23 replies to this topic

[Stefanovic]

I'm about to turn 30 and people knowing this start warning me: from now on everything is about to change, you will soonly notice that you won't be young forever. Is 30 such an important age when it comes to aging or isn't there a big difference between most - let's say 29 and 31 yr olds?

People not knowing me often ask me if I'm a student and always treat me like a very young person. Some time ago I was talking to a lady 2 years my junior and she said stuff like: once you'll be my age, you won't have so much energy....

but what I wanted to know: am I about to expect some major changes except for the number? And how can I change my lifestyle to keep having benefits? Right now, I exercise, eat healthy most of the time, protect my skin, ...

I was also wondering: is our biological age mostly closer to our chronological age or to the age we look?

[niner]

It sounds like you're already doing the things that you need to do. As you get older, diet and exercise become more important. You can get away with anything when you're a kid. I think that there's a relationship between our biological age and the way we look, but it's not a very good indicator. It's possible to lose your hair and be super healthy, for example. There are all kinds of genetic luck-of-the-draw things that might affect your appearance without meaning you are unhealthy. Sun damage can make your skin look like hell, but internally you're probably better off than a vampire because of the extra vitamin D you got. (It's better to protect your skin and supplement D.) That said, there's certainly some unhealthiness that will show up in your appearance, but a lot more that doesn't. You could look great and have incipient cancers and aneurysms, or unstable plaque ready to kill you or turn you into a vegetable. Your waist says more about your health than your face.

[Mind]

"Hangovers hurt more than they used to" Hank Williams Jr.

I didn't notice many changes until I was about 36 or 37. This is the average age for men when testosterone levels fall off a cliff. Most things are more difficult now.

[Stefanovic]

thanks a lot. Is there anything you can do about those testosterone levels falling off a cliff?

[hivemind]

thanks a lot. Is there anything you can do about those testosterone levels falling off a cliff?

testosterone replacement therapy

[Mind]

thanks a lot. Is there anything you can do about those testosterone levels falling off a cliff?

Take testosterone (just a straight up answer, not an official recommendation). Thankfully (IMO), "Low-T" is now being more recognized as a problem for aging males. more mainstream medical practitioners are now prescribing testosterone to their middle aged patients. Granted this is for people who have lower than normal testosterone, which is already quite low for males past their mid 30s (compared to males in their 20s and early 30s). More pro-active life extension practitioners have been using hormone replacement for a few decades now, regardless of what the mainstream opinion was (basically - based on limited research - that all hormone replacement therapies have potential dangerous side effects).

There is a lot of information (pro and con) about Low-T and HRT in a few forums here at Longecity and around the web. For more pro hormone arguments, you will find a lot of discussion at places like A4M and LEF. One Longecity member who is pleased with testosterone therapy is DukeNukem (who is 50).

I don't take testosterone, but I have thought about it. I am 40. I am in good shape, so I am not too worried. Diet and exercise work wonders. However, I don't like the thought of acquiescing to aging. Accepting lower hormone levels without question, to me, is like Leon Kass saying he "welcomes aging like a glove/blanket slowly enveloping you" (or something similar, I wish I could find the exact quote). Aging happens so slowly for most of your life that it is easy to accept it. Once aging really hits you (60s and 70s) then it is much tougher to turn back the clock (with current treatments/technology) than if you were rebelling against aging at an earlier age.

Hormones are just one small part of the puzzle and much is yet to be learned, but as we have seen from vitamin D3 (a hormone), there could be significant benefits to their supplementation.

Edited by Mind, 07 January 2012 - 04:49 PM.

[Stefanovic]

thanks! when you mention hormone replacement therapy you probably mean injections? Aren't there any natural alternatives available that can raise your testosterone levels ( probably not as dramatic but maybe with less side effects) or isnt there anything you can start taking at a younger age in order to slow down the process?

[hivemind]

thanks! when you mention hormone replacement therapy you probably mean injections? Aren't there any natural alternatives available that can raise your testosterone levels ( probably not as dramatic but maybe with less side effects) or isnt there anything you can start taking at a younger age in order to slow down the process?

No, you don't have to take injections. There are creams, gels and patches. These lead to a more natural release of testosterone than injections.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-XA_5ak_Ys&feature=player_embedded

Edited by hivemind, 07 January 2012 - 06:24 PM.

[brokenportal]

Imagine that you are floating on a raft through New Orleans, with a beer and music and fire works and a bunch of women and friends around you. Turning 30 is like having been on that part of the river for 10 years and then suddenly there is a dark woods up ahead, the city limits, there is a busted up dam and then cold white water rapids for the foreseeable stretch.

