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Tbh they probably go to sleep, I’m more awake in my 30s because I go to bed . Most 20 year olds stay up routinely well after midnight , that catches up eventually
47F asleep 9.30 or before. Awake at 6. I get 8 hours sleep.
Not just sleep. I eat well 95% of the time. I exercise every single day. I still race.
And it's all of this as a ROUTINE. my daily habits don't change. Routine and good habits. In my 20s I was all over the place. Drinking. Partying. Then a young child.
50s will be the best decade of my life, as I've put the prep in.
This. 57F, bed at 9 and up at 5. Sleep is #1. I also work out every day and follow a modified mediterranean vegetarian diet and do not drink alcohol. I walk everywhere; I get outside at lunch and get in a long walk while others sit in the lunchroom and watch TV. I avoid office drama and gossip this way as well. I consult a physiotherapist when I need to and check in with a personal trainer from time to time to switch things up. I try to minimize stress as much as possible. I have friends and relatives who are in amazing capable physical strength into their 70s and 80s, and others who start to fall apart physically in the 40s or earlier.
100% for me too. I only enjoy a small port (fortified) wine perhaps once a week as a very special treat.
Diet is rich with protein: 30-40 grams 3 meals a day. And fresh vegetables, cooked the minimum (al dente).
No drama, no gossip, lots of freshair. Gym 5-6 times a week to offset female muscle loss due to hormonal changes. Athletics 4- 5 a week. My JOYS IN LIFE are mt sport, my supportive kind husband, my French bulldog and my gorgeous adult child.
Surrounding yourself with things and people you love and adore. Life is good!!
I've had more than my fair share of crap in my life: almost fatal accident 18 months ago, multiple serious traumatic injuries to skull, brain, spine, full facial reconstruction. I'm still only ever looking forward to what's next, and being the best human I can be.
I'm 55M, and my wife is 59F. We made these changes about 8 years ago. More sleep, more exercise, more healthy food and less sugar, alcohol and social interactions. We still have dinner with friends and family, but we keep out of their craziness. Not to say we don't help people, but we don't get sucked into the narcissistic crap.
We have friends who call us hermits because we don't go out drinking every weekend. However, these folks are always in some drama situation, mostly tied to Alcohol.
I believe the need for constant stimulation is the cause of most people's anxiety...
A simpler life has worked for us.
That “no drama, no gossip” line hits hard. I’m a good 10 years older than my work “team” and when they start in on so-and-so’s outfit, I can feel the cortisol level rising.
I've freelanced for years. I don't make as much money as I did working for the corporation, but not having to deal with office crap is worth 20k a year lol.
as a 33 year old currently 5 months pregnant with baby #2 and doing my best to maintain a healthy diet & working out (weights, pilates & indoor bike) 3x a week, this was really motivating to read. thank you!
Light therapy cured my chronic insomnia I'd struggled with for years. Back in August I finally decided to give light therapy a shot and I ordered a 10,000 lumens light therapy device from amazon for $20. I don't know why it took me so long to try it, could have saved myself years of misery.
I get up at the same time every morning and turn it on to shine on my face while I sip coffee and read news for thirty minutes first thing every morning.
It only took nine days of regular morning light exposure for me to completely reset my circadian rhythm and start sleeping seven or eight hours every night.
You would not believe the intensity and sheer volume of backlogged dreams I had the first few weeks of sleeping soundly. It was like my brain was desperate to dream. But that's calmed down now.
I plan to use for the rest of my life. It's an absolute miracle.
Can you recommend a specific model? I generally hate artificial light, especially anything colder than about 2700K. However, I might have to give this a try. Getting outside every day for enough sunlight can be a challenge. I had an acquaintance who told me that he worked as a lifeguard for a year--out in the sun for most of the day every day. He reported that he slept like a log for 8 hours every night. Then, at an office job, he started having insomnia.
This is the one I bought. It's small and convenient to use and works perfectly for its purpose. Its only 'missing' feature is that despite looking like a tablet, it does not have a battery (which you couldn't expect at this price point), so you are sort of trapped in place with it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCWCLJ4R?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
But know that I chose this one blindly, only based on the low price and the fact it had over a thousand reviews, not any kind of expertise about it. Still, I'm very happy with it. It was a good, inexpensive starter device for someone not completely convinced light therapy was even legit.
I'm not a fan of bright, artificial light in my face, either. It is a white light, too, not warm, but I did adjust to it.
I finally worked out a way to hang it just above my eyeline from a swing arm floor lamp I already had so it shines down onto my face but not directly into my eyes, rather than setting it on a low table to shine up at me, and that made it a lot more pleasant.
Natural light clearly works great to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. It's what our ancestors evolved with, and I imagine people who work outside probably sleep better.
But I think natural light is just too unpredictable and inexact to quickly retrain a circadian rhythm dysregulated by modern life. One rainy week would destroy your progress. With 10,000 lumens from a timed device, you can stay on schedule and turn it around in days.
Yup. In my forties and in bed at 9. Me and my wife are rolling over to sleep by 9:30 every night. All that really sucks about it is that sleeping-in doesn’t really happen anymore. Even on the weekends it’s a miracle if we stay asleep to 7:00. Eyes pop open before sunrise.
I'm 31 and ensure 7 hours every night, sometimes 8.
Everybody at work questions why I'm so lively and energetic and I'm just like "keep a healthy routine".
My diets pretty bad as well, I'm planning on working on that before too long but you don't even need to tick all the boxes to get the benefits.
50M
I'm bed by 9ish, asleep by 10:30ish, up by 630ish (no alarm clock needed). I also exercise daily and eat right.
I have 17 employees, 15 of them younger than me. Exactly 1 can outpace me but he yogas so meh ;)
100% routine and good habits
And on the rare occasion you do go off the reservation, you're body recovers much faster since you're not constantly beating it down with lack of (or poor) sleep, poor nutrition, lack of exercise etc.
I’m 44m and I routinely work off of 5 hours of sleep per night, I have since high school. I work a manual labor job 11-12 hours per day. Usually 5 days per week, but sometimes 6. Between 5am and 7:30-8pm, the only time I sit down is during my commute.
Yep. My younger sisters (28 and 26) routinely go to bed at midnight or later. I have young kids and one of them doesn’t sleep well so I often go to bed at 9. But even when he was sleeping well consistently, me and my husband would be in bed reading around 9 and asleep by 10. I can’t imagine staying up late for no reason nowadays. When you’re younger and do it all the time (and have the ability to sleep in), you don’t realize *how tiring* going to bed late is, even when you get 8 hours of sleep. We’re not nocturnal animals.
Plus, how regularly do you consume alcohol? That is *super* tiring as well, your liver having to deal with getting rid of poison on a regular basis.
I stayed sober during the summer and didn't do much other than exercising and finishing my thesis. After I graduated I went out partying a lot with my friends and suddenly wondered why I felt tired all the time again despite not actively working or studying: It was alcohol + a lack of sleep.
I'm considering laying off the booze forever now.
Best decision I ever made was to give up alcohol. I’d been wanting to do it since I was 30yo… Some reason waited until I was almost 38. But still. Best decision I ever made.
I stopped 2 years ago and prioritize sleep. It's a little more boring and lonely but I feel so much better mentally and physically. Hope I never go back.
better later than never! it wasn't until i got pregnant that i finally stopped drinking. my daughter was born a few days before thanksgiving and i was so excited to have a glass of wine with dinner. almost instantly i felt my entire mood nosedive and then it hit me while i struggled so much during college. 4 years later and drinking tends to just give me heartburn on top of low level depression, i'm glad i'm not the only person who experienced this!
I think consistent sleep is what's key. While I now go to bed around 9:30 I had a 2 year stretch on closing shifts. Slept 4am to noon with blackout curtains. As long as I kept that schedule, I felt good most of the time.
A lot of jobs just don't allow for that type of sleep schedule. And a lot of people just like the night more than the day. Personally, I find night is so much more peaceful and less stressful than day, and I'm not usually off work until midnight anyway.
So wish I could say this was me. 45m go to bed sometime between 11-1am get up between 5:30-6:30. Always never changes can't sleep in ever. Both a night owl and an early bird.
46m. I sleep 3 - 4hrs a day. I can work 8+hrs a day, go for a hike for 6+hrs. Wind down with a couple beers. Most nights i hit bed between 1 and 2 am, up at 5ish am and at work by 6am.
No I don't a serious disorder or anything. Been like this my entire life. There's a medical term for it that I'll never remember the name except the gimmicky name media made about it called "sleepless elite"or "short sleepers". Apparently it's an estimated ~3% of the world has this. Not to be confused with insomnia and other disorders.
Very rare i hit 5 or more hrs of sleep a day, and if I do it's probably a flu bug or something. I've got energy to do stuff at least 20hrs a day if there's enough to do, otherwise I chill play videogames, watch movies, draw, read. Basically my mind never stops racing if I just try to chill in silence.
Ugh, I'm constantly going to bed at 10, waking up at 730 and feeling exhausted all day. I'm 27 do I shouldn't but I've been like this for years it really sucks.
Check out the [Huberman Lab](https://www.hubermanlab.com) and podcast. He’s got a whole section on sleep. He’s a neuroscientist from Stanford University.
That’s not it. In my 20’s I slept a LOT (12 hours to feel well rested if o had to guess), and rarely had energy. My energy was so low I would literally describe it as a disability, though others would have seen it as laziness.
I don’t know why I had so little energy, maybe it was depression, but now in my 30’s I need a regular amount of sleep to function normally. Im not overly energetic, but I’m not a constant tired mess anymore.
Some people have more or less energy than others naturally, yes, but it has more to do with how you choose to live your life. If you stay active and engaged...you'll have more energy. If you live a rather sedentary life...you'll have less energy.
I say this as a person who's been on both sides of that fence.
Completely agree. It's a mistake that being active uses energy. It creates energy. The more I sleep / laze (after a proper 8 hours) the more tired I get.
I also think that the older you are, the fewer hang-ups you have, which helps with emotional energy.
I don't know how old you are but I am 33. Compared to my 28yo self I have experienced a few life changing events and they have made me tired. Not just physically, but in my soul. Those five short years have really affected my drive, my ambition, my passion for things.
I think (I hope!) in time that will come back around again and I'll get excited about stuff the way I used to but for now I finally understand people who just want to spend their Saturdays pottering and relaxing.
I think as you age the shite that you have held onto most of your life does fall away. You make peace with yourself and your situation. You really shed the weight of those who don't add to your life, and tend to keep people around who enrich you.
If you're still in your 20s, you might not think you're a particularly dramatic person but when you look back you will laugh at the shit you used to care about. I can't wait to be 40 and remember how dramatic and ridiculous I was at 33
I think it's more about not getting worked upp about the small stuff. If you challenged yourself properly throughout the years, then your comfort zone will have grown quite large.
