At the age of 45, I’m healthier than I’ve been in decades. My weight is about 155, a two-decade low. Yesterday I ran a 5k faster than I’ve ever run one before. It’s all because of FIRE.
About The Time A Friend Said FIRE Would Kill Me
When I first discovered FIRE way back in 2012, I embraced it almost immediately. I say “almost” because I thought Mr. Money Mustache was some kind of a scam:
Retirement around age 30? Bullshit!
But, I gave him a chance and realized that it all boils down to simple math. An hour later, I was hooked:
Whoah, I’ve discovered something amazing! I want to tell the world!
*cough cough, blog*
And I need to tell my friends and family too!
This didn’t work out so well.
You’ll Die Young
One of the first friends I told about FIRE had a shocking response:
You’ll die young if you quit your job now.
When I asked him to elaborate, he told me that mailmen die shortly after they leave their jobs. I have no idea where he heard this, but I haven’t been able to corroborate this claim.
But there may be a grain of truth in there. If your life is defined by your job, if you validate yourself through your work, if your social life consists of hanging out with your coworkers, then you may be in trouble. Quit your job or get fired and you’ll have a massive hole in your life.
The solution is to build a vibrant life outside of work. You should enjoy your job and be on friendly terms with your coworkers, but build a tribe that exists outside of your job.
While there was some truth in my friend’s assertion, he also missed something big that I know from personal experience. FIRE has the potential to extend your life, perhaps considerably.
FIREy Fitness
My weight started climbing when I started my first real job and steadily increased for the twenty years that I worked. Towards the end of my career, my weight crept up over 180 as my gut grew ever bigger. Around the age of 42, I had a physical and learned that my blood pressure was 130/80. Since then, the American College of Cardiology has redefined hypertension. Per the new guidelines, I was hypertensive:
One of my first priorities after leaving work was to get my health in order. While it took a while to find my groove, I was now able to work on myself. I had time and I had willpower. Regarding the latter, a stressful, full-time job drains you. Throw in two kids and on some days, the very last thing you want to do after a hectic day is get on a treadmill:
Today
Two years after departing full-time work, I’m in a much better place. Today I weigh 155.6, a loss of 25 pounds from my peak. My blood pressure is under 120/70. I don’t cringe when I look in the mirror. My knees don’t hurt when I run anymore. Life is different now:
And fitness, frugality and FIRE are all related:
- FIRE gives you the time to work on yourself. On most days, I spend at least 2 hours engaged in some type of physical activity. I walk for at least an hour each day. Every other day, I do a strength workout. When I’m not lifting weights, I’m running or biking.
- Frugality gives you the motivation to walk or bike instead of drive. Because you don’t have a job, you have the incredible luxury of time. It’s OK to take an hour to walk to the library and back. If you’ve completed a 5-mile run but still feel good, keep going! I also have the time to prepare more meals at home. I’m more frugal because I’m FIRE’d which has led to better health.
- I have better fitness because I have the time and willpower to work on myself. Because I’m more fit, I’ll spend less money on health care which increases my chances of a successful FIRE life.
It’s all related but much more than that, it’s symbiotic:
Before I quit, fitness seemed like a bolt-on part of my life that I frequently let fall off. Now, fitness is ingrained in me. In my daily routine, I walk or bike most places. I get joy from experimenting with healthy recipes. Part of my new social life is going on epic hikes with friends. This new lifestyle will pay dividends for the rest of my life.
Never forget that health functions similar to compound interest. The high blood pressure or extra weight you have at 40 is slowing destroying your body, even if you don’t realize it. Arterial plaque doesn’t accumulate overnight. The artery that bursts in your brain doesn’t happen by chance. Cardiovascular health issues are often the result of decades of neglect.
Life Is Good
To my friend who told me that I’d die young as a result of early retirement, the opposite is true; I’ll most likely live longer with a higher quality of life because I don’t have a job. The truth is closer to this:
I would have died young if I continued to work.
And if some tragedy strikes me down at a young age and all of this fitness was for nothing, at least the years that I did have were good ones. Being on top of a mountain with friends on a weekday or running a 5k with your daughter is infinitely better than a cube.
