Nancy Pelosi is 80, Joe Biden is 78..how do they do it?

[ssd]

And more to the point,how can they be arsed?

I'm knackered mid 50s. I'm just tired and hoping someday to be able to wind down.

My parents died at 76 and 85. And they had had enough by then.

I admire Pelosi and Biden, but I'm more amazed they still want to be doing what they're doing at their age.

They are intelligent people doing what they love. That’s why they still do it. I bet they didn’t spend their fifties moaning about how difficult their jobs were and how tired they were. Too busy getting on with it!

Provided that you don’t get a debilitating illness, it’s all about how you behave in your 40s, 50s and 60s, I think. That’s the time to form good habits and really start looking after yourself. Keep your joints strong, avoid diabetes, find hobbies that really engage you, like learning a language or a musical instrument.

The most energetic person I have ever met is a senior physician in public health. He’s 76 now, and still leading big national projects. He shows no sign of stopping and is really positive in his outlook. That’s what I aspire to be like.

(BTW kudos to the poster upthread who walks 8 miles a day and can still do a handstand in her late seventies! Fantastic)

I agree that wealth is a great help. The Queen doesn’t have to vacuum, do the washing, clean the loos, cook meals every day, do the shopping... and neither do Nancy Pelosi/Joe Biden/David Attenborough.

Every slight twinge can be dealt with immediately. No weeks/months/years of waiting for a scan of your dodgy knee, or putting off dental treatment because it’s several thousand for a tooth implant.

Luck is also key. I have a 94-year-old aunt who you’d mistake on the phone for 34. Otoh mil developed dementia in her 60s. And she was working in a stimulating environment, so no excuse that she was vegetating in retirement.

I know what you mean, my parents were more than ready to retire by 62, 65 respectively. They have had hobbies since retirement but get easily knackered.

@Othering

Yippee, are you really suggesting that having to find a parking spot in any way contributes to illl health? I've heard some bonkers stuff but this is right up there.

That's what you took from my post?

Of course not. I am giving parking as a tiny, prosaic example of the many ways in which Pelosi and Biden do not have to give any headspace to the logistics of their everyday lives. They don't ever have to book train or plane tickets or worry about the logistics of making a connecting flight. They have people whose job it is to get them to the right place at the right time, and if they are unavoidably late then they are important enough that the meeting will wait for them!

I wasn't making any particular link to health, but as pp have said they have access to the very best healthcare with no waiting times, plus staff who ensure that they exercise and eat a nutritious diet.

passion and health yes, but they have staff you can bet so they aren't overwhelmed. all of their energies goes to their passion. None of their energies wasted going to tesco and hanging out the washing.

@FuriousWithTheNHS

Joe Biden is just a place marker. Everyone knows that. Kamala will come in via the back door before this term is out.

without wishing death on him, I hope this is true.

Is Kamala Harris about a UK size 12/14? I don't think she will be able to do the job well.

Same here. I imagine he'll be sent off for some much needed bed rest once all the Trump fuss has died down. And then he'll hand over for 'medical reasons' within 2 years max.

@randomer

Is Kamala Harris about a UK size 12/14? I don't think she will be able to do the job well.

Huh???

Once you stop it’s so easy to become lazy and inactive. I think a lot of people think they are old, retire and then slow down to a snails pace. If you want that then fine, but you will seem a lot older in your 70’s than others who have kept mind and body active

Love Biden and Pelosi, it's passion that drives them in what they do, it oozes out of them. You either feel like that about life or you don't. I admire them both massively.

Huh???

Randomer was poking fun at a PP’s suggestion that slimness was one of the major secrets of Pelosi’s and Biden’s success.

So... keep active, but not by doing housework?

Medical professionals say if you can still walk up the stairs you can still have sex

@MusicalTrifleMonkey

Medical professionals say if you can still walk up the stairs you can still have sex

I’ve just realised that this is NOT what you meant. I did think it was an odd thing for you to know and ask about and for the first couple of responses....

Reminder: RTFT

interesting question OP.

Did these people always have higher than norm energy levels when they were younger?

I can undertand national treasures like Attenborough, but it's harder to understand carrying on in politics where you get slagged off all the time

What intrigues me, OP, is why you (and others on MN) are knackered in your 50s.

I agree - there seem to be so many posters on MN in this predicament. I suggest you all see your GPs as it's not normal!

For those people saying Pelosi and Biden are rich, have nothing mundane to worry about etc.

• they were/are parents so went through exactly the same as most of us when younger, i.e. the mundane things. They didn't arrive fully formed as they are now, they could both absolutely say they have done their bit, made their contribution but haven't
• if it were all about that, there are plenty of retired wealthy people with no mundane concerns who devote their lives to their own enjoyment and comfort, luxurious holidays etc. The Pelosi's and Bidens of this world are exceptional people in more ways that being wealthy and free to contribute

I have to agree with @Othering that some of it is down to sheer good luck. My Mum and Dad were both extremely healthy. Both enjoyed running, hiking, had a large circle of friends and were always socialising etc. Dad died at 66 from motor neurone disease so didn't even have a year of retirement and Mum keeled over of a stroke the day after her 70th birthday. Mum was still working as well up to that point. Loved her job and didn't want to quit.

They're robots OP and everything is done for them 😁

Good genes will be number 1.

Health will play a part, I'm sure they have personal trainers and chefs which makes it easy to watch your weight.

But I bet you good money they were both smokers until the 1980's. Everyone was in those days. And that shit catches up to you eventually.

But it's not all healthy living. Winston Churchill was a fat smoker/alcoholic and he kept going to the ripe old age of 91. And look at Trump. Sheer vindictiveness and narcissism keeps that twat going.

Mental dexterity and drive probably play the biggest part in it. Some people thrive on it, and they are those people.

Healthy and passionate older people are a great inspiration.

I followed a very healthy lifestyle but still ended up with a chronic potentially fatal disease.

But I'm still following a healthy lifestyle as it gives me the best chance of being able to do what I want to do. Also I probably would have been sicker if my heart and lungs had been in good nick prior to diagnosis.

At least I'm not kicking myself thinking I wished I hadn't smoked, or put on weight, or been inactive etc. I know there's nothing else I could have done.

Whatever your genes, wealth, or life deals you, good choices are always worthwhile.

Good lifestyle choices are harder to make in bad conditions, though. That's where the impact of our wealth inequality comes in, and the uk scores badly on that measure.

@Coniferhedge

I have to agree with *@Othering* that some of it is down to sheer good luck. My Mum and Dad were both extremely healthy. Both enjoyed running, hiking, had a large circle of friends and were always socialising etc. Dad died at 66 from motor neurone disease so didn't even have a year of retirement and Mum keeled over of a stroke the day after her 70th birthday. Mum was still working as well up to that point. Loved her job and didn't want to quit.

Quite. My mum had mnd but perhaps she just didn't quite have the right amount of grit and determination to keep active.

The greatest determinate of health is wealth, it trumps everything else. So it’s not a surprise that the very wealthy and privileged live longer and healthier than those in trailer parks or council houses. That’s why the Queen is so healthy for her age not because she is actually a better human being.

@apalledandshocked, somebody suggested part of their success was down to the fact that they are slim.