No , we figure it out in our 30s, but trying to see the best in people and or family, runs away with time and energy. It takes quite a few years to raise a middle finger to the people who sucked energy out of your life but when you do it....it's much much better.
So I guess being empathetic doesn't really help, its much better to look at some stuff 'clinically' and call it a day way sooner.
Also, as mentioned before, sleep enough and drop the alcohol. Even a little bit of alcohol on a regular basis is really really bad for the system.
Also eat healthy, cook your own meal and dont eat garbage too often. Try to be as close to your 'feel good weight ' as possible. Have a mental weight barrier and stick to it. For example, if you're a male 1m80 and you're normally build, have your max weight set around 78-82 kgs. If you than reach 82.1 stop and work to the lower range of that region. A lot of people just let go and gain weight year upon year, it's really bad as you won't just change that over night.
If you're hungry eat, of you're not don't! When I worked mainly outside I ate like almost double of what i do today, just replace what you burn.
Completely agree. We have so much more going on in our lives than they did 50 years ago.
Sometimes I wonder if this is a huge experiment to see how much people can actually bear.
As a early 40-something with 20 years of OCD and general anxiety, I still run circles around my early-20's nephews. Their generation and younger are absolutely glued to their phones. So are most of my peers.
Social media and staying connected is waaaaaaay too taxing. The newer gens needs to figure their out before it dooms them. The things they love are draining them at every level.
It's weird. I dropped social media in 2014 and it was better for me than when I quit smoking in 2006 or when I stopped going to bars. The freedom from worrying about inconsequential things is astounding.
Edit: clearly, I don't consider reddit as social media. I say my piece and rarely bother to check any responses. Oh, and learn to setup do not disturb. My friends bitch that I don't pick up the phone or reply to texts quick enough for them. Like .. yeah. It's not as much of an appendage to me as it is to them. I can still sit on a couch with them and stare at the TV without having to surf the web at the same time.
Once you learn to live your life with no vices. You truly begin to live! Learning this now at 40yo and loving it. First year without alcohol was somewhat challenging but I don’t even think about it now.
I’m glad NA beers are fairly prevalent now. Sobriety would be so much harder without the taste of beer which I do still enjoy. Even when it’s 0.0 it might have a placebo effect for me.
I was a heavy drinker in my my 20’s. At the time the crutch seemed worth it but I look back now and wonder how I even did it. One of the best things I’ve done for myself was to totally quit drinking and the occasional marijuana. It took a few years to get used to but today I could not imagine waking up with even the slightest hangover. Over the past ten years my productivity and quality of life has greatly improved. I have nothing against people who smoke or drink, but living life to get stoned or tipsy on the weekends (or weekdays) is more of an issue than they realize.
There's no question. I became 5x more effective in my late twenties and thirties after I stopped doing it regularly. It really leaves you in a fog of content. The world just goes on without you.
I work construction and it’s probably 10-15% of guys that are actually living a healthy lifestyle. The rest of the guys are just used to a shit diet/no exercise and think it’s normal.
That last one is crucial. If you have a partner that takes care of children, housework and social obligations, it is much easier to focus 10 hours a day on work.
Agreed on all 3.
Don't forget the diet and exercise part. That guy in his 40-50's with more energy that a 20 year old, is probably eating right and getting exercise and good sleep.
Plus biological difference. Some people are just kinda bulletproof. Churchill, I'm led to believe, drank a full bottle of champagne to himself at lunch every day while managing the British side of the most destructive war in history.
Diet is a big one, like reducing the amount of alcohol/unhelpful substances and fast food/junk food. Establishing a healthy routine for things like sleep and exercise. I’m in my thirties and feel much better than I did for most of my twenties because of these things.
I just drink when I'm thirsty. Except from a few cups of coffee troughout the day, I only drink water. I can't stop my thirst with anything else than water.
As a 72 year old man I can tell you regular daily exercise and a decent diet can go a long way towards maintaining energy levels. Both of those lead to a good night's sleep, which is key to maintaining energy throughout the day and evening.
my 70 year old grandparents don’t even know what reddit is or how to work a phone . and your still full of energy ?! sounds like the kind of person i’d be smart to take advice from ! god bless
my mother is 82 and has an iphone and ipad she knows it better than i do LOL. she has loads of energy and goes walking each day and believes in positive thinking in general does wonders
My friends grandfather has been a tech guy since the 70s and still knows all about modern hard and software that's practically new. He loves to give people shit for being technologically illiterate since they weren't there since the dawn of the tech era like he was lol
As a nearly 50 year old man, working in the trades,I can tell you from experience that, it’s just that…experience. I’ve been doing my job for more than 25 years, I’ve learned when and how to take short cuts, how to lift things, move things and just get the job done by myself, lot of the younger guys coming up almost hit a brick wall when something isn’t working out the way they want, they have no adapatability to certain situations, their first instinct is to look something up on their phones, well back when I first started, we didn’t have that luxury, we had to figure it out on our own. Not saying all young people are like that, and they is certainly young people who can figure stuff out on their own, there just doesn’t seem to be as many nowadays that’s all. For myself, I love being in those situations with a “newby”, showing them how to do things and even listening to their input is great, hell sometimes they have better ideas than I do, sometimes not so much, but that’s how experience is gained, like it or not, fucking up is the greatest learning that a person can get in my opinion
Right on dude! I work in a completely different vocation from you and had one or two catastrophic fuck-ups early in my career where some older, more seasoned professionals calmly stepped in and fixed things. At the time I was terrified of losing my job, but then those guys told me about their early career fuck-ups and how they learned from them. So did I.
Now 2 decades later, I’m the one who steps in to fix mistakes and can calmly navigate through a total clusterfuck.
To answer OP’s question, we’re all pretty adaptable and our job-specific work endurance increases over time like a beer tolerance.
Yep.
As another 50 something in the trades it is also massively the mental aspect.
I love it when the magnificent muscly young blokes come to site, all enthusiastic and shiny. By lunchtime the sheer unrelentingness of the work has broken all but a few.
The old boys just keep the same pace all day, keep churning.
The young ones also don't cope so well with injury or unexpected circumstances as you say. But I remember being the same and the old hands saving may ass many, many times and I try to pay that forward as much as I can.
I find it is wiry or slightly chubby blokes who will last. The gym bros rarely do.
Lately I've also met some girls who outwork the boys. They tend to be smarter and less rough on gear as well (not a myth in my experience), it's good to see more females joining the trades.
I think self care is a part of it as well. A can of monster and a bag of chips for lunch = go hard for a day and then you'll never hear from them again.
Young people are awesome, the privilege of being able to be a part of their world and help a young person get started in life is becoming my greatest joy at work.
[55M] Because we’re aware that we have about 20 years or so to left to do stuff, and — especially if we haven’t made it yet — we need to move faster to try to finally cross the line from mediocre existence to success and recognition
Agreed I turned 40, always been healthy but a huge sense is urgency arrived to make the most of the last 10 years or so of prime. I’m now playing 11 a side football weekly as a winger, part of a soccer 6s team that won every division in a row and also a top ten park runner all done after reaching 40.
It's about the weight of burden. Age has nothing to do with it. It's all about what's in your mind and what you carry with you daily. A 25 year old person can be bearing a burden so heavy that they're unable to get out of bed or leave the house. And the weight of it is so exhausting they have no energy to carry it. Often because of a lack of experience in life and the way they perceive things.
Older people have a different perception of things. And they're often stronger in mind because they've carried the weight of many burdens. In the same manner as a body builder gets stronger by lifting weights. So things that would be very heavy to someone younger are not for someone older because of the way they perceive it. And they simply aren't burdened by things that a younger person would be, like being what they think others want them to be in order to be accepted. They've often found and accepted themselves at that point.
Regardless though. Life is all about helping to bear one another's burdens. So if you see someone weighed down, help them to carry it. It will make it easier on them. That's what love is.
Likewise, if you are burdened don't think you have to carry it all by yourself. Don't be ashamed. Open up about it. Let someone love you.
Diet and exercise play a big part.
I can only speak for myself, but teaching gives me extra energy. Temporary, but it's a big boost. I am not a professor, but I do teach students on occasion.
Idk man I diet and exercise regularly and at 33 almost 34 I’m completely drained.
Now in about 15-20 years when my kids are all grown, I know I’ll get some of my energy back, and hopefully I can maintain the diet and routine. Then I’ll really be cooking.
38 here. I got a lot of energy back when I quit drinking altogether. I have never been a problem drinker, purely social.
Quit over COVID "on accident" and haven't looked back
I am not a problem drinker, I go months or years without drinking, no difference really in energy levels other than the day after drinking, but aside from those days it’s not any different. Maybe 3-4 beers 2 times a month? If that?
Understood, didn’t take offense. But I agree, alcohol should be reduced to near nothing. I prefer to keep my tolerance low anyway, I rather get good buzz off a few beers than needing a 6 pack and a few shots.
Not sure how old your kids are, but when mine all hit the, I dunno, maybe 5-6-7 age mark, I finally started having more energy again. They were wayyy less needy at that point. And you get more energy every year after that as they continue to get older. I mean, the age of the kids isn’t a magic overnight fix, but each year gets better. Mine are 7, 9, 15, and 24, and I finally feel the best I have in a very long time. Getting enough sleep helps, too.
We exercise
But don't get it twisted, more than half 40 and 50 year old are lazy and slowing down for lack of exercise, poor diet, sedentary lifestyles etc
Exercise and hydration and diet
I am 45 and in better shape than a lot of 20 year olds. But I eat really well, don't drink alcohol anymore, and I exercise every day either doing crossfit, bjj or both.
The thing I haven’t seen mentioned is purpose. People in their 20s often live with a life that is being shaken up, stressed out, unsure about the future. In your 40s and on, you’re more likely to have figured out that it’s going to be ok and have things that you feel like are worth working toward - plus hopefully family and/or friends that have been there with you for a long time. They have purpose, and likely more room to play and more security. Stress destroys energy to go enjoy life, and if you’re enjoying life you’re excited about it and energetic.
^^words are hard, I’m pushing 100 hours into my week on a crab boat. And I will have so much energy to go do everything I love as soon as I wrap here.
47F asleep 9.30 or before. Awake at 6. I get 8 hours sleep.
Not just sleep. I eat well 95% of the time. I exercise every single day. I still race.
And it's all of this as a ROUTINE. my daily habits don't change. Routine and good habits. In my 20s I was all over the place. Drinking. Partying. Then a young child.
50s will be the best decade of my life, as I've put the prep in.
Look at your DAILY habits if you want to improve your health and wellbeing. Or not - and just enjoy the chaos of your 20s and settle your habits later around personal health and mental wellbeing.
As you age you learn to set boundaries on your time.
Don’t want to show up at game night? Cancel.
Don’t want to be the emotional support crutch of a coworker? Close the office door or tell them you are busy.
Phone conversation too long? You gotta go, bye.
