How old are you? How old do you FEEL?

[slv hunter]

6'0 145lbs, 21 with 42 years experience. Just turned 63 on 8/31. Still doing construction but can't keep the pace I used too.

 

[Hugnot]

I am real old - 83. I was told by my health provider that (joking) that I would live to 114. Good genes, 2 oz bourbon per day, daily exercise (house, yard, work, building projects - all save $ to allow more buying of scopes, rifle barrels, powder, primers, bullets and to treat wifey to restaurant meals and wear thingies from Talbots. When I was younger my athletic prowess was eclipsed by my pals. My 4:50 mile was destroyed by their 4;35 minute miles. My boot camp obstacle course performance resulted in their waiting for me to finish. On the firing line their targets dropped while mine stood untouched. The ones that escaped the military received doctorate, MD or law degrees. I finished as a fit gofer and FEEL real good considering my deficiencies.

 

[Greyfox]

Well, about three years since my last post on the thread. Now going on 72, still feel pretty good. Being retired, there is a lot more time to shoot, hunt, fish, and enjoy all those things you never had too much time for. There are some benefits too. Got a "lifetime" membership at my shooting range, and I pay half price when I take all the grandkids to the movies. It's an interesting time…..My daughters treat me like I'm an old man, but my wife keeps telling me to "grow up!
You only live once….Make the most of it!

 

[VLD Pilot]

6'0 145lbs, 21 with 42 years experience. Just turned 63 on 8/31. Still doing construction but can't keep the pace I used too.

Depending on the job description, construction work isn't made for 63 year olds. Helping my step son(contractor) build pole barns frequently. I'm still strong and in good health and get called to lift and set posts in the holes. After a day of that, I'm pretty shot. Good work out but its not worth the pay if an injury occurs while on the job. Same with shingling a roof in your 60s. Much more suitable work that can be done but ultimately, construction work is a young man's job. My step son is in his 40s and he's staring to feel it. He realizes he can't keep this pace for much longer. Take care of your body and especially at 63, it's not replaceable.

 

[brian11]

Interesting story of older generation vs (much) younger generation. I was moving some dirt around here and had hired a 16-18 year old kid to help with the labor. Where are all the illegal aliens when you need them, but that's another story - pretty much non-existent in northern NH. Anyway, I hired this kid to help with labor. I was using the tractor bucket loader to load dirt into the 6x4 Gator bed to dump it and spread it. The tractor decided to quit running, so I grabbed a couple shovels & told the kid we'd fill the Gator bed by hand. He isn't really keeping up with the shoveling, but he is shoveling. When the bed is about 3/4 full, he starts telling me about how TIRED he is. Really? You're getting your butt kicked by someone old enough to be your grandfather? Numerous other cases like this - I am always amazed at how weak and ready to quit at the slightest tiredness today's young people are. Most aren't even willing to do any work, the few who will are worn out amazingly quickly.
In the winter, I regularly go to the town sand sheds and shovel in 3/4 of a S-10 pickup bed full of sand, then go home and shovel it out onto the icy driveway. Not a big deal at all.
OTOH, I remember my first job out of high school - with a construction company that still used lots of manual labor instead of machines. I remember coming home from my first day at it and just collapsing, utterly exhausted, on my parents' lawn as soon as I got home.
I think toughness is something acquired. You learn you can do a lot more than you thought you could.

 

[PlumberEd]

Interesting story of older generation vs (much) younger generation. I was moving some dirt around here and had hired a 16-18 year old kid to help with the labor. Where are all the illegal aliens when you need them, but that's another story - pretty much non-existent in northern NH. Anyway, I hired this kid to help with labor. I was using the tractor bucket loader to load dirt into the 6x4 Gator bed to dump it and spread it. The tractor decided to quit running, so I grabbed a couple shovels & told the kid we'd fill the Gator bed by hand. He isn't really keeping up with the shoveling, but he is shoveling. When the bed is about 3/4 full, he starts telling me about how TIRED he is. Really? You're getting your butt kicked by someone old enough to be your grandfather? Numerous other cases like this - I am always amazed at how weak and ready to quit at the slightest tiredness today's young people are. Most aren't even willing to do any work, the few who will are worn out amazingly quickly.
In the winter, I regularly go to the town sand sheds and shovel in 3/4 of a S-10 pickup bed full of sand, then go home and shovel it out onto the icy driveway. Not a big deal at all.
OTOH, I remember my first job out of high school - with a construction company that still used lots of manual labor instead of machines. I remember coming home from my first day at it and just collapsing, utterly exhausted, on my parents' lawn as soon as I got home.
I think toughness is something acquired. You learn you can do a lot more than you thought you could.

I think maybe you are correct about toughness being an acquired skill. When I started helping my Father in his plumbing business we had no mechanical excavation equipment. If you know anything about plumbing you know that a lot of pipes that need repairing are covered by dirt. So by the time I was 14 or 15 I was quite proficient with a shovel and a digging bar. Once you learn how to use them you can literally move a ton of dirt in a surprisingly small amount of time. Fast forward 40 years, now we have multiple backhoes and excavators. When I hear my younger guys complaining about digging I think to myself that they really don't know how easy they have it.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

Interesting story of older generation vs (much) younger generation. I was moving some dirt around here and had hired a 16-18 year old kid to help with the labor. Where are all the illegal aliens when you need them, but that's another story - pretty much non-existent in northern NH. Anyway, I hired this kid to help with labor. I was using the tractor bucket loader to load dirt into the 6x4 Gator bed to dump it and spread it. The tractor decided to quit running, so I grabbed a couple shovels & told the kid we'd fill the Gator bed by hand. He isn't really keeping up with the shoveling, but he is shoveling. When the bed is about 3/4 full, he starts telling me about how TIRED he is. Really? You're getting your butt kicked by someone old enough to be your grandfather? Numerous other cases like this - I am always amazed at how weak and ready to quit at the slightest tiredness today's young people are. Most aren't even willing to do any work, the few who will are worn out amazingly quickly.
In the winter, I regularly go to the town sand sheds and shovel in 3/4 of a S-10 pickup bed full of sand, then go home and shovel it out onto the icy driveway. Not a big deal at all.
OTOH, I remember my first job out of high school - with a construction company that still used lots of manual labor instead of machines. I remember coming home from my first day at it and just collapsing, utterly exhausted, on my parents' lawn as soon as I got home.
I think toughness is something acquired. You learn you can do a lot more than you thought you could.

The same is true of our self-imposed "limitations" when hunting the western mountains. I do things now that I thought were completely impossible when I was in my early 20's and thought I was fit. I'd smoke 22 year old me in the mountains now. I take my 20-22 year old interns on a really steep hike each year as a team building exercise (half of them are collegiate athletes) and I make it a priority to smoke them.

I'm making my kids do things that their friends parents think is unreasonable for kids to do (mine aren't going to be sheep). My 10 year old son and I were just digging holes. He's got great form with a pick and he knows how to leverage a shovel. No whining.

 

[Prairie Sasquatch]

42 and I still feel pretty good. I've always been active but when I turned 40 I really paid attention to my diet and exercise. Made a huge difference.

 

[Prairie Sasquatch]

Should have mentioned I'm 5' 10 192 lbs and work out three days a week doing both weights and cardio. I don't run anymore as my joints kill me but I do a lot of rowing which I find less impactful on joints.