You guys don't worry that distance running is speeding up the aging process?

ggilder wrote:

Aging Old Stiff wrote:

It definitely speeds up the aging process! I'm 55 and been running for 35 yrs.

So what. I'm 82 yesterday, have been running competitively for 65 years or so, set over-80 course records all over the place (Boilermaker a couple months ago), and everyone tells me I look 55.

The cosmetic surgery must have really worked for you.

jamin wrote:

No, I don't have a bald spot on the top back of my head. My hair is a lighter color in that spot, for some strange reason. Several people have commented on it in real life.

You should apply the dye more evenly.

I live in Florida (unfortunately). Running itself is good for aging, but exposure to the elements really matters for your skin. There is a lot of fit, leathery, types of older runners at local road races. My assistant lives at her dermatologist and I can't get her to stay out of the sun. Running on the beach is her thing.

Less adipose tissue also tends to make one look younger, that is, if you don't wreck your skin.

Mayo docs (I am a patient) love walking and running for bone density, a real issue as one gets older.

jamin wrote:

Look at interviews with those Turpin kids, who were stuck in their rooms their rooms their whole lives ... they all look half their actual age. I noticed a similar phenomenon that acquaintenences I had who sat around and smoked weed their entire 20s usually aged well.

On the other hand, I notice that distance runners always look way older than their actual age. Probably distance running combined with the fact that distance runners are type-A personalities and so they live high-octane lives that include stressful careers, getting up early in the morning, drinking lots of coffee and taking supplements, etc.

Not necessarily. I'm 38, Asian and look like I'm 22. I hate it, I'd rather look older and more authoritative.

Most distance runners have good jobs but not all.

I will say most people at the Columbus MIT (Marathoner in Training) are in their 20s to 40s and drive nice cars, so there may be something to that, and I may be wrong...

Millennials to Xers.

I'm 65 and long past the stage where I am worried what age I look.

What I do know is that after 50+ years of running my health and ability to be active is far higher than the average American decades younger.

My weight is actually fractionally lighter than it was when I was running my best 800m, 40 years ago, and clothes size is still the same. I did a 15 mile trail race with 4000ft of elevation a couple of weeks back, and was mixing it up with 25 to 35 year olds for around 2 hours.

I've I have to trade that for a few more wrinkles on the face, I'll take it.

jamin wrote:

peppa wrote:

Jesse what the hell are you talking about

This is common sense. Do you live under a rock?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBIjVXHl1aA&ab_channel=ABCNewshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/11/04/attractive-people-have-a-big-advantage-in-the-job-interview/?sh=7345caf22b9a

Agree with this. Especially in the media and healthcare fields. Even in STEM, they want pretty or handsome looking project managers (who get paid MORE than even the developers and don't even code!).

The PMs are paid more than devs despite having LESS technical skills--it's High School out there.

I’m not aware of scientific research that suggests causation or even shows correlation between distance running and looking older for your age.

Any “evidence” is anecdotal and probably not because of the running itself and more likely because of genetics or inadequate skin care and/or nutrition.

As others have already said, its all of the sun exposure. That's it. Wear sunscreen everyday on all uncovered skin, and you'll look better than most your age just because your not fat. I feel bad using her as an example, but look at Ms. Hasay. She has always looked young for her age. Now, she has premature wrinkles due to not wearing sunscreen and a marathon training schedule.

ggilder wrote:

Aging Old Stiff wrote:

It definitely speeds up the aging process! I'm 55 and been running for 35 yrs.

So what. I'm 82 yesterday, have been running competitively for 65 years or so, set over-80 course records all over the place (Boilermaker a couple months ago), and everyone tells me I look 55.

George, I enjoyed your recent interview with the Independent Institute

ggilder wrote:

Aging Old Stiff wrote:

It definitely speeds up the aging process! I'm 55 and been running for 35 yrs.

So what. I'm 82 yesterday, have been running competitively for 65 years or so, set over-80 course records all over the place (Boilermaker a couple months ago), and everyone tells me I look 55.

BS...I don't believe you. Show some evidence if you expect me believe that you look almost 30 yrs younger than your age. Lol.

Before I was running a lot I was around 10.4 stone at 5'10. In recent months I am around 9.5 stone, which is what I weighed in high school at 16 (I'm 33). If the sun is out I wear suncream.

jecht wrote:

jamin wrote:

Look at interviews with those Turpin kids, who were stuck in their rooms their rooms their whole lives ... they all look half their actual age. I noticed a similar phenomenon that acquaintenences I had who sat around and smoked weed their entire 20s usually aged well.

