Running and Aging

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week) for 16 years now. Before I
started running (at 23)and about 5 years into running I was always told how young looking I was
compared to everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I look like
55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older. Could it be that all the years
of running has done this? Is it known that runners look older than non-runners of the same
age?

If you're out running without sunscreen, your skin will *definitely* age faster than that of a couch
potato who sits inside all day.

Also, I recall reading that exercise cancels out some of the benefits you get from anti-oxidants,
like those contained in green tea. Anti-oxidants are important for staying/looking young because
they prevent the destruction of body tissues by free radicals. But I doubt there would be a huge
difference there. The absence of sunscreen would be a much greater factor.

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week) for 16 years now. Before I
started running (at 23)and about 5 years into running I was always told how young looking I was
compared to everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I look like
55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older. Could it be that all the years
of running has done this? Is it known that runners look older than non-runners of the same
age?

it depends on the kind of running you do. if you run in the sun all the time, your skin has probably
aged faster....

also, stress plays more than a cameo role in the story of your aging. diet too..

having said that, i've met a lot of older folks (50-70) on various hikes whom i've mistaken to be
10-20 years younger. last year i met a 61 year old and i swear he didn't look a day more than 50. he
was in amazing shape. he'd summited mt. denali in alaska (21300 feet) 5+ times over the years and
was preparing for another attempt when i met him.

jobs

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week)>> for 16

years now. Before I started running (at 23)and about 5 years>> into running I was always told how
young looking I was compared to>> everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I
look like>> 55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older.>> Could it be that
all the years of running has done this? Is it known>> that runners look older than non-runners of
the same age?

Surely you jest. Granted, most of us will get that "windburned" look, but most would say that,
because you are trim and fit, and because your windburned look shows you are still physically
active, you appear younger than your couch-potato peers. Indeed, you will likely outlive nearly all
of them. Look around you at the next 10k you enter. Do these people look older than their age
groups? There is nothing to age your appearance like an ugly beer belly.

having said that, i've met a lot of older folks (50-70) on various hikes whom i've mistaken to be
10-20 years younger. last year i met a 61 year old and i swear he didn't look a day more than 50.
____

i don't know.. i met a great life long runner....a woman who was in her mid 30's and seemed older. I
think the poster's on to something...you tell me....this link is to a 34 year old female....and she
looks older than here age to me (the result of a decade or so of running in the sun no doubt).
ananova.comsm 671231.htmlOpen ↗

Eat Dust said:

Surely you jest. Granted, most of us will get that "windburned" look, but most would say that,
because you are trim and fit, and because your windburned look shows you are still physically
active, you appear younger than your couch-potato peers. Indeed, you will likely outlive nearly
all of them. Look around you at the next 10k you enter. Do these people look older than their age
groups? There is nothing to age your appearance like an ugly beer belly.

unfortunately, the "aged look" is not based on big bellies but more on the appearance of your face.
you could look trim and fit and yet look older.

if we were to go with bellies, i'm sure there are a lot of aged looking teenagers on this planet.

but i agree with your point about outliving etc... why bother how we look if we live healthy. look
at clint eastwood. he's only 74. looks 104. but he still does 500 pushups a day. just became a dad a
couple of years ago... or that dude in the carl's jr commercial. i forget his name..

jobs

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week) for 16 years now. Before I
started running (at 23)and about 5 years into running I was always told how young looking I was
compared to everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I look like
55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older. Could it be that all the years
of running has done this? Is it known that runners look older than non-runners of the same
age?

Is your body fat percentage pretty low? I think people with lower-than-average body fat may tend to
look a little older than their chronological age, all things being equal, because the lack of
"plumpness" shows wrinkles more quickly, and there is also a general association of rounder features
with youth (e.g., Tom Cruise in Risky Business vs. Tom Cruise now).

LOL..too funny!!!