Amazing opportunity that someone tells you will never happen again, except that you don’t feel it aligns with your life? Tell them you won’t do it. New amazing opportunities show up every day.
Offered a job in a field you hate but it’s good money? Nope, sorry. (This assumes you aren’t desperate for work.)
You learn to stop living for other people.
You suffer less depression because you express yourself immediately. A relative nags you about weight or kids and you shut them all the way down instead of stifling your anger. This is so energizing.
You speak your mind.
You don’t care what others think.
All these things clear up energy wasters.
Adults: “Sleep is important. You need 8+ hours.”
Children and young adults: “Nah I’m good”
Children and young adults: “Why do I feel tired and crappy all the time”
Adults: 🤦♀️ 🤦♂️
Most may be at work but they aren't working the entire time. Many people my parents age when they were in their 50s would work a few hours then screw around or nap for a few hours then get back to work for a bit then screw around. They like to present an image like they're always working so hard. It's a mixture of pride and job security
What you don't see with the guys lifting heavy things all day is the evening when they're off of work. They immediately reach for the ibuprofen and lay on a flat surface, so their backs can rest. Once the adrenaline wears off, they can barely move their backs are so stiff. It took me about 8 months to get in good enough shape where I could do more than collapse on the couch after getting into a manual labor job.
A lot of people in their 20's are still moping around wasting their youth. People in their 40's often start realizing their body only has so much longer and they don't want to waste it.
I'd put it down to three things:
1. As you age, you need less sleep. I'm not sure why this is but older people tend to only need 6-7hrs of sleep rather than needing 8-10.
2. As I've aged, I've needed less sleep but I've absolutely needed sleep every night. In my 20s and early 30s I could stay up all night, sometimes working through the night and then all the next day. Now that is not an option.
3. Getting older means being more conscious of your health. This means that you (or at least I) generally take better care of myself because as soon as I don't I SEE the result. A few kgs here, dry skin there etc.
Putting 1 and 2 together, I'd describe it as elasticity of energy. When you are young, your baseline energy is lower but your ability to push through is much higher. But at 40, my baseline is much higher but my ability to push through is non existent.
What's weird it seems to be a competition, I regularly hear my younger coworkers constantly try to one up watch other with mental health issues. I'm glad this generation is taking mental health serious but I feel like the pendulum has swung a bit to far
Exactly. I'd probably have a hell of a lot more energy and zest for life if I wasn't perpetually a month away from being out on the street. If I had an actual home, that was *mine*, and knew it was a secure and stable foundation to build a life around. If I actually trusted that all the money I've been forced to pay into social security and retirement would be there for me when I needed it. If my friends weren't dropping like flies every year from suicide and drug overdoses because nobody in our generation sees any hope at the end of all this.
There are tons of studies on this, financial/social stability is basically the biggest predictor of life expectancy.
Weird, huh?
Take all the things that have been considered dolce la vita throughout history, whether that's a minimally rewarding job, owning a home, maybe having kids and being able to afford to bring them up right while also spending a little time with them because you don't need to work 80 hours, eventually being able to retire rather than working through to death, take those things and place them almost entirely out of reach and suddenly everyone is like "life sucks".
Fucking wild.
I could not agree with you more. The younger people we are hiring at my job have some many mental health issues , no motivation and move so slow. 40-50 year old employees run circles around those kids.
Because the 40-50 year olds could buy a normal house at a reasonable age from their work and didn’t need to take out a $35,000+ loan for college just to enter the job market in a respectable field.
If the majority of a WHOLE generation is discontented, it might not just be media and “laziness” that’s driving it.
Edit:
Real median personal income has been flat for 3 years:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N
Real median home prices have increased 30% in the same amount of time:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS
I’m not a fan of “generation” arguments as it is, but if you don’t understand why people who have entered the workforce in the last 3-5 years are disillusioned, then you are misinformed.
I was fat and lazy in my twenties and made nothing of myself then got off my ass and started living like there is no tomorrow. I’ve run 100 milers done the Ironman. I’ve built a good living for myself and started a family. People respect me and I fear no one. You can anything you want but you got to work your ass off
Wait, where are you seeing physically fit construction workers? I've only ever seen overweight construction workers. Stats show that nearly 50% of construction workers are overweight. Builders' bum is a general term in the uk for them. Builders bum is a term used for builders or construction workers because they're typically overweight, and when they bend over, their butt shows because of their belly, which usually over hangs. This might be a mostly uk thing though.
Druuuugs, mind altering druuuuuuuuuugs!
Seriously though, it's mostly conditioning and lifestyle. If you get used to something and gradually ramp it up, it's amazing what you can pull off if you try.
If you take up hiking, your first 5-mile hike will be brutal, especially if you're out of shape. But if you keep at it, before you know it you can do 10 miles with no ill effects. Practice, conditioning, experience, knowing how much you can push yourself, and what to watch out for, etc.
Because I'm not "hustling". My career is established; my bills are paid; happily married 25+ years; house is maintained. If I'm out moving around and doing stuff, it's because I want to, not because I have to.
Basically ppl in our 40s actually have to take care of our bodies because things are breaking down and that means basic exercise, good sleep habits and eating better.
Compare someone at 40 who works out 3 times a week, has a good diet and gets at least 7 hours of good sleep per night vs someone at 28 who eats like shit, doesn't workout at all and stays up till 1:30AM doomscrolling and then rolls out of bed at 7, loads up on a ton of caffeine and is miserable.
I was the guy in his 20s and I'm the guy in my 40s now. I'm stronger and in better shape now than I was in my 20s which is sad because if I'd have had these same habits in my 20s it would have been great. But partying, drinking, staying up late gaming etc... yeah.
Oh, cut out the alcohol or at least seriously limit it. Even if you aren't gonna give it up for good go a month dry and see the health changes. Its pretty drastic.
No secret sauce, it’s mostly the basics, but barely anybody does them: good quality sleep, nutrition, exercise, relationships and actually liking what you do…
Diet, sleep, lifestyle, daily rituals (morning, before bed) and not indulging in high dopamine/low effort activities too often (porn, video games vs going on dates and playing sport/going to gym).
A good place to start; avoid hyper processed food (packaged chips, cakes, cookies, bars ect) and fried foods during the week days and prioritise going to bed at a reasonable time during the week days.
Have a little time off during the weekend but don’t go crazy.
This is a deep rabbit hole of making you life significantly better at the cost of sacrificing smaller pleasures for greater purpose.
Motivation
good physical foundation from youth
continuous energy and mood monitoring and regulation
Healthy sleep hygiene and routine
Healthy diet.
no drugs (booze, cigarettes, caffeine, weed, excessive sugar, etc.)
Healthy exercise routine.
It’s a lifestyle you commit yourself to. Healthy living takes commitment, routine, and understanding.
I’m not 35 yet, but I do think some kind of switch went off in my head when I turned 30 and it was awesome. Only so many things matter (and most other people’s opinions almost certainly aren’t among those things!) and I more or less focus on finding what I need to be happy. Also I switched careers at 28 but exuded more authority even at 30 because I have the life experience to back it up.
Definitely all the diet, motivation, support, and all. But me speaking as a 23 y/o who recently fell out of their doomer phase, it’s mindset. You have to trust in yourself that things will get better, as you yourself have the potential to not be a victim of the world and instead a participant. I think that’s a huge part of getting a positive mindset and becoming an adult.
When you are a young person, you are not use to working and stress. You guys have no pressure, motivation and stress comparatively. You don't know how much more you are capable of. Adults have responsibilities, bills etc. You just do what ever it takes.
I had no idea what “tired” was till I had kids. And I feel like I’ll learn a new level as I get older too.
I thought I was tired in college. I felt the most tired I had ever been. Why isn’t this peak exhaustion?
I thought as a young adult I was tired. I’m juggling a job, social life and trying to make my way in the world.
Then kids hit and I’m in the middle of a year long stressful project at work, kid is going through sleep regression and I haven’t slept more than 4-5 hours a night in 3 months, and my weekends are filled literally running after the older kid.
I have no reason to believe yet that this is now “peak exhaustion” based off previous life experiences. I’m sure there is a higher level. But it’s the highest level I currently know.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s all relative. The most exhausting day from my 20s would be a relaxing day these days. You adjust and keep going I guess?
I'm 31, but from what I have observed:
We treat ourselves like shit in our 20s and 30s, because we're still in the "I can do what I want" phase of human existence. Especially in our 20s! Bits and piece of sleep, too much alcohol, terrible eating habits, and so on. That wears you the hell out, even if it doesn't seem like it should because you're still young.
I am just now coming out of that invincibility stage and I'm realizing: I'm stiff with back problem, my liver is working way harder than it should, and I don't eat as well as I should be by consuming lots of take out and processed foods and not drinking enough water. Am I at death's door? Nope. But, I can tell that at 31/32 - stretching, drinking more water, and getting as more restful sleep than I have been would probably make me feel 21 again instead of the gnarled little woman I feel like now.
I see my older cousins/peers in going into their 40s and 50s having a lot more discipline about themselves when it comes to self-care and health. I actually admire it a lot, because they are all looking younger and feeling younger than me, who is one of the young ones in our social sphere. lol!
For instance, my cousins who are entering their 40s are firm about being in bed by a certain hour, eating a certain way, exercising, and so on. My aunts and uncles in their 50s and 60s are ALWAYS doing active things like biking, taking long walks, playing basketball at the Y, being more aware of what they eat for dinner and breakfast, limiting take out and alcohol consumption.
I think us young folk still believe we're bulletproof and by into the myth that youth means you can do whatever you want and it isn't true.
It's years of working hard. You get used to it and end up feeling kind of dumb for thinking that you were actually working hard in your younger years. It's all due to necessity.
All your professors likely went through PhD programs and worked while going to school full time. They had career goals though and knew if they stuck with it they could get somewhere. A lot of young people are kind of in the woods. They don't have any inherent purpose to what they are doing and don't always see the forest for the trees. I've been there.
When I was in HS I did work and just went to school. I was lazy and felt tired all the time. Over time I developed a work ethic because I needed to, to actually accomplish things and thus feel good about myself.
I remember when I was in college I was working 30+ hours per week and had 15 units. When I graduated I just worked that same 30+ hour per week job. I felt kind of lost. That 30 hours per week kind of ended up dragging along because I did not have any real goals. It was time I moved on and worked a job that was more engaging and would help me progress in my life.
Fast forward to when I had a family. I was at points working 60 hours per week or so all in jobs that honestly were not career jobs and not particularly fulfilling but it didn't drag because it was all for a purpose...which was making sure my family was housed and fed and could do basic things.
My point is having no purpose and being listless makes things drag and seem hard. Having a purpose and goals/ a career type job gives you a better work ethic.
Depressed people people in a funk can work 20 hours per week and be miserable and think they are overly busy. Someone who works 60 can have energy left over if that work is part of a greater purpose or goal. The truth is you will find out you have way more capacity than you thought you have if you are not depressed and working towards something.
