Or 93 according to the Living to 100 web site
It’s a really interesting assessment to do, and better if you can add accurate blood pressure and cholesterol readings. You also get a detailed report for how to add years with suggestions. For a free assessment I highly recommend it.
It tells me I should reduce my coffee drinking, praises me for my tea drinking and tells me to avoid second hand smoke. I know I’m affected by that from smoky clubs in my youth so avoid being around smokers now.
Of course, many things could happen – run down by a bus etc. but there are things we can do, and one of the most important is to feel positive about ageing. I almost wrote that there is nothing we can do to stop this, but people will try to delay.
I’ve been reading about what Bryan Johnson, a tech entrepreneur is doing, and the money he is spending – but what sort of life is he having right now?
He’s earned his money and if he wants to spent $4M developing BluePrint, a life-extension system it’s down to him. Clearly, I don’t have that amount of money, but would I want to take 111 pills each day and all the other things he does – apparently, he thinks of any act that accelerates aging such as eating a cookie, or getting less than eight hours of sleep—as an “act of violence.” His goal is to get his 46-year-old organs to look and act like they were 18 years old. Humm.
I’m listening to the radio as I write this and there is talk of King Charles having cancer, but also how he has family, loves his job, a positive attitude … friendships and optimism can really help us to take a positive view to ageing.
Bryan Johnson has been quoted as saying that death is optional. He plans never to do it.
“Outsourcing the management of his body means defeating what Johnson calls his “rascal mind”—the part of us that wants to eat ice cream after dinner, or have sex at 1 a.m., or drink beer with friends. The goal is to get his 46-year-old organs to look and act like 18-year-old organs.” You can read much more on this via this link.
Bryan Johnson has a 2-hour exercise regime before starting work, waking at 0430, and with his need for 8 hours sleep he’s in bed by 8.30pm … so no evenings out?
And a focus on this takes him away from a wider sense of why we are on this earth – the impact we can make, both large and small.
I want a life; I want to live. To build relationships, and create memories, and give something back and leave a legacy. I want to remain satisfied with my life. To realise we have setbacks and regrets, but that is what makes us human.
Something that resonated with me from the article was that most people assume they will live for about 70 years and then die, and to feel that they can’t do anything about it. But by staying optimistic and making more healthy choices than not, it will help.
Also, if we think we are in our last decade, we can make all sorts of assumptions. Of course, we may say to ourselves, it is hard to get out of the chair, walking fast is too much of an effort, better to take things easy. But we can also expect ourselves to remain in good health, to manage with minimal support, to look at ageing as a privilge and enjoy every moment.
I want to grow older by challenging myself, to not let age hold me back, to be open to new challenges and adventures.
And I leave on an adventure in 9 days’ time. More on that next time.
Dr Denise Taylor is on a mission to reclaim, reframe (and rethink!) retirement. It is not retiring and slowing down but a new phase of life where we have more freedom and flexibility to live a life the way we want.
Denise has been involved in retirement planning for almost 40 years. At 64 she gained her doctorate having researched how people find meaning in life after full-time work. To share this widely her latest book – Rethinking Retirement for Positive Ageing is now on sale, published by Routledge. Dr Denise is a Chartered Psychologist, and also a wilderness rites of passage guide combining her interest in transitions and ritual with a love of nature. Beyond her work she gains great fulfilment through owning a private wood.