The Reality of Longevity

I'm sitting here writing this with a walking boot on my foot... It has been there most of the day going on two weeks. As strange as it may sound, for me, recovering from heart surgery was easier than this, because the goal was to walk. With this, while there are no restrictions, walking – […] Not rendering correctly? View this e-mail as a web page [here](. [Empire Financial Daily] The Reality of Longevity By Herb Greenberg --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Fed's Boldest Move Ever...]( A national currency "reset" is coming to America. With every dollar soon under Fed control, how will FedNow impact your day-to-day expenses?... your paycheck?... your social security?... your investments? [Don't wait to find out](. --------------------------------------------------------------- I'm sitting here writing this with a walking boot on my foot... It has been there most of the day going on two weeks. As strange as it may sound, for me, recovering from heart surgery was easier than this, because the goal was to walk. With this, while there are no restrictions, walking – as in walking... the kind of walking I like to do every day – is impossible. Yet, here I am, and I see this recent New York Times article headlined, "[My Running Club, My Everything]( And there's this photo by Ben Rayner of the Times showing all these smiling people running... I sighed... As anybody who knows me can attest, unless I'm deeply engrossed in writing, I like to keep moving. In my teens and though college – even a few years later – I biked everywhere. Growing up in Miami will do that. It was routine for me, during college, to bike though Coconut Grove over the Rickenbacker Causeway down to the lighthouse at the tip of Key Biscayne. As I started moving north as a journalist, to hillier areas, it became clear to me that biking in hills wasn't as fun as it looked growing up in Miami. That's when I ditched the bike for my feet and legs... I was never a runner, with a runner's body or build, and I was never fast. My leaky heart valve always acted like a governor, keeping me from true running, but that didn't matter. But I enjoyed the faster pace of running over walking. Unless it was one of those days when it felt I was running in quicksand with lead weights on my legs, I always felt better after a jog, and felt worse the days I didn't jog. In Minnesota, I'd run around Lake of the Isles... In Chicago, at lunch, if I wasn't running on the god-awful monotonous track at the gym a block away from the Tribune Tower where I worked, I'd run near the lake. In San Francisco, between my early morning TV stints and my day job as a daily newspaper columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle, I'd run in Pacific Heights. In New Jersey, well, I tried... San Diego was (and is) the ultimate, with its low humidity, ocean breezes, and a mix of hills and flat streets. --------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended Link: [Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg Go 'ALL-IN' on Mysterious Tech]( These tech billionaires are plowing $10,000,000s into a technology that promises to eliminate disease. Cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes – they're ALL on the chopping block. And just ONE firm manufactures the device that makes this all possible. [Get the details before November 2](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Running (and ultimately, walking) has always been my way to start the day... Or as the perfect break between my early morning writing and everything else... It helps get rid of brain fog, is good for blood pressure, and for somebody whose weight is exercise-dependent, it helps burn calories. The tap on the shoulder that my running days might be limited came when I was 50. I was doing an annual stress echocardiogram on a treadmill, and as they ramped up the speed to get my heart rate going, my cardiologist said... By your age most of my patients have stopped running. Usually, they start having knee issues. I felt smug as he had to turn the speed even higher, and even more thrilled I could go the distance. But being smug will get you nowhere... Within two years, after an especially fast end to a good run, my knee started hurting. It got worse and worse... Those were in the days when it was routine to do a laparoscopic meniscus "cleanout." So ended my days of routine running... That led to years on a low-impact elliptical trainer until I could no longer take the boredom of being on a machine and a need to be outside. That led to walking... And when I was in the zone, fast walking. And after my heart valve replacement, thinking all along that I was asymptomatic, remarkably faster and easily longer walking. I live in a very hilly area, so half the route is mostly uphill... I took to occasionally starting to jog up those hills, in spurts, when the mood (or song) would strike. My brain said I was 40, but as I've learned, you can't fool your feet... Not only is my body not a runner's body, but without getting into detail, my feet have their own... peculiarities. For years, my left foot has been the focus of study, and a goldmine for my podiatrist... Splinting, MRIs, this shoe, and that shoe. Orthotics. No orthotics. Through it all, this one area has always been the hot spot, but it would come and go and I'd get on with my life. Finally, that chronically challenged area between the second and third metatarsal wouldn't stop acting up. As my podiatrist keeps explaining, on its good days a foot has a bunch that can go wrong... On its bad days, as my friend Paul puts it... Feet suck. Bad design... optimized for a world we no longer inhabit. He may be right, but intentionally or not, they're also the ultimate reality check on aging. The truth about longevity is that we may be living longer, but some body parts on some people simply weren't designed to go the distance. For me, the lesson is clear: You don't have to act your age, but you need to respect it. Speaking of longevity, [my original mention]( of age versus body apparently resonated, based