[qwerpy]

Was really helpful for me to read this comment. I'm entering my 40s, have young children, and am still relatively healthy but I start to notice old age stubbornly pushing for a foothold. The aches and pains take longer to go away and some of them never quite do. I'm terrified of an irreversible "drop off a cliff" as you mentioned.

The most important thing for me now is to preserve my health for the next 30 years so I can see my kids grow up and hopefully have their own children. Seems exercise, diet, and sleep are things I need to prioritize.

[jacquesm]

Yes, please do. And - my big mistake - don't think your body will be able to do the tricks that you could do yesterday and get away with it. If you are used to taking risks scale that down before you meet a risk that is not easily recoverable. Case in point: I like to tinker with bikes and I owned a whole bunch of experimental ones that I'd take down for rides, one of them a low racer recumbent. I'd fallen off that thing many times and never as much as a scratch so I figured it was pretty safe, even at speed. Cue my surprise when I ended up with a right leg and ankle broken in many places after being launched from something as exciting as a speedbump... If i could re-do that day I would be so happy.