Don´t let the old man in

Don't let the old man in

This legendary Clint Eastwood quote was uttered one day while playing golf with his colleague, country music singer and songwriter Toby Keith. Clint told him he would be eighty-eight the following Monday; today, he's over ninety. Toby asked him what he was going to do with his life, and Clint replied that he was starting a movie the following week. Surprised, Keith asked what kept him active at his age. Eastwood simply replied that every morning when he got up, he wouldn't let the old man in. Toby Keith wrote a song about it and sent it to Clint, hoping he'd use it, which he did. It's the soundtrack to his movie "The Mule." The idea behind the expression is a reminder that attitude and mindset can play a crucial role in how we age. It can be interpreted as a call to not let age dictate what we can or cannot do, and to maintain a positive and active attitude toward life, regardless of our chronological age. Instead of giving in to the idea of ​​aging, it's about continuing to challenge ourselves and living life to the fullest. A 2018 study confirms this. A study investigating more than 4,000 older adults from the National Health and Aging Trends reveals a fascinating finding: Feeling older than one's actual age can increase the risk of dementia. This correlation holds true even after accounting for demographic factors and baseline cognitive health. The study highlights the importance of considering psychological factors such as subjective age in dementia risk assessments. Furthermore, a higher biological age compared to chronological age is associated with a higher risk of dementia and stroke. Feeling and having a biological age between 8 and 13 years older than their actual age resulted in an 18-25% higher risk of death during the study periods. In short, "Don't let the old man in" has become a kind of mantra encouraging people not to let chronological age define their limits, but rather to maintain a positive, curious, and active attitude throughout life. It's a reminder that youth is in the mind and that attitude can make a difference in how we live our lives as we age.