"Globaldisc" wrote

Quoted message said:

i don't know.. i met a great life long runner....a woman who as in her mid

30's and seemed older. I think the poster's on to something...you tell me....this link is to a 34
year old female....and she looks older than here age to me (the result of a decade or so of running
in the sun no doubt). ananova.comsm 671231.htmlOpen ↗ <

Quoted message said:

having said that, i've met a lot of older folks (50-70) on various hikes whom i've mistaken to be
10-20 years younger.

That's me Jobs close to sixty look 40 and I can't beat the ladies off with a stick - Woe is me. 😉 I
get some very funny looks when I tell people I'm retired.

--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]

"DrLith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

... there is also a general association of rounder features with youth (e.g., Tom Cruise in Risky
Business vs. Tom Cruise now).

Somewhat unrelated but also somewhat interesting: I saw a show the other day that had a feature on
Cruise, and apparently for Risky Business they made him look younger than he was at the time by
having him do a pretty serious weight training regimen for a few months with good nutrition and all
that, and then in the couple weeks before filming began he was taken off the weight program and put
on a diet of largely high-fat food (and lots of it) to "round out" his features and give him a layer
of baby fat.

cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org

Now, this is the strangest thing that I've seen posted here... and there's been some 'mighty
strange' things... I will not bite.. susan

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week) for 16 years now. Before I
started running (at 23)and about 5 years into running I was always told how young looking I was
compared to everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I look like
55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older. Could it be that all the years
of running has done this? Is it known that runners look older than non-runners of the same
age?

rgt833 said:

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week) for 16 years now. Before I
started running (at 23)and about 5 years into running I was always told how young looking I was
compared to everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I look like
55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older. Could it be that all the years
of running has done this? Is it known that runners look older than non-runners of the same
age?

If you're out running without sunscreen, your skin will *definitely* age faster than that of a
couch potato who sits inside all day.

Also, I recall reading that exercise cancels out some of the benefits you get from anti-oxidants,
like those contained in green tea. Anti-oxidants are important for staying/looking young because
they prevent the destruction of body tissues by free radicals. But I doubt there would be a huge
difference there. The absence of sunscreen would be a much greater factor.

I was told by my doctor, don't know if it's true or not, that you take in more free radicals because
of the increased air intake. This can cause more cell destruction than would otherwise occur.

In article said:

Eat Dust said:

Surely you jest. Granted, most of us will get that "windburned" look, but most would say that,
because you are trim and fit, and because your windburned look shows you are still physically
active, you appear younger than your couch-potato peers. Indeed, you will likely outlive nearly
all of them. Look around you at the next 10k you enter. Do these people look older than their age
groups? There is nothing to age your appearance like an ugly beer belly.

unfortunately, the "aged look" is not based on big bellies but more on the appearance of your
face. you could look trim and fit and yet look older.

I'd have to agree with this. Take a look at Bob Glover for example -- his physique is suitably
"young" but he's also bald and has a sort of weatherbeaten look. <Shrug> not much one can do about
that, but on the things one can change, the guy is one hell of a fighter (and of course, still
competing)

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

[email hidden] (Eat Dust) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have been running five miles a day (with a day or two off a week)>> for 16

years now. Before I started running (at 23)and about 5 years>> into running I was always told how
young looking I was compared to>> everyone else. Today I saw a picture of myself (at 39)and I look
like>> 55. My friends still look kind of young but now I look much older.>> Could it be that all
the years of running has done this? Is it known>> that runners look older than non-runners of the
same age?

Surely you jest. Granted, most of us will get that "windburned" look, but most would say that,
because you are trim and fit, and because your windburned look shows you are still physically
active, you appear younger than your couch-potato peers. Indeed, you will likely outlive nearly
all of them. Look around you at the next 10k you enter. Do these people look older than their age
groups? There is nothing to age your appearance like an ugly beer belly.

