THE NEW AGE OF AGING

 I’ve been thinking about longevity more in the last few months than ever before. It’s worrying me.

According to the CDC, the average life span in the United States today is 77.5 years. Yet more and more people are living to 100 years and more. And what are we to do with the prediction that living to an active 125 years will soon be attainable? Good news if longevity is your goal.

Frankly, it’s not mine. I’m not ready to live 125 years or more. I am already 24 years passed my expected expiration date and often feel, well, tired. I’ve put two careers behind me and now it appears as if I’ll need a third. (Of course, once you reach a certain age you can’t plan too far in advance. A five year business plan might be out of the question.) Still.

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that, by 2050, the population aged 60 years or more will double, while those aged 80 years or more will number 400 million. This extension of the lifespan is looked upon mostly as a triumph of medical advances, stemming from access to better medical treatments as well as a focus on lifestyle and preventive therapies. 

So, I’m asking…is 80 fast becoming the new 70 in human years?

You’ll notice I have more questions than answers.

Longevity has been attributed to 1) DNA, 2) a positive attitude, 3) a Blue Zone lifestyle (which means physical labor, a plant based diet, red wine - and socialization.)

A study of super-agers showed they also may experience a metabolic slowdown, a slowdown of the aging process…which includes what’s happening in the brain. (Apparently just before he passed, Henry Kissinger at 100 years of age was still serving as a consultant to the government on foreign affairs.) But one size does not fit all. One book on how to live longer does not apply to everyone.

Are we interested in longevity because we fear the alternative?

We do know that heart disease and cancer are the two most common causes of death at any age. And both are subjects to ongoing research with increasing positive survival rates. Some scientists speculate specific targeting will eradicate cancer altogether in the near future. It’s already being done with varying degrees of success for different types of the disease. And of course early detection whether by chance or testing is the very best option. (I speak from experience.)

Genome editing, the art of changing the DNA of a cell or organism, holds great promise for eradicating cancer and a variety of other diseases. Like AI, however - which is proving helpful in medical issues - genome editing carries a multitude of ethical concerns.

The medical community has made great advancements in the skeletal department. We are fortunate to have an array of replacement parts…hip, knee, arms, elbows, etc. (And there are parts you can live quite nicely without, like the appendix.)

So many medical advancements have been made in the last 50 years; imagine what the next 50 will bring! A cure for the common cold?

And then if you’re feeling young and great, the next step is clear. Your appearance: a look reflecting how you’re feeling.

Cosmetic surgery can almost completely transform the human body, removing years of wear and tear. A boom for the anti-aging population - which are mostly women. To be clear, I’m not anti-aging but baffled to why 30 year old women are subjecting to Botox injections on a regular basis. I don’t understand the fillers, big lips, fish lips especially which rather resemble grouper lips. (Grouper is a popular Florida fish, a fish that sports unnaturally big lips. Ugly lips in my opinion.) But perhaps I’ll change my mind someday. And perhaps with whatever appearance procedures chosen, the cosmetic surgery prone individuals will look more like a 95 year old when they’re actually 125.

Is that a good thing?

When I did a small informal poll asking if folks would like to live to one 125 most said yes as long as they enjoyed a good quality of life. Quality of life is soo subjective. And chancy!

The eldest in many cultures are revered for their wisdom which is a good thing. But what if in this new age of aging, the information you possessed at 100 years became irrelevant by the time you were one 125? What then? A sense of humor will be more important than ever!

One of my friends once told me, “I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to miss anything.”

And there’s that.

 

 

THE SCOOCH

 I might have learned the following important information for anyone over sixty-five the easy way. The knowledge could have been gained perhaps as quickly and painlessly as watching a television news report or reading a book. Unfortunately, the easy way has never been my way. For that, I have no explanation or excuse.

When it comes to our aging bodies, more than anytime during the recent past, strength training is strongly advocated for women. Not the kind of strength we’re rightly known for, innate strength of mind and will. Instead, strength of the muscular variety is encouraged. But fear not! Strength training does not mean you will acquire muscles to rival those of the Rock. (Unless of course, that’s your goal.)

Now, I’ve never considered myself weak either in mind or body. And frankly never given either much thought. Recently that changed. While I recovered quickly and well from a surgical procedure I still had no idea of what was happening to my muscle mass or lack of during the process. I didn’t even know what muscle mas was.

Until the great Scooch Catasrophe.

I was in the supermarket when a receipt fell to the floor. Instead of bending down to retrieve it, I scooched. (A scooch is very much like a squat. Okay, let’s call it a squat.) And was stuck.

Stuck in a scooch - and I couldn’t get up.

Without the necessary muscle mass it’s impossible to get up from a scooch. Or just about any other position. Apparently, we women start to lose muscle mass around the age of thirty and the loss accelerates around age sixty-five. (Approximately seventy years of age for men.)  Fortunately, the scooching incident left me with no injuries…except for my bruised ego. (I felt very embarrassed to be stuck in the check-out lane in a squat…or scooch.) Kind customers rescued me and the rest continued their check-outs. Once on my feet again, all was well. Except that now I understood why building and/or retaining muscle mass is so essential.

The loss of muscle mass results in a reduction of energy and the daily activities we take for granted become difficult. Which, in turn, risk a plethora of injuries. What exactly is muscle mass?

Muscle mass is the amount of muscle in your body, skeletal and smooth which make-up the combined weight of your muscles.

Several months before when coincidentally one of my friends asked if I was doing strengthening exercises, I blithely smiled and said no, while my inner voice replied, because I don’t need them. Obviously, I did.

In medical terms this lack of muscle mass and ensuring weakness is known as sarcopenia, which is a natural aging process. In addition to weight-bearing exercises, eating thirty grams of high protein meals daily are recommended per meal. By the by, the new high protein shakes on your supermarket shelves are not your grandmother’s shakes. They’re available in several thirty gram flavors and are mostly delicious. My favorite is the café latte.

It’s never too late to start weight strengthening. Take it from a woman with experience, you don’t want to have a scooching incident when you are least prepared.