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With my wife Suzie away visiting her dad in Spain, I’ve been keeping myself busy, and I must say I’ve had a pretty active few days! On Wednesday, I played two hours of pickleball in the morning and then did a 5k fun run with my grandson in the evening. Thursday saw me walking the shoreline of Belfast Lough from Bangor to Holywood – about 12k. Then on Friday, after driving to my holiday home on the North Coast, I enjoyed a roughly 10k walk along the beach and the headlands above the Giant’s Causeway. Saturday I lowered the pace with a little nine-hole links course overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
What really struck me was the reaction I got from two friends, both my age and with no particular medical conditions, when I told them about these plans. Their responses were surprisingly negative, along the lines of “that’s too much activity,” “I wouldn’t be able to do that,” and “I’d be too tired to enjoy any of it.”
Their comments got me thinking… again! We live in a world that constantly encourages us to invest in our financial future – saving for retirement, building wealth, ensuring security for our later years. And rightly so; financial planning is crucial. But why do we so often overlook, or even neglect, the equally vital investment in our physical and mental health?
Your body is, arguably, your most valuable asset. Just like a financial portfolio, it requires consistent attention, diverse ‘investments’ (exercise, healthy eating, rest), and protection from ‘risks’ (sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, chronic stress). Neglecting your health today is like choosing not to contribute to your pension – you might not feel the pinch immediately, but the long-term consequences can be severe.
My friends’ reactions highlight a common mindset: that physical activity is a chore, something to be endured rather than enjoyed, or even something impossible. This often stems from a perceived lack of time, feeling unmotivated or overwhelmed. However, my experience demonstrates the opposite. I find enjoyment and vitality in these activities. It’s not about being an elite athlete; it’s about building capacity and resilience in your body so you can continue to enjoy life’s adventures, big and small, well into your later years.
The good news is that getting started with exercise doesn’t have to be daunting. The easiest steps involve simply starting small and finding something you enjoy. Even a 10-minute walk a few times a week is a significant beginning. The goal is to build momentum and see exercise as a way to boost your energy and improve your mood, rather than a burden.
Just as financial discipline allows for future freedom, investing in your health ensures you have the energy, mobility, and cognitive function to truly experience that freedom. It means being able to keep up with your grandchildren, explore new places, pursue hobbies, and maintain your independence. Ultimately, investing in yourself and maintaining your health to the best of your ability is just as important, if not more so, than the time you invest in your financial life. One without the other risks leaving you rich in funds but poor in quality of life.
Nice article, Mark. Totally agree.
The settings sound lovely, but you should get some exercise. 😉
Hear-hear to all your points. At age 70 I am proud to still be jogging 4-miles, four times a week on a nearby trail.
Years ago a buddy had a saying,”How long should you keep doing something physical? Until you can’t do it anymore!”
Related, also years ago I read a valid authority (about which I’m particular) indicating there’s no reason for geezers not to keep jogging if mothing specific prohibits it.
The settings sound lovely, but you should get some exercise……….. 😂 😂
You are so right on target, take care of your most important asset, then your finances. Amen.
“But why do we so often overlook, or even neglect, the equally vital investment in our physical and mental health?”
Because I get very bored counting to 15 over and over and over again LOL.
(And don’t suggest pickleball, which is an obnoxiously loud sport popping up like mushrooms in once peaceful neighborhoods without regard for the residents who were there years, if not decades, before the sport exploded. My gosh, silence your rackets please…)
“Your body is, arguably, your most valuable asset”
I’d like to present a different perspective. This body is not me, not mine, not my self. The cosmos leased this body to me for a limited time, and it must be returned at the end of the lease term. Every single cell making up this body contains half the genes from my Dad, half from my Mom. I love them dearly even after their passing, and I promised to take care of their genes, hence this body, until the day I die. I feed the body with healthy foods and wholesome thoughts as much as I know how, and I’m still learning the how. I take my body for a walk in nature everyday weather permitting. Gentle yoga stretches would ease the stiffness the body feels. This body often rebels against my wishes, craves for junks from the web and supermarket, and throws a tantrum for no apparent reason. It won’t sleep when it’s already late, and it wants to linger longer in bed instead of getting up for meditation or exercise. Still, I treat it gently like a loving father, not as a tyrant, by listening to the body’s message and trying various remedies. When I could not find a way to ease its suffering, I consult with trusted friends or take it to the doctor for help. All parents know that there is no way to predict how our kid grow, and similarly none of us has much control over how the body ages despite our conscientious effort. There is no universal parenting guideline, and each must find one’s own way to follow in adherence to our upbringing and or personality.
