72 Years Young

[Mark Chisholm]

This is a cool story (if we can not get stuck on the ppe issue). I like seeing people climbing i to these years!

 

[cory]

Tautline/4 D king!!

 

[islandarb]

I hear a lot of my friends telling me what will I do when in my 60s. Ha ha, I laugh and say what I always do climb. Just slower and smarter.

 

[oldoakman]

I've heard we have a 78 year old entered in Legends of the Geezers this year.

 

[27RMT0N]

I sure hope to be that healthy when I'm 72, he's doing something right.

 

[Willber]

@Winchman

 

[oldoakman]

I sure hope to be that healthy when I'm 72, he's doing something right.

The key to that is taking care of yourself now. My mother's side of my family had a lot of heart disease issues. My mom died at 45. I began to get serious about my health at that age and by 54 began seeing a cardiologist. At 58 I came very close to a heart attack, too close. I have 4 stents and can say they saved my life. My cardiologist is amazed that I do the things I do. Daniel on here has a lot if info on natural, holistic treatments that are good. Biggest thing in my opinion is to start early.

 

[islandarb]

Genetics plays a huge role in how we are to care for ourselves. I watched both of my parents die youngish. 66 and 70. They were not my biological parents BTW. But had an old peoples mentality at a youngish age. I certainly do not have that at 57. I look and act way younger that many of my older counterparts. That being said I never stop moving, even after work. I am always doing something physical. That is key. Plus I never eat a lot. I eat to fuel. Not for fun.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Genetics mostly.
I mean you can live healthy and all that stuff, but genetics is the biggest factor.

 

[Treezybreez]

It’s a very well written article. The first climber who inspired me, was in his 70’s. I believe he still helped lower income folks with their trees up into his 80’s!

 

[islandarb]

This was yesterday. This is part of my stay young program. Riding with the 13 year old who washes my old ass off.

 

[RogerM]

my son always says...
"pay the farmer now or pay the pharmacist later'

 

[Matias]

my son always says...
"pay the farmer now or pay the pharmacist later'

As it is with most such arrangements, if you pay later, you pay more.

 

[oldoakman]

Genetics mostly.
I mean you can live healthy and all that stuff, but genetics is the biggest factor.

I don't necessarily agree. I have lived longer than both my parents by 21 and 26 years mainly because I have paid attention to the indicators and sought treatment. Either professional medical or nutritional. I expect to live a whole bunch more.

 

[DSMc]

With the advancement in tools and techniques we have available to us, it is no problem climbing in your 70s.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I don't necessarily agree. I have lived longer than both my parents by 21 and 26 years mainly because I have paid attention to the indicators and sought treatment. Either professional medical or nutritional. I expect to live a whole bunch more.

For living a longer life certainly.
To be able to climb trees to a commercial level as you get older relies a lot on having a bit of luck with the genetic lottery.
Weight, joints (arthritis etc.) plus of course a desire and need to continue!
Some people retain strength and balance much longer into their dotage than others.
We are not all created equal physiologically wise.

 

[Treemuel]

Aging well seems very much correlated to functional mobility, which requires continuing to use our bodies/joints through their full range of motion. If you observe older people in countries where they don’t use chairs and therefore spend a lot of time in deep squats, they generally seem to retain much more mobility than your average North American. I definitely try to make a habit of doing deep squats, knees over toes lunges, forward folds, and rotations everyday. I think our culture has been seriously misled by the notion that those movements are “bad for your knees/back/etc. On the contrary, the more we use your joints through their full range of motion, the healthier they (and thus we) are.

 

[DSMc]

For living a longer life certainly.
To be able to climb trees to a commercial level as you get older relies a lot on having a bit of luck with the genetic lottery.
Weight, joints (arthritis etc.) plus of course a desire and need to continue!
Some people retain strength and balance much longer into their dotage than others.
We are not all created equal physiologically wise.

While I do agree with you, Mick, the belief that luck and genetics are the major controlling factors in functionality and longevity allows people to just shrug their shoulders to what they consider to be inevitable. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The vast majority of health issues today are self inflicted, through diet and lifestyle choices.

 

[ghostice]

About diet etc., I'll never forget - years ago we had spent about 5 weeks in western France and south of Spain, mainly in rural areas and small towns, both interior and along the much travelled Mediterranean coast. The meals were unbelievable - farm fresh and fresh seafood everywhere. Then our band of travellers were flying home out of Madrid (MAD) - in the afternoon we dropped some off for their flights home and others, us included, then dropped off car rentals and took a hotel overnight nearby MAD. To kill time, we ambled that night in a shopping center which also had large western style grocery stores full of packaged food we all hadn't seen for a month or more. Suddenly several of us noticed something and turned to each other with questioning looks. Everyone was blown away - it was how obese the cohort of shoppers/ mall goers were, including the kids. Everyone, all around us! It was like a slap in the face for everyone. So much for sugar coated Coco Googie-ohs for breakfast every morning! Everywhere else we'd been in our travels, people looked fit, both young and old. Guess we are what we eat after all! What a wake up call!

 

[RogerM]

I love coco Gooie-ohs!!!!!! thanks for the chuckle, on a serious topic