An aging pilot

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 03:42:57 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

So I've reached my 46th year fairly unscathed. I've still never missed a
day of work, ever, and I'm rarely under the weather. In fact, I feel great.

Still, now that I'm solidly in middle age, I find that my cholesterol is too
high, I could stand to lose 15 pounds, and, at my most recent check-up, my
blood pressure was a touch high, for the first time.

bloody hell, I'm not alone in the world. :-)

In short, the inevitable effect of aging is starting to show itself.

bull****. the effects listed above are due to poor lifestyle choices,
lack of effective exercise and poor diet. unless you have some wierd
genes those characteristics are not age related.

To combat this I've been doing daily weight training with my 14-year old son
for over 9 months. I've built muscle mass and stamina, and (for the first
time in 20 years) my back isn't on the verge of "going out" all the time.

weight training is actually a poor choice. the muscles being exercised
are too small and really all you are doing is exacerbating
hypertension.
a better form of exercise is swiming because it uses more muscle
groups. the best dry land exercise is walking. this gives the long
muscles of your body a chance to burn off fat. you should aim to just
raise a sweat by the end of the walk and gradually build up the
distance walked. if you walk hard enough to experience pain then you
are in lactic acid production and your system has tripped over into
anaerobic metabolism. this is ineffective for weight loss. try to
maintain a pace which just raises a sweat but doesnt hurt. this will
see you maintaining aerobic metabolism which is best for weight
reduction. you will find that the after effects of a good walk are a
slowed heart rate and lower blood pressure for a good many hours
afterward.

btw dont try to lose weight too fast or your health may suffer. stage
it out over a year or so.

I've passed the CAP cadet requirement for running a mile (even though, as a
senior member, it wasn't required), just to show my kid that "the old man"
could still do it.

moderation my boy or the comment you made may come true.
(I darn-near died... ;-)


So, all things considered, I guess I'm doing okay for an old, balding white
guy.

your greatest asset is realising that you need to change your
lifestyle to improve your health.

My biggest concession to age has been my vision, which has always been a
weak point. (It kept me from joining the Air Force.) Although I'm still
corrected to 20/20, I'm going to need bifocals at my next check up for sure
(boy, that danged sectional is just about impossible to read), and I am
plagued with more and more floaters every year. Low-contrast backgrounds
(like an overcast) make it very difficult for me to spot traffic.

some of that is age related (the change in focal length) make sure
that you are getting adequate nutrition and a balanced diet. vitamin A
deficiency can cause night blindness and general eyesight impairment.
it would be an easy thing to get on top of. make sure you see a doctor
to ensure that you dont have a correctable problem starting there.

Since life is a terminal condition, it's only natural that whatever is
deteriorating will continue to do so -- although I assume there are various
things pilots can do to compensate. At some point, however, the lines on
the graph intersect, and you've got to quit flying. Question is, when?

the oldest man to requalify for a class 1 instrument rating was 99
years old. the oldest man to fly as pilot in command of a private
aircraft was 103. my mate tom flies his Thorp T18 as though it was on
rails. Tom turns 80 in 2 weeks time. you are selling yourself short.

For those of you farther down life's trail than I, what have you done to
maintain your edge? Any tips on staving off old man winter as long as
possible?

well I'm 6 years older than you and like you faced the need to do
something to regain my fittness after 7 years in a job with 1 week per
month restraunt meals and sitting at a computer desk the rest of the
time.
the inevitable 50th birthday sacking from the technology job has given
me the opportunity to study for a degree in nursing, what I'm actually
doing is studying to retain my medicals.:-)
you can change your health around if the damage isnt permanent. your
body is a wonderfully adaptive mechanism if you stick at it.
good balanced diet, adequate aerobic exercise, passionate interest in
what you are doing. those are the secrets to a long healthy life.

And for those of you who have hung it up, what made you do it? When did you
know it was time?
dont be such a sorry arsed pessimist. there is actually evidence out
there that associates pessimism with poor health outcomes.
you know its time when you are no longer breathing, until then never
give up.
I wouldnt give advice I'm not doing myself.
Stealth Pilot
Australia.