097: "I'm at the Age Where...(I Can Choose How I Get Older)
As you think about it, your mind is likely drawn to yours or someone else's bias about aging.
Because growing older brings to mind some common stereotypes.
"Frail, weak, slow, clumsy, clueless, confused, forgetful, helpless, unhealthy, unattractive, uncool, and bad at driving."1
Brian Clark shared this list on a recent Substack post and I agree that they apply (for the most part) to people of all ages - not just older adults.
As stereotypes, the list confirms that very few people rise above the the media and marketing aimed at "being young, cool, and attractive," as Clark admits.
Our youth obsession and ageism-fueled biases cause you to see yourself a certain way as you age.
"Ageism is defined as discrimination against older people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes. And it’s so ingrained in our culture that we often don’t even notice."2
Wherever you are in the aging journey it's time to take a contrarian view of getting older
- Add years to your life by educating yourself about the realities of aging
- Improve your physical and mental health by developing positive beliefs about aging
- Rethink retirement by realizing the freedom your current viability gives you
Add years to your life by educating yourself about the realities of aging
Think about these seven somewhat contrarian facts about getting older:
- "After age 50, people tend to become happier and enjoy more life satisfaction than at any other time since childhood. And this happiness increases as you get even older, into your 70s and beyond.
- Older adults generally enjoy better mental health and higher levels of emotional regulation. Research also shows that older people have the wisdom and experience to handle stress better than younger people.
- Only 2.5% of Americans over 65 reside in a nursing home, and three-quarters of people 85+ live their lives without personal assistance.
- Dementia (which includes Alzheimer’s disease) affects only 10% of all people over the age of 70. Two-thirds of people over age 85 are not afflicted at all with any form of dementia.
- As a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, VO2 max starts to decline in our 20s and falls off a cliff after age 50. But proper training can erase 50 years of decline. The VO2 max of athletic 80-year-olds is equal to that of healthy 35-year-olds.
- Muscle loss with age, known as sarcopenia, typically begins around age 30 and accelerates after 50. But strength training can largely counteract this process by increasing the size of existing muscle fibers and improving neuromuscular efficiency, helping maintain overall muscle mass and athletic performance well into later decades.
- Mental deficits that accompany aging are largely optional, because the brain remains plastic throughout the lifespan. Many age-related declines in cognitive control may be reversed through physical and cognitive training."3
Age might not be the issue at all.
Rather, it could be our lack of positive education about aging and being conditioned to believe that it sucks to get old.
Why not educate yourself about age-based realities and start shifting your beliefs about getting older?
Improve your physical and mental health by developing positive beliefs about aging
It's natural to positively or negatively filter turning-a-certain-age through your inherited beliefs about it.
Mindset is key here because what you believe ingrains itself in your psyche and how you approach every birthday.
A fixed mindset further cripples you regarding your ability to make positive changes as you age.
A growth mindset empowers the belief that you are capable of change regardless of your age.
"People who take in more negative age beliefs tend to show worse physical, cognitive, and mental health. But the good news is that those who are exposed to or develop more positive age beliefs tend to show benefits in physical, cognitive, and mental health."4
Middle aged adults are finding an increasing disparity between how many birthdays you've had and how old you feel.5
If you're in Generation X (those born in the 1960s to the late 70s) you can enjoy feeling younger than you are due to better physical and cognitive health, higher well-being, greater stress resilience, and lower mortality hazards.6
Getting older can be incredibly satisfying instead of being a buzz-kill - as long as you change and reshape your beliefs about it.
Rethink retirement by utilizing the freedom your current viability gives you
The "will-I have-enough-to-live-on" thought nags at you the closer you get to retirement and even early into your retirement era.
Wondering if you'll outlive your money reverts back to much of the age-based stereotypes you're exposed to.
Frankly, "there's nothing significantly 'old' about the age of 65. It's just a number chosen by economists back in the 1930s, when the job market focused much more on physical labor than our current knowledge and information economy."7
Today, if you're healthy, you will potentially live longer and have more active years without illness limitations.
Your biological age could be way lower than your chronological age.
There's hope, especially for Gen X'rs:
"The prospect for even greater longevity and vitality is bright, as long as we take care of ourselves now. So, it stands to reason that many of us will see no reason to stop working at 65, 70, or even higher — if we’re still INTO what we’re doing, which is key."8
I'm committed to such an opportunity...how about you?
Wherever you are in the aging journey you have a choice and that's better than following the stereotypes about getting older
- Educate yourself about the realities of aging
- Develop positive beliefs about aging
- Utilize the freedom of your current viability
Press on...
Eddie
Sources:
1-Brian Clark, You Only Get "Old" When You Believe These Myths About Aging," Further: Live Long and Prosper, Sep 09,2025, Substack
2-Ibid
3-https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/03/cover-new-concept-of-aging; https://time.com/6303537/the-myths-of-aging/
4-Brian Clark, You Only Get "Old" When You Believe These Myths About Aging," Further: Live Long and Prosper, Sep 09,2025, Substack
5-https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09567976231164553
6-Brian Clark, You Only Get "Old" When You Believe These Myths About Aging," Further: Live Long and Prosper, Sep 09,2025, Substack
7-Ibid
8-Ibid