---
type: "Topics"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/topics/40025958.md"
description: "The only lasting dividend of the times is one: maintaining physical health.Recently, I did some calculations, and the more I think about it, the more it seems like a great deal.Suppose you are 35 this year and spend 1 hour a day exercising. That's 365 hours a year. If this adds 10 years to your life, and you have 16 hours of wakefulness each day during those 10 years, that's a total of 58,400 extra hours.Trading 365 hours of investment for 58,400 hours of return—this deal is an absolute steal.But in reality, most people do the exact opposite: trade health for money, then use money to treat their bodies. After going around in circles, they finally realize they've already squandered their most important capital in advance.Think about it: most people are crowded into the same track—trading time for money when young, money for time in middle age, and money for health in old age.But if you treat health as essential infrastructure to build from the very beginning, you break out of this vicious cycle. When your peers start frequenting hospitals, you can still calmly learn new skills; when others are forced to quit due to lack of stamina, you can still start over in a new field.I know an aunt, 62 years old, who started learning Tai Chi after retirement. Now she teaches three classes a week, and her students are all young people in their thirties and forties.She says, "What I'm earning now isn't just pocket money; it's the power of choice. I can teach if I want, travel if I want. My body allows me to switch modes anytime.""
datetime: "2026-04-20T00:04:20.000Z"
locales:
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/topics/40025958.md)
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/topics/40025958.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/topics/40025958.md)
author: "[浩浩小课堂](https://longbridge.com/en/profiles/19784218.md)"
---

# The only lasting dividend of the times is one: mai…