My young adult children are at the beginning of their career and family formation. I told them about my above perspective with the plea that they must find their own ways to take care of their body and mind because the happiness of their father’s and mother’s genes in them depends on that. I told them not to worry about their dad, because I am still capable to providing total loving care for their dad (i.e. me). When the time comes that I am no longer capable, my children are instructed to let these selfish genes do whatever they naturally incline to do and be assured that I am already at peace with myself.
That’s a lot of work for anyone, but it’s the highest calling of my life.
My inspiration came decades ago from a more prosaic souce, a beer commercial:
“You only go around once in this life, so you have to grab for all the gusto you can get.”
Sorry. I disagree. The duality of Rene Descartes made sense in the 1600s. But now it is well established that our minds and bodies are and integrated system. If one is neglected, the other suffers. Especially as we age. Unless you want to force your children to have to decide wether or not to invoke their selfish genes, we’d all be better off following the advice of Howard Luks:
“Create a caloric deficit, then stay lean. Get sleep. Eat real food. Move often, throughout the day. Push and pull heavy things. Socialize. Have a sense of purpose.”
— Longevity…Simplified: Living A Longer, Healthier Life Shouldn’t Be Complicated by Howard Luks
It’s wonderful that our era tolerates diversities of views and life choices. It’s even better that we celebrate the choice of regimens advocated by many gurus in addition to Howard Luks’
A few examples below (not recommendations)
Linus Pauling, the 2-time Nobel laureate, with his megadose vitamin C and nutritional biochemistry regime.
Peter Attia: exercise, lots of medical tests, insulin sensitivity monitoring, medically tailored metabolic goals.
David Sinclair: caloric restriction, plant-based low protein diet, cold exposure exercises, oral health.
The usual disclaimer applies: “past performance [or non performance] is not indicative of future results.”
Quan, I personally loved your reference to Dawkins, and selfishly appreciate the nod to genes. Yet, we should realize that both points of view (yours and Brett’s) can be true at the same time. Think of it as analagous to Schrodinger’s cat.
What an interesting and compassionate perspective on taking care of one’s body. As a mother of an adult daughter with some regularly occurring dysmorphic issues, I wonder if sharing your perspective with her would have an impact. (Actually, I could probably benefit from a bit more kindness toward my body as well.) Thank you, Quan.
At age 70, I play pickleball 4 to 5 times a week for at least 2 hours. Lots of exercise “snacks” throughout the day, including squats, pushups, rowing machine. I’ve got 2 grandkids age 4and 2 to keep up with!
I love the “snacks” expression. I’m gonna remember that one and apply it to my day.
I’m doing well with exercising, now I have to work on my diet.
Exercise is great, (and actually reduces appetite in most people), but the most recent medical data shows that diet is a much more important component when it comes to reducing death rates from the 10 most common diseases in this country. Check out Dr. Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen list for a good start.
That’s the rub, isn’t it? When you exercise, you get hungry!
The better you eat the better you feel. Go for the healthy options.
Mytimetotravel wrote:
“On the other hand, I have seen how devastating falls can be as you get older, which is a big incentive to keep exercising but also be careful”.
As a public service announcement, from likely one of the younger readers, let me emphasize : DO NOT FALL !
