60 is the New 30 or 40 or 50 or Something – IOTW Report

60 is the New 30 or 40 or 50 or Something

Wednesday, 1 February 2023, 14:00 Dr. Tar Uncategorized 61

Turning 60 today I thought I’d do a quick check on just what this age is most like in comparison to my past according to the “experts.”

Let’s start with 30. This piece says my metabolism is going to start to decline by less than a percent a year now, which is probably not enough to blame for putting on a few pounds but enough to make it harder to take it off. Slowdown

How about 40? According to the Guardian, 60-year-olds feel like 40-year-olds because they’re more active and fitter than their ancestors, but at -10 degrees outside this morning and a week-and-a-half of back spasms, I think I’ll be relatively inactive for the foreseeable future. Activate

Maybe 50 is a more reasonable number for me re-experience today. According to some people in Austria, 60 is middle-aged, so that’s good news. They make the association of longer life expectancy with adults being healthier for longer in their lifespan. See

Which all seems great until one remembers that life expectancy in this nation has been falling, Ouch! True

Any insight from those who have reached this coveted milestone to a new member of the wisdom and too-tough-to-take-out club on what I (and those yet to reach this point) can look forward to in the coming decades.

61 Comments on 60 is the New 30 or 40 or 50 or Something

  1. I’ll be 62 this year. It used to be by this age I would have an old lady hairdo and be wearing stretchy pants and old lady tops.
    My friend and I were wondering a while ago at what age do you wake up and say, “I think I’ll go get an old lady hairdo today and go shop for old lady clothes”? Or when do you decide you’re going to stick to bridge games and bingo?
    We golf, kayak, swim, ice skate, ski, and used to hunt but now everything within an hour has houses on it.

    22

  2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! 🎈🧁

    I’m not 60 yet but last year my body told me I was 75.
    So I’m gonna try run around outside more often and try to work it down to 58. Wish me luck! haha

    Thanks, MJA. Turning 60 only last for a day then it’s shuffleboard (or pickleball) and early bird dinners and bed by 7:00 or so I’ve been led to believe. – Dr. Tar

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  5. I beat you by a few weeks.
    My brain thinks I’m 35 but my body sometimes confirms 60, especially after I get a nerve pinch in my back.

    I’ve had the cortisone shot in the back in the past. Seeing the doctor next week. If this doesn’t loosen up by then I may have to take the injection again. – Dr. Tar

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  7. I’m not there yet, but the kids did keep the fire extinguisher pretty close to the cake at my birthday party.
    Happy Birthday Dr. Tar

    I’m the youngest in the family. So far, I haven’t lost any siblings and only my Pharmacist sister was dumb enough to get the vaxx and boost. She’s had her thyroid removed and lump taken out of breast since. We’re all hoping that’s the extent of the butcher’s bill. – Dr. Tar

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  8. I will be 70 in a little over a month and I don’t feel act like I’m turning 70. My body may be almost 70 but I still have a youthful spirit and positive attitude about life. My grandparents were old and worn out in their early 70’s when they died in the mid 60’s but they also were hard working and had raised 5 kids during the Great Depression on a small farm in N. Idaho just N. of Coeur d’ Alene. Their generation had it a lot tougher than my generation of baby boomers.

    I think it was Indiana Jones that said, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage” and that was over 40 years ago. – Dr. Tar

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  9. I didn’t realize I started slowing down until after 70.

    My body reminds me every day that my youth is behind me despite the fact that I still wear blue jeans and comb my hair the same.

    I’m fortunate enough to still have ALL my hair.

    I started losing mine in my 20’s, but it grows back in my nose, ears and eye browse now, so I’ve got that going for me anyway. – Dr. Tar

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  10. I had my first heart attack when I was sixty, they threw in four stents and sent me home with a bunch of pills. I threw away the pills and haven’t been back since, that was seven years ago. I’d like to say I changed my lifestyle but I haven’t. Apparently my job on earth isn’t done.

