Don't Be Duped by This Dangerous Myth About Aging
Imagine taking up a new hobby after you've retired and winding up in the Guinness Book of World Records.
That's exactly what Ralph Vaccaro did. The thing is, he wasn't in his 60s... or his 70s...
Vaccaro was 87 years old when his wife Martha suggested that he join the local curling club near his home in Massachusetts. But he didn't just give it a few tries and call it a day...
More than a decade later, he was still stepping onto the ice several times a week. At age 99 years and 36 days, he earned a Guinness World Record for being the oldest male curling player.
And he didn't even start until he was 87.
Vaccaro's story flies in the face of one of the most dangerous myths about aging...
The myth is that as you get older, you're destined to slow down, lose your strength, and become frail... that it's all a natural part of the process. Worse, you might wonder, "What's the point of exercising this late in life?"
But this way of thinking is a surefire way to drive you to an early grave. It's never too late to start being physically active, no matter your age.
Even if you didn't get a head start in your earlier decades, starting later in life can still reward you with better health.
And that's important – because for most of us, our biological timer starts ticking down earlier than you'd expect...
In our 30s, we start losing muscle mass, bit by bit. According to some estimates, we lose as much as 5% of our muscle mass every decade after age 30.
That loss tends to accelerate after we hit retirement age – typically around 65 for women and 70 for men. Once you reach age 80, the loss can amount to nearly 30% of your total muscle mass.
Not to mention, up to half of folks at that age will also have sarcopenia, which is a more serious loss of muscle mass and strength that leaves you weakened and more easily tired.
And if you notice yourself feeling winded from picking up that gallon of milk or bag of groceries, that could be a sign of a medical condition known as frailty.
Frailty involves a decline in function and capability across multiple systems in your body. It leaves you more vulnerable to the effects of injuries and illnesses... and makes it harder for you to bounce back from them.
Doctors diagnose frailty in various ways... including a physical exam and frailty-scoring systems. Some of the most common symptoms they look for are:
- Unintentional weight loss (like losing 10 pounds in the past year)
- Weak grip strength
- Low levels of physical activity
- Slow walking speed
- Frequently feeling fatigued
And there's good reason to pay attention to these warning signs...
Researchers are finding that the consequences of frailty may go beyond the falls, injuries, and loss of independence we typically worry about. For instance, a University of Queensland study published this week examined the relationship between frailty and dementia.
The team analyzed data spanning nearly 24 years from 1,614 older adults participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project in the U.S. They found that the participants who were frail were diagnosed with dementia roughly two to three years earlier than those who weren't.
What's more, researchers also looked at the brains of 906 participants after death and saw that some of them had developed dementia even though their brains showed relatively few of the abnormal changes linked to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Among those people, frailty was linked to getting diagnosed with dementia roughly five to six years earlier.
It's one more reason to take frailty seriously instead of simply accepting it as just part of getting older.
Maybe you're wondering about your own functional strength. Well, you can start keeping tabs on it right in your own living room...
How to Test Your Strength in 30 Seconds
I recommend trying the "sit to stand" test. Unless you already have mobility problems, it gives you a good idea of your lower-body strength, your risk of suffering such issues in old age, and even your fall risk. (If you're injured, wait until you're back on your feet before testing.)
Here's what you do...
- Sit up straight on a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
- Grab each shoulder with the opposite hand, crossing your arms.
- For 30 seconds, stand up and sit back down as many times as you can. If you're halfway standing when 30 seconds are up, you can count that as a stand... But you score a 0 if you have to use your arms to help you.
Here's a general guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of how older adults should score in each age group:
If you didn't meet your metric, don't worry. It's not too late...
A 2023 study of 22,463 Chinese adults aged 80 and older found that participants who either stayed active or went from being inactive to more active lived longer than those who remained or became sedentary.
Remember, we're talking about folks who didn't make this change until their 80s.
Of course, staying active is just part of the equation...
To read more about frailty – and get my favorite muscle-strengthening move that requires no equipment and hardly any space – check out this Retirement Millionaire issue (or grab a 30-day trial subscription if you're not already a subscriber).
And if aching joints are keeping you from staying active, you'll also want to check out our June issue where I bust some of the biggest myths about osteoarthritis.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: In Florida, hunters can trade giant snakes for pizza.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
July 23, 2026