(0612) Morning all. Still dark.

ddddd

1. Quora is the latest newsletter into the inbox

… this was one article:

“At seventy years old, your body no longer forgives in the way it did in the past, and three specific actions in particular begin to have a very high cost which doesn’t (initially) seem evident on the surface.

The first is being sedentary since the loss of muscle mass happens rapidly in people over seventy in what is called sarcopenia, and every week that one remains idle speeds the process of losing that strength which keeps you self-reliant, stable, and able to catch yourself from falling. Resting is not a problem here, it’s just that there is an increased cost to being idle compared to when you were forty years old.

Secondly, it’s ignoring protein in favor of comfort eating, since appetite naturally goes down as people get older but the body still needs plenty of protein to retain muscle mass and immunity. So, the small plate full of carbohydrates which was enough at fifty years old, now may not be sufficient in providing energy at seventy-five.

The third action which is usually underestimated is being alone. Isolation has been connected to increased cognitive decline and mortality rate at the same level as smoking in several studies. Loneliness at this stage in life is not simply something emotional but has been found time and time again to be a significant cause of cognitive decline and an increased mortality rate comparable to smoking in some studies as both the brain and the immune system rely heavily on consistent human interaction, something science is just beginning to understand.

None of these things are dramatic bad guys; they’re simply quiet defaults turned dangerous by lack of warning.”

I would say I’m certainly not alone … but lonely? Chance would be a fine thing. The issue for us is navigating the mass of incoming and coping wi’it. Soc-med plays a part, even for sigma curmudgeons like me, as for many of us … This site Unherdables welcomes the type … independents … and I need to maintain the tavern with as light a hand as a fractious, difficult character can.

This site here is more as a meeting venue than as a vehicle for my own notions … though those views are also forcefully put … not denying that in the least, nor kidding myself over it.