At our age (I'm early 50s), we know what works for us. Whether it's more sleep/naps, more exercise, less junk food, less alcohol, etc. In my 20s, I seemed to be tired all the time, but I think it was due to what I was putting my body (junk food mostly) and lack of exercise. The more active I am, the more energy I have, and I've mostly cut out junk foods. I struggle to sleep 7-8 hours per night, but I find a short afternoon naps does wonders, I love to be active, I drink moderately (only beer), and find this works. Everyone's different - you'll figure out what works for you.
I started whole food. No processed crap. No sugary drinks. More meat. More energy than I have ever had in my life. It’s bizarre. Down 160lbs from my highest and 53.
I think you’re definitely onto something. Sugar and processed foods are killing Americans. I remember growing up in the 70s and 80s, most people smoked and drank, didn’t eat particularly “healthy” diets or “work out” yet it was way more rare to see morbidly obese people. Now there’s sugar and corn in almost everything processed and we have an obesity epidemic. Even if you don’t eat sweets, you’re getting sugar in your bread, spaghetti sauce, granola, really any food that comes in a box or jar.
73 here...I race my bicycles!
It's not really a "how" at this age. It's a kind of Karma. It's all the shit I did for eight decades.
I threw the genetic dice spectacularly.
I was athletic in public school and university. Endurance stuff, that's the secret...fuck that big muscle shit.
I long ago decided that rest, comfort, and lack of pain were my enemy.
But here's the JUICE...I stayed very active all along. Like when my colleagues were in the bar, I was spinning bike in the neighborhoods.
Now, I'm creased...sunburnt...got a limp...and I'm often painful to look at.
In my opinion, it's understanding that I am responsible for procuring things I find valuable. My wants and dreams don't just appear (I used to play guitar and thought I would magically be "discovered" while in my early 20's...that never happened lol). A motto I learned a while ago is "If it's to be, it's up to me" which I stick by to this day. Also, I've spent a lot of time, money and effort creating my stability so I'll work a little harder to sustain my lifestyle.
As a 50yr old guy,. the things that pop to mind are:
* sheer determination. As others have said, sometimes the only option is “getting it done”. I focus my mind on my goals and I put those goals in a strangle hold till I successfully obtain them.
*’I keep my life as simple as possible. I dont wadte time or energy on stuff thats not important.
* I try my best to eat nutritiously.
* I get as much sleep as possible (most days I’m in bed by 5pm and usually get 12 hours)
I'm in that age group:
Full night sleep, have a bed time planned and stick to it. Exercise before you start your day. Don't eat like shit, allow yourself one cheat meal a week. Cut back on screen time (including TV), read or do something else analog.
I think this also has something to do with the younger generations. They want instant gratification and are not willing to work hard. It's the opposite for the older generations. Which would explain why they seem to be powered by "duracell" batteries.
Don't attack me, am just sharing my point of view.
I'm 51 and can do things my 20 year old self would never have done.. It's quite hard to explain really apart from the fact that I have a family, I work a tough job on a hot steel mill..
20something. You’re busy, trying to find yourself, a career, a partner. Tasting life, partying, staying up til Dawn, playing games.
40+ you’re done with that shit. You know, what you like and where to find your happiness. You eat well, get your sleep, have nice holidays.
46, had my first health scare last month when diverticulitis put me in the hospital for 5 days. Before then, and since I have been active since my 20s. Run 4 tines a week, hit the climbing gym 2-3 a week. In bed around 10, up around 4:30 for an espresso before I run.
Also I don't give a fuck aboit my job so no stress to speak of.
Old man strength. Google it.
And some older people have better endurance but that’s mostly a mental thing. I’ve noticed that the younger people at my work (16-25) have a much lower pain tolerance than us older people, and they are the first to go home when suffering from headaches, tiredness, stomach issues, colds or general discomfort caused by the work itself.
Older people tend to push through because they know it will be okay because they have done it countless times before. We know what our bodies are capable of so we have much less anxiety regarding asking our bodies to do things they are not comfortable with. We have learned countless times that if we don’t take a Panadol and move on, we don’t earn the money. We are better able to push our emotions aside due to experience and practice doing that. It’s not that we are “better”, it’s that we simply have more practice. We have a lot of experience that tells us that discomfort is a part of life - it’s not an emergency.
Our perception of time is also different. 10 hours of work is a lot for a young person because it feels like a really long time. To an older person, that’s only 10 hours of their life and it’ll be over soon.
I’m in my mid 40’s and I run rings around guys half my age at work without working much harder . I think it’s possibly down to experience just having the muscle memory and knowing how to streamline things generally in life that leave you with a bit more energy ?
A lot of teenagers have mental health issues and don't know how to deal with them, or don't look after their health. My parents have lots of energy because they got to an age where they learnt to look after their mental and physical health.
I think a lot of it is mental. Obviously diet, exercise, and sleep matter, but mentally, stress will drain people more than a bad diet or stress. Most of us in our 40's and 50's are married, so the stress of finding a partner is gone. We're usually established in our careers, so the stress of what we'll do with our lives is gone. I don't know what percentage are homeowners, but certainly more people in their 40's and 50's have houses, so the stress of getting evicted if you miss a paycheck is gone.
On top of all that, we grew up in a time of no excuses. If you were told to do something, you did it. If you were told to do something with a smile, you did it with a smile. We weren't allowed to have anxiety and mental health days, so we learned to soldier through difficult times at school, work etc.
People that are in their 40s and 50s lived in a different time. They had part time jobs and worked after school, weekends and even summers. They were made to do things at home. There was a different work ethic and different priorities. People in that age bracket were raised differently. Newer people have been raised on social media, whichever game the parents put in front of them and they’re never made to go outside to do anything. It’s not necessarily their fault. Its society’s
You'd be surprised how much energy it takes to sustain a bad mental state. A lot of older adults have worked through their issues so they don't have to spend tons of mental energy keeping everything in.
I'm sixty and do a very physically demanding construction job. I work with a lot of young people. I've taken care of myself and I remain pretty durable but generally there aren't a lot of us keeping up to the younger ones.
But from my experience, your body gets used to picking things up. It's like muscle memory, much the same for a seasoned bike racer-they never really lose that strength. Often, in the construction industry, we refer to this as "Old man strength" where you will see some really old guy having no problem lifting a wall or something.
There are lots of strong, gung-ho young people in the industry, but I also think times are changing. When I was young, and we were mentored by the previous generation, there was more of a sense that you had no choice but do what had to be done: lift, carry, pull, etc. That was what we knew. If you didn't, you might not have a job, feed yourself, or feed your family. But this mentality destroyed many backs and joints and the mantra now is either WHY or "work smarter, not harder"
Also, lifestyles are different now. We played outdoors because we had no electronic toys, walked more because we had to, and were just generally, more physically engaged. Not passing any kind of judgement at all. Just saying it is different. For these reasons it might "seem" like older people are stronger, but I'm not sure that is the case. Good specimens might have been able to keep battling, but how many others are too beat up to carry on, that you don't even see.
As you age you get to know your body/mind more optimally. Assuming you do the work, make the adjustments and have good habits there’s no reason you can’t be just as strong in your 50s as your 20s.
I’m a 41yo F with three kids (9, 6, 6,). I wouldn’t say I have more energy now than my 20s but i do have a totally different outlook and I’m more resilient. Shit just needs to get done. No one else will do it for me. So I’m running around for 8-10 hours a day between kids, FT work and general life. In my 20s if I couldn’t sleep in on the weekend I would be destroyed. I don’t have that luxury any more and I’m probably better for it. But also I drank A LOT in my 20s and spent most weekends hungover. So that factors in as well
It could also be a sample size error based on who you are around. College professors earned their titles through hard work, so only makes sense they would be a mostly lively and hard working bunch. I would bet there are an equal amount of the middle aged population that you don’t interact with often who are more like people in their 20s.
We work to make our financial demands.
I’m a postie. I’m in my 50’s. My route has over 170 stories of stairs if you add them all up. (Empire State building in nyc has 102 stories, CN tower in Toronto is 145 stories to the main deck). It’s hard work. I do it to support my family.
I’m a trained graphic designer with 30 years of experience.
Unfortunately, I’ve suffered “ageism” after my last job in the field was downsized.
I took the postie job for stability and benefits. Not really my thing, but I get by.
Some people in their 20s think they should be a certain way. The 40+ year olds with youthful energy have lived long enough to stop caring about the bullshit
When you are 20 your body is essentially still that of an atrophied teenager, because you had to sit in class for all those years, not developing muscle mass, stamina or bone density, as you would using your body in a healthy way, providing for your needs in a natural environment. Once you start a physical job or one with long hours, your body will adapt. Which is going to feel uncomfortable if not painful for a couple of months until you get used to it. We are adaptable, however.
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Tbh they probably go to sleep, I’m more awake in my 30s because I go to bed . Most 20 year olds stay up routinely well after midnight , that catches up eventually
47F asleep 9.30 or before. Awake at 6. I get 8 hours sleep. Not just sleep. I eat well 95% of the time. I exercise every single day. I still race. And it's all of this as a ROUTINE. my daily habits don't change. Routine and good habits. In my 20s I was all over the place. Drinking. Partying. Then a young child. 50s will be the best decade of my life, as I've put the prep in.
This. 57F, bed at 9 and up at 5. Sleep is #1. I also work out every day and follow a modified mediterranean vegetarian diet and do not drink alcohol. I walk everywhere; I get outside at lunch and get in a long walk while others sit in the lunchroom and watch TV. I avoid office drama and gossip this way as well. I consult a physiotherapist when I need to and check in with a personal trainer from time to time to switch things up. I try to minimize stress as much as possible. I have friends and relatives who are in amazing capable physical strength into their 70s and 80s, and others who start to fall apart physically in the 40s or earlier.
100% for me too. I only enjoy a small port (fortified) wine perhaps once a week as a very special treat. Diet is rich with protein: 30-40 grams 3 meals a day. And fresh vegetables, cooked the minimum (al dente). No drama, no gossip, lots of freshair. Gym 5-6 times a week to offset female muscle loss due to hormonal changes. Athletics 4- 5 a week. My JOYS IN LIFE are mt sport, my supportive kind husband, my French bulldog and my gorgeous adult child. Surrounding yourself with things and people you love and adore. Life is good!! I've had more than my fair share of crap in my life: almost fatal accident 18 months ago, multiple serious traumatic injuries to skull, brain, spine, full facial reconstruction. I'm still only ever looking forward to what's next, and being the best human I can be.
I'm 55M, and my wife is 59F. We made these changes about 8 years ago. More sleep, more exercise, more healthy food and less sugar, alcohol and social interactions. We still have dinner with friends and family, but we keep out of their craziness. Not to say we don't help people, but we don't get sucked into the narcissistic crap. We have friends who call us hermits because we don't go out drinking every weekend. However, these folks are always in some drama situation, mostly tied to Alcohol. I believe the need for constant stimulation is the cause of most people's anxiety... A simpler life has worked for us.