And to those who say:
What if you run out of money?
I’m more concerned about running out of life. And I’m fairly certain my life would have run out earlier if I had stayed at my job.
Epilogue: 5K Times
- 2016: 34:30
- 2018: 29:59
- 2019: I’m still waiting for the official results, but I believe my time was less than 28 minutes, beating my old record of 29:59 by more than 2 minutes. CORRECTION: I was optimistic! My official time was 28:21, not as good as I thought. I’m still happy to have beaten my best time by over 90 seconds. There is always next year. I will be back!
Join the 10s who have signed up already!
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*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.
Yeah working a full time job and being fit I found to be impossible to keep up with and was one thing that really got to me when I had a 9-5. It wasn’t so much the exercise that was difficult but eating well. It was so easy to say I’m busy and stuff some Mr Noodles in my mouth. When I retired I ended up subscribing to a meal planning service since I’m not a planning kind of person and its great.
I think thoughts like this one are easy to just not notice when you are working and assume you will work forever. ‘My waist got bigger. I was skinny once. Must be old age, oh well’
Congrats on turning it all around though! At this rate I think you’ll sign up for an iron man by next summer!
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Iron Man! Let’s not get crazy now!
Strong work on the 5k, young man!
I like the way your day looks, and mine are starting to look similar. Full-on FIRE comes mid-August, and it’s going to be pretty sweet.
Cheers!
-PoF
Life is good over here. I can’t wait to read your posts about life on the other side.
Carl, great job with improving your fitness and health. I read about dying after retiring too. But I think it’s just what you do with your life. If you sit around all day and mope then you probably won’t live long after retirement.
I haven’t made as much progress with exercise since I retired in 2012. My weight is down a bit, but not significantly. I was exercising regularly already. However, I’m a lot less stressed out. My shoulders and back don’t hurt anymore and my mood is much improved. FIRE is a great match for people who can work to improve their lives.
“FIRE is a great match for people who can work to improve their lives.”
Hell yes.
That’s a solid 5k time! I’ve recently taken up running and getting under 30 minutes is no joke. I’m sure the higher elevation doesn’t help either.
How many times a week do you run? I’ve dropped the ball in weight training lately now that it’s warm enough to be outside, but 3x a week sounds like a good idea.
Yep, I go for 3x a week.
By far, what helped the most for me was losing weight. I had just trained for a half-maraton when i ran the 5k at 29:59. I didn’t train hard at all for this one, but because I was almost 10 pounds lighter, the running was waaaay easier and I beat my old time by 90 seconds.
Hot dang! Well done to you and your daughter on the run!
Yesterday, my friend and I did a 40-ish mile bike ride, including a HUGE elevation climb to prepare for our summer touring ride and then had lunch with a beer that got us both a little drunk after the calorie depleting ride so then we sat on a patio and ate ice cream and just laughed for a good hour. All I could think was in a few years, this is going to be our standard weekday…
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Whoah, ice cream and beer after a bike ride! I think you’ve already nailed retirement even though you’re not there yet!
well done on that personal best. i’m very fortunate to have a work gym where i can run every day. i haven’t missed a day working out here since february and just keep getting more and more fit. the job part is kind of saving me from myself right now just by having some place to be at 7:30 every morning. the other day i ran 3 treadmill miles in 18:23 like when i was a teenager.
mrs. 1500 was my inspiration when she was planning to run that 1/2 marathon last fall. i was pretty fat (for a skinny guy) but now i’m 20 pounds lighter too and feeling great. it doesn’t make complete sense as i didn’t make any other life changes like diet or quitting the daily wine but i’ll take it for age 51.
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20 pounds lighter! Holy crap, congrats.
Mindy’s half is this Saturday! Wish her luck!
good luck to her. i was looking at halves in willamette oregon for around this time. y’all doing it locally to longmont?
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Yep, it’s in Frederick, a couple of towns over. Oregon is a great place to run though. Not hot and sea level!
Very well done!
