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I have not read all the posts, but here's the thing..we all are the product of our genes and upbringing. My husband and I are 66 and 68. He is in better shape than I am, but we both have our issues. He is the longest living male in his family. We share the same philosophy...fake it til you make it. I act like my joints don't hurt, and so does he. He has a PT job that keeps him appreciated and active. I volunteer.
We both still feel mentally 45 or so. Our role model right now is the guy across the street who is 80, and just married his third wife, who's 60. The bad part is, wives 1 and 2, both died of the same kind of cancer. If I were wife 3, I might be a bit worried.
the thing about so-called 'slowing down' is that many people slow down only because they need to or are forced to because their body just will not do what it formerly was able to do.
I have not wanted to slow down, but my body has forced me to.
I definitely would highly prefer not to slow down....and that's an understatement.
bravado takes one only so far...... with severe arthritis, as an example.
and yes, I know, keeping in shape is a responsibility and yes, moving, but those who have not hit any roadblocks from the functioning of their body, really cannot predict......
as for mental age, I mentally feel 40. I've read that it is not unusual for older people to feel much younger mentally than their age.
Last edited by matisse12; 10-17-2016 at 05:44 PM..
It was also her sister's neighbor, whom she apparently had never met. There are always extreme outliers, amplified by gossip, but for the vast majority of the male population, "taking it easy" is a recipe for decrepitude and death.
Why would you think I've never met him? I'm at my sisters almost every other day. His wife and I do volunteer work together.
BTW - she (the wife) told me today that he is doing better. There is hope.
Some of us just can not stand to sit around. I have little interest in much of the TV aimed at the younger generations. So in my mid 70s I still work a full time job.
I don't think this is just a guy thing. My grand-mother in-law was going full speed all her life, or at least all the time I knew her. When we would try to slow her down or get her to rest, she'd just say "I can rest when I'm dead." She finally got to rest
at age 104!
Late next year I will surpass my paternal grandmother in longevity. 6 years hence I will surpass my paternal uncle. From there, a whole series of similar milestones, ranging from a grandparent to various cousins and uncles. Then a gap and a few years later another wave.
I am currently in my early-to-mid 50s.
I do plan to slow down a bit when I hit my 70s unless health gets in the way.
That said, I hope to have a degree of physical labor as part of my life until I die or I'm close to death.
I know men like this. They don't have to do anything, but they want to feel productive, that they accomplished something. You feel accomplished when the work was hard.
Larry Caldwell has nailed it! As for the guy who puffs on his machine in between short bouts of tree trimming, what sort of bizarre attitude does it take to label that "self abuse"? Why is it better for him to stay inside and do absolutely nothing? Being bed-ridden is not living! Perhaps I should start a thread entitled "Why do some women think men should slow down and become disabled, or become more disabled than they already are?"
Did you ever hear of moderation? Lots of steps between becoming an invalid and going all out to the extent that you will kill yourself just to prove a point.
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