    We’ve all got to hang in there to vote for Trump next year before the democrats vote for us from the grave. – Dr. Tar

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  11. 60 is definitely NOT middle-aged, but it is a great time to be alive. Slowed metabolism, little aches and pains here and there, diminished stamina and you certainly can’t eat as you did in your 20s, but with a little discipline, and the knowledge that you can’t treat your body like an amusement park, your quality of life can still be robust.

    Yes, a more judicious approach to exercise and diet is necessary but I’m still doing the things I’ve always done.

    And they don’t tell you all the benefits of getting old(er); money is not an issue, more time to do the things you enjoy, you care a lot less (if at all) about what other people think of you, you are comfortable in your own skin, and there is zero effort or worry wrt attracting the opposite sex, that part is already locked in.

    Yeah, I’m not sure whether the “60 is the new…” is meant to encourage a person to stay active or guilty them into getting up off the couch. I see Bill Shatner reconciled with his younger bride recently. He’s over 90 and she’s 64 so where there’s a will… – Dr. Tar

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  12. happy birthday Dr. Tar, hope your day is fantastic with lots of everything you want
    when you turn 62 you can get a lifetime pass national park pass for $80 (i got one last year)

    Having 3 cheese manicotti tonight with the family, chocolate cake and I’ve got bottles of a New Glarus sample pack chilling in the refrigerator. There’s worse ways to spend a birthday I figure. – Dr. Tar

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  13. Hair, what’s hair, I’ve been bald on top since I was in my 40’s with a full neatly trimmed beard and mustache that I haven’t shaved since 1976. I’m starting to look like Santa Claus now. For I am a jolly good white bearded old fella. I’m like the old joke, What do you call a bunch of rabbits going over the hill? A receding hareline.

    I actually came to accept that I never cared enough about hair or looks to keep them since I was never going to make it on neither one anyway. Can’t say I really miss having a towering brush heap on the top of my head, much more convenient to take the hair clipper and keep it about a 1/8 in length now. Keep it close cut enough and you can’t even tell there’s any grey there. – Dr. Tar

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  14. HBD Dr T!
    I’m 66 now- started feeling my age maybe 5 years ago. Aches and pains are becoming more noticeable these days.
    I watch my diet, exercise daily, monitor my BP and blood sugar.

    I’m probably going to have to up my dose of Amlodipine next week given what the home blood pressure monitors been reading lately. I blame the back spasms, but I probably should hedge my bets now. – Dr. Tar

    6

  15. I’m walking more steps at my age than I did when I was 40. I’m 50 lbs lighter, gave up drinking wine, and I feel better now than I did when I was 40. I beat cancer in my 20’s I’m in my 70’s. Had a head injury that almost put me down, had to learn to walk again. I see many my age and they’re either on a cane or a motorized scooter. Ain’t gonna be me. I’m curious as to the life span of someone whose been jabbed.

    Walking is my choice of exercise as well. Bought a pair of Kuru’s last year for the plantar fasciitis and have a sort of a butterfly warp to further support the foot also bought my first MP2 player recently. This spring I’m putting on the miles. – Dr. Tar

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  17. I’m 76. Up until two years ago I worked one or two nights every weekend in a Country/Rock band. When the plandemic came along I lost my gig for a while and decided I didn’t really miss it anymore… after a lifetime of playing music. I love(ed) playing music but hated having to deal with musicians. I feel like I could pick up the sticks and start playing next weekend if I wanted. Age is how old you think you are/aren’t. I play a vintage oyster black pearl Ludwig kit… just like Ringo played on The Ed Sullivan show in ’64. I wouldn’t part with them for the world. You get a glimpse of them in my avatar.

    Wish I had talent – Dr. Tar

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  19. Yo, Tar, you’ll understand when you’re 70, in Wisconsin, in the winter, and it’s -25.

    It’s been snowing like I remember back in the 60s this year. Now it’s cold like the 70s. Hoping for global warming to kick in by spring. – Dr. Tar

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  20. Supplement for you old geezers. I guess I’m one too. Pine Pollen. I take a few, but if I could take only one I would take Pine Pollen. Do your research.