I had my worst 5k time yesterday, after falling out of the habit a year and a half ago and suddenly remembering two weeks back that my wife had signed me up for one. 33:17 and far too much of it was spent at a brisk walk rather than a steady jog. On the bright side, as of two weeks ago I’m back in the running-every-other-day groove with my trusty couch-to-5k app nagging me every step of the way. 😉
Keep at it!
Congrats on the 5K time. I agree having the time to get your health in order is by far the greatest benefit of FIRE. I don’t think it’s unrealistic when people say they can add a decade to their life by putting in the time it takes to reach a high level of fitness. Years ago I was hanging out by a pool in Mexico with my family and I met an 80-year-old grandfather that looked like he was 60. I was really shocked by his appearance.
He definitely did not get to that place by sitting behind a desk. It takes years of a different kind of work but I would say it’s the best kind of work. It’s called playing the long game.
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“Years ago I was hanging out by a pool in Mexico with my family and I met an 80-year-old grandfather that looked like he was 60.”
Yep, I’ve seen people like that too. On the other side, I’ve seen people who look 55 and they’re not even 45. Drink a lot of booze, be sedentary, don’t use sunscreen and you’ll look like hell before your time.
Awesome Carl. I think the way to break through that next 5k record is to have the finish line at a brewery or maybe chasing the guy who just bought the last bottle of Pliny. I would join that race for sure. I believe that earlier death in retirement comes from those with a lack of engagement and community in older age leading to poor mental health linked to physical. However, less stress, more exercise, and gratifying experiences with your community sounds like a recipe for fitness and long life. I’m on board!!!
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Mmmm, Pliny!
This is great. We have a small gym in our office but I hate getting all lathered up then going back to my desk. I try to talk outside on nice days but I look forward to my future fire days where mid day exercise is more feasible! Thanks for always being a motivator.
And remember that even if you don’t get on the treadmill, diet is like 90% of it. Put off your first meal until noon and amazing things will happen.
What a good summary of life after FIRE- end goals is having the free time to take lazy adventures, take the time to walk somewhere. Time is the most valuable resource we have- and it sounds like you are loads more fit than me. I can’t even run a block (of course I have asthma, so running has been a challenge and is never pleasant for me). Walking has been more my speed.
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Asthma sucks. I know because I have it too. Amazingly, it mostly went away a couple of years ago. I went from sucking on the inhaler 3x a day to using it 3x per year. Nothing changed in my life, so I’m still scratching my head over what happened. I’m not complaining though and I hope that the same thing happes to you.
That’s great that it went away. Mine is set off by smoke and dust. But guess who does all the housework? Me! I also hate running, but do other stuff for exercise. Could be you got away from the allergen that was triggering it- maybe by moving to a different area, or you just “grew out of it” as some people do. I’ve had a pretty good handle on it, just running is no fun.
“…just running is no fun.”
Truer words have never been said.
That’s fantastic how much you’ve been able to improve your health, Carl! I just FIRE’d at the end of this past year and my general day looks very similar to yours. It’s awesome to have the time to work-out without trying to squeeze it in somewhere (which I failed at miserably over and over).
I can’t see myself running a 5k (congrats on that!), but I do love being able to get outside and start bike riding now that spring’s here!
— Jim
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In high school, I could barely run a mile. Then, I did my first 5k in my 40s. Then, I did a half-marathon. It’s amazing what your body can do.
First off – awesome – keep lowering that time. I keep getting fitter as my 40’s go along. Your 40’s are not old, it can be your prime.
And I’m convinced that the main reason obesity and all the associated chronic diseases it brings keep increasing are that people simply don’t have time to exercise. Sure, crappy food plays a part, but tons of top athletes show that good exercise can beat crappy food. In the 1800’s work was physical and burnt tons of calories. Now it’s so sedentary. There’s not time left in the day for folks to get exercise, so they don’t do it because as they get heavier it becomes a mountain too high to climb.
FIRE is indeed a magic elixir to good health since it gives you time to take care of yourself. Kudos dude.
Thanks Dave for the kind words.
And yeah, life is a lot different now. When we go for family walks at night, we see the glow of the TV in most windows. Sad. There is so much more to life.
