Being 85

Love, the only reason that we’re alive

And none of us should have to wait until we’re 85

– IN-Q, 85

On Memorial Day, Grady and I visited my Dad. He’s 85. I wanted to see him before my ride across the country. During our visit, he made Grady giggle – she has the cutest giggle – and I signed him up for my daily text messages so he could track my whereabouts.

Here’s how he responded to one of the texts this week. It’s awesome sauce!

Lately, I’ve spoken to several clients about how they wish to be when they are 85. It’s not something we seriously think about in our 30s, 40s, and early 50s because it’s too far away. It seems old. It’s how I felt about 50 when I was 25, but 50 is cool beans.

How do you wish to be at 85?

My hunch is that you wish to be independent and healthy, right? I’m sure you don’t want to be in a nursing home. So if independence is your goal, how do you need to be at 85? Or another way of looking at this is, what causes 85-year-olds to lose their independence?

I spent most of my corporate career supporting the elderly. After living with my Mom’s health decline and passing in ’21 and listening to longevity gurus, the keys to independence are:

Cognitive Wellness – i.e., executive function, memory
Stress Management – i.e., mindfulness, connection
Physical Wellness – i.e., balance, mobility, strength
Nutritional Wellness – i.e., the when, what, and how much
Sleep Wellness – i.e., duration, quality

In today’s day-trading culture, these usually get addressed only when a kerfuffle arises, which requires extreme measures that don’t work well enough.

Unfortunately, we decline over time. Sorry, it’s true. That’s why it’s essential to start now to help you arrive at 85 with vitality. Think of it as your health 401K – small contributions consistently over time compounds nicely.

As you can imagine, I’ve received many questions about my ride, and most of them focus on my readiness or the start, which is essential, but it’s not my focus. I’m spending more time visualizing how I will be when I finish in Yorktown, Virginia. It’s my 85 for the ride.

They say that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and I will add that the best time to start working on your retirement health is today, but I acknowledge that playing the long game is challenging in today’s society.

That’s one of the reasons I created our newest “I Can Do Hard Things” Ripple Challenge™ to inspire you to get after something that will lead to your happiness and perhaps follow my Dad in getting to a healthy 100. You can sign up for our challenge by clicking RIPPLE.

If you are interested in learning more about what I’ve been doing to help me finish my ride as strong as I start and other deets about my journey, I will share more on Zoom at 7 pm eastern tomorrow (June 6th). It’s free, and you can register by clicking RISE.

Until next week have fun storming the castle!

I don’t wanna be 85, singing

Oh, no, I think I missed it, I was chasing money

I don’t wanna be 85, singing

Oh, no, I got a big house, but my heart is hurting me

– Andy Grammar, 85

Michael

p.s., You can join my Dad in getting my free daily text messages at 503-487-5957.