Growing old well, the art of survival
We all want to grow old, but no one wants to be old. After all, the elderly are often synonymous and the willing plaything of infirmities and deterioration of body and mind. And yet, such great inconvenience (to a certain extent) does not necessarily have to be the case.
Our editors carry their readership on velvet hands and wish everyone great health and, where possible, a super long if not eternal life. To achieve this, the blog also regularly features articles about good nutrition, supporting supplements and all kinds of other (semi-medical) advice for older blog consumers to extend their lives as long and as well as possible. For which nothing but unvarnished praise. The following can also be indirectly classified in these altruistic attempts to promote our well-being and our expiration date. Read it carefully and benefit from it, but always keep in mind who the author was and to what extent it makes sense to follow his advice.
Give luck a helping hand
While having some luck plays a huge role in how we age, how we choose to spend the last third or quarter of our lives also plays a pretty significant role.
As young children we still ran carefree through the Limburg fields, whether or not chased by wild cattle. The sun still shone mildly on our then hairy heads and sweat was a concept unknown to us, although our shorts and shirts smelled less fresh after sunset than in the morning. Thirst was quenched at the source of life and the future was laughing loudly at us from far away. We did not know borders, except for all those that separated the Netherlands from Germany and they too were fading away at an ever increasing speed. But Father Time cannot be stopped, not even by youthful carefreeness and so our pace slowly slowed down and the stampedes through the green meadows became silent. We became adults and then old, with all the ailments that entails. Youthful carefreeness was necessarily exchanged for thoughtfulness and the running shoes for a walking frame. Sport no longer brings satisfaction and fulfillment, but only palpitations, muscle pain and a shifted spine.
For one person, every remaining body part starts to hurt from the age of 50, while another person at 75 still looks like a newborn lapwing chick and jumps through life like an excited feather. The good cleaner still bites his apple with his own teeth, while the sugar bellies often have to work for years with ultra-white porcelain teeth to get some solid food inside. Sometimes the canopy for the reproduction and drainage zone bulges so much that you almost need a periscope to hit the pot somewhat centrally, while the better-built older youth can still turn the beach of Pattaya upside down with a dazzling six-pack, and of course all intermediate forms are also conceivable. Where one person has never seen the inside of a hospital, the less fortunate peer is constantly knocking on the door and knows all the doctors and nurses by their first names, breaks a hip at the sight of a staircase and does not dare to take a step outside without his walker. Some adhere to the (somewhat lazy) philosophy that all that movement only causes extra wear and tear, while others adhere to the old 'rest rusts' wisdom. I just called health a matter of luck, but it is luck that you can also partly enforce.
Prevention is better than cure
For example, I myself only became a supporter of preventive medical examinations somewhat later. I had an employer who promoted and reimbursed them, but I initially did not want to tempt fate and so I buried my head in the sand in the hope or assumption that I could avert all disaster that way. What did not help was that a good colleague, despite regular examinations, still kicked the bucket after a brief battle with the big 'A', which confirmed my then still silly ideas. In reality, an examination that was actually intended to be preventive can unfortunately also be the confirmation that something is seriously wrong with your body. There are a number of conditions that are simply written in the diary of your life in indelible ink and also in large letters, but you can sometimes cut them off by not being too smart, but too quick. In that respect, I am not a supporter of the doctrine of predestination, which also has many followers among Buddhists.
Preventive examinations are therefore the appropriate tools for circumventing the mapped out and dead-end route of life. In addition, you should not, for example, provoke the sun for hours in your thong as a pale face, because that is a lost battle in advance and only contributes to the sharply rising line in skin cancer statistics. Or devour tons of candy floss at the fair, while diabetes is spraying thick rays from your ears. So to speak. But of course, you should not run a marathon in the scorching Thai sun either, while the stitches still have to grow out of your chest after a six-fold bypass operation. I am exaggerating a bit, but forewarned is forearmed. Although some light exercise is of course recommended after such a salutary procedure (please ask your doctor or pharmacist). Easy does it. And there are a few more open doors to kick in. Sometimes it cannot be easier. But it can be more difficult. Think of notorious gluttons, who consistently eat just a little bit too much food with every meal, but despite their best efforts, cannot stop themselves. The same goes for heavy drinkers, smokers, gamblers and unsafe lovers. We know we are doing so wrong, but the flesh is weak and so is the spirit (anglicism, but never mind).
