Health and the aging cave diver

[mfascuba]

I just turned 50, I treat my body like I treat my regulators. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and don't open it up for fun. If I feel like I need to see a doctor, I go. My blood work and other stuff has given no indication of something lurking beneath the surfac beyond the fact that I'm considered gravitationally challenged due to my keenly developed ability to store food as energy. I've had two immediat family members die of cancer in the last 12 years, I'm not stopping till I'm done.

[bullfrog]

I just turned 50, I treat my body like I treat my regulators. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and don't open it up for fun. If I feel like I need to see a doctor, I go. My blood work and other stuff has given no indication of something lurking beneath the surfac beyond the fact that I'm considered gravitationally challenged due to my keenly developed ability to store food as energy. I've had two immediat family members die of cancer in the last 12 years, I'm not stopping till I'm done.

at least check your blood pressure.that's Why they call high
pressure the silent killer. and it's time for your first colonoscopy

[LCF]

It's good to get regular physicals, once one reaches a certain age (I'd arbitrarily set that at 50, for people who otherwise believe themselves to be healthy). Things like diabetes and high blood pressure can sneak up on you without many symptoms, and definitely have implications for long-term health.

However, the average routine physical consists of vital sign measurement (can be done at Rite Aid), a quick listen to your heart and lungs, a cursory review of systems, and some blood work. Such an exam will not detect silent coronary artery disease, and without concerning symptoms (and sometimes even WITH them) insurance companies aren't going to pay for even noninvasive stress testing. Still probably the best you can do is stay active -- engage in some kind of activity that raises your heart rate to the recommended level (I've seen it set at 200 - your age) several times a week. Even that will neither completely protect you nor give you adequate warning. One of the most sobering stories I know was a 38 year old physician with a HORRIBLE family history for heart disease. He was not diabetic or hypertensive, and didn't have one of the familial hypercholesterolemia syndromes. He just had a lot of relatives who died at early ages of coronary artery disease. He lived on a Pritikin diet and ran 7 to 10 miles a day, and he didn't have an ounce of body fat. He dropped dead on a run at 38.

There is no perfect protection. Activity is probably the most important; medical checkups can be useful to detect silent problems, but do not think that just because you get a physical every couple of years, there is nothing lurking inside you that could cause problems. We're not that good.

[Jay]

If it feels good do it.

[Kelly Jessop]

(I've seen it set at 200 - your age) several times a week.

Good advice.

220 - age is max heart rate. % of that number based on moderate or vigorous exercise

[Sludge]

I've seen it set at 200 - your age

220 - age is max heart rate.

Yeah, Kelly's number is more realistic. Lynne's puts me at 144bpm. I do that just looking at my wife in a bikini.

[kwinter]

Actually max rate has to be adjusted as you get older. Approaching 60 it is more like 208 minus 70% of your age. It gives a slightly higher rate. Then use 50%-85% of that figure for your target depending on fitness and intensity of exercise.

[TONY CHANEY]

I am at 51 and very active. I workout almost every day, I do my regular MD checkups, and stay on my high blood pressure meds. My buddies know that I have high blood pressure issues and my wife knows what I enjoy doing.

For us health care providers: please put on the back of you wrist slate or wet notes your name, NOK, birth date, blood type, code status and any meds that you are on.

[Randy G]

If it feels good do it.

Live like it's your last day and plan on seeing the sunrise again. No one gets out of this game alive.

[kensuf]

Good advice.

220 - age is max heart rate. % of that number based on moderate or vigorous exercise

OK -- first disclaimer -- before embarking on any physical fitness regimen, see your physician to make sure your able to handle the stress of that physical activity.

That rule doesn't hold true for all people. Some estimates claim that rule only holds true for about 20-25% of the population. I know from personal experience, my max HR is well over 200bpm -- I have several capture logs from bike races where I averaged ~190bpm for 45-60 minutes, with peaks above 200, and I was around 40 at the time. And last summer, at the tender age of 45, I hit 206 during a workout.

The Karvonian formula for calculating HR zones gets you closer into the ball park. http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com...e-reserve.html

However, the best way to really find out your HR zones is by having a blood lactate test done at a sports performance clinic. If you're in Gainesville, I highly recommend the people at the UF Sports Performance Center. The test runs $150, takes about two hours, and you'll know your real physiological zones. Full warning, getting this test done is one of the most painful experiences I have ever endured. http://www.ufsportsperformance.com/e...itness-testing

Best of luck to you guys.