TikkaShooter said:

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Quote:

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Notably absent in that longitudinal study was physical activity, fitness levels, and diet.

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Guess that answers my question.

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I suspect it varies a lot from person to person, and between men and women (as you would probably expect).

And for women, I think a lot of it is directly related to changes in hormones between the ages of about 40-50 (which are typically not gradual, especially for estrogen).

I'm probably in the best shape of my life right now, but some days are a real struggle, both mentally and physically.

I know I'm helping myself in the long term by keeping my weight in check and lifting weights, so that's a huge motivating factor for me. I do not want to be frail.

But I literally do not feel like the same person I was 5 years ago. I don't know how to describe it other than that.

Nearly 51. Have stayed very active and fit. Reasonably healthy diet. That said, early to mid 40s, aches and pains and being smart to manage inflammation became a big deal. Not muscle pain, but feet, knees, and back in particular. It happened quickly but then mostly leveled off. 38 to 45, pretty big difference. 45 to 51, not so much. I have stayed active, but what I do to stay that way has changed a lot.

As far as the next tier, the one I consistently see is the 70s. I feel like people can enter and leave their 50s and then 60s not drastically different. But very few navigate the 70s like that. Major dropoff

Yeah, women are completely different animals.

Seconded. Cleaner diet, consistent exercise program, get sleep to recover.

AggieLAX said:

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TikkaShooter said:

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Guess that answers my question.

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Rest assured, there have been plenty of studies performed on the impact of regular physical exercise on the molecular pathways related to aging and the results are always positive.

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Damn. Still waiting on the bourbon, cigar and sitting on the couch study.

Like this?

J Lounge Stud. 2025 Apr 9;12(2):8895. doi: 10.7777/jloungestud.2025.042.
Online ahead of print.

Effects of bourbon consumption, cigar smoking, and sedentary lounging on perceived well-being in aging males: A systematic review

Steve Bubel , John "The Lounge" Lorenzo , Chester A. Smokesman , Earl F. Neat , Winona Ryder Cup

Affiliations
PMID: 40187234 DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.04.009

Abstract

Despite decades of research emphasizing the value of exercise, kale, and mindfulness meditation, many older men continue to report subjective well-being while engaging in behaviors historically deemed "unhealthy," such as moderate bourbon consumption, cigar smoking, and couch-based leisure. This systematic review explores the potential physical and psychological benefits of these oft-dismissed activities. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, CIGARBASE, LoungeLit, BourbonRx, and Recliner Science from inception to March 2025. Twelve observational and quasi-experimental studies involving 742 males aged 50-85 were included. Results suggest modest but consistent improvements in perceived masculinity, mood elevation, storytelling ability, and overall life satisfaction among participants engaging in regular bourbon sipping (23 oz/day), cigar use (2/week), and structured couch sessions (60 min/day). Of note, 8 of 12 studies reported a statistically significant increase in "swagger scores" and a reduction in "cranky spouse index" (CSI) during televised sporting events. While cardiometabolic markers did not improve, subjects consistently reported "not giving a damn," which correlated strongly (r = 0.91) with reduced cortisol levels. Interventions ranged from Solo Bourbon Reflection (SBR), Group Cigar Contemplation (GCC), and Multimodal Recliner Exposure (MRE), with most sessions held post-5 p.m. and often accompanied by jazz or classic rock. Limitations include participant bias, low movement counts, and frequent spontaneous naps. Further research is needed to examine long-term liver resilience and the sociocultural impact of old-fashioned wisdom sharing over spirits and smoke.

This review tentatively concludes that, when approached with moderation and good humor, bourbon, cigars, and couch time may contribute meaningfully to the holistic wellness of aging men, especially those with no interest in CrossFit or green juice.

Keywords: Bourbon; Cigars; Couch-based well-being; Aging males; Quality of life; Unmeasurable joy.

Copyright 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I prefer this one:

J Leisure Perform. 2025 Apr 9;7(2):5058. doi: 10.2025/jlp.009.009.
Online ahead of print.

Darkwave Therapy: The Cognitive and Emotional Benefits of Tequila, Video Games, and '80s Alt-Synth Rock in Midlife Men

Steve Bubel , Carlos Agav , Dex R. Mode , Martin Joy-Divide , Ian Astbury PhD (h.c.)

PMID: 40708423 DOI: 10.2025/jlp.009.009

Abstract

Modern wellness has traditionally overlooked the neuropsychiatric potential of combining sensory nostalgia, controlled substance use, and digital immersion. This systematic review evaluates the synergistic benefits of moderate tequila intake, recreational video gaming, and curated listening sessions featuring Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Cult on midlife cognitive resilience and emotional regulation.