As we get older, the natural production of the substances that our body produces to be strong decreases and that already happens from about 30 years old, an age that most of us have long forgotten. Physically and mentally we deteriorate from that moment on, so sometimes it is simply an unequal battle, without us realizing it. We think that we have no willpower, but the production team that is so necessary for that in our (the male) body is simply out of action or is only running at half strength. In addition, that team is also located in that annoying, often malfunctioning gland, which will one day make life very sour for most of us (statistical fact, not scaremongering) while we had so much fun with it in our youth.
And the mind? It slowly decays along with it
In addition to the physical decline, we are not making any progress mentally either. We are becoming wiser and more mature, more thoughtful and more reasonable (well, some of us) but we also forget more and can no longer really learn much. I had a colleague who, after his retirement, successfully went on to study history at the daytime course of the local university. We pointed to our foreheads behind his back, but of course it was an achievement to be proud of and reserved for only a few. We now have to address him, just like his wife, with a bachelor's degree or perhaps even a master's degree. Although that must also have been a matter of sheer willpower; we just read that he too is (or can be) a plaything of a neglectful hormone balance. It could also be that he simply had an irritating wife at home or was one himself; I personally did not know him that well.
Fortunately, it is not the case that we are all mindless puppets in the hands of our waning bodies. No, the opposite is actually the case: we can indeed take the law into our own hands and be the boss of our own belly and other useful body parts in order to arrive at a healthy and satisfying old age in harmony with ourselves and our environment, yes, even to live it as if we were still a muscular youth and not an elder plagued by all kinds of ailments.
Lessons from my father
A benchmark for how not to approach this issue for me was my own father. A hard-working man who, at the age of 14, was already working underground one day a week and at the age of 18 was already mining coal full-time to keep himself and the rest of the Netherlands warm in the then somewhat colder winters. And of course to contribute to the income of the family of 22. Yes, my grandfather had been a productive man. My dad was also a good, caring father to his three sons, of whom I was the eldest, but despite all that, my parents' marriage did not last until death separated them, but only until a long time before that. As a young man in his sixties on early retirement, he never felt comfortable in his own skin anymore and that started to gnaw at his mind, but also at his body. Mens sana in corpore sano but also the other way around. You simply cannot separate these two elements.
He tackled that realization with all kinds of tactics that I at the time described as acts of desperation, although I supported him where I could. Walking became increasingly difficult for him, despite the fact that in his younger years he had, together with my mother, torn off quite a few shoe soles on the beautiful paths of Limburg. So he went by bike, until his balance problems put an end to that too and he had to be delivered to the hospital or home covered in bruises by ambulance and without his bike every now and then. Another illusion poorer and a sprain or a graze richer. In his defense I must say that his suffering was also due to a physical discomfort located in his head. Something to do with fluid in the brain and the associated overpressure. The combined package of all kinds of misery in his life simply did not form a basis for a comfortable old age.
So he went to Tell-sell and ordered all sorts of fitness equipment, recommended by super-fit powerhouses like Chuck Norris, but which didn't work as well for him as they did for his role models. He bought them for the full price, only to pass them on to a bargain-hungry neighbour shortly afterwards, after which the next miracle cure would arrive. There was always a new piece of equipment in his somewhat loveless flat, the last of the series now (also unused) in my basement. In the end, all those muscle and fitness-enhancing machines couldn't stop his decline, and so we saw our father sink further and further, no matter how hard we and Chuck Norris and co. tried to avert the inevitable. Shortly after his 77th birthday, we said goodbye to him for good. Unlike Chuck, he hadn't become much fitter.
As painful as the loss of a parent is, I had learned some wise lessons from it. Life lessons of course also from his inspiring fatherhood, but also how not to fight against growing older.
In summary: live a healthy and happy life while it is not too late and don't start catching up when it is already a quarter to twelve.
