What are you going to do with the rest of your life?

My brother-in-law has a simple yet effective visual which he uses to explain why people should retire or move on things they are waffling on. First here is a chart of life expectancy in various countries (The pic is from this link and was posted on November 10, 2007 by Greg Mankiw

 So back to the visual

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0          10        20        20        40        50        60        70        77.3

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0          10        20        20        40        50        60    65            77.3

                                                                              X (where I am on the scale)

If you are a Canadian your average life expectancy is 77.3 years. So if you take your age and show it on the chart you will see how much time you have left. The question to ask is how many of those years are productive healthy years and how many will be spent battling sickness. My chart is below the age expectancy chart. My brother in law uses a tape measure for greater effect. Try it at home. Take a tape measure and using the chart above measure out your life expectancy, then check how much time you have left. The last few years will go quickly, so use them wisely as there is no second chance at life

The good news is the younger you are the longer you may live. The chart below shows the life expectancy of those born in the various decades in Canada since 1920 by sex and by province. So if you want to be exact then use the figures below when you create your own measurement. It may make you feel better.

Health-adjusted life expectancy, by sex

	20011
	Life expectancy at birth2	Health-adjusted life expectancy at birth3	Difference
	years
Canada4
Males	76.9	68.3	8.6
Females	82.0	70.8	11.2
Difference between females and males	5.1	2.5	...
Newfoundland and Labrador
Males	75.1	68.4	6.7
Females	80.4	70.2	10.2
Difference between females and males	5.3	1.8	...
Prince Edward Island
Males	75.2	67.3	7.9
Females	82.0	71.7	10.3
Difference between females and males	6.8	4.4	...
Nova Scotia
Males	76.2	66.5	9.7
Females	81.3	70.1	11.2
Difference between females and males	5.1	3.6	...
New Brunswick
Males	76.0	67.4	8.6
Females	81.8	70.9	10.9
Difference between females and males	5.8	3.5	...
Quebec
Males	76.3	69.0	7.3
Females	82.1	72.0	10.1
Difference between females and males	5.8	3.0	...
Ontario
Males	77.3	68.2	9.1
Females	82.0	70.1	11.9
Difference between females and males	4.7	1.9	...
Manitoba
Males	75.5	66.7	8.8
Females	81.2	70.4	10.8
Difference between females and males	5.7	3.7	...
Saskatchewan
Males	76.2	67.3	8.9
Females	81.7	70.2	11.5
Difference between females and males	5.5	2.9	...
Alberta
Males	77.0	67.6	9.4
Females	82.1	69.7	12.4
Difference between females and males	5.1	2.1	...
British Columbia
Males	78.0	68.9	9.1
Females	82.9	71.2	11.7
Difference between females and males	4.9	2.3	...
1. The estimates are based on two years of death data (2000 and 2001). 2. Life expectancy is the number of years a person would be expected to live, starting at birth, if the age- and sex-specific mortality rates for a given observation period (such as a calendar year) were held constant over the estimated life span. 3. Health-adjusted life expectancy is a more comprehensive indicator than that of life expectancy because it introduces the concept of quality of life. Health-adjusted life expectancy is the number of years in full health that an individual can expect to live given the current morbidity and mortality conditions. Health-adjusted life expectancy uses the Health Utility Index (HUI) to weigh years lived in good health higher than years lived in poor health. Thus, health-adjusted life expectancy is not only a measure of quantity of life but also a measure of quality of life. Life expectancy at birth, by sex, by province Males Females years Canada 1920 to 1922 59 61 1930 to 1932 60 62 1940 to 1942 63 66 1950 to 1952 66 71 1960 to 1962 68 74 1970 to 1972 69 76 1980 to 1982 72 79 1990 to 1992 75 81 2000 to 2002 77 82 2005 to 2007 Canada 78 83 Newfoundland and Labrador 76 81 Prince Edward Island 78 83 Nova Scotia 77 82 New Brunswick 77 83 Quebec 78 83 Ontario 79 83 Manitoba 77 82 Saskatchewan 77 82 Alberta 78 83 British Columbia 79 84 Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 102-0512 and Catalogue no. 84-537-XIE. Last modified: 2010-06-21. For more information, consult Health in Canada