I recently turned 58, on Jan 4. Lots of nasty statistics go up in your 60s. Already between 55 and 64, 69.5% of us have at least one chronic condition- aka the artherosclerotic diseases, cancer, some diabetes/insulin production related conditions and neurodegenerative disease…over 65 the percentage goes to 85.6%. There is an entirely different end of the spectrum if you want to be in the top percentiles of health and well being. Most important in that end is a combination of maintaining muscle quality(ultimately to stop falling and reduce injury risk as we all inevitably fall), and cardiovascular fitness, which I religiously avoid until just recently.

All of these statistics along with our average weight continue to get worse. White male-200, Black male 204, Asian male 165.-CDC. I was recently skiing with a bunch of guy friends who are close my age and one of them mentioned “now is that time” we have to take care. Yes its true. While a lot of our future health is effectively baked in by 60, there is a lot we can do and cannot afford to remain anything less than diligent and professional as to our wellbeing.

As I said, while I have been in good shape, one of my priorities for this year is to do a physical reboot and bake in more consistency into my habits for the coming decade of my 60’s. While I have several pressing issues in my life, I am trusting that by placing this as the number one priority for the year, it will pay off. I have had colleagues and clients over the years, gain weight and stop moving due to work and life pressure; the exact opposite of what we should be doing. Stay tuned. I’ll give a quarterly update on how its all progressing. In August, what I call Camp, a small group will spend a week backpacking in the Wind River Wilderness so the reboot will include prepping for that effort and also enjoying finding the pristine still available in nature.