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.

Anecdotal, but I agree with just keeping on going and moving.
In my experience, having worked years in what would be termed an "oldies pub", retirement was the downfall for many of our customers. We had many who didn't survive long after retiring, and those who did work after retirement age fared much better.
One particular customer was still working manual labour in his 80s. He only lasted a matter of weeks when he stopped 😭

Keeping as physically and mentally stimulated and active as you can isn't a magic cure, but it helps you maximise your potential.

MiL did well into her early 80s before the niggles started getting the better of her. She lives in another country so we tend to see her annually. Last time we went in 2019, she'd largely stopped going out as a routine, but because she's no longer doing a 5 minute walk for a newspaper, she's finding it harder to keep mentally stimulated and connected with the world through things like getting village gossip herself, or daily puzzles or reading through the news herself. The difference last time we saw her was quite stark, and a year later, just from photos you can see the physical aging in posture.

Through her 60s, 70s and early 80s she tried to make the most of the opportunities that came her way and complained about the "old people" who were mentally far older than their bodies.

It is known that with conditions such as dementia that being physically healthy and mentally well stimulated tends to delay progression of the condition.

My Dad was like them at 80. Still working at a high level, socialising, travelling and enjoying a full life. Then he got cancer and took that on just as he had everything else in life. Unfortunately no force of will is a match for cancer.

I really admire Mary Berry and Prue Leith - great to see women in their 80s on prime time TV.

I am 50 and can't imagine describing myself as 'knackered' in a few years!

And Anthony Fauci is 80! I couldn't believe it

[quote randomer]@apalledandshocked, somebody suggested part of their success was down to the fact that they are slim.[/quote]
I don't know why they are getting stick for that. Maintaining a healthy weight is definitely going to have a significant role in keeping you healthy and energetic as you get older. Kamala Harris doesn't appear skinny, but she seems to be a healthy weight.

Retirement is known to be a killer. Literally. My parents voluntarily worked past 70 and were the better for it physically and mentally.

DH had a great uncle who was walking three miles to buy his newspaper everyday till he dropped dead at 94, no lingering at all. My uncle was the same he just collapsed in his late eighties having just arrived back from a shopping trip, he had been a farmer all his life. DH uncle had been a fireman in the blitz on London. My mother died aged 93 a couple of years ago she was disabled towards the end but was A ok till mid eighties, she was a ballerina when young.

There are multiple elements but with those three they were very physical. Research has shown that expected age of the next generation will probably decrease as people have become less physically active.

Not sure I agree with the force of will comments, my Grandad was still riding his bike for miles every day into his 80s, until the day he skidded on a patch of ice and broke a hip. He never wanted to be stuck indoors, he would have loved to have been back out on his bike or even walking the miles instead but just couldn't ever quite get back to himself and ended up with a constant run of bad health and hospital stays until he died at 88. Until that fall aged 85 I think most people would have guessed he was 70, at a push!

Unfortunately no force of will is a match for cancer.

Who suggested that it was?

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

I’m sorry about your mum. I don’t think that anybody has suggested that ‘keeping active’ wards off all health conditions, though?

Not sure I agree with the force of will comments, my Grandad was still riding his bike for miles every day into his 80s, until the day he skidded on a patch of ice and broke a hip

Again, I am sorry to hear this but what has your grandad’s accident to do with his joie de vivre? It was an accident. Are you suggesting that it would have been better if he hadn’t left the house at all?

I'm mid 50s and actually feel better than I have for years. My anaemia seems to be under control, as is my thyroid. Which is weird as I had to have a major operation recently after going to the GP for a minor niggle.
I also have a job where it is quite normal to keep going until your 70s and beyond.
And i'm not wealthy.

If you are knackered in your 50s and don't have a diagnosis I would recommend going to see your GP and getting it investigated.

A lot of it will be the US approach to wellness that is available to you if you are wealthy.

I'm a member of a biohacking group with a lot of US members, and some of them have their bloods done every six months so they can tweak their supplement and exercise regimes. What this does is ensure there are no dietary medical reasons for any issues they may have.