    We literally drown in the stuff in late June. Yellow crap coats everything and then turns black. I’d die if I had a allergy to it. – Dr. Tar

    5

  21. Happy Happy Birthday and very man more.

    In the veterinary clinic parking I used to park at the farthest spot to save the close spots for the old people. One day if dawned on me ‘damn I am the old person.’ Shops automatically give me the senior discount and no longer ask. 68 last month. Retired at 54. Just a blink of an eye.

    Now you’re talking. I could use a parking place close to the entrance about now. – Dr. Tar

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  22. Brad, do you take that in tablets, powder or drops?

    Supplements are related here so let’s talk about that.

    Stuff I take every day; multivitamin, ashwagandha, zinc, fish oil supplement, and ginger extract.

    Any other suggestions?

    3

  24. I turn 68 this month. I was doing well until I broke my femur back in ’09. Now I think I’m grinding down my hip because the docs couldn’t get the bone set straight. Plus all the metal in there plays havoc in the winter. As my old mom used to say, “getting old ain’t for sissies.”

    Those types of injuries seem to have a cascading effect. My step-sister’s husband had a leg that hadn’t been set right, it wore his knee out and the knee replacement lost him a lot of motion. – Dr. Tar

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  25. Happy Birthday!

    If they tell you it’s the new 30, toss a couple of 80# bags of concrete on you shoulder and carry em across a parking lot.
    I can hardly get a 40# bag of salt upstairs to the … uhh … y’know … the thing!

    mortem tyrannis
    izlamo delenda est …

    I struggle now to get the 50 lbs. bag of birdseed in the basement. Going to have to put those birds on a diet. – Dr. Tar

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  26. Rich Taylor

    I take it in powder form. They recommend two teaspoons in the morning and at night. If I take it to close to bed time it prevents me from sleeping. So I take the second dose right before I eat dinner.
    I like DHEA and Tribulus a lot. Again, do your research. I always like to start anything new in small doses and sneak up on it just to make sure.
    Pine Pollen gives me a noticeable difference in my energy level. I’m 65 and still doing hour long body part work outs. Legs, Chest, Back, Shoulder and Arms. Not in that order.

    3

  27. Find an physical activity you like and do it often. And lift weights a couple times a week. The stronger you are, the easier old age is. Life has gotten better for me since I started doing this. It’s called ” Don’t let the old man in”, referring to preventing becoming frail. And, Happy Birthday!

    Thanks, r/r. I’m thinking of getting a wet suit this year and take up swimming again. The water here doesn’t really warm up until August it seems now. – Dr. Tar

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  28. @Doctor dê Manthe
    yes, I had to show my DL to prove I was 62 to get the lifetime natl park pass
    after that, no one asked for ID when entering yellowstone (150th ann), teton, rocky mountain, arches, & canyonlands

    1

  29. Here’s a story about folks at the end of the baby boomer generation getting older. We used to go to an Asian buffet at lunch, and you could get a senior discount at 55. A month before my 55th birthday, they raised the age to 60 for the senior discount. A month or so before my 60th birthday, they raised the senior discount age again to 62 – and so on. I don’t blame them – there’s a lot of baby boomers.

    60 is not the new 50 – I was still working out fairly well at 50 but can’t do the same things now. Things ache a little more. My wife makes me go to the doctor for regular checkups. I can still drink until late at night, but it takes me two days to recover so I don’t do that anymore. I have to watch what I eat more.

    Mostly though, 60 (or older in my case) is a state of mind. I still go to the gym and can work in with the “normal” weight lifters (the power guys have always been out of my league). I don’t run anymore, but do walk a lot. When my wife needs something around the house that she can’t do, she calls me and not my sons. And I still get carded once in a while – but only because some stadiums tell their vendors to card everybody. I can still act like a daft old geezer when that’s to my advantage.

    As P.J. O’Rourke observed, age and guile beat youth, innocense and a bad haircut.

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  30. I was 62 in Oct. Chronic pain and missing Jim makes the days drag. Let me tell you, nothing makes you feel older than when your grand kids start having kids. 3 and one on the way.

    9

  33. Late 50’s here.

    All I know is that I am NOT ready to shop at Chico’s! I had to get a Xmas party outfit and wasn’t sure where to go-because fancy ain’t my thing. Well, Chico’s has “no think” outfit combos for “my age” group. I’ll try there…

    I ran screaming from that store. Maybe in another 10 years but certainly not now! Oof!

