Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother ate very healthy, exercised a ton, and had neuropathy in her extremities by her mid 70’s that led to frequent falls, multiple stays in the hospital and rehab, and the need for a walker.

Aging is not always predictable, or the fault of the person getting older.

No shit. It’s stupid to pretend that because you can’t control everything you shouldn’t try to control anything, however.

This is absolutely true. You can exercise and eat a very healthy diet and still get sick. But less sick.
A close relative who is a competitive athlete (in her 70s), got cancer, a very serious type, and she beat it. Five years later, she's cancer free. Her doctors told her that being a competitive athlete saved her life. She exercises every day, is very thin, eats very healthy, and gets regular checkups. The cancer was horrible and took more than a year of her life, but if she'd been in terrible shape, it would have killed her.
I do what I can to stay as healthy as I can -- diet, exercise, keep chemicals out of my life as much as possible, etc. etc. I control what I can control.

My parents, early-mid 80s, both in poor health. Mom is dealing with largely lifestyle choices that set her downward spiral, dad was fit and healthy until a cancer issue arose
But the really interesting ones to me are my in-laws, 91 and 93, still go on hikes and play pickleball and host gatherings at their house and the rest. My 93yo FIL had a pretty significant pulmonary embolism a few months ago and within a week was back out taking his walks. Probably a lot of good luck but their physical activity level is pretty steady and they are very religious (i'm not) and this has given them a lot of the things associated with longevity I think: a sense of purpose, social connections.

My 77 mom has mobility issues in her knees so her gait is really off but it doesnt stop her walking a couple of miles a day. She just looks like she's in pain but never complains and goes out for more every day. She has more energy than I do in the home and I dont understand why as I do intense workouts and am several sizes smaller than she was at my age. She is like the energizer bunny and kind of moves like him too. I work out more than she did at this age but I fear I will never have her energy and I won't be as quick and together at 77 even if I weigh a lot less. Being thin isnt a guarantee of good health though I know its correlated everywhere, she is way better at many things than people much younger.

Both parents in their late 70s and not very active. They were active through much of their lives, but stopped exercising in their 50s. We went to an amusement park recently, and they sat at a table most of the time. They drink daily.

That being said, they have no major medical conditions and are very happy. I don’t think they care whether they can walk the amusement park. They are happy to sit and drink a beer. My grandmother lived to 94 and my grandpa to 93. They were overweight and never exercised. Genetics play a part.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter - their fitness level - people in their 70's are going to get tired. Or they are going to hide it. They may talk a big game re: all they do to stay fit. Older age with aches and pains comes for us all. Don't kid yourselves, thinking there is some secret sauce.

Ordinary people of all fitness levels age relatively the same, unless they are an outliner with a chronic condition.

It matters. I start lifting weight after watching my Dad losing his mobility in the last few months of his life. He was walking till 92. More than half of the people in the private training sessions are over 60. The instructor said there is a 90 year old lady which I am dying to meet.

Agree— my dad started exercising when he saw his dad lose mobility. My dad is now almost 70, has walked 5 miles a day since his late 40s and once he retired added cycling 10-20 miles a few days a week. My mom has never been into exercise, and I wish she wld find something she likes!

My parents are mid 70s and fairly active. Neither of them are gym rats or anything, but they walk a lot - usually 5+ miles a day. Lots of active hobbies like gardening, golf, chopping wood for the fireplace. They're in good shape, although my dad is starting to have some balance issues which limit the kind of activity he can do safely.

The ones still alive are in their 80s now and not keeping up as much, but in their 70s they were fit and fine. They didn't do anything special, just worked until their early 70s, walked regularly, didn't drink much alcohol. They never did intentional fitness as adults, like in a gym or running or anyting like that.

My mom ran for office for the first time when she was 70. Now she is the mayor and runs her town - she bikes everywhere and is I'm sure annoying when she calls up the city manager to tell them there is a pothole or low hanging tree someplace. She was never this energetic before but maybe had some sort of existential crisis and decided to squeeze every last minute from the life she has left.

By mom will is 80 this year and she is still very active. They live on a rural property and she is out cutting down and dragging trees and doing all kinds of physical labour. She loves the outdoors and only comes inside if she has to.

My dad was also very healthy and fit until 80, then Parkinsons slowed him down. He is still as active as he can be and otherwise in good health in his mid 80s.

In their 70s my parents were travelling the world - they did a 6 week trip through Asia, hiking trails and their local mountains, building an addition on their property, my dad renovated the kitchen and bathroom etc.

At that age, things can change quickly. My father was sprightly until last summer, right before he turned 75, when he was diagnosed with a rare and serious disease. Now he's extremely fragile. My mother, who was always the less physically able of the two, is now caring for him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter - their fitness level - people in their 70's are going to get tired. Or they are going to hide it. They may talk a big game re: all they do to stay fit. Older age with aches and pains comes for us all. Don't kid yourselves, thinking there is some secret sauce.

Ordinary people of all fitness levels age relatively the same, unless they are an outliner with a chronic condition.

This is very, very wrong.

To be clear, what i mean is: the statement that ordinary people of all fitness levels age relatively the same is very wrong. People age at very different rates. But yes, everyone ages.

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter - their fitness level - people in their 70's are going to get tired. Or they are going to hide it. They may talk a big game re: all they do to stay fit. Older age with aches and pains comes for us all. Don't kid yourselves, thinking there is some secret sauce.

Ordinary people of all fitness levels age relatively the same, unless they are an outliner with a chronic condition.

This is very, very wrong.

Again from the parents in 70s: We do adapt. We stopped urban biking outdoors when the possibility of injury increased in our 70s. We started checking luggage and preparing for its loss when storing it overhead hurt our backs. We do as much as we can to keep doing.

I met an 88 year old who thought she would stop traveling. I thought a solution was to travel differently rather than to give it up.

Adapt proactively and preventively to keep doing what you want.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/well/move/greysteel-powerlifting-senior-gym.html

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter - their fitness level - people in their 70's are going to get tired. Or they are going to hide it. They may talk a big game re: all they do to stay fit. Older age with aches and pains comes for us all. Don't kid yourselves, thinking there is some secret sauce.

Ordinary people of all fitness levels age relatively the same, unless they are an outliner with a chronic condition.

It matters. I start lifting weight after watching my Dad losing his mobility in the last few months of his life. He was walking till 92. More than half of the people in the private training sessions are over 60. The instructor said there is a 90 year old lady which I am dying to meet.