So they are not walking around trying to do a million things with undiagnosed anemia or a vit D deficiency. Compare this approach to the UK where practically everyone has a VitD deficiency, and you can see how wealthy Americans who believe in wellness and will pay for it are starting from a better base point.

And that's before the lifestyle, the personal trainers, the chefs, the maids, the assistants, the homes with pools and grounds, the sleep, the drivers ...

I think it's a combination of luck, good genes and a positive outlook on life, with an enthusiasm to keep active. My MIL completely gave up on life when we lost FIL. Physically there was nothing wrong with her, but she refused to do anything, even shopping, (she was only early 60's). She basically sat at home and did nothing. It was so sad and very frustrating at the same time. She eventually passed away in her early 70's, but if you didn't know her you would have thought she was 90.
By contrast, my parents are both mid 70's. Dad still runs a business, and does voluntary work, mum does voluntary stuff too. They both have more active social lives than I do and walk miles every day. They do both have good genes, (longevity runs in both of their families), but I'm sure that their busy and active lifestyles also contributes to their good health.

After Joe Biden's wife died he had a stressful job but still got home every evening to spend time with his young bereaved sons. He probably had lots of practical help but he had huge responsibility and surely it must have been very stressful.

I've often wandered this, when Hilary Clinton was running she was same age as MIL - definition of little old lady and I just couldn't wrap my head round it.

FIL is 87 and still in remarkable physical & mental shape. He lives in a big house with land and maintains it on his own. There is always stuff which needs doing which keeps him physically active. He still rides jis bike, he drives wherever he needs to, before the pandemic he was one of the main men at an industrial heritage project, he does the Torygraph crossword every morning etc etc.

Some of it is down to good genetics and luck, obviously, but as he is the first to point out he has never smoked a cigarette or taken a recreational drug in his life, he believes that being fat is a choice so he has never been overweight and he drinks very little alcohol.

@SlothWithACloth

Regardless of how idiotic he is, Trump is still going strong at 74 and he’s not exactly slim.

Yep. And he shrugged off covid in a few days.

Both his parents lived into their mid 90s, and despite being overweight Trump is a lifelong teetotal non-smoker. He will probably be around for a long time to come, sadly.

I think it's all luck of the draw/circumstance. As people have pointed out - genes, good health, wealth, having a vocation, having staff, being workaholics.

Having said that, I simply don't know how a 78 year old could manage a president's schedule. I mean, Obama went grey and looked exhausted and he was a young man.

Money helps ease a lot of things.

Saying "oh, they don't have stressful lifestyles" is kind of absurd though. Pelosi holds the most powerful position in the House, and has done for some time on and off. She's third in line for the presidency. Running for president is incredibly gruelling physically and mentally. Yes, I don't imagine either Pelosi or Biden spend much time thinking about their laundry or their parking tickets, but their days are long, public, high stakes, and undoubtedly often stressful. It's routine for individuals who have high-value leadership and decision-making skills to have most of their daily life frictions outsourced, because there is no need for them to have to divide their attention by meal planning when someone else can do that for them.

For Biden and Pelosi, being inexplicably wealthy tends to help

@Respectabitch

Saying "oh, they don't have stressful lifestyles" is kind of absurd though. Pelosi holds the most powerful position in the House, and has done for some time on and off. She's third in line for the presidency. Running for president is incredibly gruelling physically and mentally. Yes, I don't imagine either Pelosi or Biden spend much time thinking about their laundry or their parking tickets, but their days are long, public, high stakes, and undoubtedly often stressful. It's routine for individuals who have high-value leadership and decision-making skills to have most of their daily life frictions outsourced, because there is no need for them to have to divide their attention by meal planning when someone else can do that for them.

Nobody has said that they don’t have stressful lifestyles.

I am simply pointing out that they are able to do exceptionally stressful, high-profile jobs at the age when many people have retired because they have outsourced absolutely everything else, in addition to whatever personal qualities and good health they have.

For Biden and Pelosi, being inexplicably wealthy tends to help

Is their wealth inexplicable?

Joe Biden's father went broke and Joe had a relatively normal upbringing. He didn't grow up with the kind of wealth and privilege that Trump did.
Genetics must play a strong part. Clint Eastwood is amazing for his age and his mother lived to be around 100 I think.