Run buddy, run! But don't run past yourself
Now, unlike my father, I have been doing sports all my life, where his sports career was limited to those somewhat longer walks with my mother. Some, including my mother, also call it sports and despite the positive effect on body and mind it is (not only in my opinion) not a pure sport. I did badminton, boxing, jogging myself and as a common thread: fitness, in the early years called bodybuilding, a term that can give the impression that someone like Arnold is talking here, but nothing could be further from the truth. In sports, no matter what, consistency is decisive. Stopping for a year makes (almost) all progress melt away like an oversized ice cream in the hot Thai sun; it is gone in no time and all that remains is a wet sticky stain on the pavement that dries up again just as quickly. And although the body is so kind as to remember that you once did sports, it is usually a matter of one step forward and two steps back, or at least one more. Add to that the declining hormone balance and aches and pains, flu and all the other discomforts and you are faced with a major challenge as a returning athlete, even if sports are more ingrained in your system than for a debutant.
So don't expect me to give you an instant formula for major physical progress today. But also no call to throw in the towel and just give up. In the gym, strength has remained, but endurance has decreased. Other boomers are just fitter, but less strong. One pulls himself up ten times with apparent ease, while I myself remain hanging at the bottom of the horizontal bar like a petrified stockfish without lifting my body even 1 cm in the air. However, when reading, always keep in mind that I am not or have no authority in medicine, biology, geriatrics, anthropology, physiotherapy, sports science or other related disciplines. As always, I am simply writing an intuitive anecdote, with some entertainment value, with which one can start as one wishes, which should not be confused with a valid guideline for the reader to follow blindly. For self-protection, always keep this in mind and do not claim moral or financial compensation if the enthusiasm I have stirred up here leads to muscle pain or worse.
Stay optimistic, stay active and don't close yourself off from possibilities. Find a partner in crime who you can drag along or who you can drag along. I go to the gym with my grandson, when he's not too busy with his own life or I go jogging in the heat of Thailand with my wife, who now beats me tenfold in that discipline, but she doesn't have a failing prostate (mine still works, but not as hard as it used to) or worn out knees and the like. Don't cancel your subscription to the local Basic-Fit, if you have a dip, injury or lack of time, because if you do, you'll definitely close a chapter.
In Udon I can go lift weights at the military base for 50 baht per session, but I almost never do that. Instead, when I arrive at our cottage I always drag my own home studio onto the terrace and then work up a sweat a few times a week in the early morning or late evening with my Lazada weights, impressing the locals who peer through the fence, shaking their heads and in amazement, with my stupid activities, because in the countryside the fitness craze has not yet penetrated as deeply as in the big city. Although the land is not as flat anymore in our amphur. Depending on the temperature I often agree with the head shakers, but I doggedly continue. And sometimes I don't, because my body also regularly cries out loudly to throw down the barbells, due to overheating and fatigue. Nevertheless, I belong in the camp of the proponents of strength training as the best remedy against aging. I am certainly not opposed to the worshippers of cardio or endurance sports, not even in the heat of Thailand. When I was 50-plus and weighed around 100 kilos and still ran half marathons in the Netherlands, I was incredibly virile, agile and balanced for my standards. Strength training offers other advantages (tangible, visible, but also invisible). It is like religion, everyone has their own undisputed wisdom. The best will probably be a mix of both movements. No one will want to deny that those who feel physically fit also benefit mentally.
Sports destroy more than you love
Although there are always some who think that sports cause unnecessary wear and tear on the body, tire it, lead to injuries and are a waste of time. In my opinion, such arguments are more likely to be motivated by a lack of energy than scientifically substantiated. There are in fact few limits to what a person can achieve, even a person who is no longer 100% healthy or completely intact. Just look at the Paralympic Games. A sports medical advice in advance is a must in any case, although most people will simply go with their gut feeling. I do not advocate the latter, despite the fact that I approach it that way myself. And be
carefully on the dance floor, the bicycle, whether or not electrically assisted, or even between the sheets; we recently read here in great detail that breaking a hip can mean the end of the exercise for the population addressed. This is not scaremongering or unsolicited untruth, but a correct and life-extending, if not life-saving hint sincerely and rightly handed out by the editors. Everyone here is free to believe what suits him or her best. Perhaps there is even an internet publication somewhere that can confirm this total abstinence, this negative view of sports (for the elderly). For every different personal opinion, there is a statement of support to be found on the ever-willing internet. Of course, I am aware that some readers simply can no longer play sports because they have been so badly damaged by their advanced lives that it is no longer a matter of unwillingness, but simply of impossibility. I am certainly not a sports missionary and I am simply sharing my own opinion in a blog, I exercise for myself and will hardly notice whether other blog visitors do the same, or will soon do so, unless they share it with us below. However, I am also not averse to hoping to give a nudge, a mild encouragement, as our editors also regularly do.
