Is physical condition and maintenance vital in later life?.

The question of physical condition and appearance is central to the ongoing debate on anti aging and the benefits resulting from a health and exercise induced lifestyle conducive to living an extended lifespan naturally as opposed to a chemically assisted enhancement. The bulk of the most recent anti aging discussion and research has been largely centred around the notion that if science can find a way to extend our lifespan by the some magic bullet, to coin a phrase, then our involvement in the process is minimal. This then lets us off the hook in so far as maintaining our physical condition is concerned as most imagine that this new supplement will do it all for us and we will somehow magically, live through later mid life and well beyond in much the same physical condition as we now are. This scenario, enticing as it may seem, will simply not come about,because to enable us to enjoy this promised life extension we need to maintain our physical condition through our own actions to then be in a position to enjoy this promised nirvana. The process, to be effective, must, in my view, involve a tandem approach with the emphasis firmly placed on our own individual efforts in the area of physical conditioning and maintenance. We can take advantage of any new advance that comes along in terms of supplements and other scientific aids but we must take responsibility for our own longevity now and not wait hopefully for science to save us the effort. To do otherwise, in my view, prevents the majority of us from both realising and enjoying what may be termed a viable extended lifespan. What really is the point in living to 120 through artificial means and being incapacitated and unable to enjoy those extra years. Life to normal people means an existence coupled with a certain expectation of enjoyment and fulfillment. This enjoyment and fulfillment may take a different form to what we experience in our mid and early years but to condemn someone to a life devoid of any enjoyment is to make a mockery of the whole notion of anti aging and life extension.In other words, the primary question must be, for what reason are we attempting to extend our lifespan? Is it just to numerically increase our time in this time capsule to convince and prove to science that it is possible, regardless of the consequences, or is it to genuinely increase our viable lifespan.In this context viable means our ability to enjoy as opposed to a mere existence. In the absence of a dual debate, as I have suggested, I am tempted to think the whole notion of somehow being able to artificially extend our lifespans is, to say the least, critically flawed if it does not include an appreciation and acceptance of the foregoing hypothesis in the affirmative.