At what age do you think infirmity really sets in?

palides2021 said:
Today I went to the lab to get blood work done, and there were several people before me. The woman who sat in front of me was overweight, had a walker, and her ankles were very thick. When she was called to the register, I heard her say to the clerk that her birthdate was in 1955. I couldn't believe it she was only 2 years older than me. I freaked out because she looked and acted 20 years older, at least. So infirmity can happen before age 60. It depends.
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Isn't it shocking when that happens? I've had similar experiences.
 

David777 said:
Varies greatly. I look younger than some men 20 years younger than I am. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones with long telomeres on the end of my chromosomes. That noted, at most it will add only a decade or two before the inevitable happens. I'm already feeling it increasingly. Worth understanding is how one treats their body, especially with fitness and exercise of both body and mind, plus food and substance intake play significant rolls beyond genetics. Regularly smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, use abusive drugs, eat lots of red meat and greasy foods, live as a couch potato, and one pays a price in aging faster.
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Hey man, my doctor said he's never seen longer telomeres than mine.
And the Guiness Records people will be at my house tonight at 8:00pm.
 
I'm 64 and I work out at the gym 5 days a week. I allocate at least 15-20 minutes on the elliptical machine before going on to muscle strength training. My mother was in her 70's and was doing strength training with a personal trainer. She had an Arnold Schwarzenegger t-shirt and was always proud to show off her biceps! She stopped going to exercise class but was pretty mobile until her early 80's. She had many pre-existing conditions, yet she lived to be 89 y/o. Today would have been her 90th birthday. ā¤ļø

If I have inherited her genetics, without the pre-existing conditions, and continue to exercise and eat healthy I think I can have a pretty good life for years to come.
 
C50 said:
I have always lived a very physical lifestyle and admit to be a bit concerned as I get older. I'm 61 now, I do have a couple health issues but overall am still fit and strong, but I sure feel my body wearing out.

I know there's a lot of variation, but in my simple observations it seems when people age out of there sixties I see age really starts to take its toll for the majority of people.

Any thoughts? I apologize if this question offends anyone, not meaning to cause any duress just curious how others feel.
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You are much too young to start feeling your body wearing out!
 
Mitch86 said:
Keep walking every day no matter what the risk. Once one stops, they may end up in a wheel chair. At 87 I walk 2,000 steps daily tracked tansitionby my smart phone and watch.
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@Mitch86, thanks for putting it out there, and being an example. The "infirmity" condition is a slow transition from active & independent to immobile & no longer being self sufficient.
 
Some men have incredible constitutions where they seem to never age. My uncle was one of those people. Unfortunately, he was my uncle by marriage and not blood, so I didnā€™t inherit any of his genes. This man was 88 (looked 60) when he died. I think he may have had only a handful of gray hair and a head full of hair. He was unbelievable with the things he could do.

His downfall was that he never went to the doctor and would brag about it. He had been having some issues with going to the bathroom and finally decided to go see a doctor. After tests and so on were done, he found out he had Stage 4 prostate cancer and died just less than one year later.

The doctor told my cousin that his death at that time in his life could have been prevented had he taken regular doctor checkups.
 
I'm 75 and I've noticed a slow down in my ability to do tasks around the house for shorter periods of time. I use to go, go, go. Not any more. I guess that's normal? IDK...I've never been 75 before :)

My hubby is 81 and worked a long, physical life style, starting at age 12 until he retired at 61. He wanted to work longer, but he was worn out. His body was telling him he needed to quit before something serious happened.

He wants to do more things around the house/yard, but he has less stamina and needs to take an afternoon nap to get to movie and popcorn time and then go to bed around 9PM. I've also noticed a change in his mental recognition lately. He's becoming more forgetful and doesn't seem to comprehend things we talk about. Then, there's other times when he seems like his "old" self again and everything is fine. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this or not.
 
oldman said:
Some men have incredible constitutions where they seem to never age. My uncle was one of those people. Unfortunately, he was my uncle by marriage and not blood, so I didnā€™t inherit any of his genes. This man was 88 (looked 60) when he died. I think he may have had only a handful of gray hair and a head full of hair. He was unbelievable with the things he could do.

His downfall was that he never went to the doctor and would brag about it. He had been having some issues with going to the bathroom and finally decided to go see a doctor. After tests and so on were done, he found out he had Stage 4 prostate cancer and died just less than one year later.

The doctor told my cousin that his death at that time in his life could have been prevented had he taken regular doctor checkups.
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At his age, it's unlikely that he died of prostate cancer. Many doctors have that self-flattering "We could have saved him" attitude.
My dad had prostate cancer - for 25 years. He actually wanted treatment & asked for it. I drove him to his doctor who explained that in older men, there is no reason to treat prostate cancer because it is dormant & the treatment is harmful & will make you sick & not warranted because it won't be the cause of death. He also died at 88 of a fall.
The truth is: We all gotta go sometime; we're not designed to live forever, but we'll sure try.
 
Colleen said:
I'm 75 and I've noticed a slow down in my ability to do tasks around the house for shorter periods of time. I use to go, go, go. Not any more. I guess that's normal? IDK...I've never been 75 before :)

My hubby is 81 and worked a long, physical life style, starting at age 12 until he retired at 61. He wanted to work longer, but he was worn out. His body was telling him he needed to quit before something serious happened.

He wants to do more things around the house/yard, but he has less stamina and needs to take an afternoon nap to get to movie and popcorn time and then go to bed around 9PM. I've also noticed a change in his mental recognition lately. He's becoming more forgetful and doesn't seem to comprehend things we talk about. Then, there's other times when he seems like his "old" self again and everything is fine. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this or not.
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"I use to go, go, go. Not any more." Yeah, me too, and I'm only 66.

Try giving your hubby vitamin B12. I swear by it. A B12-B6 combo is really good, too. B12 is good for blood and heart, increases stamina and improves your mood....makes you feel more positive. Probly because you feel a bit lighter and more well.
 
The pace at which you walk may say a lot about your health:

"Down the line, physicians could use gait speed to help determine a personā€™s biological age, which may be younger or older than their chronological age, the JAMA paper finds.

The lesson isnā€™t to start walking faster, thereā€™s no evidence to prove that upping your gait speed impacts your health. But itā€™s important to pay attention to how physically active you are. In the study, fast walkers declined at a slower rate than slower walkers, which led to better health outcomes. If your gait slows down, especially significantly, it could indicate an underlying condition.

At the end of the day, it solidifies the importance of walking and remaining ambulatory no matter your age, Dieli-Conwright said."

ā€œSomething as simple as a walking program can be conducive to maintain overall health,ā€ she said.

https://news.usc.edu/151155/how-fast-you-walk-says-a-lot-about-your-health/

https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/ar...-what-it-could-mean-for-your-health-1.4310383
 
I was always very physically fit until about 73 when I encountered Ulcerative Colitis, then Rotator Cuff surgery, and then aggressive prostate cancer, which took most of 3 1/2 years to conquer and took most of my muscle in the process. But the cancer is gone I will soon turn 80 and I am alive and getting back into shape again. I walk about three miles a day, lift light to moderate weights and stretch.

The gym I belonged to was proud of their older members and encouraged us to take progress photos every few years, which of course the posted.

This is what I looked like at 65:
Turning 65 Side.jpg
 
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