Tag: aging

On Martha Stewart and other Unstoppables

Martha Stewart
The New York Times website will often have sections on topics which aren’t newsworthy but are noteworthy. A good example of that is this section called The Unstoppables: Creatives Talk About Aging, Lifelong Career and Ambition. The Times sums it up this way: “The Unstoppables is a series about people whose ambition is undimmed by time”. There’s pieces on Lauren Hutton, Georgio Armani, Martha Stewart, and more. (I especially liked this piece: The Secret of Life Is Not to Be Frightened.) If you ever wonder how to stay creative as you get older, I recommend The Unstoppables, regardless of how old you are.

Speaking of Martha, Netflix has a good documentary on her called….Martha. Was Martha happy with “Martha”? No, she was not. She has trashed the film in several places, partially because she comes off as a “lonely old lady” and “prickly”. I get why she would not like it, but I think as documentaries go, it was good. Martha can be a difficult person to like, though that depends on your tastes. Indeed, some critics like that she is “a perfectionist control freak” and all that goes with that designation.

However likeable she is, I think Martha did something massive early in her career: she transformed our culture and the way people do business. She is as significant a figure as a major artist or a major executive. Perhaps even more so, because she was all of that rolled up into one package. When you get big enough in our culture, you get to go by one name, and Martha was and is big enough.

Anyone else who had such a big impact early in their life might retreat to a simpler life as they aged. Not her. Despite all her ups and downs, she continues to march on in her own perfect and precise way even in her 80s. She is truly Unstoppable. And that’s a good thing.

The real cost of a peloton (and other good fitness and health links)

Do you wish you could do gym workouts but you don’t have access to a gym? If that’s you, IKEA is here to help, with their new pastel-colored DAJLIEN collection (shown above). Especially good for people with small spaces.

Maybe you think the secret of working out at home is to go the peloton route. In that case, you own it to yourself to read about the real cost of a peloton.

Do you want to get fit but are feeling stuck? If so, read this: Here Are 5 Ways to Jumpstart Your Life. Mental health experts suggest exercises to knock down the internal roadblocks that are causing burnout and holding you back.

If you think you are too old to get fit, then check this out: can I build enough muscle in my 60s to make it to 100 even though I’ve never weight trained? If you need a workout to get started with, try this 10 minute bodyweight workout.

If you think you have high blood pressure, see your doctor. But also read this: Why High Blood Pressure Matters to Your Health And how to get it under control. Apparently a good way to lower your blood pressure is by doing this:  wall sit isometric exercise.

People who are already pretty fit and are considering running a marathon, read this: Running a fall marathon? Here are 26.2 tips to help you finish.

Finall, this is a funny and artistic way describing how to lose weight.

What do fashion and aging have in common?

While fashion is more associated with youth, this post is going in a different direction, starting with that fashion icon Iris Apfel. Sadly she passed away recently but she was shining right up until the age of 102, More in her here.

Someone else who was a fashion icon until the age of 81 was Vivienne Westwood. While she has passed on, her fashion line continues, although based on this here, it has seen better days.

This is a good piece on Linda Evangelista, who is still with us and only 58. That may be not old for most of us, but it is old for a fashion model. Or is it? Edward Enninful, who is stepping down as editor in chief of British Vogue, put together this last cover for the magazine (shown above), and it has dozens of great models of all ages, including Evangelista. I was impressed with the cover shot not being a splicing together of images: all those women came together at the same time for it. Quite amazing.

Also old and still going strong is the beefcake-y Calvin Klein underwear ads. Here’s a story on that and the latest man to step into them  Jeremy Allen White.

Not so fashion oriented, but still aging oriented, here’s nine stories on  women going gray. I liked this piece on 72 year olds. I guess 70 is the new 60. This here is a good story on a 93 year old man as fit as a 40 year old, and how he does it.

Two pieces of advice: 1) as you get older, you should have a bucket list and also a chuck it list. 2) Meanwhile, here’s some advice on why you should  never waste a midlife crisis, from Austin Kleon.

 

From Henry V to King Lear: Branagh comes of an age (as do we all)

It seems only yesterday that Kenneth Branagh was wowing us with his version of Henry V. Now instead of playing one of the younger Shakespearean lead roles, he is playing one of the oldest, as he gets ready to direct and star in a new production of King Lear on London’s west end. I am sure it will be a huge success. Shakespeare has been good to him, and vice versa.

