AJW2W11E

Do you think you are younger than others your age because you're so fit ? In my case sometimes, yes and sometimes, no.
I have to admit, I think exercise really helps as a preventive to aging. However, when I don't sleep well, I feel well over my age.
Finally, I realize there's a difference between having a strong body and a strong mind.

SW84

A wise man once said: "bodily exercise profiteth little".

Carbonfiberboy 

Totally. Yesterday, we took food over to a couple in their early 80s. Both are on walkers. He could hardly get up from a chair. Took him a long time to get on his feet and grab his walker. She can hardly walk because of knee pain. She quite fat, as is her husband. They obviously have no money worries. That's America, right there. They're trying to get into assisted living, but how, with their big house full of stuff. How to make that transition? My wife and I are going for a tandem ride tomorrow. I am only 5 years younger than those folks. I feel like I'm maybe 60 until I look at my power meter.
"Life is change, how it differs from the rocks. I've seen their ways too often for my liking. New worlds to gain. My life is too survive and be alive."

downtube42

I was born 63 years ago and 63 is how old I am. It's a counting of years since birth, nothing more nothing less.

BITD, sprinter Carl Lewis was asked how he accelerated at the end of the race. He answered something like, "I don't accelerate, I just slow down less." Good analogy for aging.

I've avoided activities (or inactivity) and environmental factors that have negative long term health impacts. Some of that by choice, some purely luck. Most Americans, on the other hand, have not. IOW, yes most people my age seem older than me, because they seem older than they really are.

OldTryGuy

A bit past 2:00AM EDT as I type this and I just got back from riding 13.04 miles on my 40+ pound 7 speed Day6 Semi Recumbent. Changing into my kit that allows a more comfortable ride on my Roubaix Expert. I will head out on in a few minutes to ride a segment that should be 20+ miles. Had about 1.5 hours of a Cat Nap and feeling pretty awake. Just used to not a lot of sleep at 73 years.

p.s. - so I rode 27 more miles and feel old as dirt but maybe *others not as fit* might be dead.

AJW2W11E

Ouch. My teenage daughter playfully sat on my chest when I was on the couch watching TV. Maybe she thinks I am 20 years younger?

peterws

She just wants to show you who's boss in your house,now. and you just let her!

PeteHski

Well regular exercise (according to all the legit science I’ve read) does actually slow our biological ageing process and all its associated diseases.

So on that basis I do feel “younger” than the masses of people in my age group (55) who don’t appear to take advantage of this simple fact.

Joe F

At 66, most of my same age peers are inactive, overweight including abundant visceral fat, pre-diabetic, have high BP, high cholesterol etc etc... and take a variety of meds like statins, BP meds etc... I mountain bike 12mi 3-4 times a week and heavy lift twice a week. I have the same waist size I did in high school (31"), normal BP, normal A1C, low C-Reactive Protein and am completely med free. I may not be "younger" but as someone posted the quote above, I am slowing down less. Getting older is inevitable. Getting old and decrepit before your time is largely a choice.

Kai Winters

Am I "younger" than others of my age??? WTF ! No I am the same age as every other 68 year old out there.
I am more fit and healthier than most because of my active and healthier life style...I guess I can make that claim against most males of any age judging by what I see every day.

freeranger

Don't know about younger, but I do consider myself luckier than some! Genetics keep me on the slim side. Can eat what and however much I want and wouldn't gain a pound. Manage to stay free of illness (knock on wood!). I do try to eat healthy foods (I said try!), go to the gym 3 times a week, stopped alcohol consumption and smoking decades ago (too much of both). So I figure I'm up there with those my age (72) that have similar routines. So figure I've been lucky and work at it to stay that way. I also know it can change in an instant. Here's to working to keep the lucky streak going!

essiemyra

No, I don't think I am younger than others my age because I am fit. I am fortunate that I am able to ride my bike as I enjoy it so much. I figure people do what they enjoy just as I do.

jadmt

I am almost 65 and feel like I am 35.. I only realize that I am almost 65 when I walk by a mirror or shop window and see my reflection and get a jolt back to reality....I have no aches or pains.