I thought you were 46? Now I feel old…
Nice work laying out more reasons for me to give this work life the heave-ho. Granted, I could use my magic 5AM – 6:30AM time slot to exercise, but either work or the blog beckons. Only early retirement, it seems, will give me the freedom to pursue ideal fitness, and write that book about retiring early with real estate and making work optional…
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Don’t despair, your time is near!
And you’re already in great shape! Two years after quitting, I’m much better off than I was, but I’m still way behind you!
This is by far the most motivational FIRE blog post for me to date. Thank you!
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Thanks for the kind words! I have to respond to your emails too! Life has been pretty great over here, but busy!
Dude – trust me – I get tired just reading about everything you’re doing, so all good. Keep up the great work. And seriously, this was the most motivational post I’ve ever read as far as helping me to make a tough decision in the near future.
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Congrats, Mr FW! That is very inspiring.
What happened to Mrs FW updates? I was very inspired by her commitment!
Update soon. Lots of changes, mostly good.
Congrats of the new 5K record!
FIRE definitely opens up opportunities to improve your health. I also agree with your friend about typical retirement killing people, since for lots of people they stop moving around as much and don’t have lives outside of work. Back to your point and how important it is to have a community outside your job and not just let that define you.
I’m on the path to FI, but I decided to prioritize health now (I was over 200Lbs at 5’10” and it wasn’t fun). Exercises is definitely harder with a regular job (fortunately I have an irregular job where I can shift my work time around to get in 2-3 hours of exercise a week), but diet is also a biggie and that’s even easier without being FI yet. But given that most people barely move around, just by walking a bit more, taking the stairs and maybe even a few air squats that would be a exercise huge improvement for lots of folks.
To me FIRE is saying I care about the present most AND the future will be good too.
And typical work-lifers are saying I care about present consumption most AND the future is what I care about most.
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Nice work on getting your health together now instead of waiting.
“diet is also a biggie”
Yep! From what I’ve read, diet is way more important than exercise. I still found it hard to eat well with the stress of a job. Hell, it’s still challenging now!
“To me FIRE is saying I care about the present most AND the future will be good too.”
A very good way to look at life!
Thanks and right back at you and the Mrs!
Yeah, when you do the math on dieting vs working out it becomes apparent that what we shove in our mouths is the biggie (more about what we fill our shopping carts with, since that’s the first line of defense).
I hear you, it’s hard with all the yummy things in the world, for me it helps to put it in perspective of why I’m taking care of my health now, which helps with restraint like 85% of the time (and during those 15% I rarely go nuts and use it as a cheat meal to help the cause).
Being too restricted in what you eat is basically “throwing out the baby with the bath water”, since being able to maintain a pretty healthy diet for life is way more important than trying not to eat a few cookies here and there.
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Male 46 here with wife and two kids. $1,65M net worth mostly in stocks – living in Germany. So no 401k´s and higher taxes but no complain.
Your path and personal development is giving many people hope that life is not over in in their fifth decade and that the only way to go is to suck it up for twenty more years.
Thank you for that!
Im still employed with shiny handcuffs but our high saving rate plus investing brought us in a position of “No worries”. I do two hour lunch breaks per day where I most of the time go to the gym to lift heavy stuff. I do intermittent 16/8 fasting and eat 90% (high protein) healthy. My health is a top priority now for me and I don’t accept significant stress at work.
If my boss is angry I get up and leave the room. I will do that for about two more years or till tomorrow if they offer me a juicy severance package because they realize that the carrot is not working for me any more.
Please keep up the work and have a wonderful week!
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Hey Machinist! Where in Germany are you? I’m planning on going to your fine country in September or October. Also, thanks for the kind words!
And wow, you’re living your life right. Don’t take any shit from the bossman and keep on swinging the kettlebell (or whatever heavy shit you’re lifting)!
No where near FIRE (not a particular goal of mine, or should I say a priority) but I could absolutely see how much better in shape you would be! That kind of free time screams HOBBY, and what better hobby than living longer!
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Great work on making a personal best! It will only get better for you from here on out! Keep it up.
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