    (Happy Birthday!🎂)

    Glad there’s not an Old Man store. I gave up on every finding anything that fits in “Old Navy” long ago. Looking forward to pursuing the aisle at the Farm & Fleet later this month. – Dr. Tar

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  35. KEEP GOING! Ignore the acts and pains! Your body wants to deteriorate; but you can fight it. You can retard the decline; if, you bear the pain. When I ws 70 I could do 35 Jared push ups; down from 44 at 60 but not a big drop. Swin 2 miles in 2 hrs; down from 2.5 at 60. I exercise 6 days a week. Hurt every day; but my body did not go to Hell. Weaker, slower at 70 YES. but still above ground.

    EG While at the ol 14 year ago met a new guard. Introduced my self; his name was – Rapheal. Asked him if he knew – Raphael “He’s me granDad.” told him I surfed with GranDad at TinCan Beach 60 years ago. He said Grandad told tall tales about 7! 152# surfboards. I said not tales; FACT. There were no fat surfers when Ike was President
    Was incapacitated for 2 years while getting new knees. Saw – at pool and asked about grandad “He passed last year”

    I do not go to reunions because 75% of the boys are gone. zi firmly believe I am here because of exercise; hard, painful, sweaty exercise.

    If you want to be able to do things in 10 or better 20 years SWEAT!

    I also think it keeps the brain sharp. Some may say Im a poor example; but not I.

    life is not fair. I have not run in a century. As a result , so I say, I am 90 #’s more than when I got my first Sheepskins. Will never run agin! But am stubborn will not give up! WalkAngus twice a day – 3 to 4 miles total! No problem.

    I expect to reach 100.

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  37. I retired at 45. I’m 60 now. It has been good so far. Beat lung cancer, but I have slowed down a bit. All nighters are long past and moderation are my best advice to anyone. As Clint said a man must know his limits.

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  38. HBTY! I’m not far ahead of you but, it shocks me to think so because 60’s used to seem so old. Until I got here.

    My only physical complaint was severe joint pain that came on suddenly in my 40’s. Cured it with daily and continued OTC glucosamine + chondroitin tablet that actually rebuilds cartilage. No pain killers or other meds since. Sensible diet with periodic splurges is the best long term self care.

    Best thing about aging is caring less about other people’s expectations and judgments. As a wise old friend of my mother’s used to say, “The older we get, the more like ourselves we become.” Actually, she probably still says it, as she and Mom both turned 90 last year and are still getting around just fine, with plenty of attitude to go around…

    Yeah, I really don’t think much about my age and sometimes have to remind myself how old I am now. Funny, how growing up the difference a year or two makes, not so much anymore. – Dr. Tar

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  39. Turned 60 in April. I agree with much of what has been written here: Keep exercising, especially weight bearing activities and things that get your joints moving. I have a nice little set up of dumbbells and kettlebells. Wifey has a nice treadmill and we mountain bike most of the spring and summer. Not as fast (certainly up hill) but still having a great time. Keep yourself strong and many of the aches and pains will be kept at bay. Oh, and I quit drinking too. Best decision I’ve ever made even though I did it begrudgingly.

    4

  41. Happy HAPPY Birthday, Dr. Tar!

    I’m gonna be 62 next month. Other than a few aches and pains in my knees from time to time (depending on the weather), feel pretty much like I did in my 40’s, I guess. And, when I talk to my pals from high school and college, the years REALLY fall away! I think the key is to keep moving. Both my parents lived into their 90’s and they stayed as active as they could for as long as they could.

    Thanks, Aunt Liz. Glad to see things don’t get complicated after 60. – Dr. Tar

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  42. @Dr Tar
    I have a bunch of stretches and “positions” that a dr gave me. If I feel a back twinge I do them for a few days and take advil. That helps a lot.
    I also bought one of those “teeter” inversion table devices.