on the feedback... Warning: If you don't like old people talking about their health, stop here! If you want to be inspired, keep reading... and if you have anything to add about what you're doing to stay healthy, let me know via e-mail by [clicking here](mailto:feedback@empirefinancialresearch.com?subject=Feedback%20for%20Herb). "Herb, I am a subscriber, a very satisfied one, and very much enjoying the benefit of your wisdom. Thank you very much for what you do. "My career spanned over 40 years in skilled nursing, beginning as a housekeeper, and concluding after a series of C-Suite roles with public and private companies. As I am in the midst of writing a book on these experiences, I appreciate everything you have written on health, medications, insurance, Medicare, and the impact of private equity on skilled nursing. When my work is completed, I would love the opportunity to share this with you, if interested. "What I am doing for my health is somewhat unorthodox when compared to others. After a 30+ year hiatus as an official, I have returned to the field, and am enjoying work at least 3 days a week officiating high school football - at varsity and sub-varsity levels. It is incredible exercise, and has restored the enjoyment of something put on the shelf for many years while working and raising my daughters. "I still 'work' every day... some days for a game check, and others for the benefit of helping my wife and I navigate the daily madness. It beats having a boss, every day. "Be well, and congratulations on the great newsletter. I read everything that comes out with your name on it." – Dave D. Herb comment: Dave, first, thanks so much for the kind words. I'm still back on how you "started a housekeeper and rose to the C-suite." As for staying in the game... I couldn't see stopping, and keep telling myself I'll write my thoughts on retirement – or lack thereof – but have been too busy to get to it! Glad to see you're out doing something for fun. Atrophy is the enemy. "Herb, great read as always. "I'm 73. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I do upper body HIIT and then 1 mile as fast as I can on elliptical. "We modified our diets and I've lost about 25 pounds. My goal is another 15-25. Like you, I enjoy working so I self-manage nine rentals and call people to reunite them with money they don't know the government owes them from tax sales. I work with kids at church (6-12-year olds). "We travel to visit grandchildren. So life is great for us and our family (our kids are 2 pharmacists and 1 doctor). "But through my rentals I am discouraged about millennials and Gen Z-ers. They by and large have not been taught how to succeed. They have neither the mindset nor the tools to succeed. We were poor (no money, not mind set) when we were first married. But by God's grace, we made good decisions and have flourished. "I am very touched by your writing and like you wonder "How stupid can they be?" or "What did they expect?". Keep writing, please. "Your comrade in arms." – Tim P. Herb comment: Comrade Tim, you've got me beat on the gym (long story), and will now be my inspiration as I go forward. My weight has been creeping higher, which is annoying. But beta blockers and writing all day will do that. We try to visit the grandkids every few months. The good news is that I can work from anywhere – have laptop, will travel. As for Gen Z-ers, every generation thinks they're better than the subsequent, yet somehow they all wind up surviving! "Hello Herb: Wow, what a young guy!! I'm 73, and so far at least blessed with good health. "Had prostate cancer about 8 years ago but after prostatectomy I've been clear. I wasn't very athletic as a child due to asthma, but managed to outgrow it. "Now my 'recipe' is every weekday 5-mile walk around my neighborhood.... and so far it's worked. Same route, same waves to same other walkers, and about a 17-minute mile pace... "I did get some skiing in this year, but noticed that I'm not as anxious to hit the slopes at opening and ski through to 4 p.m. It's more like getting out around 9:30 and skiing about 4 hours or so... "Just happy to be alive and healthy!" – George R. Herb comment: George, I've dodged the prostate bullet so far, but hold my breath with every annual PSA test. I generally do four miles, but at a somewhat faster pace. Maybe I should slow it down and go longer. (Once I can start walking again, that is!) "Thirty to 40 minute brisk walk at sunrise. Fruit salad with kefir or steel cut oatmeal with berries and alt milk. Coffee. "Eat organic when possible. No sugar in anything. Smoothie (prefer a pea protein powder with adaptogens by 'Fitppl' in Austin.) "Some strength/upper body exercise for 15 minutes. At least 7 hours sleep. I'm 75." – Howard Herb comment: Thanks, Howard. The key on upper body muscle is that it's got to be there by 75, because if the muscle mass isn't there by then, it's all downhill. "I've been taking a host of anti-inflammatory supplements for the past ten years (I'm 75); e.g., Turmeric, N-Acetyl Cysteine, CoQ10, Resveratol with red wine and grape seed extract. "Also those that manage sugar – Gymnema, Berberine, Cinnamon. And a few for the prostate like Lycopene, Pygeum, Beta-Sistosterol. "I manage gout, blood pressure and kidney stones with prescription meds with no side effects. Like you, my mind says I'm not old, but my body tells me different." – Michael S. Herb comment: Michael, I can't pronounce half of what you take... but I do eat well, and my total cholesterol is 124. (With a little help from my friend rosuvastatin, aka Crestor.) Maybe I ought to just start a longevity newsletter! Regards, Herb Greenberg September 26, 2023 [Get a 30-day, 100% money-back trial to Empire Real Wealth by clicking here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- If someone forwarded you this e-mail and you would like to be added to the Empire Financial Daily e-mail list to receive e-mails like this every weekday, simply [sign up here](. © 2023 Empire Financial Research. All rights reserved. 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