Praying or working?
If these blogs ever suddenly die down, it could be that ignoring my own 'advice' played a crucial role in that, because I am also writing this to remind myself of the need for a sporty life and a short visit to a (sports) doctor beforehand, to ask whether there are any personal objections to that.
Anyone who is in the area (Limburg or Udon) I cordially invite for a walk, a run or some weight lifting, because for me a joint approach has always worked better than the lonely, often unjust and ultimately unwinnable battle against aging, as I said. But we did try and that is the best we can do. Of course, one can also choose the easy route and fully (and repeatedly) bet on a favorable draw in reincarnation or on a pleasant position in the Christian afterlife (also called heaven, presumably situated somewhere high between the earth's surface and the stratosphere), not to mention the variant for our Muslim friends, who will be completely lucky after death, although the manner in which they die could play a role in that. I don't know. I don't like holy scriptures.
Unfortunately for all of them, there has never been a valid indication that these are not hopeless expectations, but fortunately that should not spoil their fun. The classic carpe diem that I adhere to is more in line with the sense of reality, although I must admit that the fictitious arrangements require less effort, except for a strategically mumbled or even thought Hail Mary or an incense stick lit at the right moment and a lotus flower picked, namely when 'the cosmos' is just open to such trivial bribes. Donations in the collection plate and a lump of sticky rice in the monk's basket are also widely recognized and appreciated alternatives for arranging a supposed blessed transition. It all depends on what one chooses. Those who are still reasonably well may be better off getting/keeping physically active and those who are already half-asleep may have no other choice than the uncertain flight into comfortable fantasies. After all, the billions of believers that this planet carries cannot all be wrong.
About this blogger
- Khun Rick dates from 1959 (currently 65 years old), grew up and still lives in South Limburg. After 40 years in the civil service, now almost 5 years with early retirement. Since 2001 he regularly visits Thailand as a tourist, but met his wife in the Netherlands and can often be found with her at his mother-in-law's in Udon Thani. Traveling together is his passion, eating (unfortunately) too and sports a necessity. And of course writing: used to be serious and now more light-hearted.
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Thanks for your personal reflections on whether or not to grow old 'healthily', Rick! As a relatively fit 79-year-old, I can certainly call myself an expert on this subject. 'A healthy mind in a healthy body': one thing is not separate from the other. When I get on my bike in the Netherlands or Thailand (Chiang Rai) for a big trip, it is not only a physical effort but certainly also a mental one - it is the head that decides when it is 'enough'. Sometimes the first hour is painful, the old body says 'go back, man', but the somewhat stubborn head decides not to listen, and I eventually come back with a good 100 km on the clock (and a big grin on my face...). The satisfaction is the greatest reward!
You can't keep moving, exercising, for long without sufficient motivation. When you don't really like it but only do it to stay healthy, it's harder to keep going than when you enjoy it. That's what I have with cycling, I think it's great, wonderful to do, and the fact that it has health benefits is a bonus.
Running, 'jogging', I have also tried. During a period when I lived in Brussels during the week, I would go running in the evenings through 'my' hilly suburb in the winter, as an alternative to cycling. However, I could not muster the motivation - I did not really enjoy it - that I had for cycling, and when I started to get some knee pain caused by running, the step to stop was not a big one. I have something similar with the 'fitness centres', the gyms, or whatever you call them - I never keep it up for long, I am simply not motivated enough. So the key word is motivation!
Thanks for your nice addition Cornelis!
Motivation and fun are definitely key words. I had it with badminton: exciting, active, social and was pretty addicted to it, until a knee gave out….
Then the bike is a safer alternative, at least if you stay upright for the most part. I find the latter a bit scary, but I think it's a matter of getting used to it. Practice makes perfect, also in the head.
My sincere congratulations on your sporting attitude and achievements, an example for peers and 10 or 20 year olds.
American researcher and journalist Dan Buettner determined 20 years ago that there are 5 blue zones in the world: 5 zones where people live (much) longer than average. The zones are Okinawa, a Japanese island, Loma Linda in California and the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. Europe has two: the Italian island of Sardinia and the Greek island of Ikaria.
