I'm not old, I'm just aging: 4 Friday thoughts

Likewise, I'm not Paul, 58. I'm Paul 5.8.

A short, lively post, below, with 3 spectacularly compelling ideas + 1 offer you can totally refuse (but, really, you shouldn’t) to kick off your weekend. And a link to a classic Albert Collins blues song, below. ⬇️

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A “Fun Friday” 20% discount offer, good through Sunday

For those who missed the recent Memorial Day 21% discount offer on a paid AGING with STRENGTH subscription, I’m offering one last 20% discount before summer begins and more (but not all) posts, podcasts and 3-min video workouts migrate behind a paywall — out of necessity to help keep the lights on over here.

Click the link below to get a healthy 20% off an annual subscription (monthly subscriptions are not eligible). This link will work through this Sunday:

https://agingwithstrength.substack.com/FunFridaydiscount

Why bother? Because your support directly enables me to continue investigating the latest aging-related research, asking experts¹ their advice on strength training, nutrition, winning habits, etc., and building out AGING with STRENGTH independently and usefully, for you. Your support is hugely helpful and appreciated.

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1 | I’m not old, I’m just aging

After writing last week about getting called old on the internet, I found myself washing dishes this week thinking, “I’m not old, I’m just aging.” But like all writers, I can’t claim total credit for the cleverness, for it comes indirectly from my past.

One gratifying benefit about having a few decades in the bank is that sometimes, if you just let your brain wander (the only enjoyable part of doing dishes), that lack of busyness allows your current thoughts to connect to long-buried memories, ideas or language. And that’s what happened here:

“I’m not old, I’m just aging” is my adaptation of a 39-year-old Albert Collins blues song, “I Ain’t Drunk” (I’m just drinkin’), which I saw Collins perform live at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1992. Apparently, I never forgot it. It’s a fun tune to jumpstart your weekend, so give it a listen.

ALSO: If drinking is something you’re trying to reduce or do less of, check out my recent “Drinking Less” podcast conversation with my friend and fellow journalist Gwendolyn Bounds, creator of Not Too Late. Wendy’s tips are worth a listen.

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2 | Becoming a “super ager,” Part 1

I recently interviewed Dr. Eric Topol, one of the world’s leading medical researchers and the author of the incredibly helpful new book, “Super Agers,” in his office at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, in La Jolla, Calif. The first published link from that interview came out today in The Los Angeles Times, for which I write a column on aging with strength. (The column is aimed at a slightly different audience than you here on Substack, fyi.)

In an upcoming AGING with STRENGTH post, I’ll write in detail what I learned about super-longevity from my exhaustive, 70-minute interview with Dr. Topol. But today’s LAT column gives you an opening look at what he believes are the keys to healthy aging: a powerful immune system and a robust “gut-brain axis.”

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In case you missed it…

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3 | Paul, 58 vs. Paul 5.8

Maybe it’s from my years working in big tech and the Silicon Valley venture capital scene, where software versions are the virtue signal that nothing ever gets older (just better!), but upon waking up the other day with no major aches or pain — other than my surgically repaired tender right shoulder — I thought:

“I’m not Paul, who’s 58. I’m Paul 5.8!”

I encourage you to also consider placing a decimal point between the numerals in your age. It’s a remarkably simple and totally acceptable Fun Friday amendment to the official record.

Because you’re not old; you’re just aging.

1. Upcoming AGING with STRENGTH podcasts include:

Dr. Annie Fenn, author of Brain Health Kitchen, discussing her incredibly specific advice on nutrition for people over 50. Trust me, this is a “news you can use” conversation.

Anne Marie Chaker, a working mom turned pro bodybuilder and author of a new book, “Lift,” about women’s strength and fitness and “aging beastfully.” A remarkably honest inside look into a midlife transformation from alcohol use disorder to athletic champion.

Dr. Renee Young, a naturopath and alternative medicine force of nature, discussing the latest biomarker tests that reveal how healthy you are, really, and nutrition strategies to promote slower biological aging.