How Baby Boomers Are Handling the Aging Process
The baby boomer generation is comprised of those born between the years of 1946 through 1964 and is the largest demographic group in history because of the large spike in births after World War II. The first person born in the baby boomer era entered her sixties as 2006 began, bringing into focus the question of how baby boomers are handling aging.
One of the answers to how baby boomers are adjusting to aging can be summarized in one word: fighting. The generation of the baby boomer has demonstrated a stronger drive and desire to stay looking and feeling young for as long as they possibly can than any other generation in history. A century ago, the life expectancy of the average American was just 45 years. Since then, the expected life span has been increasing to about 70 to 75 years. But now, experts are claiming that those boomers now entering an age range heretofore labeled as senior citizens are justified in expecting that they could achieve life spans of 90 to 100 years and do so actively and in relatively good health. The only impediments are the current tendency toward obesity and lifestyle illnesses.
The reason for anticipating an extended life span in part can be attributed to significant advances in medical research and medical technology. But, that is not the entire story. It has to be acknowledged that baby boomers are responding to aging by taking a pro-active approach through the kinds of choices they are making in an all out effort to battle the ravages of time and slow down the aging process.
Clearly, the baby boomer generation is not satisfied to simply sit back and ease into old age. They are staying physically active, challenging themselves mentally, staying involved in community affairs and entrepreneurship, and are more intensely focused on health and nutrition than previous generations. At an age when their predecessors were winding down and preparing to go home to quiet retirement and aging in private, the boomer crowd is staying engaged and is redefining the role of the aging population. If any group will manage to destroy the myths surrounding old age, basically that the lights go out along with a fade into uselessness, it will be the baby boomers.
Baby boomers know that feeling younger and looking better is about more than just how a person looks on the outside and what sort of bill of health they receive from their doctor. They know it also has a great deal to do with how a person feels about themselves, the attitude about aging and reaching certain milestones of age, and how they take on the challenges of the aging process. There has been increased recognition from experts about the importance of mental fitness and health and this is one of the foremost ways we can see that baby boomers are staying on top of aging. Ask almost any boomer and you will hear them talk about how you are only as old as you believe yourself to be - lots of recalculating here.
But, the generation of the baby boomer is realistic, too, and they are well-educated and savvy. Just watch the trends of this demographic group and you will see that baby boomers are handling aging by taking better care of themselves physically in their combat against the aging process. Making time for regular exercise is much more important to this group than it was to their parents. And, because of the technological advancements that have become part of the general lifestyle, this is a good thing because most boomers don't have the same kinds of physical demands from daily life put on them as was the case in earlier generations.
How baby boomers are handling aging can also be seen in their focus on nutrition. Many boomers learned years ago about the benefits of taking nutritional supplements. They are also more aware of the impact of their diet on their overall health and on how well, or how poorly, they age. Baby boomers are using all the tools conferred by medical advances and in a better understanding of nutrition and exercise to fight the good fight against aging and are blazing the trail for those who follow to live longer, healthier lives.
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Some of us are handling it better than others. Isn’t is amazing how quickly it got here? I think it’s very important we have a “take charge” attitude when it comes to aging. Diet is VERY important, but there is absolutely a place in health-seeking individuals’ diets for supplements, antioxidants, and anti-aging products. I know a balanced diet is best, but who eats right all the time? I don’t and I suspect most of you don’t either. The next best thing is to make sure we get the right things our bodies need through supplements. My favorites are Jean Carper’s anti-aging products. She’s got a full line, including cinnamon and green tea extracts. You can find all her products at http://www.stopagingnow.com . It’s worth your time to take a look.
Chris