There are 9 characteristics that the Blue Zones seem to have in common. Here they are:
A good circle of friends
Family and friends come first
Belong to a group
Little stress
Natural movement
Have a goal every day
The 80-20 percent rule (where you eat healthy 80 percent of the time and can do whatever you want the other 20 percent)
Plant foods and lots of beans
A glass of wine.
Not a word about fitness.
It's nice that there is something about lifestyle in the areas mentioned, but could it be that certain genes and pollution during life have also helped to produce such static things?
And what use are statistical figures anyway?
I am almost certain that with genetic knowledge and AI it will be possible to determine per person what your personal maximum age will be, and then the interesting question becomes whether people want to know that or whether they would prefer a life without an exact tick-off clock.
Well, you can gain a lot of knowledge from statistics. And you can use it to your advantage. I think a lot of people quit smoking or didn't start when research showed the link between smoking and lung cancer. But people still smoke and they know that it carries risks.
Much of what is described in the posting is based on scientific medical research that is then passed on to patients as advice by doctors.
I don't really believe in the predictive value of genetic knowledge and AI. That will undoubtedly be accompanied by wide margins that will ultimately be of no use to you. If the average life expectancy of a Dutch man is 84 years, you know that from the age of 84 you should be happy with every day that is given to you. I don't need AI for that. What is different is whether you are as healthy as possible in your old age. And AI will not provide friends and family and social contact.
Several unfunded studies have shown that the blue zones are an urban legend designed to steer the average person toward a certain diet from the food industry.
For example, the food pyramid, which is still valued by dieticians, is completely incorrect.
The most important thing to live longer than average is Nutrition,
No vegetable oils, which Tescos and BigC are full of, but cooking etc. in real butter [grassfed], olive oil and coconut oil.
No beans, but protein-rich foods such as ribeye, tenderloin, chicken fillet and fresh fish with fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and parsley.
A product like Malaa for sale, or Bitterlemon, is very healthy for the heart and blood vessels and stomach and intestines, at least twice a week in the soup, also ready-made for sale in bags at certain street stalls.
The most important thing in these so-called blue zones and the rest of the world is the social contact with the community or region where one lives, which is understood as very extended families [Costa Rica etc.
Contact with younger and older people, where young people give energy to older people with their energy.
General condition is walking in the hills every day e.g. to the vegetable garden like in Sardinia and Japan,
and get up early in the morning 05.00 and go to bed early 20.00 for the internal biological clock
Research in Japan among 500.000 people over a period of 30 years shows that if you take a 30-minute walk just before sunrise, it is very good for your overall health and increases the immune system by more than 50% and these people have a lot of energy for the rest of the day.
Especially in Thailand with the higher temperatures it is recommended to take a 05.00 minute walk at 30am and you will feel reborn.
Running or cycling in the heat is highly discouraged and causes a lot of stress to the internal organs of the human body, start these activities just before sunrise until 09.00:XNUMX am at the latest if you want to grow old healthily.
Weight training can be good but Thai chi and yoga are better, for example look at animals and cats, by stretching the body you also train your muscles.
Important for the brain is 2 soft-boiled eggs every day, if possible organic.
The liquid yolk of eggs contains the substance Choline, this substance ensures that the signals in the brain continue to exist so that in the personal experience of several elderly people, incipient dementia was pushed back and the people there became clear-headed again.
The most important thing is to always be positive in life and enjoy the beautiful Thailand, whether you live in Bangkok, Pattaya or Isaan, you can enjoy the beautiful weather and friendly people everywhere every day.
TIP; Try smiling for a week at everyone you see while walking or just in the 7/11, you will see people smile back.
Whether it is a mistake on your part or the other Thai person, give a nod and smile, the other will do the same and everyone will be satisfied in their own way, this will make you feel much better in daily life in Thailand and you will no longer experience stress, which will cause the stress hormone to disappear or become less in your body and over time your high blood pressure will decrease or disappear.
Carpe diem,
Seize the day
Again beautifully told Rick and hopefully you have convinced a few blog readers who were already thinking about the idea.
I have incorporated a series of exercises into my daily schedule. On YouTube you can find exercises specifically for seniors, there are even very effective exercises that you can do while sitting on a chair.
When you start, don't force it but build it up slowly, you don't need to buy 20KG barbells, 5KG is more than enough.
And finally, inform yourself about nutritional supplements, which is really important because as you get older you no longer absorb all the necessary nutrients such as calcium.