[hivemind]

Aren't there any natural alternatives available that can raise your testosterone levels ( probably not as dramatic but maybe with less side effects) or isnt there anything you can start taking at a younger age in order to slow down the process?

Don't be overweight, have a healthy diet and lifestyle, don't do calorie restriction, don't have a low fat diet, eat some saturated fat, avoid excessive aerobic exercise, avoid excessive alcohol intake, avoid stress

Edited by hivemind, 07 January 2012 - 06:36 PM.

[churchill]

I think turning 30 is not any big deal at all, to me 40 seems a much more ominous number. If I was a woman I would definitely go for HRT as I think the quality of live is better.

[maggieW]

HRT has made a huge difference for me

Edited by maggieW, 22 February 2012 - 11:32 AM.

[nowayout]

I didn't notice many changes until I was about 36 or 37. This is the average age for men when testosterone levels fall off a cliff.

They don't fall off a cliff, unless you become overweight or have a specific medical problem causing it. The average decline is about one percent a year, if I remember correctly, which takes many years to become noticeable.

[Matt]

My girlfriend who looks really young said it was when she turned 30 that she felt she started aging. She is 36 but looks around 25...

[nowayout]

At 30 was when I started growing into my physical peak. That was the age I started being able to put on muscle, started looking good, and started having lots of success dating, because people I found attractive started finding me attractive back. For most of the decade I continued to look and feel better and better, certainly much better than I ever did in my teens or 20s.

[mikeinnaples]

I was in better shape and health at 36 than I was at any other time in my life, including the 5 years I spent in the military from 18-23 where it was a critical part of my job to be fit.

An example of an athlete peaking in his 30's:



The now 40 year old, 11 time world champion Kelly Slater... who's most recent world title came last year at the ripe old age of 39. Yes, not only is he competitive with guys 20 years his junior... he crushes them in one of the most physically demanding sports.

Edited by mikeinnaples, 22 February 2012 - 06:32 PM.

[maggieW]

i think men become more attractive as they age towards and past 30. take mel gibson for example, he was way more sexy in lethal weapon than in mad max

[Mind]

Here is where I saw the chart of testosterone and aging. Maybe "falling off a cliff" is too dramatic, but it certainly peaks, on average, around the mid 30s and then it is all downhill with noticeable effects in "manliness". If you are maintaining good health with diet and exercise, low stress, n' stuff like that, and your testosterone declines slower than average then it is probably a good sign that you are slowing the overall aging process within your body.

[mikeinnaples]

Here is the above 40 year old (39 in the vid) that is 'slowing' down.

View on Vimeo.

[churchill]

Here is the above 40 year old (39 in the vid) that is 'slowing' down.

http://vimeo.com/27559754

Am sure you can find many examples of people improving through their 40 and 50 but if they had been doing that same level of training in their 20 and 30s then they would still be declining in their 40 and 50s. Aging is not a battle you can win without radical intervention don't kid yourself

[mikeinnaples]

Am sure you can find many examples of people improving through their 40 and 50 but if they had been doing that same level of training in their 20 and 30s then they would still be declining in their 40 and 50s. Aging is not a battle you can win without radical intervention don't kid yourself

To be honest, I am more than a little confused as to where that response came from as it is way out in left field. I am certainly not 'kidding myself', and I know better. Either you are purposefully 'putting words in my mouth' or grossly reading something into my post that simply wasn't there. Either way, you are simply wrong about why I posted what I did.

Read the original post again and you can clearly see that the point of my postings in a nutshell were simply to say that turning 30, even 40 isnt the end of the world. We can't do anything to stop or reverse aging yet, but we can certainly do things to minimize its' impact.

Edited by mikeinnaples, 29 February 2012 - 02:36 PM.

[churchill]

Am sure you can find many examples of people improving through their 40 and 50 but if they had been doing that same level of training in their 20 and 30s then they would still be declining in their 40 and 50s. Aging is not a battle you can win without radical intervention don't kid yourself

To be honest, I am more than a little confused as to where that response came from as it is way out in left field. I am certainly not 'kidding myself', and I know better. Either you are purposefully 'putting words in my mouth' or grossly reading something into my post that simply wasn't there. Either way, you are simply wrong about why I posted what I did.

Read the original post again and you can clearly see that the point of my postings in a nutshell were simply to say that turning 30, even 40 isnt the end of the world. We can't do anything to stop or reverse aging yet, but we can certainly do things to minimize its' impact.

Sorry if that came off as harsh! You are right turning 30 or 40 is not the end of the world.

[nowayout]

If you are feeling major (or even minor) changes for the worse at 30, then you are most likely doing something wrong.

[churchill]

I would say 65+ is when you really start falling off a cliff and a little cold can go from minor to life threatening very quickly.