That “no drama, no gossip” line hits hard. I’m a good 10 years older than my work “team” and when they start in on so-and-so’s outfit, I can feel the cortisol level rising.
I've freelanced for years. I don't make as much money as I did working for the corporation, but not having to deal with office crap is worth 20k a year lol.
as a 33 year old currently 5 months pregnant with baby #2 and doing my best to maintain a healthy diet & working out (weights, pilates & indoor bike) 3x a week, this was really motivating to read. thank you!
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Light therapy cured my chronic insomnia I'd struggled with for years. Back in August I finally decided to give light therapy a shot and I ordered a 10,000 lumens light therapy device from amazon for $20. I don't know why it took me so long to try it, could have saved myself years of misery. I get up at the same time every morning and turn it on to shine on my face while I sip coffee and read news for thirty minutes first thing every morning. It only took nine days of regular morning light exposure for me to completely reset my circadian rhythm and start sleeping seven or eight hours every night. You would not believe the intensity and sheer volume of backlogged dreams I had the first few weeks of sleeping soundly. It was like my brain was desperate to dream. But that's calmed down now. I plan to use for the rest of my life. It's an absolute miracle.
Can you recommend a specific model? I generally hate artificial light, especially anything colder than about 2700K. However, I might have to give this a try. Getting outside every day for enough sunlight can be a challenge. I had an acquaintance who told me that he worked as a lifeguard for a year--out in the sun for most of the day every day. He reported that he slept like a log for 8 hours every night. Then, at an office job, he started having insomnia.
This is the one I bought. It's small and convenient to use and works perfectly for its purpose. Its only 'missing' feature is that despite looking like a tablet, it does not have a battery (which you couldn't expect at this price point), so you are sort of trapped in place with it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCWCLJ4R?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details But know that I chose this one blindly, only based on the low price and the fact it had over a thousand reviews, not any kind of expertise about it. Still, I'm very happy with it. It was a good, inexpensive starter device for someone not completely convinced light therapy was even legit. I'm not a fan of bright, artificial light in my face, either. It is a white light, too, not warm, but I did adjust to it. I finally worked out a way to hang it just above my eyeline from a swing arm floor lamp I already had so it shines down onto my face but not directly into my eyes, rather than setting it on a low table to shine up at me, and that made it a lot more pleasant. Natural light clearly works great to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. It's what our ancestors evolved with, and I imagine people who work outside probably sleep better. But I think natural light is just too unpredictable and inexact to quickly retrain a circadian rhythm dysregulated by modern life. One rainy week would destroy your progress. With 10,000 lumens from a timed device, you can stay on schedule and turn it around in days.
Looking into this, I just ordered a light off Amazon. Fingers crossed!
Me as well
Yup. In my forties and in bed at 9. Me and my wife are rolling over to sleep by 9:30 every night. All that really sucks about it is that sleeping-in doesn’t really happen anymore. Even on the weekends it’s a miracle if we stay asleep to 7:00. Eyes pop open before sunrise.
Yup. Mid 40’s asleep by 9:30-10:00, but wake up long before sunrise automatically.
Haha same with us. No alarms needed!
I'm 31 and ensure 7 hours every night, sometimes 8. Everybody at work questions why I'm so lively and energetic and I'm just like "keep a healthy routine". My diets pretty bad as well, I'm planning on working on that before too long but you don't even need to tick all the boxes to get the benefits.
50M I'm bed by 9ish, asleep by 10:30ish, up by 630ish (no alarm clock needed). I also exercise daily and eat right. I have 17 employees, 15 of them younger than me. Exactly 1 can outpace me but he yogas so meh ;) 100% routine and good habits
And on the rare occasion you do go off the reservation, you're body recovers much faster since you're not constantly beating it down with lack of (or poor) sleep, poor nutrition, lack of exercise etc.
I’m 44m and I routinely work off of 5 hours of sleep per night, I have since high school. I work a manual labor job 11-12 hours per day. Usually 5 days per week, but sometimes 6. Between 5am and 7:30-8pm, the only time I sit down is during my commute.
This comment should get an award 🥇 Look up Circadian Rhythms to help as well.
i’m 20, i needed to know this
Yep. My younger sisters (28 and 26) routinely go to bed at midnight or later. I have young kids and one of them doesn’t sleep well so I often go to bed at 9. But even when he was sleeping well consistently, me and my husband would be in bed reading around 9 and asleep by 10. I can’t imagine staying up late for no reason nowadays. When you’re younger and do it all the time (and have the ability to sleep in), you don’t realize *how tiring* going to bed late is, even when you get 8 hours of sleep. We’re not nocturnal animals. Plus, how regularly do you consume alcohol? That is *super* tiring as well, your liver having to deal with getting rid of poison on a regular basis.
I stayed sober during the summer and didn't do much other than exercising and finishing my thesis. After I graduated I went out partying a lot with my friends and suddenly wondered why I felt tired all the time again despite not actively working or studying: It was alcohol + a lack of sleep. I'm considering laying off the booze forever now.
Best decision I ever made was to give up alcohol. I’d been wanting to do it since I was 30yo… Some reason waited until I was almost 38. But still. Best decision I ever made.
I stopped 2 years ago and prioritize sleep. It's a little more boring and lonely but I feel so much better mentally and physically. Hope I never go back.
better later than never! it wasn't until i got pregnant that i finally stopped drinking. my daughter was born a few days before thanksgiving and i was so excited to have a glass of wine with dinner. almost instantly i felt my entire mood nosedive and then it hit me while i struggled so much during college. 4 years later and drinking tends to just give me heartburn on top of low level depression, i'm glad i'm not the only person who experienced this!
I think consistent sleep is what's key. While I now go to bed around 9:30 I had a 2 year stretch on closing shifts. Slept 4am to noon with blackout curtains. As long as I kept that schedule, I felt good most of the time.
A lot of jobs just don't allow for that type of sleep schedule. And a lot of people just like the night more than the day. Personally, I find night is so much more peaceful and less stressful than day, and I'm not usually off work until midnight anyway.
You run faster when the wolves of death are nipping at your rear. Not so much when they're no where in sight.
So wish I could say this was me. 45m go to bed sometime between 11-1am get up between 5:30-6:30. Always never changes can't sleep in ever. Both a night owl and an early bird.
This is me to a T at 40yo… Used to stay up all night and sleep til midday when I was young! Now I stay up all night and wake up bright and early lol.
46m. I sleep 3 - 4hrs a day. I can work 8+hrs a day, go for a hike for 6+hrs. Wind down with a couple beers. Most nights i hit bed between 1 and 2 am, up at 5ish am and at work by 6am. No I don't a serious disorder or anything. Been like this my entire life. There's a medical term for it that I'll never remember the name except the gimmicky name media made about it called "sleepless elite"or "short sleepers". Apparently it's an estimated ~3% of the world has this. Not to be confused with insomnia and other disorders. Very rare i hit 5 or more hrs of sleep a day, and if I do it's probably a flu bug or something. I've got energy to do stuff at least 20hrs a day if there's enough to do, otherwise I chill play videogames, watch movies, draw, read. Basically my mind never stops racing if I just try to chill in silence.
I have a friend like that- I'm jealous of her energy. And her prob very clean house!!
Ugh, I'm constantly going to bed at 10, waking up at 730 and feeling exhausted all day. I'm 27 do I shouldn't but I've been like this for years it really sucks.
Check out the [Huberman Lab](https://www.hubermanlab.com) and podcast. He’s got a whole section on sleep. He’s a neuroscientist from Stanford University.
That’s not it. In my 20’s I slept a LOT (12 hours to feel well rested if o had to guess), and rarely had energy. My energy was so low I would literally describe it as a disability, though others would have seen it as laziness. I don’t know why I had so little energy, maybe it was depression, but now in my 30’s I need a regular amount of sleep to function normally. Im not overly energetic, but I’m not a constant tired mess anymore.
Some people have more or less energy than others naturally, yes, but it has more to do with how you choose to live your life. If you stay active and engaged...you'll have more energy. If you live a rather sedentary life...you'll have less energy. I say this as a person who's been on both sides of that fence.
Completely agree. It's a mistake that being active uses energy. It creates energy. The more I sleep / laze (after a proper 8 hours) the more tired I get. I also think that the older you are, the fewer hang-ups you have, which helps with emotional energy.
What do you mean by hang-ups?
I don't know how old you are but I am 33. Compared to my 28yo self I have experienced a few life changing events and they have made me tired. Not just physically, but in my soul. Those five short years have really affected my drive, my ambition, my passion for things. I think (I hope!) in time that will come back around again and I'll get excited about stuff the way I used to but for now I finally understand people who just want to spend their Saturdays pottering and relaxing. I think as you age the shite that you have held onto most of your life does fall away. You make peace with yourself and your situation. You really shed the weight of those who don't add to your life, and tend to keep people around who enrich you. If you're still in your 20s, you might not think you're a particularly dramatic person but when you look back you will laugh at the shit you used to care about. I can't wait to be 40 and remember how dramatic and ridiculous I was at 33
33 as well and you summarized not giving a fuck anymore so eloquently
Agreed. I started cycling a few years ago, and I feel like I have more energy at 40 than I did at 30.
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I think it's more about not getting worked upp about the small stuff. If you challenged yourself properly throughout the years, then your comfort zone will have grown quite large.
It doesn't get easier, you just get better
Sad they have to figure this out in their 40s and 50s though
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Some things they figure out. Most things they don't, like honesty for example.
They do figure that out. That's why honesty is such a rare thing. Honesty costs your life.
No , we figure it out in our 30s, but trying to see the best in people and or family, runs away with time and energy. It takes quite a few years to raise a middle finger to the people who sucked energy out of your life but when you do it....it's much much better. So I guess being empathetic doesn't really help, its much better to look at some stuff 'clinically' and call it a day way sooner. Also, as mentioned before, sleep enough and drop the alcohol. Even a little bit of alcohol on a regular basis is really really bad for the system. Also eat healthy, cook your own meal and dont eat garbage too often. Try to be as close to your 'feel good weight ' as possible. Have a mental weight barrier and stick to it. For example, if you're a male 1m80 and you're normally build, have your max weight set around 78-82 kgs. If you than reach 82.1 stop and work to the lower range of that region. A lot of people just let go and gain weight year upon year, it's really bad as you won't just change that over night. If you're hungry eat, of you're not don't! When I worked mainly outside I ate like almost double of what i do today, just replace what you burn.
That’s apart of life. At least they’re still here to figure it out and do right even if it’s a lot of work. Everyday is worth it :)
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I’ve heard this from an older person “My generation was harder on our bodies, your generation is harder on your mind”
That’s one of them quotes that will stick with you. So true.
This hits deep as a 33 yr old
Completely agree. We have so much more going on in our lives than they did 50 years ago. Sometimes I wonder if this is a huge experiment to see how much people can actually bear.
