I'm not off my rocker, trust me: Aging into your 70s isn't as bad as it sounds

So you're starting to age a little, approaching 70 or maybe past it, and now you're wondering what's so golden about the "golden years."

You're figuring to spend the next few years in your rocker, armed with a drool cup and a shawl.

Well, buck up, old pal. Everyone says 70 is the new 60 and the most recent AARP Magazine offers dozens of reasons why, at this point in time, you should not fear the 70s.

Well, for one thing, you have a 26 percent less chance of dying of cancer than your parents' generation. Says AARP: "Thanks to more powerful treatments and a drop in smoking, cancer death rates have dropped dramatically since the mid-1990s - saving 2.4 million lives."

Colon cancer screenings can help. Because of screenings, colon cancer deaths fell 52 percent between 1970 and 2015. (There are ways to screen without a colonoscopy; check them out.)

Do you have a dog? Better get one.

AARP says 40 percent of people in their 70s own a pet (in my circle the percentage is much higher). Those people get more exercise and go to a doctor less often. A Swedish study found that owners of small dogs had a 15 percent lower risk of an early death than those without a dog. I won't get into the powerful emotional lift a dog can offer.

Another major health problem, after heart disease and cancer, is diabetes.

In my case of Type 2 diabetes, a drug called metformin is a godsend, aided by a healthy diet administered by my pharmacist wife - and no sugar, no candy, no pie, no cookies and only diet drinks. After many years, not a problem.

The AARP report says diabetes and prediabetes affects 73 percent of seniors and that should alert everyone to get serious about their blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar rises, it "will affect your heart, your brain, your eyes and just about everything else." You can get a blood sugar tester at any pharmacy - and a diabetes diet cookbook at any bookstore.

If you're taking good care of yourself - healthy diet, for instance, and not smoking - your chances of dementia are much lower. In 2012, the risk of dementia was actually 27 percent lower than it was for people ages 75 to 84 in 2000.

Speaking of dementia, a University of Michigan study found that, after age 70, a little pot belly helps protect the brain. AARP doesn't explain how this works, but only reports it. Hmmm.

Anyone who plays golf after 70 knows that little white ball doesn't go nearly as far as it once did. In fact, says AARP, people lose an average 30 percent of their strength between 50 and 70, then another 3 to 5 percent every decade after that.

Workouts at a gym or yoga class can help preserve muscle and bone mass and keep those little white golf balls flying. (In fact, I play with someone in his 80s who finishes most every round in the 70s. I want to be like him someday.)

One other finding is that older Americans "lead the pack when it comes to wisdom." Various studies have found that older people scored higher on tests of the ability to compromise and maintain perspective than did people in their 20s to 50s.

It's all pretty good news for those of us in our 70s. So put away that shawl and get out the bicycle. There's miles to go before we sleep.

Contact Bob Bestler at bestler6@tds.net.

This story was originally published May 18, 2018 at 3:45 PM with the headline "I'm not off my rocker, trust me: Aging into your 70s isn't as bad as it sounds."