Well, all I can say is that when I was 23 I looked like Richard Marx (the singer) and now I look
like King Fahd (of Saudi Arabia). I ran 20-25 miles a week for 16 years. Was running responsible for
this transformation? My peers, at least the ones I have seen lately, all look younger and fitter
even though they have been totally sedentary since they were born. Some even smoke!

susan said:

Now, this is the strangest thing that I've seen posted here... and there's been some 'mighty
strange' things... I will not bite.. susan

Fair enough but how about a web page conmtaining a picture of you quasi in the buff( a thong will be
allowed for modesty) and we'll take it from there. 😉

--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

I was told by my doctor, don't know if it's true or not, that you take in more free radicals
because of the increased air intake. This can cause more cell destruction than would
otherwise occur.

from an arbitrary web page see below rice.eduantiox.htmlOpen ↗

I'd say the jury is still out. As an endurance runner who would like to think he eats balanced and
healthy, I still take some extra E and C to help pop a few of those "free radicals." Probably named
as such by some of my weed smoking buddies raised in the 60's.

=========================================================================

Exercise and oxidative damage

Endurance exercise can increase oxygen utilization from 10 to 20 times over the resting state. This
greatly increases the generation of free radicals, prompting concern about enhanced damage to
muscles and other tissues. The question that arises is, how effectively can athletes defend against
the increased free radicals resulting from exercise? Do athletes need to take extra antioxidants?

Because it is not possible to directly measure free radicals in the body, scientists have approached
this question by measuring the by-products that result from free radical reactions. If the
generation of free radicals exceeds the antioxidant defenses then one would expect to see more of
these by-products. These measurements have been performed in athletes under a variety of conditions.

Several interesting concepts have emerged from these types of experimental studies. Regular physical
exercise enhances the antioxidant defense system and protects against exercise induced free radical
damage. This is an important finding because it shows how smart the body is about adapting to the
demands of exercise. These changes occur slowly over time and appear to parallel other adaptations
to exercise.

On the other hand, intense exercise in untrained individuals overwhelms defenses resulting in
increased free radical damage. Thus, the "weekend warrior" who is predominantly sedentary during the
week but engages in vigorous bouts of exercise during the weekend may be doing more harm than good.
To this end there are many factors which may determine whether exercise induced free radical damage
occurs, including degree of conditioning of the athlete, intensity of exercise, and diet.
=========================================================================

--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]

susan <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I will not bite.. susan

You just did.

-Phil

DrLith said:

Is your body fat percentage pretty low? I think people with lower-than-average body fat may tend
to look a little older than their chronological age, all things being equal, because the lack of
"plumpness" shows wrinkles more quickly, and there is also a general association of rounder
features with youth (e.g., Tom Cruise in Risky Business vs. Tom Cruise now).

And if you are thin when you are young you have more fat on your face than when you age and are
thin. I don't know why this is, just see it.

Add some wrinkles to this, with no fat to plump them out, and you may look older than you are.

Donna

Quoted message said:

I was told by my doctor, don't know if it's true or not, that you take in more free radicals
because of the increased air intake. This can cause more cell destruction than would
otherwise occur.

I've heard this was directly related to how much food was eaten. Saw a documentry on it some time
ago and basically their conclusion was that the more food you eat, the faster you age. It had to do
with free radicals but I dont remember all the details.

By coincidence about a week after that I saw a story on tv about a 22 year old guy who was suffering
anorexia, he looked like he was about
16. He did not look healthy though, just younger than his age.

Im not really sure about this, a long way from my field but its certainly interesting. Food
for thought.

cheers james

James said:

I've heard this was directly related to how much food was eaten. Saw a documentry on it some time
ago and basically their conclusion was that the more food you eat, the faster you age. It had to
do with free radicals but I dont remember all the details.

Let's just say there are some people that believe this. I'm not talking about our obvious obesity
but those that meet the healthy parameters still eating too much. There are no real controlled
studies to prove or disprove this. Any papers are based on pulling a subset of data points, mashing
and concluding without regards to other factors, i.e. uncontrolled. It makes for great reading along
with Harry Potter.

--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]