David · Yorkshire · age 65 · not a doctor
I'm a retired guy who got curious about ageing well. Not the expensive, gadget-heavy version, the honest, practical kind. This is my log of what I've tried, what the research actually says, and what I've quietly given up on.
What this is about
The mental and social side of ageing well. What gives your days shape. Connection, meaning, the small things that actually lift your mood, as distinct from what the wellness industry tells you should.
Exercise that fits real life. Food that's worth eating. The few supplements with solid evidence. And a healthy scepticism toward anything that costs more than it should or promises more than it can deliver.
Retirement gives you time back. The question is what you do with it. Habits, routines, activities that compound, and the things worth saying no to so the good stuff has room to breathe.
Not investment advice. I'm not qualified to give it. But the basics of financial wellbeing in later life: spending less than you earn, understanding your options, and not being taken for a ride.
From the archive
My relationship with running was established early. This is the story of how that changed, at 57, from scratch, badly at first.
33 years of contributions. Not a director, not on a big salary. Just someone who read the paperwork.
Everyone's seen it. Almost nobody has read it carefully. Here's what it actually says, and how I turned it into a real week of meals.
Twice a week, about forty minutes, found the machine on Facebook Marketplace. Here's exactly what I do and why.
The watch was probably right. I just didn't find it useful. On data, conflicting signals, and trusting how you feel.
A new sports nutrition position stand shows weight loss can cost muscle. What it says about protein, strength training and crash diets, for the over-60s.
It looks almost too good to be true. It isn't. Here's how it works, what can go wrong, and the voucher trick most people miss.
No theory. Just practice.
Current habits
What I've stopped (and why)
The person behind this
"I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, or a fitness professional. I'm a retired 65-year-old from Yorkshire who got curious."
I started running in my early sixties, properly, from scratch, via Couch to 5K, and something about that experience changed how I thought about what's possible later in life. I started reading. Then researching. Then experimenting. This site is the honest record of what I've found.
I write about health and fitness, food, sleep, time and money, the four things on that print I've had on my wall for years. The philosophy is simple: keep it simple. No expensive kit. No unproven supplements. No pretending things work when they don't.
Everything I write is based on my own experience, my own research, and a genuine Yorkshire instinct for not being taken for a mug.
Read my full story →