Thirteen studies were included: 9 randomized nocturnal trials (RNTs), 3 controlled vibe comparisons (CVCs), and 1 long-form observational mixtape journal (LMJ) tracking 682 male participants aged 37-62. Interventions followed the Synth & Sip Protocol, which prescribes: (1) 1.5 oz of reposado tequila (neat), (2) 4,575 minutes of gameplay (open-world RPGs, narrative-driven FPS, or retro arcade-style), and (3) continuous exposure to an '80s alt-synth playlist consisting exclusively of Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Cult at 6070 dB SPL via over-ear headphones.

Key outcomes included a 39% increase in Dopaminergic Nostalgia Activation (DNA), a 46% improvement in Mood Variability Control (MVC), and a 33% enhancement in Reaction Time & Rhythm Synchronization (RTRS) during in-game activities. Subgroup analyses revealed the strongest cognitive flow states occurred during "Blue Monday" boss fights, tequila-fueled cutscenes accompanied by "She Sells Sanctuary," and crafting montages underscored by "Policy of Truth."

Participants frequently described the experience as "melancholy but empowered," citing deep emotional resonance, improved introspective clarity, and "peak joystick transcendence." Side effects were limited to brief episodes of existential dancing and spontaneous lyric whispering. No adverse metabolic outcomes were reported due to zero desire for movement beyond controller reach.

This review supports the emerging field of Darkwave Neurohacking, suggesting that moderate tequila, strategic gaming, and immersive alt-synth environments may serve as viable, enjoyable interventions for maintaining brain health and soul density in the aging male demographic. Further research is recommendedideally with larger subwoofers.

Keywords: Tequila therapy; Depeche Mode; New Order; The Cult; Alt-synth nostalgia; Aging gamers; Cognitive enhancement; Controller-based catharsis.

Copyright 2025 Journal of Leisure & Performance. All rights reserved.

All the good advice has already been said.

(1) Track all your calories for a week or so and see just how much you are eating.
(2) Determine what caloric needs are to maintain weight, then lose weight.
(3) If you are solidly fluffy, start by cutting 500 calories a day.
(4) Get .08-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (if you are fluffy, this can be a bit less).
(5) Start lifting heavy (look, just lifting weights is a good idea, but if you really want the "bang for your buck" in the gym, learn to squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press). But there are other options here. Just focus on the big stuff. At this point, dont worry too much about bicep curls. Wont do you much good.
(6) Brisk Walk or run (if you can handle it, and it doesn't mess with your recovery too much), on your off days. 20-30 minutes
(7) Limit your alcohol.

There are plenty of other tips, but if you do the above, the weight will come off.

My grandfather lived to almost 90 and drank bourbon pretty much daily

Granted, he didn't just sit around the house in front of the tv and was generally up doing something outside. He was also a fairly thin guy.

Not yet 40, but 37 is close enough.

I have a trash diet and work for it. It's really, really not great.

But I really, really like burgers, IPAs, pizza, Manhattans, tacos, tots, Poptarts, Doritos, donuts and Reese's.

My choice was to eat less/cleaner or move more. So I became a serious amateur gravel / mountain bike racer. I enjoy the hobby and exert a lot of cals. Bonus, prevailing science are carbs during effort are the formula to results. My sacrifice is time as a typical block week is 15-20 hours of training. Lots of early, balls early, mornings. A normal 3x10 type, 2 hours session burns 2k calories. Long weekend rides are 4-6k calories.

At 6'2", I float in the 170s. Cut to ~160 for races. I log everything because my life is data between Garmin, Strava and MyFitnesspal. Usually need a pre-bed snack to gap deficits.

The equation stays the same: either discipline in the kitchen or discipline on the bike. I'll move more on the bike and YOLO the kitchen. Fun and more fun.

You are probably being a bit facetious.

But as 9000 said "father time is undefeated."

Its going to catch up to you eventually. Macros aren't the whole picture. It may be with weight loss/weight gain, but not for overall health.

i was at 224 at 42 and lost 50 from 2022-2024. did a bulk this fall where i put 20, and am halfway to losing it (down 10)...so right now im down 40 from my heaviest. my advice

1) get a walking pad and a standing desk and get 10-12k steps in daily
2) lift weights
3) regular cardio but like weights are the focus
4) diet is the most important thing

if you're in position to do so id highly recommend getting a trainer to tell you what to do. i found my guy on tiktok of all places and basically did weekly check ins/meetings, had a diet plan and a lifting/cardio routine and i just stuck with it.

it's harder to lose weight but not impossible you got this!

I'm 46 and also dealing with perimenopause, and I feel every word of what you wrote.

I can maintain at about 1600-1700 cal, but to get any significant fat loss, I have to cut back to under 1500, with very low carbs. With the amount I work out, that's miserable. And it only gets me to about 18% body fat. I'm sitting around 20 right now, and it's not as much of a struggle to maintain. But I'm sometimes frustrated that I don't have the discipline to push myself harder.