Reading that, I started to think about some of the pieces I’ve collected on aging. For example, if you or someone you love is wondering how to manage living in your home as you get older, then read this.

As we age, we hope we can retire. And by retire, we hope to work less if at all. Sadly, in some Asian societies “Retirement” just means more work. That may not be a fate limited to Asian countries, I fear.

What do you need when you get older? An old person project! Let John Demont explain. Or if the thought of getting older and wrinkled bothers you, read about preventative botox . To each their own.

Finally, here’s a fine piece on how  old women in the swimming pool gave this young woman something to aspire to.

P.S. I could not close out without including one of my favorite movie scenes, with a very bright and brash Branagh rallying the troops with his truncated version of the Saint Crispin’s Day speech:

I love that speech, that scene, and his portrayal of it.

 

On ageism: or is 80 is the new 60?


There’s been much focus on aging in Canada recently after the firing of Lisa LaFlamme as a CTV news anchor for what many believe were ageist reasons.

There’s also been focus on aging in the U.S., due to President Job Biden creeping up on his 80th. Like Biden, many people approaching 80 are still keen to continue. For example, here’s Steve Martin on His Late Career Surge and Contemplating Retirement. Note, he is contemplating it, not deciding it. I suspect we will see more of Steve as he hits that next decade.

Not too long ago, it was felt you should retire once when you got past 60.Many didn’t live into their seventies. Now with life expectancy getting into the 80s, people are asking: Is 80 the new 60? It could be.

Finally, this was a good piece on how one man set out to make up for his failure to do well at math as he approached his sixties: Aging and math. 

It’s never too late to….

It’s never too late to do many things. And the Times has an entire section devoted to it, here. For example, here is a lovely story on people who fell in love in their 80s. Here’s another fine piece about a woman in her 60s who learned how to swim.

If you are older and you feel it’s too late to attempt to do the Thing You Always Wanted To Do, read those pieces.

This goes for younger people too. Sometimes people in their 30s or 40s think it is too late to do something. Nonsense. It’s never too late to start.  You may not reach the stars, as they say, but you’ll land on the moon. Better than than continually looking up wondering what if.

What I find interesting: dealing with getting old

Here’s some links I found around the topic of getting older and retiring. Maybe you aren’t thinking too much about that yet, but you should. For example, here’s a piece about how to have a long, fulfilling career and perhaps never retire. But if you going to retire, here’s how to retire on a fixed chuck of money. To get a fixed amount of cash, you need a plan. This piece can help you get to a million bucks regardless if you are in your 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s.

Money is just one challenge to deal with as you get older. Another is a potentially deteriorating brain. Here’s a sobering essay on how this person is preparing for the dementia she believes she will get. One wait to fight such things is to keep your mind active. One way to do that is to engage in activities such as games. Chess, for example. You might think you are too old to learn chess but this person learned when they were 40 and so can you.

(Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash)

How should you exercise as you get older?

Like nutrition advice, exercise advice seems to change as often as clothing fashion changes. It can be hard to keep up, and easy to get skeptical that any advice is solid. However, if you want to keep up and are not skeptical, read this: How Smart Exercise Keeps You Younger for Longer.

My take, which is a variation of this, is simple: do a range of exercises, from cardio, to strength, to stretching to balancing. A fitness routine that includes all this is better than a fitness routine that just focuses on one or two areas. And any fitness routine is better than no fitness routine.

On retirement in the 21st century: three good pieces

The notion of retirement in the Western world has been changing since the mid 20th century, and it will continue to change as the population increasingly gets older. To get an appreciation for what that means and what can be done, these three articles are worth reading:

  1. It’s Time to Say It: Retirement Is Dead. This Is What Will Take Its Place | Inc.com
  2. Baby boomers delaying retirement: It’s a myth, because retirement is inevitable, and bleaker than ever.
  3. This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like

Not fun reading, but essential.

Seven good links for old people

For those of us who are feeling old, or simply are old.

