this, a few months ago, on this very blog? What was that about the mind going? NB: we're the same age.

[scott kirkpatrick]

There's an old joke about how you never older than your current wife, but it has been true for me. After marriage #1 fell apart I met and eventually married wife #2, 20 years younger (that's who you meet in an academic/research environment), and we started over. Ten years of work and travel, then kids now reaching the far edge of high school and I haven't had time to even think about declining anything (except perhaps opportunities).

[Wolfgang Lonien]

Hopefully...

[Brian Taylor]

I'm peering over the near horizon at my rapidly approaching seventieth birthday, so, yes, I am ... getting older. My inner photographer was a bit shocked last week to find that his right eye, the 'stronger one', has now become the weaker one. As a young man I was pretty lazy physically. My walking got much stronger in mid-life, and has only recently started to weaken noticeably ( i.e routine use of walking pole). Mentally I probably also peaked late. I did a PhD in my 50's and, thankfully, still feel pretty clear headed -though not as speedy.

I've had to follow a dietary regime for many years, so have become a bit remedy averse, but will take note of your comments on sleep.

Rather worryingly, several (mostly older) friends have succumbed to bouts of grouchy instransigence or angry depression following major health challenges. A couple of late and much lamented friends, however, did manage to negotiate increasing impairment and occasional severe pain without losing their customary empathy. I hope I don't become a monster if and when things get really difficult.

How about a post on death Mike? :) Have you dipped into the literature on Near Death Experiences? Just a thought :)

[Mark]

A lot of good advice. However, the blue light stuff I find hogwash. I read my iPad in bed every night before falling asleep. I do not use the filter it has for blue light as I don’t like how it looks. If I’m ever having trouble falling asleep, all I need do is watch a YouTube video. Even one of great interest to me will have my iPad tipping out of my hand, hopefully not to smash down on my knees, and me snoring within minutes.

[William]

Eggleston is 78 years old.

A recent interviewer with The Guardian reported:

"He remains defiantly intemperate, getting through a pack of Natural American Spirit cigarettes during our conversation and visibly livening up as his “cocktail hour” arrives. It begins at 5pm and ends around 8pm, unless he has polished off his daily alcohol allowance (half a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Black Label) before then, which is often the case."

Other interviews suggest Eggleston lived this lifestyle, one form or another, for decades.

All your health tips are important.

But great genes beat everything.

Great genes and healthy habits are important as gene expression could be amplified by lifestyle choices. Eggleston appears to be a counter example.

Not only was Eggleston remarkably fortunate to be born into a wealthy family, he also inherited the genetic disposition to enjoy healthy old age.

[Herb Cunningham]

The book "younger next year" is the best argument for exercise I have read. At 81, I still have a good outlook on life, which I think is the secret to a peaceful mind, that being the ultimate goal.

[Manuel]

Ha! I work part-time as a Guinea pig at a cellular research centre, and I am genetically programmed not to age. Peter Pan, eat my shorts!

[John Krumm]

Based on your Thanksgiving post, it looks like you are also trying out one of the better things anyone can do for health, socialize with friends and neighbors. I'm involved with the social-justice community in Duluth, mostly through one organization, and at 51 I'm on the young side. We have many people over 70 and some in their upper eighties. Even had a very elderly woman in a walker show up to our potluck fundraiser. So eat well, sleep well, exercise, and as importantly, do fun and/or volunteer activities with others on a regular basis. The last part makes everything else worth the work.

[MJFerron]

I try to eat healthy, often fail but I do eat more good stuff than I use to and try swallow my share of those so called "Superfoods".

It's scary because at age 63 I am starting to admit I am older. I still work too hard and at the end of the day I hurt. Good news is semi-retirement starts Jan 1.

Oh I highly recommend checking out nutrition/fitness expert Dr Rhonda Patrick on YouTube. You can find her on her own show or with tough talking Joe Rogan. She's is so respected Joe won't even throw the eff word around when she is on.

[Gordon Cahill]

I live by the motto, "if you haven't grown up by the time you turn 50, you don't have to."

Gordon

[Bob Rosinsky]

Ha! Letterman's pithy statement: "The train only goes one way," is on the mark. Especially now as my 59th birthday is just around the bend.

The flip side of the coin (rattling off clichés today) is that as I age, I become mellower and less judgmental of friends, family, and myself.

I "get" what you say about cognitive decline. Conversely wisdom compensates for loss of short term memoery, diminished ability to do calculations without pencil and paper, and lacking the mental agility/nimbleness we enjoyed (unknowingly) in our youth.

I've discovered how important it is to get out everyday, no matter the temp, to soak in the sun. Nice thing about living in the high plains on the edge of the front range of the Rockies is that it's so damn beautiful. And luckily, I've got a canine companion whose main interests are: 1) food; 2) sleep; 3) walkies.

I've stopped eating wheat, corn, soy, and I only eat beef and chicken a few times a month. I miss fresh seafood (Lafayette, Colorado ain't Boston nor Florida). Good thing I like sardines.

I'm not on a diet, I've merely adjusted my lifestyle. It's worth it. I eat less, don't have acid reflux, have more energy (which helps to counter the symptoms of having a cluster of autoimmune disorders). Being a guy of small stature, having lost 30 pounds and now maintaining a steady weight, has improved my quality of life.