Agree 100% on the alcohol. I'm not alcohol free, but I go long stretches without. So, when I do drink now even a couple of glasses of wine make me feel like absolute trash. Every time I drink, I think "never again" and am moving towards total abstinence.

Your SBD numbers are awesome, and I am envious. My bench is terrible - I struggle with more than about 85 lbs. My squat isn't great, either - only about 135.

RDLs were at 205, but I took 2 weeks off and regressed back to 185. I'm hoping to hit 225.

Hip thrusts are my thing…I spent a few years building up to 450, and now I've cut back on that to focus on the other moves that I neglected. It's frustrating sometimes because I don't feel like I get as much reward for the effort as I do with hip thrusts.

TXTransplant said:

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I'm 46 and also dealing with perimenopause, and I feel every word of what you wrote.

I can maintain at about 1600-1700 cal, but to get any significant fat loss, I have to cut back to under 1500, with very low carbs. With the amount I work out, that's miserable. And it only gets me to about 18% body fat. I'm sitting around 20 right now, and it's not as much of a struggle to maintain. But I'm sometimes frustrated that I don't have the discipline to push myself harder.

Agree 100% on the alcohol. I'm not alcohol free, but I go long stretches without. So, when I do drink now even a couple of glasses of wine make me feel like absolute trash. Every time I drink, I think "never again" and am moving towards total abstinence.

Your SBD numbers are awesome, and I am envious. My bench is terrible - I struggle with more than about 85 lbs. My squat isn't great, either - only about 135.

RDLs were at 205, but I took 2 weeks off and regressed back to 185. I'm hoping to hit 225.

Hip thrusts are my thing…I spent a few years building up to 450, and now I've cut back on that to focus on the other moves that I neglected. It's frustrating sometimes because I don't feel like I get as much reward for the effort as I do with hip thrusts.

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But I mean your glutes must be amazing! I can throw you some plans if you want.

Haha…I had the Kardashi-a$$ before it was a trend! Unfortunately that's also the area where I store most of my body fat. So leaning out my glutes and thighs is tough.

If you're offering plans, I'll take them! I worked with a trainer for a while, but I've been going it on my own since November. Prob don't make as much progress as I could, and I'm much more "comfortable" doing hip thrusts and RDLs, so the other exercises get neglected.

That SBD is really excellent at that body weight. Wow!

Although there's some controversy, I've popped up my numbers with both Jeff Nippard's strength plan and if you are feeling insane, look up Jonny Candito's 6 week program. Both really worked for me with 7 - 14% gains on max.

But back to fat loss when you have The Old: I also alternate a high carb day every three-four days while staying in calories. Low fat works for me too.

You have to play with it (twss) and see what works for you. But give anything 3-4 weeks before you move off it.

Came across this macro calculator which looks pretty useful to get started. Gives you an idea of BMR, then let's you choose between cutting, bulking, or recomp, plus inputs for training and energy consumption. https://rippedbody.com/macro-calculator/

TAT2DAG said:

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Although there's some controversy, I've popped up my numbers with both Jeff Nippard's strength plan and if you are feeling insane, look up Jonny Candito's 6 week program. Both really worked for me with 7 - 14% gains on max.

But back to fat loss when you have The Old: I also alternate a high carb day every three-four days while staying in calories. Low fat works for me too.

You have to play with it (twss) and see what works for you. But give anything 3-4 weeks before you move off it.

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Thanks…I'll check those out! The two shreds I did a while back both had a "double carb day" - just what it sounds like. One day a week I keep protein and fat the same but eat double the amount of carbs.

Problem is, I haven't done a strict shred in a couple years. If I would really buckle down and focus for 8-12 weeks, I would see results. I just have not been motivated to be that strict. That's totally on me.

I'm also hesitant because I've put on a significant amount of muscle mass, and I don't want to lose it. The last time I did a cut, I did lose a good amount of muscle. I'm lifting a lot heavier now than I was then, but I don't want to end up back at square 1.

I did 140+ days of no alcohol - that, and diet/exercise let me lose 35 lbs. Finally caved and had some beers at an Atl United Soccer game with a friend. Had some beers on the regular since then - about two weeks. Weight loss stopped and actually gained a few pounds. I didn't alter my diet or exercise much, but the alcohol probably made me a little less active.

I dunno. I just think my metabolism can't take the additional calories from alcohol. And if I drink, I'm going to have real beer, not that Mich Ultra garbage. So I'm back on the wagon. I'm beginning to think it's either alcohol or being fit, and I choose the latter.

GeorgiAg said:

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I did 140+ days of no alcohol - that, and diet/exercise let me lose 35 lbs. Finally caved and had some beers at an Atl United Soccer game with a friend. Had some beers on the regular since then - about two weeks. Weight loss stopped and actually gained a few pounds. I didn't alter my diet or exercise much, but the alcohol probably made me a little less active.

