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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]Health just changes so quickly after 50[/b].[/quote][b] Self-fullfilling prophecy.[/b]   Health changes quickly if you have lived an unhealthy life. [/quote]

That is really not true.  I know too many good people who, through no fault of their own, simply didn't live very long.  And some folks who were hit with devastating diseases that have ruined their health. I've seen folks die way before their time in accidents. It is sad.

I also know of people - like Keith Richards - who seem to do everything wrong but keep on truckin'.  I know fat people who drink and eat fried food on a regular basis and are still alive and kicking and having fun.

Life is a gift - we should enjoy it to the best of our ability.  Exercise and eating healthy does make me feel good.  It does not make me 30 again.  But that's o.k. - 50 can be pretty darned good too.[/quote] There are always outliers for any situation--it is short sighted to count on being one of them. But absent an accident or another freak incident, lifestyle [b]over a lifetime[/b] does indeed make a difference--diet, exercise, stress, etc.  Chronic inflammation is a big issue due to our unhealthy lifestyle.  Many cancers start 10-20 years before they are ever discovered.  However, notwithstanding any of the above, if you tell yourself/believe that you are going to quickly go downhill simply because you are 50, it will indeed happen.  The mind/body connection is huge.[/quote]

I have managed to make it to 50 with nothing too scary looming over me - thank goodness.  I've never had surgery (other than c-sections).  I've only been in the hospital for my own birth and the births of my children.  I'm doing o.k.

I have also seen people live right and not live long.  I have seen decent, fit people live long with devastating diseases (like alzheimers).  Do not get caught up on mere longevity.  Live.

Live your life.  Have fun. Eat right most of the time but allow yourself to indulge sometimes too.  And love.  Take time to really cherish all that is important to you - your kids, your spouse, your dogs, your hobbies...

[/quote] Why would you think that I am not doing those things. As I stated there are outliers to every scenario and we all know people who fall in both categories. The point made was in response to someone who said health rapidly goes down after 50, which goes not have to automatically be the case and can indeed be influenced by negative expectations. You are beating a dead horse here.[/quote]

I was speaking generally not specifically about you.  And I'm actually not talking in terms of outliers.  Simply making it to old age does not mean that old age will be a fabulous experience for you.  Not making it to old age is not always an indication that you lived unhealthily.  One could even call the truly active/fit world traveling 70/80 year olds to be outliers.  Fact is, most of the 80 year olds that I know do not spend a great deal of the year globe trotting - it's simply not as easy to get around.  Once you've reached the magic age of 50, the future is not quite as certain as it was when you were 30 (sorry, death rates do go up).  I do think that a healthy, active lifestyle will reap you immediate benefits TODAY.  I know that I sure feel better when I eat close to nature and get daily exercise in.  When I let my diet go off the rails and get lazy I feel - bleh.

I do not think that your health necessarily goes "rapidly downhill" after 50.  And certainly you would not be helping yourself by buying into the notion that your health is all downhill from here.  Definitely control what is under your control. Plan to live for years to come.  Live well.  But don't obsess.[/quote]

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