I've always been somewhat absent minded. And when I'd misplace something, I'd get angry and into a tizzy. Now I let it go: things eventually turn up.

I wish I had the time to continue blabbing, but my 18-year old daughter is chomping at the bit to head up to the mountains.

Peace to you, Mike, and your readership.

[Dan Doviddio]

Diet seems all over the board. From Paleo to Vegetarian. I think one has to find the diet that works for them personally. I've always had an inclination for a fat, meat and lettuce/green vegetable diet. I found that whole grains and some root vegetables were causing me serious digestive issues. With a little bit a of research I came across the Fast Track Diet. The diet is based on fermentation potetential of food in your digestive system. Based on good fats, protein and greens with fermentable foods thrown in to create a healthier gut culture. I now have more energy and feel much better.The Fast Track Diet can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/IBS-Irritable-Bowel-Syndrome-Antibiotics-ebook/dp/B00CBP2S1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511469304&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fast+track+diet

[shadzee]

Don't nap ?

Are you kidding? I live to just take naps in the afternoons ;-)
and I'm as healthy as any 60 year old (granted I'm not 60 yet ;-)

[Bill Wheeler]

Like you, Mike, I am aging. Thank you for the information and tips. Bill Wheeler

[Jerome]

Struck a chord with me, I've been 'me' for the past decades. Until earlier this year, when I noticed that.. I'm not me anymore. I kept ignoring it for a while, blaming lack of sleep, or a cold - you get the idea. But truth is, my body is changing, and I cannot ignore it.

Irony is, I never thought of myself as becoming an old man, ever. Turns out, I've been right all the time. I was diagnosed with a disease. Expectation is that there's high probability for me to be alive in 5 years, but it's almost certain I won't be around 10 years from now.

Not ready yet to wrap my head around it. But at least I won't have to deal with raging..

[My sympathies to you Jerome. You might have an excuse to do some raging...or did you mean that last word to be "aging"? I wish you well for your remaining years, but then I wish us all well for our remaining years.... --Mike]

[Keith Trumbo]

Dear Mike,
Just hit 73, your article really struck home as if you’d stolen some of my thoughts though surprisingly I thought I was the only one having them.
I truly appreciate your personal web site have done so for a long time and realized that I’ve taken it for granted. As it’s Thanksgiving its appropriate to take the opportunity to say Thank You for all you do:
Thank you with much appreciation.
Regards
Keith Trumbo

[Dale]

Mike, it's good to pause and think about this. I'm 54, have always been relatively healthy, with no weight problems or need for medications. This week, I learned that I have prostate cancer. It's purely luck of the draw. I suppose if one has to contract cancer, this is the one to have, as it's slow-acting and generally treatable. In any case, it makes me realize that there's much that we can't control (time, hereditary health events, etc.), and it's wise to appreciate all the good things we have. In my case, that includes close family and living in a beautiful part of the world (Reno/Tahoe, Nevada). We all age and inch toward decline; all we can do is take care of ourselves with common sense and enjoy the ride. In the grand scheme of things, life's short, so why sweat the stupid stuff?

Dale

[david Lee]

I am 55. I just did my annual medical and somehow managed to bring down my cholesterol to 195. As soon as I was out of the clinic, I drove to the supermarket and bought a 450gr Rib Eye steak and a bag of baby potatoes, had them with red wine and a Cuban Bolivar as dessert.
Back to normal today.

[Simon E]

Mike, there is hope. Some interesting links I saved:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150911111037.htm

http://uk.businessinsider.com/best-exercise-for-brain-mental-health-2017-10
http://uk.businessinsider.com/3-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young-according-to-neuroscientists-2017-10

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/magazine/what-if-age-is-nothing-but-a-mind-set.html

It doesn't have to be extreme. You don't need special clothing. You don't need a gym membership (exercising outdoors is better in a number of ways, for mental and emotional wellbeing, provided that outdoors doesn't mean a New York street choked with traffic and shoppers).

Incorporate a range of types of activity into your day, don't restrict yourself to one type of exercise: brisk walking, cycling to the shops or in a park, a bit of soccer, trotting up stairs (or even just lifting your leg higher and walking up more briskly than usual), resistance training (chopping & lifting logs?), bouncing on a trampoline, maybe go for a swim twice a week. These things will help prevent mental as well as degradation and will benefit your sense of wellbeing, particularly if done in a green space, woodland or other natural setting.

It's very important to reduce the amounty of time spent sitting. Our bodies weren't designed for spending long sat on a chair or sofa. Don't drive somewhere if you can possibly cycle or walk. Do some of your browsing and writing stood at a high worksurface instead of sitting down, the more you do it the more it will become natural. There are lots of ways to reduce the time spent sat down.

Flexibility declines with age and that decline can only be stopped/reduced by working the body. Yoga, pilates or even a 10-minute gentle stretching routine (best done later in the day when you've been using those muscles and they're nicely warmed up).

Make these things a part of your day and you'll feel the benefit, both now and in the years to come. I started cycling to work 12 years ago and wouldn't stop now. It wakes me up in the morning, I arrive at work alert and feeling so good, even when the weather isn't great. The ride home clears my mind, I can leave the office routine and issues behind. I know you can't do this but you could go for a brisk walk with the dog first thing in the morning, run errands on a bike at lunchtime, throw/kick balls before dinner...