I still remember being taught in residency that past a certain age, likely 65 years old, 50% of those who fall and break a hip will die within 2 years.
Yours truly fell on the ice, 4 months into retirement, at age 58. I broke my leg and ankle. When I now share my post-op x-rays, filled with titanium, to my more recent orthopedic docs, they all tell me that I did a really impressive job !
Two months on the sofa until I was allowed to bear weight caused my thigh muscles to noticeably shrink. With physical therapy etc I made a full recovery – however, in an older person- MUCH less likely.
That’s why when I get a chance I squeeze stress balls to strengthen my grips and never lift weights with gloves on.
From A.I.:
“Yes, building hand strength can help reduce the risk of falls, particularly for older adults. Stronger hands can improve grip strength, which is important for maintaining balance and catching oneself during a fall. Research indicates that individuals with weaker hand grip strength are more susceptible to falls.”
Glad to hear about the recovery. However, two months non-weight bearing is a serious problem for someone living alone, aside from problems healing if you’re older.
Totally agree. I was completely reliant on my wonderful wife for nearly everything ! It would have been impossible for someone living alone to have managed. They would have had to have spent that time recovering in an inpatient rehab facility.
My daughter, who was 29 at the time, sustained an awful broken ankle two years ago in a car accident. She was not allowed to put weight on it for nearly five months and was in a boot for seven. She lives 450 miles from us, and while she had a roommate, she had to rely on various friends and neighbors to manage her own needs as well as that of her puppy. I offered to go get her and bring her to our house while she recovered, but she didn’t want to do that. It was a mess, but somehow she muddled through it. A broken ankle is no joke.
I’ve enjoyed reading all of your recent articles, Mark, and this one especially. I live in a +55 community in FL with an abundance of fitness options. Being (mostly) an introvert, I rarely take an in-person group class but instead I subscribe to the Peloton app on my iPad. I know there are many other online options, but this is the one I started during COVID lockdown. Through this, I discovered that I have a passion for working out with handweights. Within this app, I can structure my week ahead of time so that I workout all muscles groups. I have found that this gives me that “runner’s high” that people often report. I intersperse my weight workouts with online yoga classes in the privacy of my own home where no one sees my wobbles, cycle classes, stretch classes and meditation. I’m not “selling” any specifc brand of online fitness; this just happens to be the one I have and love. I feel part of a community and have seen my body change significantly. I started with 3 lb. weights and now have just recently introduced 20 lb.hand weights into my program – not for a lot of the exercises yet, but it’s a start. Other fitness classes offered that I don’t personally use are for walking, running, training for marathons, rowing, Pilates, barre, kickboxing, etc. Something for everyone!
I wanted to put this out there as something to think about for those who might find it difficult to get to a gym or find it hard to stick to a fitness plan. When I started, I would set the minimum goal for myself to just pick something/anything from the hundreds of on-demand classes to do for a minimum of 10 minutes and then evaluate if I wanted to do more. I’m hoping that this option might resonate with someone who needs a place to start.
Peloton is awesome. We purchased a bike in 2021 and the rower in 2023, and I’m also well over 1000 strength classes and another 800+ stretching classes. So many options and great instructors, even if you don’t invest in the equipment. I’ve had way more success working out at home than I ever did with going to a gym.
Dana, if you’re comfortable with it, I’d love to be able to give you a “high five” on Peloton if we happen to be in the same class. My moniker is “jbrenna8”. Hope to “see” you there some time!
One of my joys of being retired is being able to take a class whenever I feel like it.
Thank you Jan for a great contribution to the comments.
Mark, great post. I played soccer (footy to you) into my 60s and plan to continue refereeing (indoors) into my 70s. I hit the gym every five days or so for maximum iron pumping — I can still bench press my own weight — and try to walk for an hour five days a week. A day without exercise actually stresses me.
