How old is old?
So how do you know when you’re really over the hill? Does the government have a figure – can you ask your doctor? Is it official once you start collecting your social security? Really though -- just how old is OLD?
Well, a recent poll by Zogby International asked that very question. They polled 1000 people of different ages and asked them just how old, old really was. Of course answers varied by age – but all an all I was surprised how generous folks were with their opinions.
- Most of the people polled that were less than 30 years of age thought that 61-70 should be considered over the hill.
- But when you talk to folks 65 and over – they didn’t think you should be branded a geezer until you were 71-90 years old.
Makes sense I guess – but I have a different opinion about what over the hill really is.
First off, this survey doesn’t take into account the young at heart. Folk like you and me that take our health very seriously. We’ll probably live to be at least 100 in perfect health.
So in our case I would say old is more like 95 – 99. And even then we’ll still be able to run laps around these so called “youngsters”.
For us -- old age may never come. It’s tough if not impossible to feel like you’re over the hill when you eat right, exercise regularly and enjoy life. It’s like the old carpenters expression… take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you.
I’d like to see some of these 20 something kids they polled turn off their TV’s and get off the internet for 5 minutes and come down to our Jiu-Jitsu academy and find out what old really is.
This brings me to my next point. What about those people that get old before their time? Like so many of today’s younger generation – their health is poor and their fitness levels are terrible.
They’re fat, lazy and out of shape. It’s embarrassing…
It’s easy to say you’re young when your birthday falls after 1980.But get off the phone and run a mile – or lift a few heavy objects. Then tell me what your definition of old is – I bet you’ll get a completely different response.
The truth is you’re only as old as your last workout. That’s why we have to keep pushing for improvement every day – eat only the freshest healthiest foods. And we’ll just keep getting younger and younger all the time.
Ignore the numbers and pay attention to the end result. And we’ll never be over that hill they keep talking about.
Stay Healthy!
Doc Darville
Editors Note: Take a look at these numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau…People age 65 and older currently living in the U.S. as of 2004: 36.3 million (represents 12% of the U.S.) Projected numbers for 2050: 86.7 million (21% of the U.S.)!
Important Note