Thanks for the compliment Geert. Your reactions are always a breath of fresh air and give me the drive to continue writing on and for this forum. I often laugh myself to death when I am ranting on my phone and would like to share that nonsense with the humanity of the Thailandblog.
Eating well and in a balanced way is certainly an essential 'supplement' to sports, and the latter should of course always be done taking into account your capabilities at the start.
Of course, as I just read, you can also move to a so-called blue zone and pursue eternal life there without sports but with natural movement. Of course, you will miss a number of positive elements as an expat because without friends and family, life can be stressful there too. But if you make it your daily goal to wash down some beans with a glass of wine (or sake) on your own every day, you will still take a few of the essential characteristics with you.
Unfortunately, what you say is not correct Chris. You are completely missing the point. Fitness and building muscle, or maintaining it is one of the most important longevity strategies. Cardio is also important. I am not making this up myself, but it comes from the real specialists on this subject that I have been following for years and I have also read almost all their books such as Dr Peter Attia https://peterattiamd.com/ but also Dr. Rhonda Patrick https://www.foundmyfitness.com/ and of course Andrew Huberman – Neuroscientist https://www.hubermanlab.com/ The leading expert in the field of fitness is Dr. Layne Norton. They are all top scientists who have the latest insights and everything is based on scientific research. David Sinclair is also recommended, although he is more concerned with supplements.
Good story Rick, and you got it. So for everyone: 'become wiser and get on the iron'. If you train your muscles regularly for a year and you stop, your body will benefit from it for another 4 years.
And there is also such a thing as muscle memory: https://www.fit.nl/spiermassa/spiergeheugen
Just to add to the benefits of sports and strength training in particular, especially for the elderly, I recently had a Dexa scan done – https://www.mmc.nl/radiologie-nucleaire/aandoeningen-en-behandelingen/dexa-scan/
The specialist was very surprised, had rarely seen such a high bone density in an older person. The beautiful result of many years on the iron.
Respect for that!
Yes Peter, I myself am also more of a supporter of the 'strength training philosophy' because of the extensively described and proven associated benefits, but especially because I experience it myself. Cardio as a welcome, important and good addition, but if you do not have the energy or opportunity for that and you therefore have to choose, then choose the muscles, As I also indicated in my infotainment, whoever wants to find something in the www to argue the opposite will always find something, even if you sometimes have to search 20 years back in time
Moderator: too many typos
You are absolutely right Peter.
I have been doing fitness all my life, now at the age of seventy the dumbbells I use are a lot lighter than they used to be. I cycle twice a week at a brisk pace and don't overdo it with food. I mainly see the results in the mirror, and that makes me very happy. A week without training always causes me to lose weight, but that is muscle and not fat loss. We can't stop the decline, but we can slow it down. The skin becomes slacker, the muscles smaller, less strength, the hair thinner... I am still proud of what the mirror shows me. The waist becomes wider because we gain more fat in the abdominal cavity as we get older. However, if the waist circumference is larger than the hip circumference, a lot of muscle has already disappeared. The quality of the mirrors is apparently less good than it used to be.
Top Chris. Yes, there is a lot to find on that theme. It just depends on what you want to find.
A good story, Rick! We can learn a lot from it.
I would like to make a few additions that do not undermine your story but do put it into perspective.
Life expectancy and health are determined by heredity, lifestyle and environmental factors. We can do little about the first and third factors, but we can do something about the second factor that this story is about. Happiness and health influence each other mutually.
An important factor is wealth. The twenty percent of the wealthiest people live about 7-9 years longer and enjoy about 25 years longer in better health than the 20 percent of the least wealthy group. You can think of the reasons for this yourself.
Reducing wealth disparities will most likely have the greatest impact on health and life expectancy. This is less an individual problem and more a societal problem.
Thanks for the meaningful and constructive response, Tino. As you know and as I always indicate, I write intuitive stories, which often lack structure and scientifically sound depth. To compensate, I try to amuse myself and also expose myself (and others, albeit made unrecognizable) regularly. I therefore find your insights a good addition that is not only very welcome but also rewards my great writing efforts.
Moderator: too many typos.
Clear story Tino Kuis
Your interpretation of heredity, lifestyle and environmental factors are of course decisive.
All your life to be clear.
I do have my own ideas about the ceiling height, as does your statement about prosperity and its benefits.