As you discovered with your calf tear, however, it’s crucial to avoid injuries that can knock you out of your exercise routine for extended periods that are difficult to bounce back from. My thrice-torn Achilles means no soccer, pickleball, golf or running that could endanger my walking the dog with my wife. I baby my twice-repaired lower back in the gym, positioning carefully for every lift, because I don’t want to tweak something that could halt my routine (and make me miserable besides). I don’t ride a bike because everyone I know who does has a story about sailing over the handlebars and breaking a collarbone.
Investing in your body is like financial investing in that, even while investing regularly and steadily, you must always recognize your risk limitations and be aware of the possible consequences of exceeding them. In both kinds of investing, I’m a lot less risk-tolerant than I was ten years ago, because I want both my body and my money to last until I’m 90.
You mentioned you don’t ride a bike because of the danger of sailing over the handlebars. Perhaps you could consider a recumbent bike or trike. I have a Sun Seeker X3-AX (semi)recumbent performance trike (cambered back wheels for racing stability on corners). It looks cool, not dorky, and I don’t think it’s even possible to fly over the handlebars.
Be very careful on trikes, those rear wheels can easily catch on curbs. Due to balance issues, tried a trike, and within the first month had a near serious accident, but my helmet saved me. Take a few test rides and learn the new way of biking before taking on a trike.
I have a friend who plays “walking soccer” maybe it would be of interest to you?
It would, very much… but there’s none nearby. I’ve tried without success to convince the indoor arena where I referee that walking soccer would attract creaky old players like me!
lol
One of the advantages of my CCRC (retirement community) is that it makes getting exercise so easy. There’s a fully equipped gym at the end of my corridor and a swimming pool (which I don’t use) on the other side of campus. Last time anyone counted there were 70+ exercise classes a week. Since I live in central North Carolina, where the summers are hot and humid, indoor exercise facilities are especially important. I do a weight machine circuit two or three times a week, which I don’t especially enjoy, but I square dance once a week which I enjoy very much. I just dropped out of Tai Chi III because my knees were complaining but will replace it with a balance class. And I can always read a book or listen to a podcast on the treadmill or stationary bike.
People say they don’t want to move to a retirement community because it will be full of old people, but a lot of the ones I’m living with are very active. They may not be hiking 12k, but they are certainly playing pickleball, riding bikes, going kayaking and walking the track. On the other hand, I have seen how devastating falls can be as you get older, which is a big incentive to keep exercising but also be careful.
I’ve followed your CCRC articles with interest. The UK is lacking in anything similar.
I know. I looked hard before deciding to stay put in the US. There was a nice place in Henley near my younger sister but it only had Independent Living and few activities.
Yes, but for a retirement visa I’d figure it out. 😎 Greetings from Cornwall.
Trying to make me jealous? Are you going to the Scilly Isles? They’re on my list, such as it is these days.
Haven’t been but definitely would like to visit them at some point as well.
Mark – great to get your perspective. I agree. I wrote this about a year ago.
Hi Jeff…. Great read! thanks for sharing the link. We’re definitely of the same mindset.
Excellent advice.
Great post Mark. It’s something I’ve struggled with – prioritizing my health. But the rewards are so great it makes me wonder why it’s so hard.
Keep trying Rick…. there’s a physical activity out there somewhere you will enjoy!
Excellent analogies Mark, and comments below. Nick provided an example of over training, and Mike of gradually increasing the exercise load. I as an orthopedic Physical Therapist, and Certified Athletic Trainer used to tell my patients to increase their workload by no more than 10% per week. If per chance they then ran into a problem usually backing down to the previous level until asymptomatic for two weeks then continuing to build 10% every other week.
Now for me getting serious about exercising occurred when I was thirty years old and had just welcomed our second child into this world. I was driving a pickup truck with a manual transmission and was waiting at a light with the clutch pushed down. It was a fairly long light and my leg became so fatigued I had to put the transmission into neutral. I thought to myself if I’m in the kind of shape, what kind of shape was I going to be when I turned sixty?
