'Boomers' aren't ok - Health

Born between 1945 and 1963 and think you’re in OK shape? You may be kidding yourself...

Members of the Baby Boom generation - those born between 1945 and 1963 – generally aren’t in good shape: in fact, many indications show that they’re the first generation to be in physically worse condition than their forebears.

Studies in the US and UK show that the boomers’ hectic lifestyle, with its many time and social pressures, and long periods sitting in a vehicle and/or the office, mean there are many very unhealthy middle-aged people, despite being much wealthier and having much better information about health and fitness than their predecessors.

New and clearer views on alcohol consumption are showing levels of use by boomers are higher than originally thought, with many people drinking up to, and often more than, a bottle of wine most days in the UK. Greater numbers are showing chronic problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Weight gain and obesity are at higher levels than ever.

When eating better just isn’t enough

It’s interesting to note that while fatalities from heart disease are falling, the incidence of heart disease is on the rise. A charity, Heart UK, found the number of people living with heart disease and leaving the workforce prematurely is set to double over the next 25 years. Boomers have generally spent more years being overweight than previous generations, bringing greater levels of arthritis and other conditions. These all point to a prospectively longer life lived with considerable discomfort. Notably, while boomers may generally consume fewer calories than their parents, they’re getting fatter because they’re not active enough. Time spent in the car or at the office was often time spent far more actively a generation ago.

But you DO exercise?

An added irony is that those who do exercise frequently do it the wrong way. Not recognising that their frames are aging and are somewhat worn already, they often attack exercise with poor preparation, unrealistic expectations, and therefore unforeseen consequences. Muscle strength has diminished considerably by the age of 50, reducing functional strength, and increasing injury risk, and it diminishes at a rate of 10% per decade after the age of 50. Joint and muscle flexibility also reduces, with the result that many later-stage exercisers, pressed for time (or to make up for time lost!) suffer injuries they might otherwise avoid, and chronic pain from tendon inflammation, bursitis (inflammation of the fluid sac in some joints) and arthritis.

No pain, no gain?

Worse still, boomers are easily tempted to exercise through the pain, where their predecessors simply stopped doing something if it hurt. They also tend to maintain activities they started much earlier in life, such as tennis, squash and running, which involve levels of joint trauma that aging bodies don’t handle well.


Baby boomers’ special health challenges

Several recent articles add to this picture and consider more reasons for the health challenges. They include the following:

• Many of the generation think they know it all – after all, they led an age of history’s most intense change – are turned off by authority, or will do their own research. Or they think they’re doing enough exercise and taking enough care.

• “It’s genetic” – they think that what will happen, will happen and they don’t have much control over their health outcomes, which is totally incorrect. Or similarly, they assume it’s too late to do much about their health and fitness.

• They are under more social, financial and time pressures than their parents’ generation – and indeed, may be “sandwiched” between pressures of looking after parents and children – so they avoid it or simply don’t think about it. Surveys show other things very often come first in their lives.

• They believe they can handle their physical state, and they’ll get onto improving it sometime in the future, but very often don’t.

For further information and free fitness advice visit fitnessandleisure.co.nz

print