For many, prosperity, which is often obtained through work, is precisely a reason to saw off the leg of the chair that is under health.
Unfortunately, most of us have the word TOO many things in life, whether voluntarily or not.
In my life I have seen all kinds of things passed off as 'healthy', but Mother Nature often thinks differently.
Anyone who plays sports and especially likes doing it and feels good about it should definitely do it. Whether you get any benefit from it is still the question. In my aunt's WZC it is full of 90+ women. I don't think there is one of them who has ever done sports. They have also never eaten specific things or not eaten them at all.
It's all in the genes. Some people take care of themselves like no other but die before they're 60.
I can't count the 70+ old smoking, drinking geezers in Pattaya.
But as my GP says…some people can’t afford anything and others can afford everything. In life everything has a lot to do with luck and that certainly doesn’t only apply to health.
Yes, that's a familiar story and I always get very tired of it. My uncle's aunt's neighbor knows someone and her hairdresser smoked like a chimney and lived to be 93. Nice, but those are exceptions. There are also people like one of my best friends who died of cancer at 38, didn't smoke and was an athlete. But it's about the averages and not the exceptions. And it's also about how you grow old. With or without Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. How long can you live independently.
Current research shows that genetics only have a 20% influence on how healthy we age, while lifestyle plays a much bigger role. People with an unhealthy lifestyle have a 78% higher chance of dying prematurely, regardless of their genetic predisposition. In contrast, a healthy lifestyle can significantly compensate for the negative effects of genetics. Source: https://english.elpais.com/health/2024-06-26/macro-study-shows-that-a-healthy-lifestyle-can-compensate-for-genetics.html
And Fred, if you claim something, please provide a source, otherwise it's all gut feelings.
Thanks Fred!
Realistically speaking, a good and perhaps also sporty lifestyle will have a positive effect on your health and perhaps life expectancy. Even more likely on your well-being. But without guarantee and the lazy or lucky bird you can of course survive. My former running guru swore by jogging 10 km per day under an hour. Every day for a healthy and almost infinite life. Until he got both legs run off by a speeding car while jogging. I attended the lecture of a fat man in a wheelchair who died of cancer at the age of 60 and could not prove his theories himself.
Hi Rick,
this fellow Limburger totally agrees with you. I hope this inspires others to be busy with body and mind. In principle it doesn't matter what you do, my experience is that it pays off. I have been doing sports almost my entire life. I have boxed and have been a boxing teacher for 40 years, have jogged a lot and mountain biked (especially in the Limburg forests) rain or shine.
Furthermore, I live with the idea that enough is enough in the back of my mind, I drink a beer because I like it and never too much, this also applies to food, etc.
I have had surgery on my legs very often, it started with a meniscus and later some mistakes by the surgeon, which is why I also have a knee prosthesis. Also operated on my arms and hands several times, this after an accident with the mountain bike. After an operation at home I had a serious pulmonary embolism. However, I always continued to exercise (this on the advice and guidance of doctors etc.) I always recovered very quickly, for example, a serious pulmonary embolism has a recovery period of 6 months. To the surprise of the doctors, I had recovered after 3 months. According to them, this was because I was always busy with sports.
Now some will think that this also came about through sports. That may be so, but sports have given me more and still do. I am busy with my body 6 days a week, walking, exercise bike, fitness and boxing. A nice variation for me and furthermore mentally keep busy. I can recommend it to everyone but don't forget to live, stay relaxed and positive
I feel great about it and we'll see what time brings.
Sjun story Fons, actually the kind of inspiring reactions that I wanted to trigger with my personal story. Now we have both looked back on an important part of our lives, a part that we still support and are happy with. Many sports of course also give a higher chance of injuries, where there is chopping there will always be chips. My greatest passion was always badminton, simply because it was so exciting. The thrill of fighting for victory, despite the fact that I was in fact a clumsy and technically incompetent player, but at my level I could really let myself go and won many a game (of course at recreational level) in the club or at work where we also had a competition, up to and including my last day at work. I even received a mini cup as the oldest participant…
I haven't been boxing for long, actually only a little over a year before I started fitness, but it is a fantastic and highly intensive sport with inspiring trainers (in my case the Hendriks family from BVS). When I walk past the place where the gym used to be, I think back in detail to that wonderful time. I was a recreational boxer, no competitions and no blows to the head, but I was allowed into the ring against young competition boxers. What a world of difference: you simply couldn't hit them, while I myself received a machine-gun fire of punches... fortunately not to my head. 40 years as a trainer: a deep bow Fons.
