>but many simply chose to not do anything to avoid the aging

Thank you for saying this. A depressingly large proportion of people are seemingly resigned to the fact that once you hit 40-50, you'll inevitably turn into an achy tub of lard and it's rapidly and irreversibly downhill from there.

Barring injuries that are truly irreversible (e.g. severe damage to joints/cartilage), with the correct diet and fitness regime, it's entirely possible to remain lean (≤20% bodyfat) and muscular (≥80th percentile in strength standards [0]) well into what most consider "old age." So many people have no idea just how poorly they eat or how inactive and physically weak they are, and consider the result to just be a normal part of life.

>I also write code daily, read the same things I read when I worked, thus keep my brain going too. You can't ignore body or mind, you have to keep both in tune.

Thanks for saying this too. So much cognitive decline is due to inactivity of the mind. My mom was whip smart until she retired in her mid-60s to a life of idle leisure, and her mental faculties noticeably deteriorated within a few months. Thankfully, she noticed this and deliberately re-engaged with more intense intellectual pursuits (including consulting part-time in the professional field that she loved), and the improvement was night-and-day.

[0] https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards

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stavros 5 days ago | parent [-]

I've noticed that the difference between 30 and 40 isn't the level of performance I have, but how quickly performance drops when I stop exercising. In my 30s, I could just not go to the gym for months, and I'd be fine. Now, if I don't go for a few weeks, stuff starts aching.

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MontyCarloHall 5 days ago | parent [-]

This is very true, which is why consistency is so key. I think the reason so many people perceive their health falling off in their 40s is that this is when the cumulative weight of increasing life responsibilities (kids, career advancement, caring for elder relatives, etc.) really hits hard, making it more and more difficult to find time/energy for regular exercise.

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vitro 4 days ago | parent [-]

True. But you can also be smart about it, and it doesn't have to be something that takes your whole afternoon. 15 minutes of home exercise instead of media scrolling, and at the end of the week, it is 1:45, at the end of the month 7:45 that you've done something. Or just a simple door frame exercise bar where you do a pushup or two now and then. These small things add up. Or to go with friends to play football or my friend started to run, they made a Sunday morning running group. To end with what you've begun, regularity is the key.

	▲	QuercusMax 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		I've managed to build a significant amount of muscle mass just from doing stretchy-band PT exercises to deal with shoulder pain. 10-15 minutes nearly every day makes a big difference. I've also started developing some serious leg muscles just from walking up and down stairs in my 2-story house (+basement) and around my mildly hilly neighborhood. I drive as little as possible; I went on a 1200 mile road trip last weekend and I'm still paying for so much sitting.