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Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

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Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#301

Post by thorin »

inglor_cz wrote: post #289
thorin wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I not sure why you mention 40 somethings being still able to walk in the mountains. That seems pretty normal for my peer group, but I agree that might not be the case for others. My dad was able to do fairly strenuous days in the mountains easily in his 70s and goes hillwalking and fishing in his early 80s still. I don't really have a handle on how normal this is as most of my friends are kind of similar (UK based, b…

From my former university and high school colleagues, about a third are already too obese. 50lb+ over healthy weight. Another third is not yet as far gone, but still lead very sedentary lives, home to car to office to car to home. Only the last third are people who could summit a 5000ft mountain without totally finishing themselves off.

That's pretty sad. Last year I was trying to get in a bit better shape. I was regularly doing over 100 push ups in an evening, some kettle bell workouts, kayaking at least once a week and cycling once or twice a week up to 100 miles in a ride.

I was easily one of the less fit members of my peer group. Almost everyone I know goes running often, some doing ultras (I can't run due to knee problems). One of the least fit of my uni friends now does at least one full ironman(woman) a year.

I find there is a real fitness culture around me, probably due to fear of aging. Along with diet/meditation it's the only positive way to safeguard your future aside from reproducing.

From people I know in Europe or North America I'm also getting the same vibe. I wonder what's so different with the people you're aware of? I'm guessing either too much work or it just doesn't seem like a priority or even worse, they think it's too late!

Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#302

Post by MaKey »

greenyoda wrote: post #138
AstralStorm wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to do both. Don't be that stereotypical Asian parent, pushing and never praising. It works only sometimes, and the kids will curse you for their empty, wasted in third, life.

Just because you don't praise kids for being "smart" doesn't mean you can't praise them for their actual accomplishments.

That's what I was trying to say, praise kids for their actual accomplishments.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#303

Post by Spoom »

goatinaboat wrote: post #225
nujabe wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Programmers have been well paid since at least the dot com bubble, that's a conservative 20 years, wouldn't consider that 'fairly recently' imo. Also I would consider a bare six figure salary well paid.

Programmers have been well paid since at least the dot com bubble, that's a conservative 20 years, wouldn't consider that 'fairly recently' imo. Outside of a few hotspots like Silicon Valley, programming salaries tend to ramp up quickly in the first few years then hit a plateau. Other professionals like lawyers, accountants, doctors start more slowly but their plateaus are much, much higher. This is why 25-year-old p…

I hit the plateau but managed to break into FAANG, which doesn't seem to have the same plateau. In Cleveland, the plateau seemed to hover around $100K - $120K. I think FAANG or certain unicorn startups avoid the ceiling that most companies hit, though of course it's a challenge to get into them.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#305

Post by dave333 »

Be careful with diet and avoid any extreme diets. I went on a low calorie diet for a couple of years and lost weight, but I ate a lot of a generic pudding product that turned out to contain a lot of titanium dioxide that I believe caused me to get sick with the rare yellow nail syndrome and now I have compromised lung function rather like CPOD. Another thing that is much more important than people realize is gut microbiome. Have fun while you can - don't leave it until later.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#306

Post by inglor_cz »

thorin wrote: post #301
inglor_cz wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From my former university and high school colleagues, about a third are already too obese. 50lb+ over healthy weight. Another third is not yet as far gone, but still lead very sedentary lives, home to car to office to car to home. Only the last third are people who could summit a 5000ft mountain without totally finishing themselves off.

That's pretty sad. Last year I was trying to get in a bit better shape. I was regularly doing over 100 push ups in an evening, some kettle bell workouts, kayaking at least once a week and cycling once or twice a week up to 100 miles in a ride. I was easily one of the less fit members of my peer group. Almost everyone I know goes running often, some doing ultras (I can't run due to knee problems). One of the least fit…

I thought about your last comment yesterday, when I was sitting at a table with a dozen other people in the 35-55 age bracket. I did a short count.

Four of us were normal weight, including one very fit guy who is sorta Czech Indiana Jones (archeologist working around the world, very cool job). Four were overweight, but still somewhat active (e.g. at least going around on a bicycle). Five were seriously obese, with massive bellies.

So yeah, the principle of thirds seemed to apply. TBH this has grown worse in the last 30 years. Around 1990, even here in Czechia where a lot of beer is consumed, average adult person was fitter.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#307

Post by wait_a_minute »

car wrote: post #142
jedberg wrote: post #101

No matter how you live your youth, you will probably regret it when you are older. Unless you inherit so much money that you don't have to ever work in your life. If you spend your youth having fun and enjoying your youth, then when you get to middle age you'll have wished you worked harder and saved more so you could be wealthy and comfortable. If you work your butt off in your youth and have lots of money and succe…

Your career won't suffer if you take a week long vacation. Move to Europe, and you can take a month long vaction like everyone else.

There's companies in America where you can take a month-long vacation while getting paid a lot more than you would in Europe. Lots of companies with flexible PTO out there in the states, and many of them even allow remote work now.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like to be old? What advice would you give to younger people?

#310

Post by boldfish »

Things you will regret - not having had enough sex, not spending enough time with friends, not putting money aside for your pension. You will also wish you'd been kinder to your parents. You will wish you'd learned how to be kind to yourself and you'll always regret not taking better care of your body.
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