On the other hand, I notice that distance runners always look way older than their actual age. Probably distance running combined with the fact that distance runners are type-A personalities and so they live high-octane lives that include stressful careers, getting up early in the morning, drinking lots of coffee and taking supplements, etc.

Not necessarily. I'm 38, Asian and look like I'm 22. I hate it, I'd rather look older and more authoritative.

Most distance runners have good jobs but not all.

Even Asian people can look old for their years of overweight and having a sluggish metabolism, especially after 45 or so.

I can't believe this thread. Have you seen how old the average person looks compared to a runner?

A lot of its genetic. If you want to look young for your age, make sure to be born with high cheekbones, quite a wide jaw, good teeth, a small slightly upturned nose and a large forehead. You don't have to be Asian to have these features, some lucky white people are born with them too.

Wear sunscreen. Don't have thin, stretchy skin. A lot of real long distance, slow twitch types seem pre disposed to having angular features, large noses and low facial fat, which is ageing anyway.

Definitely lift weights or be active - I can think of some men who are a little obsessed with staying slim in middle age and don't each much at all, but they are not very active and stay indoors too much and they kind of resemble elderly boys. That sort of look is very ageing and a kind of creepy. They have the face of an older guy but the body shape of a 15 year old.

Walking slowly/shuffling is very ageing too. Some people in their forties who have never been active have terrible posture and have never learned to lift their knees or pick up their feet, so they adopt the gait of elderly people.

fisky wrote:

2. Take supplements. As we age, our cells become less efficient. They're like little factories that need both enough materials and the right kind of raw materials to function properly To counteract this effect, you have two supplement options. a) Take supplements that specifically act to keep cells young and b) Ensure that your body gets enough of the right raw materials.

The RDA for supplements is for the average person. A distance runner will run more in a week than the average person will run in their entire 60 plus years of adult life. It's obvious that you need more raw materials. And to keep those cellular factories as efficient as possible, they should be the RIGHT raw materials.

What you should take and why would be too long to type, but I'll list what I'm taking if anyone cares.

I am interested, please list if you have a minute.

Nope, running 'reverses' aging's effect on stem cells.

pasteboard.co/bm5n9jC1L0px.png

A few years ago I took part in a study that compared experienced club runners over 50 with sedentary people of the same demographic. Obviously everyone knew the runners would be healthier by every metric used, what surprised the researchers was that the runners were physiologically closer to people in their 20s than to their sedentary counterparts. I was told that a number of researchers started running seriously as a result.

ggilder wrote:

Aging Old Stiff wrote:

It definitely speeds up the aging process! I'm 55 and been running for 35 yrs.

So what. I'm 82 yesterday, have been running competitively for 65 years or so, set over-80 course records all over the place (Boilermaker a couple months ago), and everyone tells me I look 55.

Maybe we have to define "aging"? Early death vs bad knees? My dad ran ultras and marathons and Tris since he was 30, now 82 and a complete wreck due to neurological disease (nothing to do with exercise). Now, If you looked at him you would think he was on death's door. But, he had a cardiac stress test, perfectly normal! Almost all 80+ people have some abnormalities on cardiac stress, but he is normal. So, does it age your joints? I think so, sure. Your skin, sure, esp in sunny parts of the country. Have you even see Frank Shorter barely walking around? I have. My dad has wrecked knees too. Sample size of 2, i know, but It kind of makes sense.

Point being, most of us die due to cardiovascular disease (Heart attack and stroke). So if you are playing the odds, keep running baby. Keep the skin cancer in check, you are outside a lot. But keep running. When you get old enough your doc will do an EKG yearly and make sure you aint running with an arythmia or something that might drop you like Jim Fixx. So no worries.

I wonder where the popular myth that distance running makes you look older even comes from. There is a fraction of the general population whose skin happens to age faster than the rest. That fraction is probably about the same amongst runners as well. Maybe we are just more picky in noticing that in runners because they otherwise look fabulous?

We might also be more prone to confusing losing the chub on cheeks with looking older because people’s cheeks get less puffy with age but they also do so with low BMI.

Yes, a rather strange idea people have is that looking chubby looks healthier. Personally I find that to look very aging.