It's not as bad as it sounds. I've been cycling almost constantly for 42 years. I've been telling people for years that I feel the same as I did in my thirties. I never really have any health problems so it's been easy to put off going in for routine, let alone detailed check ups. I finally scheduled the full routine, poke, probe show and tell, including blood profiles, PSA, Colonoscopy and whatever else.
All the numbers are exactly as they were the past 30 years. I have 6% more bodyfat than I care for, but that's below average for a 30 year old and waaaay low on the optimal level for a 62 year old. Just a dirty old man trapped in the body of a thirty year old.
It's not hereditary. I have two cousins who are each within a year or so. When we were younger, we looked enough alike that people thought we were triplets. They are now skinny legged, pot bellied, grey haired old men who sit around talking about their medical problems and treatments. I am not. I am the one who has had totally sedentary office jobs throughout my career and the only lifestyle difference has been cycling (commuting/touring) and weight training.

Marc

I love these type of stories. Exercising is the best medicine.

I'm 53, and my doctors have said the same things to me. It's not as if I even try to be an elite athlete. I just ride my bike places.

That's it. I don't even try to be competitive as a cyclist, just go places.

Marc

I am 36 and I just went to my yearly fraternity reunion in Manhattan this week past. Everyone says, "You haven't changed a bit. In fact you look in even better shape". My response: Cycling, weight training, eating well and being positive go a LONG way". It is always an inspiration seeing others leading a healthy lifestyle as they mature.
Greg

I also sit all day; the bike commuting really helps with both physical and mental well-being. I'm almost 53 and feel about 30. When I had to take a year off from cycling 5 years ago I felt 80 years old.

I am 34 and i feel like i'm 18 on the good days. I am 100% certain that my bike has a lot to do with that.

- Andy

Well done, Marc! You and a bunch of folks in my club are an inspiration to me that one can stay happy and healthy for a long time through cycling.

I'm 62 and find that docs want to poke and prod a bit more because of it. Last year I had a scare when the doc thought I may have an abdominal aortic aneurism. After an ultrasound showed no problems, the doc shrugged his shoulders and said that that my belly was too flat - he could palpate things on me that on others were more difficult, i.e. through significant layers of insulation.

sounds like a resume from somebody looking for work at the local gym.

I had doubts whether I could even "get in shape" again. I mean I usually did a 20 minute jog every two days. Years ago I found every time I tried training faster, I'd get tired, slow down and stop my faster workouts. Several months ago I started training in a very gradual way and found out I can still do workouts of varying intensities if I do it in a gradual manner. Now I can walk up a hill without any fatigue. My speed and energy is also improved when I try crossing the street with my bike. Such a huge relief for someone who thought I wouldn't be able to do harder workouts ever again.

Way to go! I'm 60 and weigh what I did in college. I rarely ever get sick. My only problem is my hair keeps getting thinner. Pretty soon I'll be bald.

Jack Lalanne was right.

I am a big fan of Jack Lalanne he was a real inspiration. Young guys today have absolutely no excuse for being out of shape.

So take a look at this. Society has a few problems:

- fossil fuel dependency
- Global warming which appears to be a result of excessive use of fossil fuel
- obesity and other health problems as a result of sedentary living
- death and injury toll from using vehicles that are excessively massive and fast

It becomes almost obvious that we are overusing labor saving devices to the point that we don't labor enough. We've needed to invent false labor as a remedy to our health problems, and we call it exercise.

The solution, to at least a degree, is to go back to doing some labor for ourselves instead of using labor saving devices. The easiest one for me and many others is to get to some of the places we need to get to under our own power.

I still think it's a good idea to see a doctor every year, even if you're in better shape than most people your age.

"you paid HOW MUCH for a BIKE?! You've spent how much on tubes, tires, saddles, pumps, getting "the perfect" setup? You're insane and stupid. Think of what you could do with that money!"
"I've spent less on cycling this year than you've spent on diabetes management."

edit: Similarly, somebody in the clyde forum said, 'well, it's cheaper than being sedentary...' which is absolutely true.

Ooh, that's gotta sting.

Awesome retort is awesome.

I enjoy those kind of people, as they're usually the ones that get offended and cry foul when you retort back a comment equally stupid as theirs... AKA Troll bait.


To the OP, awesome report. I hope to be in the same position when I get to that stage in life. In my family, all of the men lead active lifestyles, and the women do not (my wife included); the men have always been healthy.

Hey, I just found out that our OP has his blog where he posted basically the same thing. Not only that, it's a nice blog.

Simply Cycle

Nah, that guy's a friend of mine. Diabetes management for him has included cookbooks, cooking classes, gym membership, personal trainer, some other stuff I'm missing in addition to medical expenses. He just works at a bank and is super conservative about money-"Thank God I had the savings to do all of this!", when me and another friend(Who spends copious amounts of money on riding horses&yoga) maintain that if he had indulged in some physical hobbies(and not been so price conscious about them), he probably wouldn't have gotten diabetes at 30(!). Penny-wise/pound-foolish, all that.

Now, the coworker I said something similar to...yeah, she was pretty pissed*. Everybody else was like, 'dang, that was mean...but yeah, you've got a point. But she was kinda mean too, so whatever.'.

*Then she bought some ice cream to console herself. SMH.

Nice post. We don't get enough of these around here, especially round this time, I'm guessing. The early onset of winter has gotten everyone on alert about the traffic, snow, cold, tires, etc.

My current weight is my grade 9 weight. I'm 45 y/o. And even though cycling had nothing to do with it (I run, row, lift weights, and eat sensibly), I am excited to have found (or rather rediscovered) the joys of cycling.

Hearing from the doctor that your numbers are all good is a wonderful feeling, especially so the older you get.

Also posted the identical boasting OP on the 50+ list. He sure is proud of himself.

It's a message that bears repeating. I see an increase in the number of people bike commuting. I think everyone notices it. One of the most heartening things for me lately is seeing obese people on bikes. I don't know if they are hoping to lose weight, and even if they don't, they'll be stronger. The impetus might simply that it's more convenient to cycle than to travel in other ways. Today, on two separate occasions, I saw unusually old men on bikes. Did you know that the demographic group with the sharpest rise in bike commuting is 55 and over?

Yep, it's a good one.

There is a rumor around that bicycling is good for your health.

Marc