      1. A Checklist Before Dying – The Billfold – a good checklist to review, sooner than later
      2. An Ode to Being Old – Outside – Pocket – on the virtues of being old
      3. This 65-Year-Old Dentist Left It All Behind to Work the Line at America’s Best New Restaurant | Bon Appétit – this story made me feel good about getting old. Maybe you will too after you read it.
      4. The Future of Aging Just Might Be in Margaritaville – The New York Times – who knows?
      5. Neuroscience Shows That 50-Year-Olds Can Have the Brains of 25-Year-Olds If They Do This | Inc.com – not just for 50 year olds.
      6. Ctrl-Alt-Delete: The Planned Obsolescence of Old Coders – it’s true. But you can fight it.
      7. Am I ‘Old’? – The New York Times – Old is a state of mind to some degree. But at some point, no matter how good you feel, you are old.

     

Joan Benoit Samuelson at age 60 and what that means

This piece is a must read for anyone trying to maintain their fitness later in life. It’s not easy, even for legends like JBS. Take solace in seeing how even the greats adjust as they get older, and read this:  How a great marathoner — Joan Benoit Samuelson — keeps going at age 60 – The Washington Post

 

Some advice on middle age and ageism


I found a collection of links on getting older, links I am drawn to as I get older. Some of them are essential but depressing. Others affirm there are possibilities for new things as one reaches middle age and then old age. There are difficulties, including discrimination due to ageism: some of these articles can help deal with that.

I’ll conclude with two pieces on much older artists still capable of doing great things. One of the biggest problems of being middle-aged is succumbing to fatalism and a pessimistic belief that almost everything is behind you, and that you have nothing to live for or work towards. As you can see in these pieces below, that’s not always true. You should fight that belief, and live your days like you have many, while taking care to enjoy each day as you can. You need a vision to care you forward, a way to get off the track labelled Dead End and on to the one the continues forward. I hope these links can help achieve that vision:

Finally, there is this: Seeing old age as a never ending adventure

How to look ahead in life

Young and old person on laptop
If you can see clearly ahead, you can make better directions on how to steer. It’s true for any mode of transportation. It’s also true about life. Take a look at this piece in the 99u: What I Wish I Knew at Every Age – 99U.  Whether you are young or old, it will give you the ability to see what’s ahead in life though the wishes of others and it will help you steer your one wonderful life.

Drive well.

(Image from here).

 

Are you in your 40s? You need to know about the U Curve of Happiness

Here’s the curve (X is age, Y is a measure of one’s happiness)

As you can see, it is lowest for people in their 40s, then starts to improve past that point. To understand more about that and why you need to hang in there if you are in your 40s, read this: The Real Roots of Midlife Crisis in The Atlantic.

Two additional comments:

1) If you are in your 30s, you can expect this to happen, so take stock and think about ways to prepare for it.

2)  Obviously this is a large generalization. Still, there is much merit in it, I believe.

How long are you going to live? Now you can find out


According to this, you have two very good rules of thumb or models you can use to determine this:

1) The heuristic bi-linear model. We made this by making the best bi-linear model a bit simpler to apply.

It goes:

If you’re under 85, your life expectancy is 72 minus 80% of your age.

Otherwise it’s 22 minus 20% of your age

2) The 50-15-5 model. This one asks you to remember some key values and then to interpolate between those values. It goes:

The life expectancies of 30, 70, 90 and 110 year olds are about 50, 15, 5, and 0.

For more, check out the link.

Life in your 80s and 90s – some inspiration for then and now

On it’s own, this is a great piece:
Old Masters at the Top of Their Game – NYTimes.com. The woman above? 99. She sold her first painting at 89. She is now a world renowned artist. And there’s more great profiles of people in it. You should read it, and not just if you are older. I  recommend it for any age. How you read it at 20 will be different than how you read it at 40 or 60.  For me, I was struck by how  many of those interviewed say that nothing surprises them. As I get older, I find this true too, though I am still surprised. The flip side of this is that anxiety and concern about many things in life decreases. You know how to handle things, and you spend less time worrying about the things you ought not to worry about.

Another thing I thought interesting is that they don’t necessarily think of themselves as old. This is something I also found true as I age. I know when I talk to the 20 year olds in my office they must look at me and think: man, he’s old. 🙂 But other than superficial things, I don’t find my thinking or my view on the world has diminished from when I was younger. I have more experience now, and I had more natural energy then, but I don’t think: wow I no longer get this IT stuff now that I am older.

I highly encourage you to read the article. Then check out Austin Kleon’s blog because I found it there a lot with many other good things.