Stay active and stay fit and live a great life despite the aches and pains. They are just battle scars.
These are all fine stories, but they only apply to the more affluent who can afford good nutrition, a healthy environment, more free time and more exercise. So that does not apply to everyone. In many places in the world that is not possible and environmental factors in particular are of much greater importance for health and life expectancy.
This is thailandblog, right? In the north of Thailand, most likely due to air pollution, there is twice as much lung cancer as in the rest of the country. And if you have to do heavy and dangerous work 7 days a week, 50 weeks a year, 10 hours a day for a low wage, then a healthy lifestyle as rightly advocated here is almost impossible.
I worked as a doctor in Tanzania in the 60s, in a town called Mpapwa, near the capital Dodoma. I was doing research on life expectancy. In Mpapwa, life expectancy was 5 years and infant mortality (up to 5 years) was 45 percent. But there were many villages with a life expectancy of 40 years and an infant mortality of XNUMX percent. Poverty was the cause of these figures: poor nutrition, scarce clean drinking water, poor housing, and of course malaria and diarrhea.
I want to look a little further than the (perhaps somewhat egoistic) view of the wealthy person, which I also belong to.
Certainly great stories Tino.
Personally, I don't believe in those poverty-related stories when it comes to sports and nutrition. Healthy food is cheaper than unhealthy food. Sports can be done for free (running, strength training with body weight, etc.).
Of course there is poverty and despair in the world, but I doubt whether that should be the limiting factor for the people of this blog.
Have a nice day.
As an early retiree to and in Thailand I have been following Thailandblog for at least 20 years and I can only say that lately there has been a lot of attention for a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and supplements, exercise and moderation. Especially the latter is important. A healthy lifestyle is a lot of vegetables and some fruit daily, much less carbohydrates and fats, but more proteins. And as soon as the little Pete from above is no longer visible, even less of everything becomes even more necessary. Also remember that after 20 years death is also approaching, so enjoy it while you can, and stay moderate.
I will definitely follow your advice, Henk and play a trick on death.
I'm afraid that despite exercising and living a healthy life, death doesn't care about a twisted loaf: https://www.gedichten.nl/nedermap/poezie/poezie/32641.html
Death has also evolved with the times, Wim.
Or else fall back on plan B, namely praying and filling the collection plate. With sticky rice or cash.
“….I have been following Thailandblog for at least 20 years…” That would surprise me and the reason will become clear next month 😉
At 65 I feel stronger and fitter than ever. Since I started moving and exercising a lot more I have become a completely different person. Muscles and your fitness are also important for your mental resilience and self-confidence. Your body becomes your friend and ally.
Inspiring words Joseph!
Awesome, I totally agree.
I have commented on fitness articles a few times, but something that is very motivating (for me at least) and not written about much is fitness in VR (virtual reality). I have several headsets myself, each with their own pros and cons. The two that you can get here in Thailand via Lazada or Shopee are the Quest 3 (the cheaper Quest 3-s will be released next week) and the Pico 4 (and Pico 4 Ultra). These headsets offer fitness programs that you can buy or use via subscription, and they can work really well. You can do sports such as boxing, HIIT, table tennis, badminton, kayaking, etc., which helps you stay fit, and the best part is that they can really motivate you. This way you can exercise at home without having to go to a gym.
I have been using VR fitness since 2016 and even take my headset with me on holiday so I can work on my programme for an hour in my hotel room. I do this because I enjoy it. I also cycle twice a week on a real bike and work in the garden for a few hours every day. They say that rest is rusty!
I use a Huawei fitness watch with the corresponding app on my phone. Every day I make sure to exercise for a minimum number of minutes, take at least 10.000 steps, burn a certain number of calories, and move for a few minutes at least 12 times an hour during the day. All this keeps me motivated and I have no trouble keeping it up. In addition, while working out, I also learn the Thai language through the audio part of my Thai program. Two birds with one stone, what more could you want?
Very good work Sjaak!
And also a pioneer with VR fitness; very interesting. You are, in my opinion, a role model for this blog in terms of attitude, motivation, consistency, daily schedule and undoubtedly also fitness. A deep bow (although my own belly is a bit in the way).