The questions are all hypothetical, because while we have a general sense of what\u2019s healthy<\/a> for our bodies, there\u2019s no guarantee that any of them will make us live longer or better. But we also have a sense that everything is a balancing act. Avoiding excessive sugar intake might be good, but eating cake is one of the fundamental joys of life. Exercising<\/a> makes our body strong in the long term, but going to lunch with a friend might be better for the soul in the short term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health and fun can<\/em> go together, but they\u2019re often at odds. So what are we to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Reddit user recently asked<\/a> \u201cpeople who are nearing the end\u201d if they ever regretted doing as much as possible to maintain their health. The answers were fascinating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m asking people reaching the point where there\u2019s no lifestyle choices remaining to put off the inevitable,\u201d the user asked on the subreddit r\/AskOldPeople. \u201cAre you glad you did what you could to get all the time possible? Do you wish you had allowed yourself more bad habits?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overwhelmingly, the respondents\u2014mostly folks in their 60s, 70s, and 80s\u2014fell into three camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. \u201cAbsolutely no regrets.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Seniors in this category insist that waffling between health and indulgence is for the midlife crises-ers, not the \u201cclose to death\u201d crowd. They agree that a lifetime of healthy choices really starts to separate folks in the twilight years. People who didn\u2019t prioritize their health, diet, and fitness have trouble moving, more health problems, and anecdotally, die earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m 73 and retired from the NYC Ironworkers Union where staying in top shape was a must. Those habits are hard to stop so I\u2019m in great shape. No regrets,\u201d one man wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMid 60s. Former sedentary smoker. Now a daily runner, watch my weight and diet. I don\u2019t want to live longer, just better. I want to do be able to do what I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c74M. A life long runner and marathoner. Many of my friends are so out of shape they can hardly walk to the mailbox. In many cases, this is a result of the lives they chose to live. They seem to spend much of their time watching TV and complaining, when not visiting doctors. \u2026 On the other hand, I am finding this to be a great time of life to travel, play catch and chase my grandchildren and generally enjoy these years. I have very few regrets living a healthy life and for each day that passes, as I look at my peers, I have even fewer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo regrets about remaining healthy and fit. It\u2019s not \u2018stressful.\u2019 What would be stressful would be worrying about docs, meds, hospitals, and medical bills. All my numbers are normal and I need no meds\u2013yet,\u201d added a 76-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. \u201cMostly no regrets, but it\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlmost 80 here and I have no regrets,\u201d began one user. \u201cI never smoked or drank excessively. \u2026 Now I crotchet, read, write, and spend time with my best friends, (doggies). I look back and my only regret is rushing to get to the end of college and graduate school\u2026then I rushed to get published because that\u2019s what you do in academia. I regret all that rushing\u2026 My granddaughter has earned scholarships and been accepted at a very nice university and I told her, there is time. Don\u2019t rush it. She was trying to figure out how to graduate college earlier. I told her it\u2019s not the end of the race that matters, it\u2019s the process getting there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who maybe didn\u2019t always make the healthiest choices admitted that, for the time being, they were still OK with their decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t change anything. Did all I could with what I had to work with. Had a lot of fun, met some great people, helped out family, friends and strangers when I could \u2026 My body is falling apart so I can\u2019t work out but I still eat healthy. I\u2019m ready for the final sleep and have no regrets or fear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working too hard, not having enough fun, and losing touch or not spending enough time with friends and loved ones are top death bed regrets<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think you\u2019re asking if giving up unhealthy (but enjoyable) behaviors for a long time just to add another 10-15 years to your life is worth it. I\u2019m 63 and still on the fence about this. I guess it depends on how much you enjoy life and what you live for. If you have a happy life with loving family and friends you\u2019d be more apt to give up pizza and cannolis than someone with a mediocre life and just trudging along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy mother in law is 91. For as long as I\u2019ve known her, 43ish years, she didn\u2019t eat meat, drank wine occasionally (she would nurse one glass all night), ate lots of salmon, kale, berries\u2026.in other words lived a crazy healthy lifestyle,\u201d one user shares. \u201cSince 2021 she\u2019s been in a nursing home, no clue who she is, who her kids are etc\u2026. Her mind is shot, for all practical purposes she\u2019s dead, but her body won\u2019t die. I\u2019d rather not live long enough to have that happen to me, which it probably will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. \u201cI reject the premise of the question.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy rule is you avoid the three R\u2019s. Resentment, Regret, and Revenge. The past is over, you cannot change it and you certainly don\u2019t want to live there,\u201d one wise user shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few others were firmly in the camp of: It doesn\u2019t matter. Do what you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy [sister-in-law] ran triathlons and still got leukemia and died at 59. So yeah, I\u2019m gonna eat that bacon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSmoked and drank and lived every day like it was gonna be my last and still do,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve gotten myself into great shape and having the time of my life. Haven\u2019t felt this good in 40 years,\u201d added another, but said they don\u2019t go as far to regret anything. \u201cI enjoyed all the bad things but knew enough to let them all go a while back. Zero regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"aging,](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/origin_484a5b.jpg\")
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