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I'm probably in the minority here but I often think about preventative care like exercise and eating healthy now as insurance against a future where I'd be stuc

I'm probably in the minority here but I often think about preventative care like exercise and eating healthy now as insurance against a future where I'd be stuck in a nursing home in my final years.

polishdude20 6y ago
Not in the minority at all. Problem is that it's hard to get your rear in gear for something so far away in many people's lives.
- nradov 6y ago
  Fortunately there are many short-term benefits as well.
crispyambulance 6y ago
> exercise and eating healthy now as insurance against a future where I'd be stuck in a nursing home in my final years. We would all like to think that "the end" would come at a ripe old age with a peaceful death in one's sleep. Sadly that's not usually the case. People who live a long time can expect a cascade of long-lasting chronic health problems leading to their death. If you're going to focus on diet and exercise do it for your quality of life NOW and not for the distant, unpredictable future. There's something to be said for dropping dead at around 80 of a massive heart attack.
rhizome 6y ago
Getting really old kinda sucks, healthy people die slowly, dying of old age takes a long time, and I wouldn't be surprised if 99%+ of centenarians are in nursing homes for their nth decade. So...y'know...good luck with your plan.
smabie 6y ago
Smoking and drinking a lot are probably the best ways to avoid nursing homes. Living a long time isn't all it's cracked up to be. Personally, dying at 70 seems about ideal to me. Of course maybe I'll change my mind if/once I reach 70.
- novok 6y ago
  There is a concept of healthspan, and elderly in their 70s who just have weak muscles & less energy with no mental or other physical health conditions or medication requirements.
- phobosanomaly 6y ago
  70 is younger than you think it is. My dad is in his seventies, and just built an addition on the house alone, by hand in his free time while working a full-time job. From pouring the slab, to framing, to roofing, to electrical just because he was bored. I think there's a lot to be said for arriving at your seventies still being the kind of person who goes, 'I'm bored, I need to go and build something with my hands.' There's obviously a lot of luck involved in not having any major health complications, but fortune favors the prepared. Being relentlessly active and curious is a really, really big deal as you age and it's so easy to fall in the trap of retiring, and sitting on the couch with a beer watching Fox news.

I'm probably in the minority here but I often think about preventative care like exercise and eating healthy now as insurance against a future where I'd be stuck in a nursing home in my final years.

polishdude20 6y ago

Not in the minority at all. Problem is that it's hard to get your rear in gear for something so far away in many people's lives.

nradov 6y ago
Fortunately there are many short-term benefits as well.

crispyambulance 6y ago

> exercise and eating healthy now as insurance against a future where I'd be stuck in a nursing home in my final years. We would all like to think that "the end" would come at a ripe old age with a peaceful death in one's sleep. Sadly that's not usually the case. People who live a long time can expect a cascade of long-lasting chronic health problems leading to their death. If you're going to focus on diet and exercise do it for your quality of life NOW and not for the distant, unpredictable future. There's something to be said for dropping dead at around 80 of a massive heart attack.

rhizome 6y ago

Getting really old kinda sucks, healthy people die slowly, dying of old age takes a long time, and I wouldn't be surprised if 99%+ of centenarians are in nursing homes for their nth decade. So...y'know...good luck with your plan.

smabie 6y ago

Smoking and drinking a lot are probably the best ways to avoid nursing homes. Living a long time isn't all it's cracked up to be. Personally, dying at 70 seems about ideal to me. Of course maybe I'll change my mind if/once I reach 70.

novok 6y ago
There is a concept of healthspan, and elderly in their 70s who just have weak muscles & less energy with no mental or other physical health conditions or medication requirements.
phobosanomaly 6y ago
70 is younger than you think it is. My dad is in his seventies, and just built an addition on the house alone, by hand in his free time while working a full-time job. From pouring the slab, to framing, to roofing, to electrical just because he was bored. I think there's a lot to be said for arriving at your seventies still being the kind of person who goes, 'I'm bored, I need to go and build something with my hands.' There's obviously a lot of luck involved in not having any major health complications, but fortune favors the prepared. Being relentlessly active and curious is a really, really big deal as you age and it's so easy to fall in the trap of retiring, and sitting on the couch with a beer watching Fox news.