I recently visited my father in Florida. My father is a retired police officer from Montgomery County, Maryland. He turned seventy in 2014, and pointed out during the visit that the average life span for a cop was fifty-five.

He has had his share of health problems over the years – sleep apnea, weight-related leg problems, pulmonary embolism, near-fatal appendicitis, things like that. He’s a very large man. He gets winded walking from the dining room table to his easy chair. He’s on multiple meds, including Warfarin (blood thinner), blood pressure meds, water pills, and probably more. He often says, “If I’d known I’d last this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” I take that to heart, and I think that’s why I took up running and gym workouts – to avoid being in his shape at his age… or any age.

By all accounts, he should have been dead years ago. He smoked for decades, almost died from that. He drank for decades, could have easily died from that. Ate badly, kept horrible hours and stress levels from his years as a cop. Most of the guys he worked with over the years are dead. Most? Nearly all.