Kabuki12

I am about 4 weeks from 69 , so 68 years old and aging well. I broke my hip from a fall about a month ago . For the first time in my life I feel old. I have been trying to get back but I’m afraid this one set me back. I have not gone this long without a bike ride in many , many years . I normally ride about 40-50 miles a week . I am fit , not muscular , but fit. The age of my body is what it is but I do my best to keep myself in shape . I have always been thin in my adult life and my surgeon believes that my recovery , from the repair he did , will be faster due to my healthy condition , but I am 68 and my bones are strong but old. I do not suffer from inactivity , normally , but this has opened my eyes. Not being able to jump on my bike and go for a nice long ride has affected me not just physically but mentally . I am not used to taking much medication and the pain that I have been in is off the charts , I guess I just ain’t used to it. I have to fight depression since this incident and I get really depressed when I see other people out on the road cycling. It is my thing and has been for over 50 years.

john m flores 

I am trying to stay fit and active and agile in the mind and body. As I've done my whole life, I've gone through periods of inactivity and poor eating, and then I find my dusty bike in the basement, put some air in the tires, and ride off the bad habits.

The worst part is seeing family and friends with sedentary, unhealthy lives become increasingly so year after year and decade after decade. It is by no means a race to the finish - I could be hit by a car tomorrow - but rather the quality of the years that you do have.

Polaris OBark

No, I think I am younger because I cannot count, and we just had summer, i.e.,
https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plu...nger-also.html

AJW2W11E

Not five, maybe ten. Some aren't affected by the seasons and some are.

davester

I'm 69, and after going to my 50th high school reunion last year, I can definitely say that I am way younger than many of the decrepit old folks who were there. At one point I was standing with a small group of like-minded folks who cycled or did other sports still and we were marveling at how our little group looked so much younger than the rest of the crowd. It's not just exercise though...eating healthily and having a good social life are also factors that have been proven to reduce your biological age relative to your chronological age.

John E

There is a certain satisfaction in scoring "Age 36" on a cardio test on a stationary cycle.

Polaris OBark

Some seem to be obsessing on the topic.

John E

I am surprised you don't see more fit and healthy looking senior citizens in the Bay Area. There are a lot of us, at least in my social circles, in north coastal San Diego County.

Father Time always wins, but I am not going down without a fight, and my best weapons are indeed diet, exercise, family and friends, and postponing retirement from an encore career I love.

We can't ignore the genetic influence, and bad stuff does indeed sometimes happen to people who do everything right, but I am going to do everything I can to load the dice.

terrymorse 

Well, my Garmin says my "fitness age" is 20, (calendar says 65). I think Garmin is saying I have the VO2max of a typical 20 year old. But compared to other avid cyclists, my VO2max is meh. Nowhere near where it was 20 years ago.

Do I look 20? LOL no. But when I'm kitted up with a helmet and sunglasses, maybe, at a quick glance. I weigh the same now as I did at 20.

Do I feel younger than my sedentary friends? Unknown, I don't have any sedentary friends.

But science folk suggest that at the cellular level, active people age more slowly than sedentary people:

"A few years ago scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder measured the telomeres of young (age 18 to 32) and old (age 55 to 72) subjects. Each age group was divided into two subgroups—sedentary and endurance-trained—creating four groups in all. When the telomeres of old, sedentary subjects were compared with those of the young, sedentary subjects, the oldsters’ were 16 percent shorter. They really were “old.” The telomeres of the old, endurance-trained subjects, however, were only 7 percent shorter than those of the endurance-trained youngsters. That is to say, old athletes had telomeres that were 13 percent longer than those of their sedentary peers. Telomere length was directly related to activity level. Even though science can’t explain why, exercise slows aging by keeping your telomeres young."

Excerpt From Fast After 50, Joe Friel, 2015

jon c. 

I'm under no illusions that I'm younger than my age, but I don't feel old. Are we not always twentysomething in our minds?

SpedFast

Diddo! I feel much younger than my 74 years until I see my reflection. Still the same size I was when I graduated high school.

RH Clark

You can be metabolically younger than others your same age. There are specific genetic markers that can be measured. It's also possible to "turn back" the clock so to speak 20 years or more by utilizing certain protocols. This is also scientifically measurable. I believe Dr. David Sinclair is the leading researcher at this time. His work is fascinating and worth a look.