For most of the last 5 years I’ve been cycling 2 or 3 hours a day and spending about 45 minutes a day at the gym and I still have plenty of time for fun and socializing and whatnot while also getting 8 hours a day of sleep. This is possible for two reasons: 1) I semi-retired from my job as a programmer and I’m now a school bus driver, which takes about 4.5 hours a day (it helps that I live a half-mile from the bus lot, otherwise the job involves twice as much commuting as a normal job); and 2) I don’t watch movies or television. For my money, #2 is the biggie – spending hours a day watching movies and TV shows is such a massive time sink. I’m not judging people who do it since I just stopped enjoying it years ago, not because I’m consciously avoiding something I like in order to free up time.
Unfortunately, two months ago my parents’ health took a nosedive and my father died and now I’m a nearly full-time caregiver for my mother. I haven’t ridden my bike or been to the gym during this entire stretch. So if it makes anyone feel better, I’m no longer in the category of insanely fit older dude myself. But it is possible, at least.
I’m gonna guess that working only half a full time job while (I’m gonna assume) having some money from a programming job saved up played more of a part than you may think, but I’m sure not watching movies also helps.
Meanwhile people working 8+ hours in a physically demanding job just to be able to afford rent and maybe enough food for the week who then still have to take care of general life stuff are a lot less likely to have the money, time, or energy to do much else.
Out of curiosity, did you
cycling 2 or 3 hours a day and spending about 45 minutes a day at the gym and I still have plenty of time for fun and socializing and whatnot while also getting 8 hours a day of sleep
While you had a job as listed in the pic (8hrs/day)? I’m betting time was a major factor in why you only started 5y ago.
For most of the last 5 years I’ve been cycling 2 or 3 hours a day and spending about 45 minutes a day at the gym and I still have plenty of time for fun and socializing and whatnot while also getting 8 hours a day of sleep. This is possible for two reasons: 1) I semi-retired from my job as a programmer and I’m now a school bus driver, which takes about 4.5 hours a day (it helps that I live a half-mile from the bus lot, otherwise the job involves twice as much commuting as a normal job); and 2) I don’t watch movies or television. For my money, #2 is the biggie – spending hours a day watching movies and TV shows is such a massive time sink. I’m not judging people who do it since I just stopped enjoying it years ago, not because I’m consciously avoiding something I like in order to free up time.
Unfortunately, two months ago my parents’ health took a nosedive and my father died and now I’m a nearly full-time caregiver for my mother. I haven’t ridden my bike or been to the gym during this entire stretch. So if it makes anyone feel better, I’m no longer in the category of insanely fit older dude myself. But it is possible, at least.
I’m gonna guess that working only half a full time job while (I’m gonna assume) having some money from a programming job saved up played more of a part than you may think, but I’m sure not watching movies also helps.
Meanwhile people working 8+ hours in a physically demanding job just to be able to afford rent and maybe enough food for the week who then still have to take care of general life stuff are a lot less likely to have the money, time, or energy to do much else.
Out of curiosity, did you
While you had a job as listed in the pic (8hrs/day)? I’m betting time was a major factor in why you only started 5y ago.