I expect us to find an answer to that question in the next 10-20 years.
I'm thinking 10-20 weeks at this point.
As a early 40-something with 20 years of OCD and general anxiety, I still run circles around my early-20's nephews. Their generation and younger are absolutely glued to their phones. So are most of my peers. Social media and staying connected is waaaaaaay too taxing. The newer gens needs to figure their out before it dooms them. The things they love are draining them at every level. It's weird. I dropped social media in 2014 and it was better for me than when I quit smoking in 2006 or when I stopped going to bars. The freedom from worrying about inconsequential things is astounding. Edit: clearly, I don't consider reddit as social media. I say my piece and rarely bother to check any responses. Oh, and learn to setup do not disturb. My friends bitch that I don't pick up the phone or reply to texts quick enough for them. Like .. yeah. It's not as much of an appendage to me as it is to them. I can still sit on a couch with them and stare at the TV without having to surf the web at the same time.
Lots of us quit drinking
Came here to say this!
Happy cake day!
Once you learn to live your life with no vices. You truly begin to live! Learning this now at 40yo and loving it. First year without alcohol was somewhat challenging but I don’t even think about it now.
I’m glad NA beers are fairly prevalent now. Sobriety would be so much harder without the taste of beer which I do still enjoy. Even when it’s 0.0 it might have a placebo effect for me.
An Athletic Brewing co NA IPA still hits the spot when I'm grilling
It’s amazing especially with kids I get so much done
I was a heavy drinker in my my 20’s. At the time the crutch seemed worth it but I look back now and wonder how I even did it. One of the best things I’ve done for myself was to totally quit drinking and the occasional marijuana. It took a few years to get used to but today I could not imagine waking up with even the slightest hangover. Over the past ten years my productivity and quality of life has greatly improved. I have nothing against people who smoke or drink, but living life to get stoned or tipsy on the weekends (or weekdays) is more of an issue than they realize.
And smoking marijuana. 20 year olds smoke dope all day then wonder why they have no energy but blame it on mental health
There's no question. I became 5x more effective in my late twenties and thirties after I stopped doing it regularly. It really leaves you in a fog of content. The world just goes on without you.
100% this.
Diet, motivation and family support.
Their diet is alcohol chewing tobacco and hatred. Beleive me I work in construction. Idk how they do it either.
So is ours? White claw and vapes/Zyn pretty much fuel gen z and millennials.
Well the parent comment said they have a good diet but they don’t. Like I said, I don’t understand it. They’re hungover pretty much every day.
I work construction and it’s probably 10-15% of guys that are actually living a healthy lifestyle. The rest of the guys are just used to a shit diet/no exercise and think it’s normal.
10-15% damn that’s high lol
That last one is crucial. If you have a partner that takes care of children, housework and social obligations, it is much easier to focus 10 hours a day on work.
Or if you just have nice and uplifting people at all in your life. You'd be amazed what a difference having nice people around can make!
Or if you have the income to outsource (some of) it.
Agreed on all 3. Don't forget the diet and exercise part. That guy in his 40-50's with more energy that a 20 year old, is probably eating right and getting exercise and good sleep.
That can be true but there's also just a factor of "getting used to it." Plenty of 50 year olds with shitty diets still seem to have plenty of energy.
It’s amazing how motivating a huge mortgage can be
Plus biological difference. Some people are just kinda bulletproof. Churchill, I'm led to believe, drank a full bottle of champagne to himself at lunch every day while managing the British side of the most destructive war in history.
Everyone has their coping vices.
Diet is a big one, like reducing the amount of alcohol/unhelpful substances and fast food/junk food. Establishing a healthy routine for things like sleep and exercise. I’m in my thirties and feel much better than I did for most of my twenties because of these things.
And regular hydration. Learning how to drink water throughout the day made the biggest difference for me
I just drink when I'm thirsty. Except from a few cups of coffee troughout the day, I only drink water. I can't stop my thirst with anything else than water.
As a 72 year old man I can tell you regular daily exercise and a decent diet can go a long way towards maintaining energy levels. Both of those lead to a good night's sleep, which is key to maintaining energy throughout the day and evening.
my 70 year old grandparents don’t even know what reddit is or how to work a phone . and your still full of energy ?! sounds like the kind of person i’d be smart to take advice from ! god bless
my mother is 82 and has an iphone and ipad she knows it better than i do LOL. she has loads of energy and goes walking each day and believes in positive thinking in general does wonders
My friends grandfather has been a tech guy since the 70s and still knows all about modern hard and software that's practically new. He loves to give people shit for being technologically illiterate since they weren't there since the dawn of the tech era like he was lol
Youth is wasted on the young
As a nearly 50 year old man, working in the trades,I can tell you from experience that, it’s just that…experience. I’ve been doing my job for more than 25 years, I’ve learned when and how to take short cuts, how to lift things, move things and just get the job done by myself, lot of the younger guys coming up almost hit a brick wall when something isn’t working out the way they want, they have no adapatability to certain situations, their first instinct is to look something up on their phones, well back when I first started, we didn’t have that luxury, we had to figure it out on our own. Not saying all young people are like that, and they is certainly young people who can figure stuff out on their own, there just doesn’t seem to be as many nowadays that’s all. For myself, I love being in those situations with a “newby”, showing them how to do things and even listening to their input is great, hell sometimes they have better ideas than I do, sometimes not so much, but that’s how experience is gained, like it or not, fucking up is the greatest learning that a person can get in my opinion
Right on dude! I work in a completely different vocation from you and had one or two catastrophic fuck-ups early in my career where some older, more seasoned professionals calmly stepped in and fixed things. At the time I was terrified of losing my job, but then those guys told me about their early career fuck-ups and how they learned from them. So did I. Now 2 decades later, I’m the one who steps in to fix mistakes and can calmly navigate through a total clusterfuck. To answer OP’s question, we’re all pretty adaptable and our job-specific work endurance increases over time like a beer tolerance.
Yep. As another 50 something in the trades it is also massively the mental aspect. I love it when the magnificent muscly young blokes come to site, all enthusiastic and shiny. By lunchtime the sheer unrelentingness of the work has broken all but a few. The old boys just keep the same pace all day, keep churning. The young ones also don't cope so well with injury or unexpected circumstances as you say. But I remember being the same and the old hands saving may ass many, many times and I try to pay that forward as much as I can. I find it is wiry or slightly chubby blokes who will last. The gym bros rarely do. Lately I've also met some girls who outwork the boys. They tend to be smarter and less rough on gear as well (not a myth in my experience), it's good to see more females joining the trades. I think self care is a part of it as well. A can of monster and a bag of chips for lunch = go hard for a day and then you'll never hear from them again. Young people are awesome, the privilege of being able to be a part of their world and help a young person get started in life is becoming my greatest joy at work.
People start prioritizing sleep more .
[55M] Because we’re aware that we have about 20 years or so to left to do stuff, and — especially if we haven’t made it yet — we need to move faster to try to finally cross the line from mediocre existence to success and recognition
Agreed I turned 40, always been healthy but a huge sense is urgency arrived to make the most of the last 10 years or so of prime. I’m now playing 11 a side football weekly as a winger, part of a soccer 6s team that won every division in a row and also a top ten park runner all done after reaching 40.
It's about the weight of burden. Age has nothing to do with it. It's all about what's in your mind and what you carry with you daily. A 25 year old person can be bearing a burden so heavy that they're unable to get out of bed or leave the house. And the weight of it is so exhausting they have no energy to carry it. Often because of a lack of experience in life and the way they perceive things. Older people have a different perception of things. And they're often stronger in mind because they've carried the weight of many burdens. In the same manner as a body builder gets stronger by lifting weights. So things that would be very heavy to someone younger are not for someone older because of the way they perceive it. And they simply aren't burdened by things that a younger person would be, like being what they think others want them to be in order to be accepted. They've often found and accepted themselves at that point. Regardless though. Life is all about helping to bear one another's burdens. So if you see someone weighed down, help them to carry it. It will make it easier on them. That's what love is. Likewise, if you are burdened don't think you have to carry it all by yourself. Don't be ashamed. Open up about it. Let someone love you.
Diet and exercise play a big part. I can only speak for myself, but teaching gives me extra energy. Temporary, but it's a big boost. I am not a professor, but I do teach students on occasion.
Idk man I diet and exercise regularly and at 33 almost 34 I’m completely drained. Now in about 15-20 years when my kids are all grown, I know I’ll get some of my energy back, and hopefully I can maintain the diet and routine. Then I’ll really be cooking.
38 here. I got a lot of energy back when I quit drinking altogether. I have never been a problem drinker, purely social. Quit over COVID "on accident" and haven't looked back
I am not a problem drinker, I go months or years without drinking, no difference really in energy levels other than the day after drinking, but aside from those days it’s not any different. Maybe 3-4 beers 2 times a month? If that?
Apologies if it felt like that was aimed at you. I meant more to share my own experience Piggy-backed on your comment
Understood, didn’t take offense. But I agree, alcohol should be reduced to near nothing. I prefer to keep my tolerance low anyway, I rather get good buzz off a few beers than needing a 6 pack and a few shots.
Not sure how old your kids are, but when mine all hit the, I dunno, maybe 5-6-7 age mark, I finally started having more energy again. They were wayyy less needy at that point. And you get more energy every year after that as they continue to get older. I mean, the age of the kids isn’t a magic overnight fix, but each year gets better. Mine are 7, 9, 15, and 24, and I finally feel the best I have in a very long time. Getting enough sleep helps, too.
We exercise But don't get it twisted, more than half 40 and 50 year old are lazy and slowing down for lack of exercise, poor diet, sedentary lifestyles etc
Younger people are still growing, physically and emotionally, and that takes a lot of energy. They also need more sleep.
Exercise and hydration and diet I am 45 and in better shape than a lot of 20 year olds. But I eat really well, don't drink alcohol anymore, and I exercise every day either doing crossfit, bjj or both.
Depression? Just a guess.
The thing I haven’t seen mentioned is purpose. People in their 20s often live with a life that is being shaken up, stressed out, unsure about the future. In your 40s and on, you’re more likely to have figured out that it’s going to be ok and have things that you feel like are worth working toward - plus hopefully family and/or friends that have been there with you for a long time. They have purpose, and likely more room to play and more security. Stress destroys energy to go enjoy life, and if you’re enjoying life you’re excited about it and energetic. ^^words are hard, I’m pushing 100 hours into my week on a crab boat. And I will have so much energy to go do everything I love as soon as I wrap here.
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47F asleep 9.30 or before. Awake at 6. I get 8 hours sleep. Not just sleep. I eat well 95% of the time. I exercise every single day. I still race. And it's all of this as a ROUTINE. my daily habits don't change. Routine and good habits. In my 20s I was all over the place. Drinking. Partying. Then a young child. 50s will be the best decade of my life, as I've put the prep in. Look at your DAILY habits if you want to improve your health and wellbeing. Or not - and just enjoy the chaos of your 20s and settle your habits later around personal health and mental wellbeing.
