As I get older, I've noticed how much more often my mental perception of myself, and the physical realities are incongruent.
I remember routinely being the youngest guy in the room. Obviously, that isn't true anymore (unless I'm at Denny's at 4pm).
I remember running around the park (without stopping). And I certainly remember enjoying working out with my son.
Things that used to be easy (or at least routine) now cause me stress.
But age affects everyone - and while my 24-year-old can still eat like a pig and lift heavily, those days are behind me.
I recently shared an article on "Conditioning Yourself To Take The Next Best Step," and I talked about getting back in shape ... the mentality it takes, and the habits I carried with me from my days as an athlete
One of the hardest lessons for me to learn has been that I can't work out how I used to ... or I injure myself.
It is not too far a leap to go from that – to thinking about mortality.
This interactive graphic, below, shows how people of different ages die. Click the image to try it yourself.
via FlowingData
You can see what average mortality looks like (by plugging in "0" as your age) ... or plug in your current age, sex, and race to see what's most likely to kill you (based on you having survived to now).
Unsurprisingly, congenital issues stop having high mortality around 10, and circulatory/respiratory issues become more prevalent as you get older.
Sure, this is based on averages - but it's interesting to see how locale and income play a role in your life expectancy.
According to a Harvard-run study, people live longer in more educated and affluent areas even if they're less well-off, and that's taking even after taking into account labor market, social connectedness, and other factors.
As well, the richest Americans live approximately 10-15 years longer than the other end of the spectrum as seen below.
via Harvard Gazette
Live Long and Prosper! ... Or is it prosper and live long?