    But do you use the inversion table? I bought a heavy duty model and hate it, all the blood rushing to my head. I never used it long enough to see if works and it took up too much room. I still have it, but it’s broken down in storage for a future emergency, I guess. – Dr. Tar

    1

  46. @MissinMi
    Yes, I went in there too after the scare at Chico’s. They are owned by the same company I found out later. I couldn’t get help-same thing happens to me at Nordstrom. 🤷‍♀️ I ended up at Talbot’s!

    3

  47. Happy Birthday. I truly enjoy your posts. You are Blessed.

    Never thought I’d make it past 20 to 21. I did, that was 51 years ago.
    I won’t go through my infirmities, I’m still here. Thank God and a caring, loving wife.

    I Retired Dec. 2002. Haven’t had a suit on since I retired, no haircut or shave in 4 years, (on my 4th 5 year cycle}, I’ll shave and get a haircut next year.

    The best part of growing old is anonymity (all my enemies are gone but a few friends remain) and invisibility (with long gray beard and hair people don’t make eye contact, let alone interact.) I’m not social, too old to make new old friends, anyway.

    When I visit my younger brother at the Nursing Home (he took the Jab and had 3 blood clots go to his brain), I have made friends with some really nice folks (Residents) (some paralyzed, can’t talk, walk or get up and of course folks with dementia). It’s a blessing to me, they are always happy to see me.
    I do feel over the years I have made friends at IOTWR, an extended family.
    Happy to share the family dinner table with you on your Birthday alongside everyone at IOTWR.

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  48. Happy Birthday, Whippersnapper!

    reached a plateau @ 70, where I noticed the loss of muscle mass. entropy’s a bitch. getting back to stretching exercises & weights … lighter weights.

    like jarhead said, & it’s always been a maxim of mine, ‘gotta work through the pain’

    another maxim, ‘what don’t kill you doesn’t make you stronger … but it sure debilitates you quicker’ …. fighting through it is the key

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  51. Happy B-day!

    All I can say is that I used to fear 60 and now I wish I was that young again.

    Understand and embrace that you’ll never be as young as you are now!

    It’s still all a gift !

    5

  52. Four years ago I could throw 40 pound bags of coal through the back window of my pickup truck. I mean… standing on the ground behind the truck with the tailgate down.

    Now I pick up a bag and all the bones in my hand pop and separate and I fart loudly and fall on my face. I can’t see anything, either.

    4

  53. Loco
    The water retention aspect is not good for 60 plus. It drives blood pressure way up. Creatine is also very hard on the Kidneys. Personally I’d avoid it. Took a shit load when I was younger. It serves it’s purpose for youngsters.

    2

  55. Brad, just like many things, moderation is the key.
    The key thing to know is that creatine is also naturally occurring, unlike some other supplements.

    I know any time I lost weight prior to Creatine I would lose muscle mass.
    Now I get far more ripped and lean without muscle loss.
    I think it helps retain muscle while displacing fat.

    2

  56. I have glasses for all kinds of shit. Close up. Closer up. Far away. Far, far, away.

    All that happened about 5 years ago. I was doing the transmission under that same truck and realized I couldn’t see a fucking thing.

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  57. Loco, I’m not fucking arguing with you tonight but your passing out bull shit information again. Doctors prescribe anti inflammatories for pain. Dietetics. They make you shed water. If your over 60 you better ask your doc about Creatine before taking it so he can laugh in your face. It certainly does make you retain a shit load of water and if you have a heart condition it may kill you. I’m done on the subject

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  58. Brad, I wasn’t looking for a fight but now I must say you are indeed dumb as a donkey’s cock.
    Creatine OCCURS NATURURALLY IN THE HUMAN BODY you dipshit!

    It is AMAZING to me that you say I am full of it when YOU CAN’T EVEN GET THE TERM “Diuretic” RIGHT.

    Don’t even come at me man.
    You are not even remotely knowledgeable.
    I was actually trying to have civil discourse.
    Evidently that is not possible with some thickheaded tools.
    SMDH!

    1

  59. “ Creatine OCCURS NATURURALLY IN THE HUMAN BODY you dipshit!”

    So does cancer.

    Do you know when Creatine levels spike? No? Right after a heart attack. Easy to verify.
    You are a fool

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