#568 How Old Would You Be

In our last +1, I sent out an official invitation to my 100th birthday party.

I hope you marked your calendar: May 22, 2074. It’s a Tuesday so I’ll be hammering my 4.5 hours of Deep Work in the AM and plan to go to bed early. So… I’m thinking 3:00 in the afternoon for the festivities. Excited to see you and please don’t forget to send me an invitation to YOUR 100th birthday party!! 🤓 🎂 ← That, of course, is a sugar- and flour-free quasi-cake!

btw: Although we’re obviously being playful with that, I’m also (obviously) being serious.

I actually think of our amazing neighbor when I type that. Her name is Ruth. She’s 94. She reminds me of my grandmother. She also happens to be blind. But that doesn’t stop her from cruising into her garage every morning to ride her bike. (These days I think she’s hammering two-a-days and hitting the bike in the afternoon as well!)

Emerson and Eleanor and I like to cruise into her garage and say “Hi!” when we’re out on our morning adventure and happen to see her riding her bike. I love to hold her hand while we chat. And, she loves to touch Emerson’s head to see how tall he’s getting while Eleanor reaches out her hand the moment we cross the threshold to her garage—knowing that that’s how she’ll be able to say “Hi” to Ruth.

Ruth’s birthday is April 24, 1924. I let her know how excited I am to celebrate her 100th birthday with her. We laugh with joy at the prospect every time we chat about it.

So… Please get that invite for YOUR festivities in the (e)mail to me!! Thanks!!

Today we’re going to talk about another little idea from Maffetone’s Endurance Handbook.

He tells us: “The ageless Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Satchel Paige said it best: ‘How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?’ Too many people would say they feel or look older than they are. If that is the case, you can change it.”

That’s Today’s +1. Two parts.

Part 1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? Seriously.

Think about that for a moment. -> How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?

Part 2. Do you know that you can literally get younger while you age? It’s true.

Your CHRONOLOGICAL age starts the moment you were born and continues to progress with every second of every day.

BUT…

Your BIOLOGICAL age can actually go in the other direction Benjamin Button style. Your biological age refers to how old you feel/how healthy you are. It’s influenced by all the (micro!) lifestyle choices we talk about Optimizing every day. How we eat. How we move. How we sleep. How we deal with challenges in our lives. Etc. Etc. Etc. Those little things add up and they’re either making us “younger” or older.

So… One more time…

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?

And, how’s your biological age vis-a-vis your chronological age? Do you feel OLDER than your age or YOUNGER than your age?

Practically speaking: What’s one little thing you can do to turn back the clock and get a little younger today?

High fives to you and your aging youthing self!