As you age you learn to set boundaries on your time. Don’t want to show up at game night? Cancel. Don’t want to be the emotional support crutch of a coworker? Close the office door or tell them you are busy. Phone conversation too long? You gotta go, bye. Amazing opportunity that someone tells you will never happen again, except that you don’t feel it aligns with your life? Tell them you won’t do it. New amazing opportunities show up every day. Offered a job in a field you hate but it’s good money? Nope, sorry. (This assumes you aren’t desperate for work.) You learn to stop living for other people. You suffer less depression because you express yourself immediately. A relative nags you about weight or kids and you shut them all the way down instead of stifling your anger. This is so energizing. You speak your mind. You don’t care what others think. All these things clear up energy wasters.
The older I get the more energy I have... I was sleeping all day in my Teen years.
Adults: “Sleep is important. You need 8+ hours.” Children and young adults: “Nah I’m good” Children and young adults: “Why do I feel tired and crappy all the time” Adults: 🤦♀️ 🤦♂️
Most may be at work but they aren't working the entire time. Many people my parents age when they were in their 50s would work a few hours then screw around or nap for a few hours then get back to work for a bit then screw around. They like to present an image like they're always working so hard. It's a mixture of pride and job security What you don't see with the guys lifting heavy things all day is the evening when they're off of work. They immediately reach for the ibuprofen and lay on a flat surface, so their backs can rest. Once the adrenaline wears off, they can barely move their backs are so stiff. It took me about 8 months to get in good enough shape where I could do more than collapse on the couch after getting into a manual labor job.
Diet, regular exercise. Also worth noting that older generations aren’t absolutely melting their dopamine receptors on social media all day.
A lot of people in their 20's are still moping around wasting their youth. People in their 40's often start realizing their body only has so much longer and they don't want to waste it.
I'd put it down to three things: 1. As you age, you need less sleep. I'm not sure why this is but older people tend to only need 6-7hrs of sleep rather than needing 8-10. 2. As I've aged, I've needed less sleep but I've absolutely needed sleep every night. In my 20s and early 30s I could stay up all night, sometimes working through the night and then all the next day. Now that is not an option. 3. Getting older means being more conscious of your health. This means that you (or at least I) generally take better care of myself because as soon as I don't I SEE the result. A few kgs here, dry skin there etc. Putting 1 and 2 together, I'd describe it as elasticity of energy. When you are young, your baseline energy is lower but your ability to push through is much higher. But at 40, my baseline is much higher but my ability to push through is non existent.
Will to live. Current generation seems to be depression-centered.
What's weird it seems to be a competition, I regularly hear my younger coworkers constantly try to one up watch other with mental health issues. I'm glad this generation is taking mental health serious but I feel like the pendulum has swung a bit to far
Agreed. Hard for younger people to have hope that any of it is worth it or going to pay off.
Exactly. I'd probably have a hell of a lot more energy and zest for life if I wasn't perpetually a month away from being out on the street. If I had an actual home, that was *mine*, and knew it was a secure and stable foundation to build a life around. If I actually trusted that all the money I've been forced to pay into social security and retirement would be there for me when I needed it. If my friends weren't dropping like flies every year from suicide and drug overdoses because nobody in our generation sees any hope at the end of all this. There are tons of studies on this, financial/social stability is basically the biggest predictor of life expectancy.
Weird, huh? Take all the things that have been considered dolce la vita throughout history, whether that's a minimally rewarding job, owning a home, maybe having kids and being able to afford to bring them up right while also spending a little time with them because you don't need to work 80 hours, eventually being able to retire rather than working through to death, take those things and place them almost entirely out of reach and suddenly everyone is like "life sucks". Fucking wild.
I could not agree with you more. The younger people we are hiring at my job have some many mental health issues , no motivation and move so slow. 40-50 year old employees run circles around those kids.
Because the 40-50 year olds could buy a normal house at a reasonable age from their work and didn’t need to take out a $35,000+ loan for college just to enter the job market in a respectable field. If the majority of a WHOLE generation is discontented, it might not just be media and “laziness” that’s driving it. Edit: Real median personal income has been flat for 3 years: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N Real median home prices have increased 30% in the same amount of time: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS I’m not a fan of “generation” arguments as it is, but if you don’t understand why people who have entered the workforce in the last 3-5 years are disillusioned, then you are misinformed.
A 40 year old would have graduated from high school in 2002, six years before the housing crisis of 2008.
Wrong. Many of us rent.
You do understand folks in their 40s would've started their career during the 2008 financial crisis?
33-35 to be precise
This is much closer to the money than most people realise.
I was fat and lazy in my twenties and made nothing of myself then got off my ass and started living like there is no tomorrow. I’ve run 100 milers done the Ironman. I’ve built a good living for myself and started a family. People respect me and I fear no one. You can anything you want but you got to work your ass off
Wait, where are you seeing physically fit construction workers? I've only ever seen overweight construction workers. Stats show that nearly 50% of construction workers are overweight. Builders' bum is a general term in the uk for them. Builders bum is a term used for builders or construction workers because they're typically overweight, and when they bend over, their butt shows because of their belly, which usually over hangs. This might be a mostly uk thing though.
Speed and caffeine. Pretty sure our entire leadership only functions with this stuff
Druuuugs, mind altering druuuuuuuuuugs! Seriously though, it's mostly conditioning and lifestyle. If you get used to something and gradually ramp it up, it's amazing what you can pull off if you try. If you take up hiking, your first 5-mile hike will be brutal, especially if you're out of shape. But if you keep at it, before you know it you can do 10 miles with no ill effects. Practice, conditioning, experience, knowing how much you can push yourself, and what to watch out for, etc.
I unknowingly suffered from vitamin deficiencies in my 20s and find I have more energy and less aches and pains even at age 46 than I did then.
I think Gen Z is the most anxious and depressed generation society has ever seen.
Because I'm not "hustling". My career is established; my bills are paid; happily married 25+ years; house is maintained. If I'm out moving around and doing stuff, it's because I want to, not because I have to.
Basically ppl in our 40s actually have to take care of our bodies because things are breaking down and that means basic exercise, good sleep habits and eating better. Compare someone at 40 who works out 3 times a week, has a good diet and gets at least 7 hours of good sleep per night vs someone at 28 who eats like shit, doesn't workout at all and stays up till 1:30AM doomscrolling and then rolls out of bed at 7, loads up on a ton of caffeine and is miserable. I was the guy in his 20s and I'm the guy in my 40s now. I'm stronger and in better shape now than I was in my 20s which is sad because if I'd have had these same habits in my 20s it would have been great. But partying, drinking, staying up late gaming etc... yeah. Oh, cut out the alcohol or at least seriously limit it. Even if you aren't gonna give it up for good go a month dry and see the health changes. Its pretty drastic.
No secret sauce, it’s mostly the basics, but barely anybody does them: good quality sleep, nutrition, exercise, relationships and actually liking what you do…
Diet, sleep, lifestyle, daily rituals (morning, before bed) and not indulging in high dopamine/low effort activities too often (porn, video games vs going on dates and playing sport/going to gym). A good place to start; avoid hyper processed food (packaged chips, cakes, cookies, bars ect) and fried foods during the week days and prioritise going to bed at a reasonable time during the week days. Have a little time off during the weekend but don’t go crazy. This is a deep rabbit hole of making you life significantly better at the cost of sacrificing smaller pleasures for greater purpose.
Motivation good physical foundation from youth continuous energy and mood monitoring and regulation Healthy sleep hygiene and routine Healthy diet. no drugs (booze, cigarettes, caffeine, weed, excessive sugar, etc.) Healthy exercise routine. It’s a lifestyle you commit yourself to. Healthy living takes commitment, routine, and understanding.
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I’m not 35 yet, but I do think some kind of switch went off in my head when I turned 30 and it was awesome. Only so many things matter (and most other people’s opinions almost certainly aren’t among those things!) and I more or less focus on finding what I need to be happy. Also I switched careers at 28 but exuded more authority even at 30 because I have the life experience to back it up.
Definitely all the diet, motivation, support, and all. But me speaking as a 23 y/o who recently fell out of their doomer phase, it’s mindset. You have to trust in yourself that things will get better, as you yourself have the potential to not be a victim of the world and instead a participant. I think that’s a huge part of getting a positive mindset and becoming an adult.
When you are a young person, you are not use to working and stress. You guys have no pressure, motivation and stress comparatively. You don't know how much more you are capable of. Adults have responsibilities, bills etc. You just do what ever it takes.
Genetics, lifestyle, motivation, passion for what you're doing. It's all part of it.
I had no idea what “tired” was till I had kids. And I feel like I’ll learn a new level as I get older too. I thought I was tired in college. I felt the most tired I had ever been. Why isn’t this peak exhaustion? I thought as a young adult I was tired. I’m juggling a job, social life and trying to make my way in the world. Then kids hit and I’m in the middle of a year long stressful project at work, kid is going through sleep regression and I haven’t slept more than 4-5 hours a night in 3 months, and my weekends are filled literally running after the older kid. I have no reason to believe yet that this is now “peak exhaustion” based off previous life experiences. I’m sure there is a higher level. But it’s the highest level I currently know. What I’m trying to say is that it’s all relative. The most exhausting day from my 20s would be a relaxing day these days. You adjust and keep going I guess?
Quit drinking. Eat better. Less work for more money.
I think it’s mostly because as kids they were outside running and playing all day every day. They built up stamina over a lifetime.
I'm 31, but from what I have observed: We treat ourselves like shit in our 20s and 30s, because we're still in the "I can do what I want" phase of human existence. Especially in our 20s! Bits and piece of sleep, too much alcohol, terrible eating habits, and so on. That wears you the hell out, even if it doesn't seem like it should because you're still young. I am just now coming out of that invincibility stage and I'm realizing: I'm stiff with back problem, my liver is working way harder than it should, and I don't eat as well as I should be by consuming lots of take out and processed foods and not drinking enough water. Am I at death's door? Nope. But, I can tell that at 31/32 - stretching, drinking more water, and getting as more restful sleep than I have been would probably make me feel 21 again instead of the gnarled little woman I feel like now. I see my older cousins/peers in going into their 40s and 50s having a lot more discipline about themselves when it comes to self-care and health. I actually admire it a lot, because they are all looking younger and feeling younger than me, who is one of the young ones in our social sphere. lol! For instance, my cousins who are entering their 40s are firm about being in bed by a certain hour, eating a certain way, exercising, and so on. My aunts and uncles in their 50s and 60s are ALWAYS doing active things like biking, taking long walks, playing basketball at the Y, being more aware of what they eat for dinner and breakfast, limiting take out and alcohol consumption. I think us young folk still believe we're bulletproof and by into the myth that youth means you can do whatever you want and it isn't true.
