Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Have you looked into a concierge medicine service? A few years ago, my doctor moved to the MDVIP model. He then removed the middle man and went straight concierge. For about $2500 a year, you get the medicine 3.0 labs array. But also in person stuff. EKG, grip strength, balance on a force plate, et...

Interesting you prioritize the LP(a) and homocysteine tests. My heart health concerns are low, so I haven't paid careful attention to what one should prioritize. ... It's hard to know what's worth it or not. With the blood tests, I kinda figure the needle is already going in, so why not? If I think...

Insulin test is very affordable. I'm getting that and fasting glucose on my annual labs, then calculating the HOMA-IR online. As a point in time measurement, it's not perfect, but I like the leading metric aspect. Selling a CGM with insurance is very tough. Uncontrolled diabetes is the criteria. Ty...

Mike Lustgarten is working on a series on RHR and HRV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiC3o6YXGB0 My HRV skyrocketed into the 80s for the month we were traveling, then plunged to the 50s the moment we returned home, before settling in the mid to upper 60s. It would be interesting to see if yours v...

Certain jobs adjacent to mine before I retired required it in order to have admin privileges on some networks. My coworkers who had it for their assignments tended to roll their eyes at it as it was just a credential they had to get that didn't have any bearing on their actual jobs. They were just h...

Love the experimental approach to sleep quality and recovery. I wonder about meditation or zone 2 exercise for improving resilience score. If it's based upon HRV, that's often looking for more parasympathetic promoting activity in your day. For sleep - I am currently trying a weighted blanket. Noth...

Some random nerdiness : On sleep. When I first moved back to Illinois I just used a bed that was already set up in the room I occupy. It had a decent mattress, but one that was pretty old. A few weeks ago I finally swapped things around and put my better quality mattress on the bed. Over the next f...

Also a heavily considered factor in the Okinawan blue zone (and the health of japans older population in general): Well, I've got the walking covered, and the purple sweet potatoes are a staple. I should probably focus on getting on the ground more often though. For many years I slept on a futon on...

Also basis for the famous sit--rise test: https://www.today.com/health/sit-to-stand-test-rcna73986 I still score a 10 on that one. I try to remember to use it as my get down/get back up movement when I get down on the floor mat for body weight stuff. The only time I have trouble is if I am just wea...

... Keeping it one of my top 2 priorities in a world full of unexpected problems and super-interesting new opportunities is much more difficult. i guess Erotic Capital Management Over Age 55 may also require some adjustments. (sigh) Yes, that's a challenge I've had mixed success with. Basically, I ...

I agree that the human psychological narrative would have to be significantly adapted. For instance, just the fact that it's beginning to seem more likely that neither of my kids will have kids themselves is significantly altering my take on my senior years. But also the fact that my soon-to-be 84 ...

... Assuming aging is truly solved, then many of the physical accumulation problems that cause psychological changes in the elderly will be solved. The plaques will be cleared. The bloodflow maintained indefinitely. A twenty-year-old's rejuvenatory abilities working in a ninety-year-old body. It so...

I've contemplated before how many of the world's problems might be caused not only by terror management but because our lives are relatively short. How might human behavior be altered if, say, the average life expectancy was 500 years? or 1000 years? Surely more long-term planning and thinking woul...

My main task for 8 mos of the year now that I'm retired is looking after my dad. He's 84, for far into the time period you're talking about. Here's some things he struggles with and essentially couldn't do on his own. -Buy anything. He has money, but can't really drive on his own, can't use a comput...

Lately I've just been buying albums in mp3 format, usually on amazon. It's more expensive that way, but I feel like the artists deserve their royalties if I am enjoying their music as part of my personal collection. Unfortunately much of what I buy is old enough the artists likely long since sold of...

I have an alternative perspective that I have recently adopted. So many of the problems we cause as a species are the result of the - "I will be dead by then" - way of thinking. ... Ha, yes, that's a noble way of looking at things. Having a slightly different situation, my outlook is base...

Maybe this is not what is intended but my actual withdrawal rates have been 2021 (5 months) 0.00% 2022 0.00% 2023 (first 7 months) 0.00% Historical accumulation era data 2013 7.53% 2014 10.08% 2015 5.64% 2016 4.80% 2017 4.33% 2018 4.21% 2019 4.41% 2020 3.55% 2021 2.50% (first 7 months) Those number...

Second the motion for a sauna. Pretty easy build too, if you want to go rustic (no plumbing, no electricity). I built a wood-fired sauna in my backyard for maybe 5 grand all in? I'm on the fence between a traditional sauna and a more modern IR version, although I haven't taken a deep dive on either...

Very cool about the guitar. I expect to grow new hobbies as I age, but finding improvement in an established hobby is way better. Aging backwards, IMO. I wonder if a paradigm shift around how you see money, could lead you to constructively spend more. It's an under utilized resource currently, whil...

Is it possible that contentedness simply correlates with frugality and simple pleasures? It isn't really novel here - but a good book, time in nature, daily walks, socialization, a home-cooked meal, learning something new, playing an instrument, afternoon naps, a good night's sleep, a workout; thes...