I dunno. I just think my metabolism can't take the additional calories from alcohol. And if I drink, I'm going to have real beer, not that Mich Ultra garbage. So I'm back on the wagon. I'm beginning to think it's either alcohol or being fit, and I choose the latter.

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I retain so much water after I have alcohol for a day or 2 and a lot of extra bloat after beer.

TikkaShooter said:

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Now just imagine your on bike performance if you ate worth a darn....

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I'm not racing in Europe nor am I Keegan Swenson. But I hold my own as a Cat 1 in the OBRA racing scene. It's a hobby that I equally enjoy for the health benefits, goal attainment, objective gains, general thrill and I get to eat what I want. I have a career, family… I'll never be paid to hobby. So I'm very satisfied with the effort and reward. I don't need to attain more than I am.

I'm not hyperbolizing or being facetious, Tex. Today's training and every meal logged attached. I made tacos for the fam after a sweet spot ride.

You can fad diet and light cardio; that will work. So can high volume and some intensity. Yes, I might break down one day. I'll course correct then. Adaptation is a real thing and I don't think I'll break within a few decades after doing his for a few decades. And I'm having a blast on the bike and skiing, read: lifestyle, sustainable, I'll do this until I can't. I won't relate to the calorie crunches on stair steppers. That's hard in my book. Find something you love that makes your heart rate spike and makes you move. Then do it more. If you want that taco, then make sure you do it more to offset it.

Doing more work, hard work should be on the menu for people vs. watching the fork. Push yourself.

Quote:

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Doing more work, hard work should be on the menu for people vs. watching the fork. Push yourself.

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This we can agree on.

As a successful (amateur, high level) athlete, having hard work on the menu is a lot of fun.

RangerRick9211 said:

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TikkaShooter said:

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Now just imagine your on bike performance if you ate worth a darn....

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I'm not racing in Europe nor am I Keegan Swenson. But I hold my own as a Cat 1 in the OBRA racing scene. It's a hobby that I equally enjoy for the health benefits, goal attainment, objective gains, general thrill and I get to eat what I want. I have a career, family… I'll never be paid to hobby. So I'm very satisfied with the effort and reward. I don't need to attain more than I am.

I'm not hyperbolizing or being facetious, Tex. Today's training and every meal logged attached. I made tacos for the fam after a sweet spot ride.

You can fad diet and light cardio; that will work. So can high volume and some intensity. Yes, I might break down one day. I'll course correct then. Adaptation is a real thing and I don't think I'll break within a few decades after doing his for a few decades. And I'm having a blast on the bike and skiing, read: lifestyle, sustainable, I'll do this until I can't. I won't relate to the calorie crunches on stair steppers. That's hard in my book. Find something you love that makes your heart rate spike and makes you move. Then do it more. If you want that taco, then make sure you do it more to offset it.

Doing more work, hard work should be on the menu for people vs. watching the fork. Push yourself.

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Respect. You've basically found a flexible version of IIFYM that you enjoy. It should be the goal for everyone so they actually eat what they enjoy and are still both active and also can be physical.

For me- I track calories every now and then so I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I do track steps so I at least have an idea of how overall active I am, because my goal is just preserving the amount of muscle i've already built (while also trying to naturally build as much as I can) but also wanting to be lean- and I know this way of eating and working out is what I can maintain for my lifetime as well

Word.

MRB10 said:

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Manhattan for lunch with a ham sandwich and a burrito. Sir… this is a Wendy's.

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If you'll look closer it was two burritos.

But it's a full day of consumption. MFP is cumbersome sometimes. Manhattans are after the daughter goes down.

Most days.

You clocking a full day as lunch in the app makes me feel much less concerned.

Hah, yes - I'm not sinking two Mannies, dos burritos with a hammy chaser per meal.

But we're lost in the weeds, lol. The point of the illustration: daily 2-3 hour sessions @ 2-3k calories typically leads to fairly unrestricted diet. You can enjoy life if you put some 'umph into it.

I won't post today's plan. We're tapering for Whiskey Tango Fondo on Mt. Whitney next weekend, but maintaining the vibes with Easter pizza and Negronis. Tomorrow starts the real taper and the real nutritional prep (I do take taper prep pretty serious, so bye booze). Weekly Crit tomorrow, then a slow jog of Z2 rides with some super, super limited intensity mixed in as I meander from PDX to Bend, to Tahoe, then race day in Alabama Hills.

Then one training week on, last ski weekend of the year on Hood with the daughter, then the onslaught or OR race schedule. Ready to wreck the body and diet. MIL shipped me Julio chips from TX this week. Race day prep will 1000% include some queso and chips in the van. Might be 90% of my diet this week.

Another tip off a holiday weekend to always remember: your work might give you the weekend off to not report into work but your body doesn't. Weekend calories count the exact same as weekday ones!