Boomer health: Are boomers more or less healthy than previous generations? What to do about it.

According to this story in the Washington Post:

...baby boomers edges toward retirement, a growing body of evidence suggests that they may be the first generation to enter their golden years in worse health than their parents."

However only a few weeks ago that we reported on a study that also looked at Baby Boomer health and reported this:

Despite substantial increases in obesity in the past three decades, the overall population risk profile is healthier now than it was formerly. For the population aged 25-74, the 10 year probability of death fell from 9.8 percent in 1971-75 to 8.4 percent in 1999-2002. Among the population aged 55-74, the 10 year risk of death fell from 25.7 percent to 21.7 percent. The largest contributors to these changes were the reduction in smoking and better control of blood pressure. Increased obesity increased risk, but not by as large a quantitative amount. In the future, however, increased obesity may play a larger role than continued reductions in smoking.

Confused? It is easy to understand why but in reality the comparison doesn't matter since both studies agree on the key point which is that despite gains in health care, medical advancements, and smoking cessation efforts, the increase in obseity rate has either offset those gains (the first study above) or threatens to do so (the second study). Both agree that the number one threat to our health is the increasing size of our bodies.

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and those extra pounds make joints wear out more quickly, boost cholesterol and blood pressure, and raise the risk of a host of debilitating health problems. And despite all those gym memberships, baby boomers tend to be less physically active than their parents and grandparents, their daily routines often dominated by desk jobs and the drive to and from work.

What's driving this trend? A multitude of a factors but one issue cited in the WaPo article was stress and the fact that members of the baby boomer generation have reported having stress earlier than previous generations did (especially with their jobs, commutes, child care, and elder care.)

The debate is far from over and some experts will note that some of the health issues being reported could be due to earlier screenings and better diagnosis. Still the trends and the possibility of worsening health is ominous and according to healthy aging blogger Linda Franklin says "This Post article, and others like it, are a huge wake up call."

I'm not going to preach on how to live a healthy lifestyle. You already know that. Looking at the big picture can be very intimidating, so start small. Choose one thing you are going to do today that will stop your downward spiral. Cut one thing out of your diet that you know isn't good for you, and replace it with one thing that is. Make time for a 15 minute walk. Spend 5 minutes appreciating someone or something in your life that makes you smile.

One point that stood out in the WaPo article was that baby boomers tend to be less physically active than their parents. Whether this is due to stress or other factors is irrelevant, exercise is the key to reversing the weight gain trend and somewhat ironically stress.

One suggestion how to do this comes from an article by fitness instructor Laura S. Jones about the benefits of forming an "athletic identity." That is, instead of saying to yourself, "I'm going to run every other day to lose weight," think "I"m a runner and am going to train every other day and do a 10k in 3 months." Does this nuance matter? Experts and personal experience say yes. In the process of identifying yourself as an athlete exercise becomes part of your life--and not just another item on your "to-do" list.

"There is a process of forming an identity as an athlete," explains Diane Whaley, associate professor of sport and exercise psychology at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. "Buying the clothes, learning the lingo, hanging out with other participants in the chosen activity or sport. Once you form that identity mentally, it is more likely that you will come up with strategies to participate in that sport over time. Having that identity translates into the behavior."

The statistics couldn't be more clear. Our sedentary lifestyle whether, because of "good" reasons like work or family obligations or "not-so-good" reasons, is literally killing us. And it's not just the reduction in life expectancy but we are living lives in which we are able to do less and it will cost more in terms of health care. So whatever sport or activity you like, consider making it part of your life instead of something you have to do.

obesity