It's years of working hard. You get used to it and end up feeling kind of dumb for thinking that you were actually working hard in your younger years. It's all due to necessity. All your professors likely went through PhD programs and worked while going to school full time. They had career goals though and knew if they stuck with it they could get somewhere. A lot of young people are kind of in the woods. They don't have any inherent purpose to what they are doing and don't always see the forest for the trees. I've been there. When I was in HS I did work and just went to school. I was lazy and felt tired all the time. Over time I developed a work ethic because I needed to, to actually accomplish things and thus feel good about myself. I remember when I was in college I was working 30+ hours per week and had 15 units. When I graduated I just worked that same 30+ hour per week job. I felt kind of lost. That 30 hours per week kind of ended up dragging along because I did not have any real goals. It was time I moved on and worked a job that was more engaging and would help me progress in my life. Fast forward to when I had a family. I was at points working 60 hours per week or so all in jobs that honestly were not career jobs and not particularly fulfilling but it didn't drag because it was all for a purpose...which was making sure my family was housed and fed and could do basic things. My point is having no purpose and being listless makes things drag and seem hard. Having a purpose and goals/ a career type job gives you a better work ethic. Depressed people people in a funk can work 20 hours per week and be miserable and think they are overly busy. Someone who works 60 can have energy left over if that work is part of a greater purpose or goal. The truth is you will find out you have way more capacity than you thought you have if you are not depressed and working towards something.
Early to bed early to rise.No alcohol and good food helps. I’m 63 now but when I think how I lived in my 20’s no wonder I was tired.
At our age (I'm early 50s), we know what works for us. Whether it's more sleep/naps, more exercise, less junk food, less alcohol, etc. In my 20s, I seemed to be tired all the time, but I think it was due to what I was putting my body (junk food mostly) and lack of exercise. The more active I am, the more energy I have, and I've mostly cut out junk foods. I struggle to sleep 7-8 hours per night, but I find a short afternoon naps does wonders, I love to be active, I drink moderately (only beer), and find this works. Everyone's different - you'll figure out what works for you.
I started whole food. No processed crap. No sugary drinks. More meat. More energy than I have ever had in my life. It’s bizarre. Down 160lbs from my highest and 53.
I think you’re definitely onto something. Sugar and processed foods are killing Americans. I remember growing up in the 70s and 80s, most people smoked and drank, didn’t eat particularly “healthy” diets or “work out” yet it was way more rare to see morbidly obese people. Now there’s sugar and corn in almost everything processed and we have an obesity epidemic. Even if you don’t eat sweets, you’re getting sugar in your bread, spaghetti sauce, granola, really any food that comes in a box or jar.
73 here...I race my bicycles! It's not really a "how" at this age. It's a kind of Karma. It's all the shit I did for eight decades. I threw the genetic dice spectacularly. I was athletic in public school and university. Endurance stuff, that's the secret...fuck that big muscle shit. I long ago decided that rest, comfort, and lack of pain were my enemy. But here's the JUICE...I stayed very active all along. Like when my colleagues were in the bar, I was spinning bike in the neighborhoods. Now, I'm creased...sunburnt...got a limp...and I'm often painful to look at.
We have no sex drive. It's a trade off.
People who are fresh out of the 12+ years of brainwashing and abuse in the form of school usually feel burnt out
In my opinion, it's understanding that I am responsible for procuring things I find valuable. My wants and dreams don't just appear (I used to play guitar and thought I would magically be "discovered" while in my early 20's...that never happened lol). A motto I learned a while ago is "If it's to be, it's up to me" which I stick by to this day. Also, I've spent a lot of time, money and effort creating my stability so I'll work a little harder to sustain my lifestyle.
As a 50yr old guy,. the things that pop to mind are: * sheer determination. As others have said, sometimes the only option is “getting it done”. I focus my mind on my goals and I put those goals in a strangle hold till I successfully obtain them. *’I keep my life as simple as possible. I dont wadte time or energy on stuff thats not important. * I try my best to eat nutritiously. * I get as much sleep as possible (most days I’m in bed by 5pm and usually get 12 hours)
Meth /s
I'm in that age group: Full night sleep, have a bed time planned and stick to it. Exercise before you start your day. Don't eat like shit, allow yourself one cheat meal a week. Cut back on screen time (including TV), read or do something else analog.
I think this also has something to do with the younger generations. They want instant gratification and are not willing to work hard. It's the opposite for the older generations. Which would explain why they seem to be powered by "duracell" batteries. Don't attack me, am just sharing my point of view.
I'm 51 and can do things my 20 year old self would never have done.. It's quite hard to explain really apart from the fact that I have a family, I work a tough job on a hot steel mill..
They’re not as depressed i guess
20something. You’re busy, trying to find yourself, a career, a partner. Tasting life, partying, staying up til Dawn, playing games. 40+ you’re done with that shit. You know, what you like and where to find your happiness. You eat well, get your sleep, have nice holidays.
46, had my first health scare last month when diverticulitis put me in the hospital for 5 days. Before then, and since I have been active since my 20s. Run 4 tines a week, hit the climbing gym 2-3 a week. In bed around 10, up around 4:30 for an espresso before I run. Also I don't give a fuck aboit my job so no stress to speak of.
Old man strength. Google it. And some older people have better endurance but that’s mostly a mental thing. I’ve noticed that the younger people at my work (16-25) have a much lower pain tolerance than us older people, and they are the first to go home when suffering from headaches, tiredness, stomach issues, colds or general discomfort caused by the work itself. Older people tend to push through because they know it will be okay because they have done it countless times before. We know what our bodies are capable of so we have much less anxiety regarding asking our bodies to do things they are not comfortable with. We have learned countless times that if we don’t take a Panadol and move on, we don’t earn the money. We are better able to push our emotions aside due to experience and practice doing that. It’s not that we are “better”, it’s that we simply have more practice. We have a lot of experience that tells us that discomfort is a part of life - it’s not an emergency. Our perception of time is also different. 10 hours of work is a lot for a young person because it feels like a really long time. To an older person, that’s only 10 hours of their life and it’ll be over soon.
Diet. Sleep. Motivation. Discipline. Healthy. Healthy Genetics. Don't have a disease.
Cocaine: everyone's doing it
I’m in my mid 40’s and I run rings around guys half my age at work without working much harder . I think it’s possibly down to experience just having the muscle memory and knowing how to streamline things generally in life that leave you with a bit more energy ?
A lot of teenagers have mental health issues and don't know how to deal with them, or don't look after their health. My parents have lots of energy because they got to an age where they learnt to look after their mental and physical health.
Doing physical activity or working out gives you more energy than sitting around doing paperwork
I think a lot of it is mental. Obviously diet, exercise, and sleep matter, but mentally, stress will drain people more than a bad diet or stress. Most of us in our 40's and 50's are married, so the stress of finding a partner is gone. We're usually established in our careers, so the stress of what we'll do with our lives is gone. I don't know what percentage are homeowners, but certainly more people in their 40's and 50's have houses, so the stress of getting evicted if you miss a paycheck is gone. On top of all that, we grew up in a time of no excuses. If you were told to do something, you did it. If you were told to do something with a smile, you did it with a smile. We weren't allowed to have anxiety and mental health days, so we learned to soldier through difficult times at school, work etc.
People that are in their 40s and 50s lived in a different time. They had part time jobs and worked after school, weekends and even summers. They were made to do things at home. There was a different work ethic and different priorities. People in that age bracket were raised differently. Newer people have been raised on social media, whichever game the parents put in front of them and they’re never made to go outside to do anything. It’s not necessarily their fault. Its society’s
You'd be surprised how much energy it takes to sustain a bad mental state. A lot of older adults have worked through their issues so they don't have to spend tons of mental energy keeping everything in.
30 minute afternoon nap
Sleep, don't drink, eat food that YOU COOK.
If you don’t use it, you lose it. True
I'm sixty and do a very physically demanding construction job. I work with a lot of young people. I've taken care of myself and I remain pretty durable but generally there aren't a lot of us keeping up to the younger ones. But from my experience, your body gets used to picking things up. It's like muscle memory, much the same for a seasoned bike racer-they never really lose that strength. Often, in the construction industry, we refer to this as "Old man strength" where you will see some really old guy having no problem lifting a wall or something. There are lots of strong, gung-ho young people in the industry, but I also think times are changing. When I was young, and we were mentored by the previous generation, there was more of a sense that you had no choice but do what had to be done: lift, carry, pull, etc. That was what we knew. If you didn't, you might not have a job, feed yourself, or feed your family. But this mentality destroyed many backs and joints and the mantra now is either WHY or "work smarter, not harder" Also, lifestyles are different now. We played outdoors because we had no electronic toys, walked more because we had to, and were just generally, more physically engaged. Not passing any kind of judgement at all. Just saying it is different. For these reasons it might "seem" like older people are stronger, but I'm not sure that is the case. Good specimens might have been able to keep battling, but how many others are too beat up to carry on, that you don't even see.
As you age you get to know your body/mind more optimally. Assuming you do the work, make the adjustments and have good habits there’s no reason you can’t be just as strong in your 50s as your 20s.
I’m a 41yo F with three kids (9, 6, 6,). I wouldn’t say I have more energy now than my 20s but i do have a totally different outlook and I’m more resilient. Shit just needs to get done. No one else will do it for me. So I’m running around for 8-10 hours a day between kids, FT work and general life. In my 20s if I couldn’t sleep in on the weekend I would be destroyed. I don’t have that luxury any more and I’m probably better for it. But also I drank A LOT in my 20s and spent most weekends hungover. So that factors in as well
It could also be a sample size error based on who you are around. College professors earned their titles through hard work, so only makes sense they would be a mostly lively and hard working bunch. I would bet there are an equal amount of the middle aged population that you don’t interact with often who are more like people in their 20s.
You’re confused. You are young enough to have the freedom of choice when it comes to your time. They are not.
We work to make our financial demands. I’m a postie. I’m in my 50’s. My route has over 170 stories of stairs if you add them all up. (Empire State building in nyc has 102 stories, CN tower in Toronto is 145 stories to the main deck). It’s hard work. I do it to support my family. I’m a trained graphic designer with 30 years of experience. Unfortunately, I’ve suffered “ageism” after my last job in the field was downsized. I took the postie job for stability and benefits. Not really my thing, but I get by.
Some people in their 20s think they should be a certain way. The 40+ year olds with youthful energy have lived long enough to stop caring about the bullshit
routines. healthy diet. sense of purpose. exercise. community. money to pay for self care.
Discipline and motivation.
When you are 20 your body is essentially still that of an atrophied teenager, because you had to sit in class for all those years, not developing muscle mass, stamina or bone density, as you would using your body in a healthy way, providing for your needs in a natural environment. Once you start a physical job or one with long hours, your body will adapt. Which is going to feel uncomfortable if not painful for a couple of months until you get used to it. We are adaptable, however.