Aging

[huruta]

Our aging view is different. We are 53 and 54. We took a small boat cruise in AK (The Boat Company, 10 state rooms) and fell in love with it. Bought a NT32 to do it ourselves. Never boated in our life. Decided we had to do it immediately if we wanted to gain the skills to boat to AK before age made it difficult to learn this new skill. We are 1.5 years in and still on a steep learning curve. We are learning though and still planning to make it to AK!

For this summer, it's solar, long weekend trips to San Juans from our new hometown (Bellingham), a few multi-week trips, lots of anchoring, and getting more comfortable with weather decision making and whatever else we learn along the way. AK is the goal, but the journey for this summer sounds so sweet - we are looking forward to it!

 

[bnoft]

Just turned 73, but 4 by my "new" math. Suffered cardiac arrest March 2020, some earlier posts discuss this. Then due to some hospital errors (unconscious for 5+ weeks) underwent a tracheostomy; one doesn't walk the docks with a tube much less venture out on a boat. We listed the boat as I wasn't sure of the outcome but fortunately the broker (our son) slow walked the process a bit and the trache was reversed 6 months later, November '20, a true Thanksgiving. The 1st thing our 2, at the time now 4, grandchildren said when they saw me without a tube in my throat was "does this mean you're keeping the boat?"
My experience has opened my eyes to enjoying every day, on or off the boat; even my golf game is not as frustrating. I'm still working, still enjoy that and after 40 years beginning to get the hang of it. I plan on another year or two with the current boat then a downsize, something we can wash quicker. One day seamanship will likely degrade along with everything else and we'll enjoy the water from on shore. But we will still enjoy it.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Love this post - most encouraging. I posted earlier that we sold our 'big' Loop boat and bought a smaller boat - nothing to do with age (68) - just another project. Actually made money on the big boat! Thankful for good health so far - we will be hiking the Portuguese Camino this fall with two other couples - about 100 miles over 8 days - staying in hotels, not tents, on this hike with our wives! The two husbands and I walked 300 miles of the Camino de Santiago in 2016, staying in hostels along the way. Go while you can!!

 

[Gulf Comanche]

All of the above. I'll be 74 on May 17, right knee hurts a bit but the knee brace helps. I am happiest when on the boat. I've added handholds all over the boat and they really help. Still do the basic maintenance; oil, hoses, whatever comes up. Haven't needed any big stuff yet but if/when it comes up I'll get someone who knows what they're doing handle it. The memory issues mentioned above are familiar. Went to the neuro doc in San Antonio. His basic advise, after brain scan, blood work and memory test, was to lose some weight and walk 150 minutes a week. He said that exercise and weight loss will do more for the brain, at this age, than anything he could prescribe medication wise. I am following his orders, not real sure if it works yet but the weight loss is coming along and the excercise can't and doesn't hurt. Onward.

 

[dannc]

... The memory issues mentioned above are familiar. Went to the neuro doc in San Antonio. His basic advise, after brain scan, blood work and memory test, was to lose some weight and walk 150 minutes a week. He said that exercise and weight loss will do more for the brain, at this age, than anything he could prescribe medication wise. I am following his orders, not real sure if it works yet but the weight loss is coming along and the excercise can't and doesn't hurt. Onward.

I would suggest getting a step counter/fitness monitor/Fitbit to track how much walking you do. I have been using a Fitbit for years and tracking how many steps I do, active minutes, miles walks, stairs climbed, BPM, etc has been helpful. My goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps a day, and I average 11-12,000.

One thing I do is walk/run in place or even circles while watching TV. We don't watch much TV each day but I will walk while watching a show, especially a YouTube video. Easy to do and gets the exercise done.

I dumb lucked into intermittent fasting and that has allowed me to loose weight. Monday to Friday I eat in an eight hour window and fast for 16 hours. Sometimes I will fast 22-24 hours. Surprisingly, I am seldom hungry. I used to do 20,000 steps a day, and I did loose weight, but gained it back to some extent. Doing intermittent fasting and 10-12,000 steps has been a good balance of exercise, calories in/out, and time usage for me. Another five pounds or so and I will be down to my target weight. Might need to go lower but time will tell.

 

[Hippocampus]

Or a modify three things that seem to be important.
Learn something totally new. Like a new language or study philosophy if you never did. But it needs to be totally novel.
Get at least close to ideal BMI. Mildly overweight is ok but not obese.
Gentle exercise. Just enough to increase heart mildly. They now say in the evening is best. So a walk of a mile seems ok.
Unfortunately the best thing is to choose the right parents. If you didn’t maybe check your apoE. Seems a decent correlation for AD. If you have a family history of another kind like a alpha synucluopathy (pd) or tauopathy and even have mild cognitive impairment seek a neuro opinion. AD is not the only cause. Is around 65% but diffuse Lewy body and vascular are fairly common as well. Also sometimes it’s something simple like thyroid or B12 or other non neurological cause.

 

[kthoennes]

Always wanted to learn to play the piano, but that's pretty sedentary.

 

[SteveK]

Try air guitar

 

[Gulf Comanche]

For me, working on the boat is, at times, solving a problem rarely encountered or you somewhat forgot how to do it. I like that part (excluding the skint knuckles), it makes you think. Your brain is in gear, a good thing. Your wallet is also in gear. Well worth the price.

 

[GFC]

I got my first boat, a 9' row boat, at age 5 and, except for the 7+ years Uncle Sam called me to come work for him, I've pretty much had a boat my entire life.

My first power boat was a 20' open bow runabout, then a 33' express cruiser, then a 58' cruiser. I guess I skipped the "two footitis" part of boating but who's counting.

Five years ago I developed stage 4 cancer, lost some of my balance, strength and agility and found myself unable to competently handle the boat. It had to go.

With the help of two friends, we cruised it down the Columbia, around the coast and through the Strait of Juan de fuca to put it with a broker. One of the saddest days of my life was looking in the mirror as we drove away from her.

Hollywood nailed it--go balls out until you can't.