On Not Being 18

The dumpster mentioned in last week’s blog arrived on schedule on Tuesday. It was full by yesterday afternoon with everything from old doors and windows to broken masonry. Meantime, as part of a program to retire older energy-inefficient appliances, JCP&L hauled away a refrigerator and full size freezer, leftovers from an earlier home.  I had wrestled them out of the basement walkout door, onto the back of my truck, and off again into the garage where the company’s van could back up to them easily. “How do you feel today?” asked a friend on the phone this morning. “Well, I’m not 18 anymore,” I answered. Indeed. Nothing actually hurts (much) but I’m glad there is not a second dumpster to fill today. I’m happy to still be able to do (if somewhat slower, less flexibly, and with more pauses) the things I did at 18 (like lifting refrigerators), but would be happier if I could do them two days in a row without aches as I did then without a thought.
 

Dumpster by the barn

Outside of a black hole (and jumping into one of them would have a downside) clocks continue to tick. So, in a masochistic moment I checked on a few respected medical sites (e.g. Harvard Health Publishing) to see what is in store as 18 recedes ever further in the rear view mirror. The good news is that we always (absent a major medical condition) can improve our muscle strength, endurance, bone density, and so on from whatever it is right now through better diet and exercise. The not so good news is the “whatever it is right now” caveat; it’s not “whatever it was 20 years ago.” The same regimen will not produce the same results at 50 as at 30, or at 70 as at 50. There are people who were flabby couch potatoes at 40 but who muscled up at 60, true enough, but they would have gotten better results at 40 for the same effort.

 
There is nothing very surprising about this in general terms, but some of the numbers might raise an eyebrow. According to a 2013 study (Strength and Muscle Mass Loss with Aging Process. Age and Strength Loss) published by the NIH, “Between 30th to 50th life year the reported changes in muscle mass, power and strength are small. Pronounced changes with aging process occur after 50th life year with more than 15% strength loss per decade.” Once again, one can work to counteract much of that, but the point is that doing so requires extra work when before 50 it didn’t. Also some things can’t be reversed such as a decline in our bodies’ capacity to utilize oxygen effectively, thereby diminishing endurance. A study (Exercise, Ageing and the Lung) published in The European Respiratory Journal says, “Deterioration in function occurs in many of these systems in healthy ageing. Between the ages of 25 and 80 years pulmonary function and aerobic capacity each decline by ∼40%. While the predominant factor limiting exercise in the elderly likely resides within the function of the muscles of ambulation, muscle function is (at least partially) rescued by exercise training. The age-associated decline in pulmonary function, however, is not recovered by training.” Hence those aforementioned pauses I didn’t need at 18. There is a similar tale of irrecoverableness regarding stiffening ligaments (especially spinal ligaments) and flexibility.
 
So, we can’t stop the clock but we can slow it down some. Hippocrates (c. 400 BCE) had it right: "That which is used develops; that which is not wastes away." Or, in modern parlance, “Use it or lose it.” Physical activity increases longevity as well. I’ve never been one to work out at the gym. (All respect to anyone who is, but I’m not.) Fortunately, I’m cheap. That means I do whatever physical labor on my property that needs doing (from mowing the lawn to rebuilding steps to reroofing the barn) that is within my skill set rather than pay someone else to do it. There is always a lot: my home and outbuildings seem to be aging even faster than I am. This keeps me active and sore most days of the week: enough perhaps to satisfy Hippocrates. Perhaps not. I guess we’ll find out when my current refrigerator wears out and needs to be moved.
 
We all live on borrowed time but a successful negotiation (with the lazy side of oneself) might extend the term and reduce the interest. I’m up against a hard bargainer, but I’ll give it a try.

John Lennon - Borrowed Time