AlphaSoiDog

I agree with you totally but as much as I gilded the lily I stand by what I say. I am not talking about being fit for your age. I am talking about your average OAP pensioner in Thailand (and there seem to be a lot of them) that swear up and down they are fitter in there 60's, 70's, and 80's than they were in their teens early 20's. Mate I have only just hit my forties played competitive sport all my life and I can already feel myself slowing down. To say I could train, run, lift, fight or <deleted> like I could in my 20's would be total crap. I will endeavour to keep myself as fit as possible as long as possible but comparing 20 year old me to 40 year old me... Well let's just say 20 year old me would have wiped the deck with the older version. As me old nan said "to thine own self be true". Even with the examples you have provided which might encompass the smallest cross section of society, it's just not feasible that an elderly person has the same athletic potential / ability as someone 4 or 5 decades their junior. I am sure you are not the only one I have offended but the truth does hurt. If you have lived in Thailand long enough you will know how many people start to believe they are killing it here. Much in the same way as there appears to be so many ex millionaires, successful business and special forces black ops personnel roaming about.

No offence taken, and given the appearance of many Thai bar dwellers I've seen I'd agree with you.

I too will never be as fast or flexible as I was. My eyes will never again see as much as they could. But extending it to include "not feasible that an elderly person has the same athletic potential.." was not my argument in any way. I am now far faster on a bicycle than I was in my teens, but am I faster than I could "potentially" have been? Well, if I'd had excellent training and more knowledge in my teens then I'd say no, but I didn't.

Nitpicking aside my point was that with some work we can be as good as the average somewhat younger person. And we can slow the decline with age. At 52 yrs old working in a corp. with more than 250 staff I would have been stronger, faster and fitter than nearly all of the roughly 40 yr olds (with some notable exceptions). And that was in Australia.

That's not really saying much about my fitness though because it looks like Australians are winning in the obese game.

So I agree with your point (with the exception of "potential/ability" being applied too broadly) and still stick to my point. And yes, I'm starting to see that there are "a few" expats who are up themselves...

Per the latest medical findings, I intend to double my lifespan by acquiring and consuming rare vintage red wines and gourmet-brand Belgian chocolate.

As long as you do it actively.

Mmmmm.... Belgian chocolate.. And a little red to cleanse the palate... For that I could take up drinking

I'd like to choose an age to die, hopefully in 30-40 years you will be allowed to purchase a euthanasia kit and away you go, or even better go into Boots you lie down they inject you and take you from there.

I have no interest being in a home dribbling away.

I agree in principal but not with your proposed method of choosing years.

It's true that the chance of being nondisabled before death by old age is low for sedentary people (26% for the American men mentioned in the previously linked study). But doubling that chance just by being active? Excellent, now it's above 50%. Now take into account diet, it's not at all hard to have a much better diet in Thailand than the average American (and don't stress about "low fat", another BS american idea that is finally getting seen for what it is).

Add to that having a relaxed lifestyle, not spending half your life in traffic and the many other possible life enhancing advantages of Thailand and the chance of being in pretty good condition until you die is actually fairly good. Well, if you avoid getting run over and keep away from dark lanes when too drunk to think...

I love these threads. You got old blokes asking older blokes what they will do when they get "old" lol. Must be the only country on earth where remarkably all the old folk still have all their teeth and hair and look far younger than their actual age. Contrary to all we know about science, genetics and aging somehow manage to be fitter, faster, more athletic and have more sexual stamina than guys 5 or more decades their junior. Amazing Thailand eh! Sheesh talk about believing your own publicity. Cough cough I'm calling BS on that one

You are of course welcome to believe whatever you want.

Though my post about the remarkably fit and fast 75yr old cyclist was about a guy in Australia. And yes, he is definitely faster than many cyclists 5 or more decades his junior doing the same rides.

When I was a kid I had trouble keeping up with my mother when she walked around the shops. When she was 82, I was a full foot taller and a bit proud of how fast I can walk, and I still struggled to keep up.

Are you calling BS on those as well?

To a degree you are of course correct, it's an inbuilt human failing that we see and portray ourselves and actions in the best possible light. We even unconsciously change our memories in this regard, so there is a certain amount of BS in everything we say. However, it doesn't mean that we can't be healthy and having a good life in our later years. And those who are motivated often do.

Your statement of "Contrary to all we know about science, genetics and ageing" is a fallacious argument. While fallacious, the thrust of your argument is still correct for those that sit around all day swilling beer etc. However, for those that stay active what we know about ageing shows a large flaw in your argument.

It is well known to science that "if" we stay physically active we can make large differences to our apparent age, including everything from skin elasticity to cognition.

Here is one about getting to die of old age without having a disability first. The short form is that being physically active doubles our chance of avoiding disability. Lots more along these lines on Google scholar....

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/149/7/654.short

Fact. Most people die within 3 years of retiring, no matter at what age you retire.

I'm sorry, but calling something a fact does not make it so.

Retirement age in Oz. was 65, average lifespan was 76+ a couple of years ago (forgotten the exact figure and can't be bothered looking it up).

It is true according to one study I saw recently that people who have not cultivated a social group outside of work by the time they retire, or soon afterwards, have a far higher chance of dying soon. It's not the work that keeps you alive, it's having social contact, though I'm confident that "doing something useful and/or enjoyable" is also a life enhancing occupation.

Bit off topic (sorry OP) but related to discussion:

When I was still cycling in Oz one of the weekly rides had a guy I could never beat home. It was a 60km ride and he would just keep a steady pace, regardless of what the pelaton was doing. This meant that he was often putting in a lot more effort as he was behind and out of the draft. Yet he would always be near the front for the race over the last 6kms, then would generally be in the first group at the coffee shop. The age range for these rides was roughly 18 to 75 with 20 to 40 riders.

Great guy, smart, sharp, sensible, funny, strong and 75 yrs old. By the time I'm 75 I'm aiming to be as strong, fast and comfortable with life as he is now.