People who are 'nearing the end' reveal if they regret sacrificing indulgences for their health

Evan Porter
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 19:32:05 +0000
Seniors, Longevity, Old people, Older people, Health, Wellness, Mortality, Death, Fitness, Getting older, Askreddit, Aging

Would you give up the occasional beer to live another 10 years? Maybe that's an easy one. How about cake? Diet soda or fizzy drinks? All sweets and treats altogether? Would you live in the gym and skip gatherings with friends and family? Leave parties early to go get a good night's sleep?

The questions are all hypothetical, because while we have a general sense of what's healthy for our bodies, there's 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 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.

Health and fun can go together, but they're often at odds. So what are we to do?

A Reddit user recently asked "people who are nearing the end" if they ever regretted doing as much as possible to maintain their health. The answers were fascinating.

"I'm asking people reaching the point where there's no lifestyle choices remaining to put off the inevitable," the user asked on the subreddit r/AskOldPeople. "Are you glad you did what you could to get all the time possible? Do you wish you had allowed yourself more bad habits?"

Overwhelmingly, the respondents—mostly folks in their 60s, 70s, and 80s—fell into three camps.

1. "Absolutely no regrets."

man and woman sitting on bench facing sea Photo by Matt Bennett on Unsplash

Seniors in this category insist that waffling between health and indulgence is for the midlife crises-ers, not the "close to death" crowd. They agree that a lifetime of healthy choices really starts to separate folks in the twilight years. People who didn't prioritize their health, diet, and fitness have trouble moving, more health problems, and anecdotally, die earlier.

"I’m 73 and retired from the NYC Ironworkers Union where staying in top shape was a must. Those habits are hard to stop so I’m in great shape. No regrets," one man wrote.

"Mid 60s. Former sedentary smoker. Now a daily runner, watch my weight and diet. I don't want to live longer, just better. I want to do be able to do what I want to do."

"74M. 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. ... 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."

"No regrets about remaining healthy and fit. It's not 'stressful.' What would be stressful would be worrying about docs, meds, hospitals, and medical bills. All my numbers are normal and I need no meds--yet," added a 76-year-old.

2. "Mostly no regrets, but it's complicated."

man wearing blue tank top Photo by Massimo Sartirana on Unsplash

"Almost 80 here and I have no regrets," began one user. "I never smoked or drank excessively. ... 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...then I rushed to get published because that's what you do in academia. I regret all that rushing... My granddaughter has earned scholarships and been accepted at a very nice university and I told her, there is time. Don't rush it. She was trying to figure out how to graduate college earlier. I told her it's not the end of the race that matters, it's the process getting there.

People who maybe didn't always make the healthiest choices admitted that, for the time being, they were still OK with their decisions.

"I wouldn’t 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 ... My body is falling apart so I can’t work out but I still eat healthy. I’m ready for the final sleep and have no regrets or fear."

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.

"I think you're 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'm 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'd be more apt to give up pizza and cannolis than someone with a mediocre life and just trudging along."

"My mother in law is 91. For as long as I’ve known her, 43ish years, she didn’t eat meat, drank wine occasionally (she would nurse one glass all night), ate lots of salmon, kale, berries….in other words lived a crazy healthy lifestyle," one user shares. "Since 2021 she’s been in a nursing home, no clue who she is, who her kids are etc…. Her mind is shot, for all practical purposes she’s dead, but her body won’t die. I’d rather not live long enough to have that happen to me, which it probably will."

3. "I reject the premise of the question."

A McDonald's cheeseburger and fries. via Breanna Schulze/Flickr

"My rule is you avoid the three R's. Resentment, Regret, and Revenge. The past is over, you cannot change it and you certainly don't want to live there," one wise user shared.

A few others were firmly in the camp of: It doesn't matter. Do what you want.

"My [sister-in-law] ran triathlons and still got leukemia and died at 59. So yeah, I’m gonna eat that bacon."

"Smoked and drank and lived every day like it was gonna be my last and still do," said another.

"I’ve gotten myself into great shape and having the time of my life. Haven’t felt this good in 40 years," added another, but said they don't go as far to regret anything. "I enjoyed all the bad things but knew enough to let them all go a while back. Zero regrets."

Studies on people who age the very best show that most lifestyle factors don't make that big of a difference when it comes to how well our mental faculties survive as we get older.

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People whose brains perform decades younger than their age are rarely true health nuts. But regular exercise can make a difference in warding off Alzheimer's and dementia; that much is for certain.

Plus, the difference in physical health between folks who exercised and paid more attention to their diets can become stark as we age.

However, most studies show that just 20-30 minutes of exercise a few times per week is enough to reap most of the benefits. You don't need to spend long hours training for marathons and sacrificing social time—unless you enjoy it, that is. And the occasional ice cream with the kids, greasy pizza, or beer isn't likely to hurt you too much in the long run. Everything in moderation.

There's no simple, one-size-fits-all answer to the big question. People who invest heavily in their health and fitness and sacrifice for it don't seem to regret it later on. But neither do people who did their best but ultimately didn't always make the perfect choice.

You've got one life to live. It's comforting to hear from people toward the end of theirs as we make choices that will affect the rest of ours.