Well despite the being overweight the answer is quite good. I started going to the gym 5-6 days a week and have never stopped except when having my hips replaced. Even then as soon as I could walk 15 minutes without an assistive device I went to the local mall to walk up to 30 minutes. After that since I had access to my office’s treadmill I worked up to 1 hour.
I made two goals for my retirement: 1) Go to the gym 6 days per week every morning around 11 am alternating aerobic and weight training, 2) Read a (auto)biography of every President (accomplished within the first 1-2 years).
Despite being over weight I can leg press 380#, and last year stationary biked just over 1,700 miles. In addition it takes 1 1/2 hours of mowing the lawn with a push mower on my hilly property every 5 days from May through October. At 67 years old I just replaced the mower with another push mower rather than a tractor as it is a good exercise session and the lawn looks better. How long this will continue?🤷♂️
You’re definitely hitting the mark!
David, I read Obama’s autobiography a while back and found it so interesting that I continued with presidential (auto)biographies in reverse order. I’m on Jerry Ford at present. It’s given me new (positive) perspectives on presidents, even the ones that I did not support.
Hi Dan,
It’s interesting that Obama’s autobiography of this presidency only covered his first term, and There was supposed to be a “sequel” but I have not heard anything further about it.
I am a newasacholic, and like to read about politics (basically it’s personal interactions of people with power), but not politicians per se.
I too started my reading with Obama and tried to read autobiographies over biographies as I wanted to get a perspective of what they felt in their past might have shaped them as people. I also went in reverse order, as I was not sure how many I would read so wanted to read about those presidents and the events that occurred during the time I was following the news. I did read in reverse order but skipped Ford to read Nixon (a biography as I felt I couldn’t trust anything he wrote) then Ford to see how he handled the effects of the Watergate scandal. Then continued in reverse until I skipped Johnson, read JFK, and from there read howJohnson handled the after effects of JFK’s assassination.
At that point I point I started with Washington and completed the rest of the presidents. It’s a great way to learn US history as since timelines overlap it is repeated (PS it also helps answering Jeopardy questions).
PSS if anyone is interested in the founding fathers and the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and the background of why the attendees at the Constitutional Convention came up with the document as written there are two insightful books written by Richard Beeman; Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor, and Plain Honest Men.
I am a big believer in the Virtuous Circle; a chain of events in which the positive things you do in life build on each other and increase one’s overall quality of life. This chain can begin with anything you do….you know what you need to do to keep yourself sharp, healthy, still learning, socializing, being helpful to others, supporting your family, having a healthful diet, keeping up with events, walking every day, taking care of your car and residence, and being smart about your money.
Entropy is everywhere and in everything. You must keep adding energy to your life or your circle will become Non-Virtuous. As we age, our health becomes more fragile. At 80 an illness or injury is harder to come back from than it was at age 50. So, you can’t let things go, You know when you are living the Virtuous Circle; you feel good (as possible) and you know that whatever you are doing is the right thing for you.
I like this way of thinking. And nice post Mark.
Excellent post. With that said, I have to admit that recently when I start pushing my limits something goes wrong afterwards. I usually walk about 5-6 miles a day. Recently while on a cruise, I walked close 18 miles in two days while visiting Izmir and Istanbul. Where I haven’t had any knee problems, My left knee started hurting and a few days ago I went to the doctor. He found nothing wrong and told me that I should be more careful in the future in terms of doing more than I usually do. He said I should increase activity gradually rather than all at once. So that’s the lesson for me and perhaps others.
I tore a calf muscle playing tennis last fall and was out of action for three months.
All things in moderation.
All great points. The science does back this up as well. There are just so many benefits that come with increased physical activity that this really ought to be none of the first areas we should concentrate on when we are planning out retirement and so forth. In my opinion the most misunderstood aspect is that to start requires you to be an iron man/woman. It’s all about intentionality and small strides. If one cannot do a 15 minute walk, aim for seven and see if next week you can go to nine…one may just surprise themselves.
Wise advice