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Guys, here's how your 20something body will start to fail you in just 10 years

How To Afford The Life You Want

Guys, here's how your 20something body will start to fail you in just 10 years

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Illustration: Joseph Tey Growing up is optional, but growing older isn’t just mandatory — it’s also pretty darn expensive BY MARK TAY You probably already think you know what happens when you get older. You’ve seen these 30something-year-old seniors in the office, wearing clothes that are way too young for them, styling their hair like they still have all of it, and taking every opportunity to tell you how much they like some new band to show how “with it” they still are. But growing older isn’t just about being on the other side of cool. As with so many things, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Whether you like it or not, the human body deteriorates over time. It all goes downhill, so all we can do is try to keep our foot on the brakes hope for the best. Because as if growing old wasn’t depressing enough a thought, it turns out it’s also expensive to do. 1. Old sports injuries

Remember that time when you popped your shoulder while playing rugby for the school team? Yeah, everyone thought it was pretty cool that you didn’t need to see a doctor and just popped it back yourself. Thing is, if an old injury like that doesn’t heal properly, it comes right back to bite you in the butt (or, in this case, shoulder) when you get older. Experts say the usual list of ankle, knee, back, shoulder and neck injuries sustained in your youth that are just shrugged off and gone untreated become ticking time-bombs when your youth runs out. So when you’re inching closer to 40 and you think it’s a good idea to relive your glory days on the football field or decide to unearth those abs you haven’t see in a while with a new workout routine, you’re looking at possible physiotherapy sessions that cost about S$100 an hour. That’s being optimistic. A pessimistic outlook

Of course, staying active has its possible downsides too. Doctors are seeing an increase in hip injuries from active young adults, especially runners and footballers. High-impact sports that involve running or jumping place an incredible amount of stress on knee, ankle and hip joints. How much stress, exactly? “ “When you walk, the impact on your joints is twice that of your weight,” Orthopaedic surgeon Tan Jee Lim at Gleneagles Medical Centre said in a newspaper report. “When you run, the impact is five times of your weight. When you sprint or jump, it is seven times.” A common consequence of all that excessive pressure is a stress fracture — which is when 30something you can join 80something grandma in the Hip Replacement Club. It’s an expensive club to get into though: About S$24,000 for a private room. Proper shoes that provide good support and adequate cushioning

After reading point 2, you might say, “No problem. I’ll have absolutely no time to kick a ball around or bench-press my wife when I’m 35 and calling the shots from my desk while safely cocooned in my air-conditioned office cubicle!” While that might very well be true, sitting at a desk for years is sometimes enough to trigger an old lower-back injury if you don’t pay attention to your seating posture at work. (You probably sat up slightly as you read this, which is a good start). In fact, not having time to stay active and keeping your core strong might be exactly what sends you to the doctor for help. Stay too active, you might get injured. Don’t stay active, and get a backache - It’s a bit of a catch-22. There are a few precautions you can take. Take up Pilates to keep your core muscles strong and flexible (just make sure you can afford to pay for the classes without

Being in your mid-20s, chances are you’re treating your body less like a temple and more like a playground with fast food and processed products getting you through the day (and early weekend mornings). You have the benefit of a decent metabolic rate that’ll burn through those calories and then some. No problem. Unfortunately, once you hit your 30s, that regular diet of instant noodles and chicken nuggets combined with a more sedentary lifestyle (you’ll be blaming that fancy job of yours) will result in you waking up one day wondering where that flab around your belly came from. It’s not an issue if you immediately do something about it, but if you get too comfortable with your new dad bod and just buy bigger pants, it’s just a few birthday cakes away from people asking you how far along you are. As a joke, of course. Just one that won’t be funny to you. 5. Stressing out

Borderline obesity in turn brings a greater risk of diabetes and hypertension. High blood pressure can also lead to heart diseases and resulting heart attacks. A trip to the hospital to check out a fainting spell possibly caused by hypertension costs around S$2,000 in Ward B1 (if you’re required to be warded), but your bill for inpatient treatment for a heart attack with stenting can easily rack up to S$15,000 in just four days. These may seem like ailments that affect old people like your parents, but in today’s stressful work environment — and depending on your family history — you may be affected in your 30s if your aren’t careful. In fact, according to the Singapore Heart Foundation, about 20 per cent of patients at its cardiac-rehabilitation centre are under the age of 40. So why not just take the precautionary steps now and find that balance of exercise and proper rest in your work life. If anything, you’ll look better in your clothes. 6. The whole tooth

Regular brushing and flossing is a good start to keeping your teeth and gums healthy but don’t forget to make time for a regular visit to the dentist at least once every six months. That way, you’ll be able to catch any earlier signs of bacteria build up that may lead to the decay of your deal-making winning smile. Tooth crowns and implants will cost you between S$500 and S$2,000, depending on expertise and materials used, so if you want to keep beaming the way you do without paying someone to stick a drill in your mouth, go set those regular appointments. 7. Partying hard

A big night out with the boys once in a while is fine, but partying too hard does damage to more than just your credit card statement. That’s because drinking too much doesn’t just burn a whole in your wallet, it also burns a hole through your body. You can’t see it but binge drinking results in an overworked (and pretty unhappy) liver and over time, the occurrences of liver diseases like fatty liver disease and liver cirrhosis. Lowering your alcohol intake at an early stage will get your liver back in proper shape over time, but if you still feel you want to train to be the guy who finished a whole magnum of whisky in one evening on your own, you might be on your way to a liver transplant down the road. From our last check that’ll set you back a few hundred grand so just put the bottle down, man. It’s not good for you and more importantly, you really don’t look cool spilling your drink all over your face. 8. Smoking

If “Oh, I only smoke when I have a drink!” is your usual defence, well guess what? All that drinking that causes gastritis and peptic ulcers is also brought on by smoking. And it goes without saying that your filthy little habit also causes reduced lung capacity and an increased risk of cancer, treatment for which is terribly unpleasant and will put a serious dent in your finances and general quality of life. But if you can’t think that far ahead into the future, just consider the math of smoking today: If you smoke a pack a day and decide to stop, you’ll be saving about a whopping S$11,000 a year. Worth considering, no? If you’re a little concerned at this point, that’s a good thing. The earlier you know what’s going to inevitable happen to your body, the earlier you do something about it. Inculcate a healthy lifestyle and be mindful of the employee health benefits

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