There are a lot of men and women who have distinguished themselves and quietly left the stage early, by deciding to not overstay their welcome or risk not going out at the top of their game. In doing so, they’ve also cleared the way for a successful transition for new blood. Then, there are others whose performance, even at a stage of life when so many others have moved on, still maintain a high level of excellence.
Names that come to mind among those who’ve decided there was still much work to do include 89-year-old Jane Goodall, a woman whose work with primates remains unparalleled. Rita Moreno, at 91, has blazed a trail in movies, television and stage, inspiring generations of young Latinas and others with her remarkable legacy. Long-time United Farm Worker icon Dolores Huerta, at 93, has remained a beacon in the labor movement for more than seven decades. And there’s more.
The list is long with incandescent stars in the arts, science, literature and politics. This eclectic list includes Clint Eastwood, Dr. Anthony Fauci, David Attenborough, Willie Nelson, John Williams, Nancy Pelosi. All are in their 80’s or 90’s yet remain dialed into their highly demanding disciplines. Then there’s Joe Biden, an 80-year-old who has, arguably, the toughest job in the world, President of the United States.
Biden’s career in public service includes 36 years in the Senate, eight more as Vice President and now, serving in his third year as the nation’s chief executive, he continues to plow ahead with a list of legislative accomplishments—lowering inflation, creating record numbers of jobs, signing major legislation—that many argue is the most impressive list of any president ever. Of course, there may be no way to quantify that description. Earlier presidents may have been equally formidable but because they were not part of a 24-hour news cycle it is a difficult comparison.
The many examples of long, productive lives—as attested by the aforementioned names—is, perhaps, a small sample size, but they are not unique. There are men and women in every community who continue to exceed expectations daily. They work at their craft, volunteer or, otherwise, remain active both physically and mentally.
While genes play a major role in long life, so too, does a healthy lifestyle, says a study by the Harvard School of Medicine. The decades-long study has five recommendations for healthy and productive golden years.
It recommends a healthy diet, daily physical activity, maintaining a healthy body weight (consult your physician to learn what that may be for you), avoiding tobacco and maintaining moderate alcohol intake, generally no more than one drink per day.
The research, conducted by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and included more than 78,000 women and 40,000 men over a course of 28 years, concluded that by following its guidelines, life span for women could be extended by as much as 14 years, 12 for men. Those who follow none of these recommendations, the study concluded, were “far more likely to die prematurely from cancer or cardiovascular disease.”
The country’s most visible senior citizen is Joe Biden and, despite the pressures of his job, has seemingly found a healthy balance between work and leisure.
In a Washington Post story, President Biden’s daily regimen seemed to align with the Harvard recommendations. He begins each day with exercise, including lifting weights and meeting with a personal trainer. On off-time he regularly bikes, both on traditional bikes and a Peloton. His office hours begin at nine a.m. and end around seven.
The President also manages his diet with a preferred lunch of soup and salad. Of course, even a presidential diet has deviations and Biden’s is chocolate chip cookies. He also is said to be a fan of orange Gatorade and Coke Zero.
Another factor in achieving longevity, according to a National Institute of Health study, is stress. Among older Americans stress adversely impacts quality of life and contributes to an accelerated aging process. Exercise is one way of relieving stress, an emotion that few can escape but most by following an active daily routine can usually manage. The NIH research found a direct link between “chronic psychological stress and mental disorders, such as depressive disorder, and post-traumatic disorder (PTSD).”
There is an old saying that goes, ‘No one wants to get old, but no one wants to die.’ As history has proved, we have some control over the former, but little say over the latter. Still, while we might aspire, very few of us will ever replicate the accomplishments of a single American nun.
At age 86, Catholic nun Sister Madonna Buder continues to compete in Ironman contests. The Ironman consists of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and topping it off by running a marathon—26.2 miles. She has completed 45 Ironman feats. She has also competed in more than 400 triathlons, similar competitions but with slightly different category challenges.
The octogenarian nun is certainly an anomaly. She’s doing amazing things for people in any age group! But today’s America has plenty of examples of people who consider age nothing more than a number and continue to contribute in significant ways.
But science says there is a limit on how long we can live. We are, after all, machines—amazing machines, at that. But we are still hostage to the same aging process that has existed forever. But again, thanks to science, we are in a far better moment than the one that existed not that long ago. `
In 1861, when the Civil War broke out, the average lifespan in America was 39.4 years. That figure reflected life expectancy for both men and women. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control, that number has nearly doubled to 76.4 years of age. Women, says the CDC, have a life expectancy of 79.3 years, while men average 73.5.
